Skuggadyr

The creatures that stalk the shadowed glades and swamps of the forest beyond the wall are surprisingly cunning and clever, they will use the forest terrain against you and trap you in situations with extreme difficulty for paths of escape. Though they appear as beasts, assume all you encounter are intelligent and by design...perhaps a chaotic design, but a design nonetheless, bent on one goal: your destruction.

This design is also one of the faults of the chaos. One must suppose the demons and devils of chaos did not inherently design something that could aid explorers, yet they did. Found within the remains of a slain Skuggadyr is a small phylactery with a thin connection to chaos but also containing the soul of someone consumed by the chaos. These small phylacteries are a newer discovery and the possibilities of their use is still being explored.

The Dunvaigh

Fearsome beasts wander the land beyond the wall, only the most stalwart and hardy men will stand to the horrors seen in the RætinnSkógur (officially, locally known as the 'Rotted Wood' or Black Forest). The Dunvaigh is one such beast. Appearing like a 12-15 foot tall moose of gigantic proportions, with black and fetid flesh rotting and falling in clumps, this monstrosity hunts for living creatures to consume.

Grimwall: General Grivek

General Grivek is the commander of Grimwall Keep, leading the unrighteous men seeking repentance as they struggle against the forces of chaos. While service at the Keep is a something most men would shy away from, the General has taken up the mantle with an eye towards righting the wrongs of his past. He instills trust, honor, and bravery in the men who seek redemption, and sends those who are not fit onto the Blade of Saint Kifferagh in the Keep's central chapel.

Little is known of the General's past. Rumors say he was responsible for a heinous blaspheme that resulted in the deaths of hundreds (some tales inflate this to the thousands), including his own wife and children. The General is mum on the truth of his past and let the men of the Keep speculate, knowing at times that silence and imagination can be your strongest ally.

Grimwall Keep...?

Whatcha think? Looks like a suitably horrible place to exist.

A terrible fortification out on the far edges of the frontier, a place only desperate men (beasts?) are sent to redeem themselves and make amends for their past sins? Of course, tossing bad, and possibly irredeemable, people together into a miserable place only fosters the right conditions for the vilest things to happen. These people struggle to find a way to survive in the middle of a cataclysmic disaster on a level never before seen. The forces of chaos stir over the wall, summoning the worst from the dark planes to man the rosters of their dark force. The Devil himself is said to wander the forests, eating the hearts of men and committing atrocities against those he finds in his lands. He twists and contorts their minds until they serve him without regard for themselves. 

Grimwall Keep serves as the defense against this evil, all while being manned by some of the worst of us. Can mankind survive?

Updated the image a little, one section was just bugging me like crazy so I redrew part of the keep. ;-)

Grimdark, the bad guys

Every good group of heroes need a bunch of baddies trying to destroy the world, right? How about some weasels, badgers, and rats? Plus a vile swamp lord?

And the vile Swamp Lord, Veras Mortifer:

And his minions, the swamp devils

Grimdark Midjourney by request

By special request for Bill and Felbrigg, I have delved into a grimdark version of the images I posted awhile ago. I imagine this as a sort of 'adult' version of Redwall, perhaps combine Joe Abercrombie's novels with Redwall? I don't know. Anyway, here are some cool images.

Actually, now that I think about this, that sounds really, really cool. I am not a big furry guy (I think its weird, but you do you) but the idea of an adult fantasy Redwall/First Law mashup sounds pretty badass to be honest.