Elder Evils

"Inching. Ancient. Hungry. Wrath. Waiting. Watching."

Thanks to Jorge Jacinto from Artstation for the eldritch cover art!

Elder Evil is the title given to those---often times horrific---entities that inhabit the Great Beyond of Xeccamund. Beyond the reaches of Yophasian Order, these Elder Evils are gods unto themselves, wielding powers unrivalled and with consciousnesses so alien as to be impossible to understand. The Elder Evils listed herein are by no means all Elder Evils in Xeccamund; as Xeccamund as infinite, there must also, in theory, be an infinite number of Elder Evils. The Elder Evils here are simply those most likely to be interacted with should one venture out into Xeccamund, or most likely for one to find their influence within Yophas.
Those listed below are divided into two categories: those found and chronicled by Eponimus the Starseer in her groundbreaking thesis, That Which Lurks in the Dark: The Elder Evils of Xeccamund; and those who are known to some of Yophas, but not widely propagated among xeccamologists (yet). In other words, the Eponimus category is the well-known (among experts) and the Other category is less-known.

Eponimus's Elder Evils

These are the Elder Evils discovered and chronicled by Eponimus, the first xeccamologist of the Age of Extant. The description of each Elder Evil below is ripped directly from her book, which can be read about in greater depth here.

Augus, the Titan Born Dead

"My first encounter with Augus was peculiar; I didn't observe it, nor even notice it, but I noticed its effects: our Navigator travelled faster, my magics were more potent, and my heart rate increased. I felt energized, to put it lightly, like I was standing atop Luna and basking in her magic. My second encounter was when I laid eyes upon Augus and was able to study it.
The same effects as the first encounter occurred, lasting until we were some distance from Augus. Augus itself was a titanic humanoid floating in space. It had a cracked and broken form with a large hole through its chest, from which a viscous trail of star-filled fluid emerged. Both of its eyes were missing, as though they had been torn out. My theory is that Augus was perhaps a primordial that never truly lived, or maybe of a different type than the Titans whose corpses created the elemental planes."

Auldom, the God-Brain

"Sadly, my information on Auldom is quite limited. My one and only encounter studying it nearly ended in my death, and though I wanted to go back, the crew of the Navigator refused. But, from what I can gather, I believe Auldom is the progenitor of those creatures we call mind flayers, and I have come to call it the God-Brain.
We came upon a desolate planet covered in monolithic towers of chitin and flesh. The planet was covered in these crevasses that went all the way to its core, which seemed to have been replaced by a gargantuan brain. This, I believe, was Auldom. We narrowly escaped, for once we were within viewing distance of the planet, mind flayer ships -- nautiloids -- erupted like angry bees and began pursuing us. Thank the stars for the Wayfinder I hired, because she got us out in the knick of time. One day, I will return to study Auldom further."

Iathildos, the Deadlight of Eternity

"I found something that seems to be the antithesis of Augus. I have called it Iathildos, the Deadlight of Eternity. It resembles a star, though it crackles and distorts like no other star I have seen. The most intriguing aspect, however, was that magic ceased to function within Iathildos' light. More than magic ceasing to function, I felt completely removed from the lunar-arcane, or even the chaos magics of Xeccamund. I returned to study Iathildos several years after my first encounter, yet it was nowhere to be found in its first location. I do not know what this means."

Mudamer Alfeawalhim, the World-Eater

"I saw the entity I have named Mudamer Alfeawalhim once in my travels through Xeccamund. I witnessed a titanic being I can only compare to the colossal whales of Tudulion -- though this creature was orders of magnitude larger -- emerge from the heart of a dead star and consume a broken planetoid. It had two pectoral fins that could have smashed our Navigator with a thought, and a dorsal fin of bone that ran the entire length of its world-sized form. In lieu of a face, it had a cluster of meteor-sized eyes that peered out in all directions at once. I made eye contact with one, I think. I heard whispers when it occurred, but they were too quiet to discern. I would like to study Mudamer more, but it only seems to emerge from its inescapable den when there is food nearby -- which does, of course, come in the form of planets, planets much like Emaxus."

Umswinya Odlayo, the Wyrm of the Stars

"I encountered the first Xeccamundian entity willing or capable of true communication. He called himself Umswinya Odlayo, the Wyrm of the Stars. He spoke of the Reshaping, of his battle with Yamma, of the chaos that ruled between the Obsidian War and the start of our existence. He communicated in thoughts, images, and emotions, and I'm glad; had he truly spoken, I fear we would have died from the strength of the noise. Umswinya was less of a dragon and more of the idea of a dragon. He resembled one, yes, but in the same way that caramel resembles the sugar that becomes it. He didn't seem to bear malicious intent, but he could have been hiding his true intent. He was coiled around the dead core of a star, and drinking from its darkness. I do not know his goals nor his origins."

