Drauven Revisit

I've got a special place in my heart for Drauven, even though in some ways they're our least "original" monsters (lizard-people have been done many times). They're grouchy and probably eat the occasional villager, but they're unapologetic.

(Also don't tell the rest of the team this, but they became my dumping ground for all of the things I would have loved to give orcs if we had orcs in this game.)

But after a while, they started sliding down the hill of "lazy artist falls back on vaguely tribal imagery," so a visual rework has been coming along.

Archers

Grunts

Brutes

Priests

I want to maintain their love of decoration—red leathers, shiny bronze, and etched patterns into their armor and weapons—and their predilection for bird imagery, without falling into the "primitive savage rawr" stereotype.

They're still one of the more "human" monster types you encounter (and that's taking into account that many Deepists actually are humans). There are a few events in the game where people negotiate with them or see a more vulnerable side of them.

But overall, they're ambitious, they're organized, and they'd be quite happy to take your spleen home as a souvenir for their kids.