Corrupted Bear

From AoCWiki

Five-hundred pounds of tooth and claw, driven insane by the disease coursing through their veins, these predators crash across the landscape destroying all in their path.

In their foolish quest for power, the Nemedians experiment with forces beyond their control. They attempt to recreate the black plague that swept their country, and unleash it upon their foes, the Aquilonians.

Their first attempt, which they disseminated in the Border Ranges, infected the local fauna with a bizarre disease. This disease strips the beasts of their natural skin, their flesh falling in strips from their bodies. As a result of the constant pain, most of the animals are driven insane.

Chief among these enraged predators is the bear. Five-hundred pounds of tooth and claw, driven insane by the disease coursing through their veins, these predators crash across the landscape destroying all in their path. Lesser beasts are swept away beneath the onslaught and even the most powerful predators become prey when the corrupted bears rampage.

In the northern part of the Wild Lands, there is a hidden way called Devil's Pass. It is said that a demonic bear makes its home there, snatching the souls of any who dare to travel through the pass.

Only one man claims to have seen this bear and survived; Athero of the Outcasts. He seeks a champion to slay the bear and claims that only with the knowledge he possesses can anybody hope to be successful.

Unique variants include Kodiak Bear.