Vhud'ro, the Devourer of Light

"I came upon Vhud'ro while returning from my encounter with Mudamer Alfeawalhim. At first, I thought Vhud'ro was simply a strange star, but discovered quite the contrary upon investigating further. It was a vacuum of light, rimmed by that which it was devouring. It was a darkness more whole than anything I'd ever seen. From this death of light, a cacophony of noises erupted: a dull, ever-present roars, whispers of thousands of voices all speaking over one another, and a faint, pained wail. Vhud'ro perplexed me, and frankly unsettled me. When I returned for further study, Visilphen was nearby, preventing me from researching Vhud'ro more. I hope to learn more about it one day."

Visilphen, the Kraken of the Stars

"Like Auldom, I believe I have discovered another progenitor entity: Visilphen, the Kraken of the Stars. It seems to be the mother of krakens and aboleths, for it leaves them on planets it consumes. Visilphen resembles a celestial kraken with dozens of tentacles. It feeds by approaching planets and scouring their surfaces. In so doing, it belches an ichor-like substance that creates oceans upon these planets surfaces. Within these oceans: krakens, aboleths, and perhaps even more creatures that I couldn't identify. Visilphen also roams constantly. On numerous occasions, I have seen her approach the border between Xeccamund and Ipacia and simply observe, as though she is staring into Yophas and wishing she could devour it. I have also seen her progeny and Auldom's progeny battle on multiple occasions. The politics of Xeccamund are truly strange -- the planets these aberrations battle over have no discernible resources, no tactical benefits. What do they fight for?"

Vrexhotl, the Star of Madness

"Vrexhotl has threatened my studies even more than Auldum or Visilphen. I have given Vrexhotl the apt title of 'The Star of Madness.' I lost several crewmembers when we first saw it: their eyes glossed over, replaced by an inky black flecked with star-like dots. They became violent, and we had to kill them. I myself felt this eldritch force touch my mind, but was able to shrug it off. My working theory is that I, having long experienced Xeccamundian influences, was able to identify Vrexhotl's touch and cut it off. Most people are not so gifted. For them, Vrexhotl pounces like a chalgras, pinning their consciousness and replacing it with its own, to where Vrexhotl's commands become indistinguishable from the victim's own thoughts. I do not know if there is a cure, but I imagine its effects are much less potent when not bearing witness to its true form up close: that of a broken star, unleashing its dying energies out into the universe and crackling with the energy of creation and something more."

Yov'urvil, the Planet of Flesh

"We came upon a planet of flesh today. It shifted and settled, a great mass of tentacles and muscle. I observed it for a full week, and found it resisted all forms of exterior interaction. We watched an illithid nautiloid approach the planet's surface before a dozen city-sized tentacles whipped out from the surface and annihilated it. Immediately thereafter, the planet went back to its ever-shifting yet docile state. This entity, which calls itself Yov'urvil, calls out constantly. The entire surface of its mass constantly moans and sighs, calling out in tongues too ancient to understand. Does it call for aid? Lure prey to its surface? I do not know."

Other

The Elder Evils listed below are those not chronicled in That Which Lurks in the Dark, but do influence Yophas's inhabitants. These Elder Evils are much more along the "old god" lines, rather than the "alien entity" ones---though the difference between those can be blurred.

Al'inkalarath, Queen of Monsters

In certain cultures, ancient cultures, across Yophas, there is a legend that monsters did not exist during the Reshaping. In fact, some of these legends even go so far as to claim that Yophas was idyllic in the earliest years of the Age of Rebirth; all threats were only those that were natural, and no monsters besides dragons existed in the multiverse. Whether or not these legends---few and far between as they are---can be believed, they do line up in several disconcerting ways:

• There were no monsters at first.
• A light in the sky appeared and a meteor crashed.
• There were monsters then.

Some cultural studies and archaeological surveys have tried to determine the validity of these legends, but they've all come up empty-handed. Thus, Yophas remains largely unaware of Al'inkalarath, Queen of Monsters.
There was a meteor. There were quite a few, actually. In the earliest days, before the boundaries of Ipacia were reinforced and Yophas fully delineated from Xeccamund, Al'inkalarath sent a wave of her children into the nascent multiverse. It is pointless to enumerate the monsters she introduced to Yophas---after all, it's not like they remember or know her---but she certainly brought in quite a few.
Nowadays, Al'inkalarath continues trying to influence Yophas (even more than being the progenitor of untold monstrosities that haunt the planes) by appearing to remote communities as a vengeful spirit of nature. She proclaims that they have offended her will, and they must repent through servitude---a servitude that rapidly devolves into chaos, slaughter, and alliances with monsters.

