Big Buncha Burrs

Preface: The Blood-Red Corruption, known as the Blod-Rod Korrupsjon or Blod-Raud Spilling to the Colossians, is a deadly and unnatural corruption that spreads very rapidly. A single spore of the Blood-Red Corruption had managed to expand into an entire region of Colossus in the span of only a few days, spreading from creature to creature and from plant to plant in a horrifying network of corruption. When a creature or plant has been corrupted, they can only be saved by the most powerful healers, otherwise, only death may redeem them.
Being completely infected by the Blood-Red Corruption turns one into a Blood-Red Corrupted version of themselves, where they lose control of their minds and work to spread the corruption further. Insanity and fear are the first effects experienced by those afflicted. Their tormented, tainted mind causes great pain that they cannot ease. Though the Corrupted do remain aware of their actions, they are stuck in a dream-like state where they cannot control their movements and actions and hear maddening whispers speak to them. They may even hurt themselves in their insanity, perhaps because the crazed, malign whisperings convinced them to. The Unaturlig of Corruption gains control over them, directing their actions until its control is broken when the corruption is cured.

Name: Corrupted Olgfolk
Aliases: Blood-Red Olgfolk, Blod-Rod Olgfolk, Blod-Raud Olgfolk

Height: 14 feet (Corrupted Keeper), 15 feet (Corrupted Warden)

Info: Olgfolk that have been afflicted by the Blood-Red Corruption, spreading corruption and death in the world instead of bringing healing and peace.

Description: The resemblance between the Corrupted Olgfolk and their non-Corrupted variants stops squarely at the fact that they are physically Olgfolk. Their former colors have faded to a dark grey, as if the life was completely drained from their bodies to leave them colorless, were it not for the jarring blood that decorates their claws and antlers and stripes their bodies in dripping patterns. The Corrupted Olgfolk often have bright, glowing red eyes, but have sometimes been seen with yellow and purple eyes as well.

Powers and Abilities:
- Darkbough: The Corrupted Olgfolk’s former healing powers have been twisted to instead sap the life and energy out of living beings and plants. Their powers cause rapid withering and decaying in whatever they afflict. Entire limbs can find themselves stricken with dying cells in mere seconds. These powers, appearing as swirling, red light, can be sent as waves of corruption or cast on the ground in defiling wells around a specific area, or spontaneously appear on anything that lives with a flick of the Corrupted Olgfolk’s wrists. They can also be channeled into the Corrupted Olgfolk’s hands and mouth. The withering abilities are able to jump from target to target rapidly, leaving it unwise to stand close to allies when facing the Corrupted Olgfolk. Wounds that were already present on an afflicted creature are significantly worsened by these dark abilities. Natural healing is completely negated, leaving wounds bleeding for as long as they are affected. The corruption is known to linger for a few seconds or until removed, ideally before it can deal too much damage.
- Crushing Grip: The Corrupted Olgfolk are even stronger than their non-Corrupted selves, supernatural power coursing through them to increase their might.
- Breath of Corruption: The Corrupted Olgfolk can emit streams of corruption from their jagged maws, appearing as red, flame-like energy. Materials struck by the blast have their durability severely lowered and broken by the kinetic force of the attack. The Corrupted Olgfolk can also throw blasts of corruption from their hands.
- Festering Rip: The claws and teeth of the Corrupted Olgfolk inflict bleeding wounds that become infected and cause immense pain.
- Waking Nightmare: The Corrupted Olgfolk can temporarily trap a foe into a sudden, deep slumber, where they are trapped in a terrifying nightmare until they are woken up or after a few seconds that will feel like hours for the victim. Alternatively, they can be affected by the Blood-Red Corruption without actually falling asleep; for example, lashing out at their allies because their afflicted mind is hallucinating them as horrible monsters.
- Death Blossom: The Corrupted Olgfolk can sprout wicked thorns and explosive plants from the ground, which cover the areas around them in corruption after their detonation.
- Nightmare Gaze: Those gazing directly into the eyes of the Corrupted Olgfolk for too long lose control over themselves for a few seconds, their consciousness remaining paralyzed with fear as the Unaturlig of Corruption gains control over them.
- Bloodbending: The Corrupted Olgfolk can use bloodbending, controlling the blood of their victims to their will.
- Roaring Cacophony: The ghostly voices of the Olgfolk are made even more unsettling by the Blood-Red Corruption. Their loud roars create doubt, anxiety and panic in the hearts of those who hear them.
- Corrupted Animal Allegiance: The Corrupted Olgfolk can warp the minds of animals and plants to turn them to the Blood-Red Corruption.
- Feed on the Weak: The Corrupted and the Unaturlig of Corruption grow stronger when feeding off the negative emotions of their victims.
- The gnarly antlers and spikes of the Corrupted Olgfolk are tough, allowing them to ram foes with them without snapping. The same goes for their wooden teeth. Their jagged shapes cut deep, bleeding wounds in their opponents.
- When standing completely still, the Corrupted Olgfolk can easily be mistaken for simple wood carvings or even trees among Blood-Red-Corrupted areas. Because their tribes sleep forming a circle, they can ambush and overpower an enemy with little effort.

