“Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the Gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs and the governor of the holy Circle; thou art indeed … the Great Cat.” — Inscription on the Royal Tombs at Thebes
Known by many names, in many places, throughout many ages - she has been the Great Cat, Bas-Amra, Ubaste, Bastet, Ailuros, Dawon, 'Gdon, and many more.
In Hyperborea and later Ancient Egypt, she was the goddess and protector of cats, as well as the goddess of family life. She later became associated with the moon and its connotations of female fertility, as well being a goddess of music and joy. Cats were also associated with the utchat symbol—the all-seeing sacred eye that reputedly has magical powers, and Bast was an ‘Eye of Ra’ acting as a protector or avenger for the god. Bast’s cult centre was at Bubastis in the Nile Delta where Herodotus described
enthusiastic celebrations and archaeologists have found tomb-fields of mummified cats.
After time cats became demigods, divinely appointed by the Pharaoh to control vermin in his kingdom’s grain houses, as without wheat there would no bread. Bast gradually gained aspects of a family protectoress, as a home needs to be vermin free too. In the Egyptian temples, cats were depicted as slayers of the serpents attacking Ra, and may have controlled the asp population as well.
Later in Egyptian history, Bast’s clergy was corrupted by a heresy, attempting to model themselves after Bast by creating animal-human hybrids. The heretic movement was quickly eliminated, but a small number of hybrids, priests, and their followers escaped to the West. The aberration was suppressed and erased from history, but Nyarlathotep undoubtedly was involved, hence the cats’ hostility to Azathoth’s Messenger. Worship of Bast continued in the Dreamlands as it gradually died out in the Waking World. The damned western city of Golthoth had a strong Egyptian influence and Bast was heavily worshipped there until the city’s ruin. The Dark Wanderers, who carried Bast’s memory from Golthoth throughout the Dreamlands, also revere her.
Knowing many things about the world and its Dreamlands, cats acknowledge many powerful beings and gods, as it is only prudent to do so. The only deity that the cats of Dreamlands actually worship is the goddess Bast. They remember her patronage in the Waking World, and still honor her so that she may prosper in the Dreamlands. The cats continued presence in the ancient ruins of the Moon is significant, but what they are looking for is between them and their goddess. Cats are honored to occasionally act as Bast’s Eye of Ra, but her intervention in Dreamlands is rare now as she spends time elsewhere.
Feline devotees of Bast may want to consider these additional tricks, they are only allowed with Keeper permission:
| Trick Name |
Trick Description |
| Devoted |
You worship and serve Bast. You are probably
a member of a cat clan army, such as Ulthar’s.
This trick allows you to double the damage
you do with a successful Bite, Scratch, or Rip
attack once per session. Prerequisite: Bravo. |
| Blessed |
You are looked over by Bast herself. Should
you take damage, this trick allows you to
trade 1 or more Hit Points of damage for 1 or
more Magic Points once per session. Prerequisite:
Devoted. |
| Eye of Ra |
You are an instrument of Bast’s righteous
rage. You wear her holy symbol, an utchat,
suspended from a collar around your neck.
This trick gifts you with the Bites Off More,
Brave, Bravo, Bruiser, Ghost Sight and Lion
Heart tricks whilst you still have Bast’s favor
(Keeper’s decision). If you attempt a Deadly
Cat Attack (see above) all successful attacks
automatically critical. You may also use the
Devoted and Blessed tricks twice per session.
Prerequisite: Devoted, Blessed and one skill
above 90%. |
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