Ati, the Nightmare of Reality

Ati is, thankfully, unknown to all but the most ancient entities, including the gods. Those few mortals who have discovered the Nightmare of Reality were wiped out instantly by the Ten. This regrettable action was always necessary for Ati is the one entity in all of existence that can do the impossible: eat Divinity and kill gods permanently. In the horror and chaos of the Obsidian War, Ati awoke. Yamma and Alindr conspired and tricked the Nightmare, imprisoning it within a star that would never die. This star would manifest some of its captive's traits, such as nullifying certain aspects of the Dream of Reality---like magic. This star would come to be known as Iathildos.
No one today knows of Iathildos's true nature. Indeed, even Iathildos's star spawn children do not. Ati is the antithesis of existence; the Nightmare at the edge of the Dream. But, without the gods to smite mortals who discover Ati, its only a matter of time before someone discovers the Nightmare once more---and unleashes the one thing that could truly end it all.

Lothuateg, the Whisper in the Wind

If one were to take the entire breadth of writings from maddened seers and insane xeccamologists across all of history, one would find an occasional repeated name across the endless random words: Lo'sanoth. In these ravings, Lo'sanoth is spoken of as the city beyond reality. This may evoke the image of the City of Veils, but that is a misplaced thought. Lo'sanoth is the prison plane of Lothuateg, Corruption Made Manifest, and it is actually a city beyond reality.
In the Reshaping, Yamma found Lothuateg and its vast empire of Lo'sanoth. Yamma could not fight Lothuateg, for it was too vast; Yamma would have to wipe out the countless millions corrupted into servitude by it, an act he was unwilling to do. So, Yamma carved the heart of Lo'sanoth out, trapped Lothuateg in it, and banished it beyond reality.
But alas, such a prison could not be perfect, for the only thing truly beyond reality is Ita, and Lothuateg is not Ita. Thus, Lothuateg whispers, and it waits. It creeps into the minds of mortals across all of space and all of time, impersonating gods, angels, devils, and any other entity that a mortal might put stock in. It places bets on countless people to find the unfortunate soul who will undo the complex Divine bindings keeping Lo'sanoth---and its captive---beyond space.

Xeccan'inmitan, Dream-Watcher

Where nightmares fester, Xeccan'inmitan feasts. The Dream-Watcher is not the root of all nightmares, nor does it attempt to create them; it simply infiltrates those that are already there and pushes them further to horror and insanity so that it may feed off the fear and sorrow they create. Those who suffer Xeccan'inmitan's corruption speak of a shadow of malevolence haunting their every dream, always out of sight but always on the periphery of their consience.
Xeccan'inmitan drives all but the most resolute people insane, typically pushing them to commit acts of terror and violence to try and get the nightmares out of their head. These people often die, by their own hands or otherwise, but this is not Xeccan'inmitan's goal. In fact, it would prefer these people never die but never wake, instead existing in a permanent sleep of nightmares, providing steady sustenance. It is unknown what Xeccan'inmitan is or what its goals may be, but the Dream-Watcher haunts the realm of dreams throughout Yophas, stalking prey and waiting for their nightmares to grow large enough for it to step in.
Xeccan'inmitan is worshipped by sects of dream-cults, believing that the Dream-Watcher is a prophetic being. These cults misinterpret the Shadow Out Of Sight as a haunt of doom and undertake drastic measures to try and avoid it---or bring it about. Essentially, these cults take the sporadic events of horror and violence that Xeccan'inmitan creates and turn it into a religion.

A Note on Xeccamund

As mentioned, all of these Elder Evils are powerful entities (god-like, even) found out in the infinite space of Xeccamund. Many of these entities inhabited the vastness that became Yophas, but some did not. Xeccamund is not, in fact, just the leftover chaos from the Reshaping; it is the entire universe that Yamma did not Reshape and Order. He carved out a vast space for his Eternal Design, yes, but he did not take all of existence. Thus, Xeccamund is as things were before the Reshaping. Before even the Obsidian War. Thus, one can picture Xeccamund as a glimpse into the past. To certain minds, it is how things ought to be.
Philosophical and theological quandaries aside, the fact of the matter is that Xeccamund is the graveyard of a universe that neared extinction. These entities are so powerful because they had to be, and they've had millennias since to continue growing. And, many of these entities defy Yophasian understandings of order, divinity, and magic because they are not tied to those understandings. The only thing you can be sure of with these Elder Evils is that they (probably) do not have Divinity, as detailed in the Divinity and Its Origins article. Beyond that, the sky's the limit for these things. And, as mentioned, this is by no means every Elder Evil. It is only those most known/seen/felt. Feel free to invent your own, or plug and play other Elder Evils into it. Statistically, Cthulhu exists somewhere in Xeccamund.