Weaknesses:
- The Blood-Red Corruption’s effects can be fought off, or negated entirely, by powerful healing magic. A disciplined or stubborn mind can fend off the insanity that comes with being tainted, but they will still require a skilled healer to save them, for should their mind falter, the Blood-Red Corruption will overwhelm them.

Name: The Skallbor (“SKAHL-boar”)
Alias: The Slagter

Height: 9 feet (males), 10 feet (females)

Description: The Skallbor are burly, bull-like beings displaying curved horns and sharp tusks. Typically found in light brown colors, the Skallbor arm themselves with animal hides and metal. They are fond of braiding their beards and piercing their noses and ears with golden rings, as well as painting tattoos over their bodies - sometimes from their enemies’ blood.

History: Many of the first creatures spawned from the Blood of Ristaang, when it was spilled on the tundra ages ago, were large and strong, but lacked real intelligence. Sentience was gifted to these creatures, but the Skallbor, who were the most promising, had the most of it. They built crude tools and weapons and lived in small villages. As they settled across the world, the Slagter developed subspecies; Arctus watched over the bison-like ones of the great Northern tundras, Olghjortur watched over the moose-like ones of the great pine forests, and Tunengore watched over the Skallbor. For many years, the dragon-riding Skallbor, with the overseeing of Tunengore, served as the chief protectors of the world.

But something corrupted the Skallbor, permanently warping them.

They grew violent and bloodthirsty, brutality reigning among their increasingly savage culture. With the betrayal of Bromdaahl and the disappearance of Tunengore, the Beasts could not stop the Skallbor. With their dragon allies, the Skallbor constantly raided the very people they were meant to protect. They especially loved to hunt down and beat down the creatures known as Colossians, whose great size, might and majestic horns made them the prime target of trophy hunts. Their relentless hunting of the then dim-witted Colossians took away their horns forever, and to this day, the Colossians remain the only mammalian species on Colossus to lack horns. Many ancient Colossian horns and bones can be found decorating the homes of the Skallbor.

To this day, the Skallbor are a dark shadow looming over the living creatures of Colossus. However, there are a few known Skallbor to be against the violent ways of their people, living in peace in the most secluded areas of the world...

Info: The brutal and mighty precursors of several Colossian species. There is no place for weakness among the Skallbor. Those who cannot fight are left to die. The term “Skallbor” usually refers to the bull-like people, but can also refer to Skallbor-aligned people of a different species.

Powers and Abilities:
- Beast Traits: As with any Colossian creature, the Skallbor possess monstrous strength and durability.

Trivia:
- The Skallbor refer to their homeworld as “Bjornskjaere” or “Bjornskar”, a term composed of their words for “bear” and “carve”, in reference to Ristaang, a bear-like Beast, being injured.
- The Skallbor are similar to the Vrykul, in that they are both savage, dragon-riding Northmen. They also have influence from the Bandosian faction of RuneScape, who put strength above all.

Theme Music:
Many of the Vrykul or Nordic WoW themes are good for them, namely the Utgarde Keep/Utgarde Pinnacle themes and especially the foreboding Northrend transport themes.