Overview of monsters in Witcher 3 (Part 1) Storm Knight

Cursed creature

Botchling

Botchlings are perhaps the most disgusting creatures a witcher has the “luck” to meet. The abandoned fetuses, who died in the womb, were not given a proper burial, they had the appearance of a partially decomposed fetus, their unformed bodies were mixed with hatred and fear. fearful and evil. These hideous creatures feed on the blood of pregnant women, driven by such a frenzied hunger that they often cause the death of their victims.

A botchling often leaves its lair at night and arrives at the bedside of a woman about to give birth, draining the life force of both mother and child while she sleeps. This woman will first be beset by nightmares, then fever, delirium and general fatigue. After a few nights like this she will be completely weakened and unable to protect herself – that is when the botchling attacks directly, digging its long and sharp claws into the mother and sucking blood until she dies. when both mother and child pass away.

A botchling is about 0.5m tall, but, when threatened and full of blood, it can change shape. At this time, it will become a deformed person, hunchbacked and moving like an ape with its two front limbs. Faster and stronger than before, it will rush towards the enemy, biting or attacking with sharp claws.

The botchling curse can be lifted by turning it into a lubberkin – a kind of guardian spirit that watches over the family hearth it never had, in a place it never had a chance to call home.

Werewolf

Werewolf or werewolf is a creature that has both wolf and human characteristics. When in beast form, they exhibit the worst characteristics of both: the wolf side gives them a desire to kill and a hunger for fresh meat and the human side gives them brutality and the ability to think. maths. Wolf transformation comes from a curse, and this transformation happens uncontrollably to the bearer of that curse. When he returns to human form, he will not remember anything about his actions – or else he will definitely go crazy and kill himself.

Werewolves are often active at night, especially on full moon nights. Although they hunt alone, when they feel threatened they will summon wolves to help them. Werewolves rarely have to flee, as few opponents are capable of confronting them. They fight at lightning speed with razor-sharp claws and recover from damage almost instantly.

Berserker

Legends in Skellige tell of men known as Berserkers, who transform into bear-like creatures when consumed with rage during battle. Once transformed, they lose all sense of self and are controlled by a bloodlust that they must satisfy to return to human form. However, very few people believe in these bloody legends, even in Skellige, where the most absurd legends are absolutely believed by the residents. This suggests that the animatronics are really just figments of the imaginations of those who have become drunk on mead, or that they have learned to hide their abilities from the islanders.

Bards’ songs mention that a Berserker transformed in the fury of battle is indistinguishable from a real bear. Only detailed anatomy – like the shape of the tongue and teeth – reveals their secrets. Descriptions of their fighting skills indicate that they feel no pain and are able to heal any damage almost instantly.

Archespore

Archespores look like giant ugly flowers with the characteristics of particularly cruel and bloodthirsty sundews. However, they are much more dangerous than even the largest sundews. Their peculiar appearance makes them almost indistinguishable when hidden among other plants. By the time one gets close enough to realize what they are, it is often too late to run away.

According to popular belief, archespores are cursed trees planted in soil watered with the blood of the dead. They often appear in places where massacres, bloody rituals or cruel murders have occurred. To date, there are four types of archespores classified, they differ in color: brown (least dangerous), green and purple (most dangerous). The final variant, believed to have been cultivated by the mages of Ban Ard, is the yellow archespore, whose power is comparable to the green type.

Hybrid creature

Harpy and erynia

It’s hard to say what’s most disgusting about the harpies and their erynia relatives: Their hideous appearance, the suffocating stench of putrefaction and bird droppings stuck to their bodies, or their terrifying screams. their horror.

Perhaps it is enough to say that even rats, living happily in piles of layered strata and rotting filth, stay away from harpy nests.

The erynia commonly seen in Skellige are even more disgusting and dangerous than the harpies.

Although rotting corpses are their favorite food, they never refuse a meal of fresh meat, including human flesh.

Sirens

Out at sea, if you hear the sweet sound of a woman singing, turn the ship around immediately. Do you understand? Even if you have to run straight into the storm – Arike of Hindarsfjall, advising his son before his first trip to sea.

Just as skilled hunters release wooden ducks to lure male ducks, sirens lure men closer to them using their own bodies. They can transform their appearance to look like beautiful virgins, although the lower part of their body, instead of smooth legs, is a tail fin covered with a layer of silver fins. As soon as an innocent sailor falls within the reach of these beautiful creatures, their lovely faces instantly transform into a fish mouth bared with fangs, the cute tail fin that promises much pleasure becomes sharp, deadly claws.

Griffin

There was a time when griffins and griffins were found only in the high mountains, where they hunted marmots and wild goats. However, when humans invaded their lands, griffins quickly discovered a new food source that was more abundant and easier to hunt: cows, sheep and even shepherds. Although they still stay away from the roads and towns (where people can often afford to hire witchers), these half-eagle, half-lion creatures have gone from being a rare species to becoming a regular pest that most people use. known and especially hated by northern populations. The most common are two types: Royal griffin or royal griffin and Archgriffin or great griffin.

Elemental creatures

Gargoyles and Golems

Gargoyles are stone statues brought to life by magic to perform the task of protecting laboratories or residences of magicians from intruders. Just their scary appearance is enough to scare away any potential thieves. Those who are not afraid when they see this strange creature with horns and wings often die quickly afterward, their bodies torn apart by sharp stone claws.

Golems are inanimate matter given life through magic. They listen to their masters without question. Their unlimited strength, pain tolerance, endless patience, and lack of need for food or water make them the best servants and bodyguards one could ask for. When provoked, they will fight relentlessly until the enemy is crushed or they themselves turn to dust.

Golems are more diverse than Gargoyles as they can also be combined with many different elements to create types of golems such as fire golems, ice golems, earth golems,…