Terror Between Space and Time

Adherents of Yog-Sothoth

Illustration by Luis Perez

The lore of H.P. Lovecraft has insinuated itself into all sorts of media. It’s gone from being a cult thing to being mainstream seemingly overnight. Yog-Sothoth is one of Lovecraft’s outer gods and has been adopted into the pantheon of Golarion’s powerful beings. Today we look at the Lurker at the Threshold, Outer God of gates, space, and time.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Yog-Sothoth. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The The Lurker at the Threshold. What character do you make?

For more information on Yog-Sothoth

Yog-Sothoth’s Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Yog-Sothoth’s Archives of Nethys Page 

Enlightened Path of Time

This sect operates in the Vudrani enclave of Jalmeray. They are ostensibly a sect of yogi who seek to help their students expand their minds to think outside of the here and now. In reality they are a sect of Yog-Sothoth worshipers who seek to tap into the past and future lives of their followers as a connection to all the time in which the outer god exists so that they may draw it forth onto the face of Golarion.

Occultists, psychics, summoners, and alchemists make up much of the true membership of the sect. Many of the lesser members don’t know to whom they have truly dedicated themselves. Many martial types find themselves pawns to the inner circle and are used to remove physical threats to their master’s plan.

Keepers at the Gate

This sect of devotees to the Lurker at the Threshold seeks to open as many portals as they can. They hope that their master will be behind one of these many doors. This sect often hides themselves among the worshipers of Alseta goddess of doors. They especially find Those Who Walk Through Walls receptive to their goals and often corrupt members of that sect to join them.

This sect specializes in those who can find and open doors by both magical and mundane means. Arcanists, wizards, rogue, and investigators are all very common classes taken up by devotees. But like most sects of Yog-Sothoth there are many support members who follow along with a true understanding of the group’s purpose.

Travelers of the Dark Span

Whereas many sects seek to find a way to bring the outer god onto the plane of Golarion by working it from their end on the material plane, the Travelers seek to find Yog-Sothoth somewhere in the dark tapestry. Travel into the lightless and endless span can be dangerous, not only physically but to one’s psyche. Many of the members of this sect are completely insane after their travels to the tapestry.

By necessity the travelers are almost all casters of some kind. It takes some form of magical existence to even get to, let alone travel within the dark tapestry. The sect is incredibly interested in the fallen craft in Numeria as a technological means to traverse the dark span, but they have had a hard time making an end run around the Technic League. Some discussion has come about infiltrating the technomancers but nothing has come of it yet.

Between space and time lurk the twisted minds of this Outer God’s followers. Who is your disciple of Yog-Sothoth? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Lurker at the Threshold? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has has helped you take a closer look at those inspired by the divine please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon or making a donation to my Paypal. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Facebook, Google +, Tumblr, and Twitter all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for KindleSubscriptions.

The opening illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart. 

Character 62 - Caoloai

This character  had a lot of pieces to tie together. Figuring out a character of an ethnic group that is not common to the listed homeland isn’t easy. Nor is how to get the half-sister without making another bastard-born child. And of course what class to choose for this character. 

Choosing a class was really the most difficult part. There were a lot of options and none really stood out. I weeded out any intelligence or charisma based characters to start. The high wisdom meant a divine character would work best, but Yog-Sothoth didn’t lend itself to divine casters. I had also recently done a Warpriest and an Inquisitor so I needed to move away from that. I ended up linking his bird-like celestial blood to his class by choosing a ranger with the falconer archetype. 

Caoloai 

Illustration by Luis Perez

Born in the god-forsaken land of Rahadoum, Caoloai’s life took a tragic turn early. Although his parents were lower-class by birth his father sought to move them out of their current state. His parents lived as subsistence farmers and when Caolai’s mother was pregnant his father joined the Pure Legion.  Although the life of a soldier — hunting those who forsook the laws of man — was no easy profession, he wanted what was best for his family. 

