Grim Dawn Grim Misadventures #51

The fifty-first installment to the Grim Dawn "Grim Misadventures" development feature series introduces us to some of the creatures we'll be facing during the action RPG's third Act. There are some monster renders to go with the background details, so you may want to hit the link to check those out as well:

Mornay has ventured north many times prior to his return to Devil's Crossing, and the things he saw were more than enough to disturb the grizzled veteran. Above all, the depravity of the Cult of Ch'thon unsettled him the most. Within their (blood farms), the cultists gather blood from unwitting travelers and defenseless locals. What they are using this vital fluid for is beyond Mornay's understanding, but rumors suggest that Ch'thonians consume the blood to empower their sorcery and summon creatures from the dark void.

The void houses some of the most terrifying creations humans have ever had the misfortune of encountering. Among them is the gargantuan Obsidian Defiler. A Ch'thonic creature formed from the very material which makes up much of the Ch'thonian void, the Defiler is incredibly durable and brutally powerful. Its four arms will shred flesh like paper, but its true power lies within its chaotic core. Should you find yourself within reach of a Defiler, it is advisable to run.

The Cult of Ch'thon and its allies from the void are not the only dangers lurking beyond Smuggler's Pass. Nature itself is a capable contender for the throne of deadliest foe. Once, the beasts of the wild were kept at bay by human civilization, their attacks limited to fringe villages and unlucky travelers. Now there is little to stop them from spreading and ravaging the last survivors of humanity.

At the top of the food-chain is a ruthless predator, a night prowler capable of tearing a man in two with a swipe of its massive claws, assuming it does not impale the victim first upon its barbed tail. I speak of the Manticore. Manticores were once hunted by the truly brave, and the foolish, for their eyes and poison glands, both highly valued materials in the practices of alchemy and the arcane. Now they have reclaimed their rightful place as the apex predator of Homestead. Travelers daring enough to venture out beyond the settlements of Homestead should be wary of entire packs of these beasts roaming the countryside. Underestimate them and it may be your sun-bleached bones that future adventurers scavenge for valuables.