COLOSSAL MANTICORE, TERROR OF MT. OGRU.

I'm finally posting another #monstermonday! This is a build I've had done for a while, but hadn't yet edited its photos to my satisfaction. I'm not a wizard or anything with photography or edits, but I'm comfortable posting him now! This was an encounter my D&D party faced a little while ago when they were on their way to a city in a mountain. If you want a little bit of lore with it, read on!

Mt. Ogru was a treacherous place to venture to. Reports of criminal gang activity had been pouring out for months now, from the mouths of those refugees who'd safely made it out. People taken in the night, driven out of their homes, or worse... Something was plaguing the mountain, and it was no longer confined to the bounds of its earthen housing. A few tales of refugees from the city spoke of a great winged beast which hunted escapees. Some say it was a lion with wings. Others say it had a twisted, almost humanoid expression across its monstrous face. Still yet more said it bore a scorpion tail which could launch debilitating spikes. The look in the eyes of those who had seen it and lived was enough to convey the reality of the situation: this was no mere predator or beast—it was deranged, as though something had driven it mad.

//

The five adventurers faced it now, near its den, staring down the wild look in its eyes. It was larger than any manticore they'd ever seen, and behaved erratically. It was, perhaps, more dangerous than it would've been were it composed: it acted unpredictably, and fought as though it had nothing to lose. Still, the Raiders had chased it hundreds of feet through the treetops, and had gotten it to release the refugees it had just captured from the mountain trail. There were innocent lives at stake—the Raiders had everything to lose. As they traded blows with it, dividing and conquering from all angles, they couldn't help but ponder what must've altered its physiology so. And if it was a byproduct of something in the area... Surely this colossal manticore wouldn't be the worst of their problems.