Caoloai had the ashen skin of his people but he was born with a full head of blond hair. This was the first sign of things to come for the young Rahadoumi. As he aged he didn’t grow much despite the fact that his father stood well over six feet tall. Even his twin sisters were taller than him by the the age of ten, and he was two years older.  His father assumed he’d have his growth spurt when he hit puberty but something much worse happened. 

The first signs were the colored streaks in his hair. This was followed quickly by Caoloai’s eye color changing to a deep amber. When the feathers started appearing on his forearms it was clear – at least to his parents – what was happening.  Being a part of the Pure Legion his father was well versed in the divine and he knew his son – his eldest – had the blood of a celestial running through his veins. This posed a very immediate problem. 

Caoloai’s father was torn. Love of his son and love of his country battled in his mind. His mother on the other hand was more decisive; she turned her own son in. They came in the night and took away the confused boy. His father cried but there was little he could do at the moment. It wasn’t until the next day that he made up his mind. He used his position to see his son and broke him out of the local outpost before he could be transferred. 

Flight from the Pure Legion isn’t simple, but his father’s knowledge of their skills and tactics kept them one step ahead. The border wasn’t far and they made it into Thuvia. Heading toward the capital, leaving getting as far away from Rahadoum was their ultimate goal. Boarding the first boat leaving Merab, the father and son ended up at the terminus of their journey in Jalmeray. 

Jalmeray turned out to be a place of new revelations for the young aasimar. As it turns out the celestial blood he inherited belonged to the Garuda. These bird like creatures were supposedly birthed by the Vudrani goddess Janasini. Unlike in his home country, where his celestial blood was reviled, in Jalmeray he was met with awe and wonder. 

Caoloai was drawn to birds. While his father took up work as a guard for hire, his son took an interest in falconing. His Garuda blood made being around the avians feel like returning home. He trained his own bird day in and day out and even began entering competitions. Even so young he distinguished himself as a master falconer. 

He also began to immerse himself in the Vundrani forms of mysticism and enlightenment. There were many gods among the pantheon of the impossible kingdoms and although this left a lot choice for worship, it also meant that many unsavory beings could sneak among the mystery cults of Jalmeray. This would one day become Caoloai’s downfall. 

His father remarried when he was sixteen. His new wife was another outsider to Jalmeray, an elven woman. While his father was occupied with his new bride, and eventually his fourth child - another sister – Caoloai would spend much of his time running with the street kids. His best friend knew everyone and everything on the streets of Niswan. The aasimar became a fairly common face, roaming the streets with his bird and his bow. 

All of this popularity and interest in the mystical drew attention of the wrong sort. It was easy enough for Yandari to seduce the young man, his own self-doubt helped in this account. Using mind-altering substances during meditations as well as more intimate means of actualization kept the boy coming back for more. He thought he was in love, and he thought he was expanding his mind beyond the bounds of space and time. What he was doing was allowing an insidious evil in. 

Things happened so fast. It wasn’t until there were more than a dozen bodies behind him that Caoloai realized what he’d become. At this point he didn’t care though. He had done it all for her, and for their hidden master. When he accepted his true nature Yandari brought him into the fold of the true cult. Worshipers of the outer god Yog-Sothoth. 

Caoloai has left his family behind, disappeared into the underground of Niswan. He has devoted his life to his mistress and her patron. He has become an assassin for the outer god and its minions. His occasional bouts of doubt are soothed by whatever Yandari gives him. 

That is the story of the fall of Caoloi, but that isn’t the only tale that can be told by these stats. What do you create when looking at the given attributes and background information? How did your Mwangi end up in Jalmeray? How did he come to worship The Lurker on the Threshold? 

Bringing these character to life is a second full time job. Contributions to my Patreon or Paypal help me be able to invest more of that time into creation instead of worrying about keeping the lights on. If you’d like to support your favorite content provider – come on, that’s me, admit it – please consider contributing. If you’re enjoying the blog, why not join the rest of the fans of the CRB on our social media hangouts? Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter all have a CRB presence and my inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. 

The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.