GRAVEFIRE: Monsters and Remnants

The monsters in GRAVEFIRE are not ordinary wildlife. Most are remnants, reanimations, or corrupted forms shaped by the grave fire. Some are former soldiers. Some come from greed, fear, experiments, or old rituals. Some may be closer to pure manifestations of the fire itself.

In dungeon exploration, regular monsters appear as spirit totems. These totems hover above the earth and glow with energy. When a survivor gets close, the battle begins.

The monster card revealed by a totem can depend on the dungeon, the color of the totem, and the intensity of its energy. If multiple monster totems are close enough, the player battles all of them together.

Elite monsters appear directly on the map as themselves. They are not hidden behind totems.

The Tritoi are undead soldiers given life, or at least a pale semblance of it, by the Grave Fire. They are macabre assemblies of skeletal limbs and burning weapons. They march across the burned lands in rank and file as they did in life.

Their colors and sigils are charred beyond recognition, so no one knows whether they served Zebathen or Motonia. Facing a Tritus unarmed and unprepared is certain death.

Zerix is a terrifying apparition even among the remnants. From the waist up, it resembles a demonic being. Below, it becomes a charred horselike creature.

A Zerix chooses a victim and chases them without rest. No matter how far the victim flees, sooner or later they wake to hooves, brimstone, and a skeletal smile bearing down on them.

Oxarchs are also reanimated warriors, but unlike Tritoi they carry themselves with deadly grace. They may have been knights or generals in the old wars of Ekothis.

Their armor remains dangerous. Their movement is disciplined. Their presence alone can fill victims with deathly fear.

No one knows exactly where the Bok came from. They are named after the gobbling sound they make while prowling.

Boks are creatures of pure instinct and endless hunger. They were born from human greed and given shape by the grave fire. A single Bok can devour a hamlet of survivors and leave only broken bones and smears behind.

The Aegas were once the pride of Motonia. Their shields formed walls of steel that repelled invaders. The Grave Fire did not spare them.

At first glance, an Aegas warrior seems almost human, armed and armored as in life. Up close, the face beneath the helm is wasted, and the eyes burn with unholy light. Their kingdom is ash, but they still march with discipline and purpose. Their rage turns against anyone who survived the calamity that took Motonia from them.

Voong are shambling horrors found in ashen forests. They are unholy mixtures of beast and human, with hands stained by the gore of victims.

They mutilate bodies and raise them as totems deep in the woods. Often, those remains are the last thing a traveler sees before the Voong attacks with animal fury and arcane strength.

Aurin are enigmas even among those who study remnants. They appear in the wake of ash storms that cross the wasted remains of Zebathen.

An Aurin is a floating skull aflame above the remains of a body burned nearly into ash, held together by whatever magic reanimated it. Survivors have reported seeing one gaze at them from far away. Those survivors died soon after.

Bizor belonged to an ancient order of alchemists and magicians known for manipulating elemental forces. When the Grave Fire struck, their headquarters burned, but the Bizor appear to have survived in some altered form.

These hooded figures abduct travelers and take them to unknown places. Rumors say they perform rituals and experiments in hidden lairs. None of their prisoners have returned.

Irius is one of the deadliest creatures to appear after the Grave Fire. It seems to consist of a single giant eye floating in dark smoke, radiating heat and malignant energy.

No one has managed to get close to an Irius without burning. A survivor with the right gifts may be able to withstand it, but only barely.

The blade-dancers of Zebathen were one of the Grand Carnival's chief attractions. Their swords flashed through hypnotic performances that drew visitors from across Ekothis.

When the Grave Fire struck, the Lox remained. Molten blades fused to burned skeletal bodies. They still haunt the Carnival of Doom and the Clown's Circus, moving with speed and poise, but now their blades are aimed at anyone foolish enough to approach.

The project keeps several pages of monster and remnant concept art as visual direction. These are useful for the shape language of GRAVEFIRE: charred bodies, exposed bone, ritual silhouettes, floating eyes, fungal forms, molten weapons, and forms that look partly assembled from things the fire refused to fully consume.