Monsters. 99 out of every 100 great screenshots have monsters in them. Sure, we’ve been known to appreciate a well sculpted race car, a cooly crafted NPC character, even a skillfully textured wall. But if we’re being honest, our favorite screenshots all always evoke the same two questions: “What the HELL is that?” followed by, “And do I get to kill it?”
MMOs, in particular, are all about the monsters. Which is why we’re bringing this exclusive sneak preview of the beastiary in Rift. The answers to the first question can be found in the text, which we obtained straight from the developers’ brains. The answer to the second question? “Get to? No. You HAVE to.”
Right on.
Deep Ones
Size: Deep ones can be enormous, but these tend to be rarer and lurk in the deeper recesses of Telara. The ones more usually encountered will be about the size of a Dwarf.
Locations: Near or in water
Alignment: Deep ones originate from the plane of water and are the soldiers of Akylios and can be found fighting alongside the mad cultists of the Abyssal.
Description: Deep Ones are behemoths of the ocean. They are most commonly found at the bottom of Telara's largest bodies of water, far outside the reach of the light of day. They dwell in coral caves and in the deepest kelp forests where they hunt sea creatures and pick over the remains of those hapless dead that drift to the bottom. Deep Ones are crablike sea-people that walk on two legs. Armed with gnarled claws, and protected by tough, chitinous shells, these denizens of the deeps are fierce in combat. Deep Ones have been sighted with shells colored in hues ranging from pale blue to grayish green to deep red. They are huge and looming beasts that wear nothing over their carapaces and wield only primitive weapons. Halfway between beasts and men, similar in mentality to a troll, Deep Ones live to serve the whims of the more powerful denizens of the deep, as well as the mad sorcerers of the Abyssal Cult. Evidence of them is found in ruins across Telara, as if their appearance heralds society's end.
Siltreaver
Size: Most often around 6 feet, about the size of a large Mathosian but there are rumors of some far larger.
Locations: Siltreavers prefer running water but can also be found in oceans and lakes.
Alignment: Terrifying demons from the plane of water, Siltreavers are a plague sent by Akylios to haunt the dreams of mortals.
Description: There are few creatures in the world less appealing to the eye than a Siltreavers. These greasy skinned beasts dwell in running water, or in the deeps of the sea. The centuries they have spent trapped on Telara without contact of their master have reduced most to the level of simple predators, a hazard for those that would ford an untested river. But as the lord of madness stirs and draws his servants near, their frighteningly alien intelligence awakens. Any who think they fight a mere beast may put their soul as well as their life in peril.
Iron Golem
Size: Most golems start at seven feed and some reach the size of giants.
Locations: Most often found in hot or desert areas.
Alignment: Golems are constructs from the Plane of Earth and are aligned with Laethys and the Golden Maw.
Description: Constructed as bodyguards and soldiers by those who want troops they can control, an Iron Golem is a construct that binds a soul or spirit from the Plane of Earth into a nearly indestructible metal shell. Typically standing 7-8 feet tall, the Iron Golem can easily be mistaken for a large man at a distance. However, the blackened iron of its body, the patina of rust over its skin and the soulless vacant stare soon dispel the notion, when seen up close. Iron Golems are typically well crafted with smooth exteriors only sometimes marred by scratches and dents, a testament to the toll of their existence.
Ettin
Size: Ettins can be huge, frequently twice the size of a man.
Locations: Usually found in mountainous areas.
Alignment: A frightening abomination created through the necromancy of the Endless Court, Ettins serve Regulos the destroyer and his minions.
Description: First seen on Telara in the Shade war, Ettins were created by the necromancers of the Endless Court as a vicious brute with enough intelligence to terrify its enemies with remorseless cruelty. An obedient servant, the Ettin is constructed out of the bodies of fallen Telarans and warped and twisted with the horrific magic of Regulos the Destroyer. Though a recent invention of the butcher Doctor Visek for King Aedraxis, there have been reports of Ettins appearing out of rifts, as if the ritual to create them has spread to the planes.
Titan
Size: Truly huge, Titans can be 30 feet tall or more.
Locations: Titans are powerful lords of the earth, second only to the dragons, and imprisoned by the Eth deep underground.
Alignment: Titans come from the Plane of Earth they serve no one but themselves, but will fight for a price that only Laethys, Queen of Avarice could ever afford.
Description: Titans are massive creatures of stone that the powerful Ethian sorcerer kings bound from the plane of earth. Titans had an advanced civilization which collapsed after the Eth enslaved so many of them. They are creatures of great power and were determined to be too dangerous to keep for any length of time lest one get out. The Eth put their stock of titans to sleep deep in their prisons under Stonefield and they long ago disappeared from the surface of Telara, hibernating in vaults deep below the earth. Titans serve their own agenda, and are powerful enough to topple the combined forces of both the Guardians and the Defiants should their numbers awaken.
*Note: Although known as Titans, most will have unique names as they originate from an advanced civilization.
