Outer Gods and Related Junk

I meant to write individual documents for most of this stuff but I didn't have as much to say as I expected. This should be all the info I need to do an outline for the first book, as soon as I write the character bios and such.

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As a preface, I will not be 1 to 1 copying pre-existing Lovecraft entities. I will be using some of them as starting points and creating my own versions of them with new names, if anything. Furthermore, some of them will be far more 'knowable' than 'unknowable'. I write erotic comedy with fantasy elements- I'm not going full Lovecraft. If I want an outer god to have an actual personality and motives, it will. I'll probably have explained as an outer god projecting an aspect of itself, since deities in the mythos such as Nyarlathotep are known to do that already, and there will be room for interpretation if anything they say is true.

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Overview

Outer gods and kin are beings of unimaginable power and horrors from beyond known realmspace. It is said they come from an unending ocean known as the Blackest Sea, which exists outside of the limits of reality. Their influence is felt in many realms, but the existence of these entities is beyond most moral comprehension. Even if they knew they existed, most wouldn't be able to process that information and go mad.

Two realms have more outer god taint than the others, Karnalle and Gothicca. One of Karnalle's seven provinces, Drerland, is practically a hotspot for outer god activity after one's corpse fell there in the age of heroes. Since then, the murky swamps have been outright infested by aberrations and horrors who have used the corpse as a gateway/hellmouth of sorts. This monstrosity, a rotting, gigantic sky whale-looking thing, is Drerland's most famous dungeon.

The twin goddesses of Karnalle have been unsuccessful in their attempts to fully clear the influence of the outer gods on their realm- there is simply too much going on in Drerland to stop it altogether and a few of them have made agreements with the twins. In exchange for working against the interests of other outer gods, they are allowed to continue their vague business in the swampland. It's not an ideal situation for the goddess Lux Ultima, who strives for order and goodness in the world, but the positives outweigh the negatives and without the help of some of these entities Karnalle might've already been completely overrun by cosmic beings of ill intent.

I don't have as much lore on the specifics of Gothicca, but it's a very Bloodborne-inspired, Victorian England-looking realm and it's the only realm that is essentially under full of outer god influence. It may or may not have always been that way.

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Veil of Dreams

An alternate plane of existence segmented from others which is deeply tied to the outer gods and their kin. Infinite and sprawling, it is composed of the dreams of gods both alive and dead. As such, it is always shifting and changing into new forms. Think of it as an abstract hellscape. Humans are able to access it through their dreams on occasion, and those who do often lose themselves.

It's important for every outer god to have a foothold in the veil, some measure of influence over a territory. These territories would be a bit more consistent in appearance and correlate to the outer god it belongs to. Having a presence there helps obscure their presence in reality, making them harder to locate.

Traversing through the veil is a form of fast travel for outer gods, which is what allows them to influence many realms at the same time. They can exit through the dreams of their followers or anyone who is corrupted enough by general outer god influence, and there are rare exits scattered throughout the veil though these are much less reliable as there's no telling where they lead.

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Tiers of Power

Thralls- Servants of baser races who have been corrupted by outer gods and mutated over time. This is what becomes of mortals who develop themselves to the worship of an outer god, and their appearance is subject to change. Barring specific exceptions, thralls generally never advance past general servitude. They are pawns, nothing more. The amount of thralls a god has, however, impacts their power a good deal. What many outer gods don't take into account is that quality matters just as much as quantity- and it is actually better to find worshipers who are more than just brainwashed pawns. This factors into the main story and is what keeps the main character from becoming a rapey hypnotist.

Kin- Not outer gods, but members of races also born in the Blackest Sea who serve them referred to as 'kin'. Mindflayers are one such race. They exist solely to further the vague agenda of outer gods, and unless claimed by a specific god, they will naturally seek to spread general seeds of disorder wherever they wind up to make the environment more likely to produce contact with their lords. Some kin races are aligned with specific gods, but there are a wide variety of different races beyond just mindflayers. It is possible for a thrall to develop into a kin, though they would have a personalized form and not join a pre-existing race of kin.

Lowly Ones- The lowest form of an outer god, akin to a larval stage and power-wise equivalent to a human demigod. An offspring of an elder one or a great old one, typically with another of their kind although in rare cases it is possible for a lowly one to be born through a kin or even a thrall. Born with the potential to become infinitely stronger, they are hunted by other outer gods to snub out the competition and devour them for additional power. Most outer gods leave their lowly ones to their own devices, only caring if it suits their purposes somehow to do so. To advance, a lowly one must increase its thralls, its cult, and bend other lowly ones into their service. A mutation will happen over time to take it into the next phase of his life cycle after enough power is accrued.

Elder Ones- The next phase, akin to a minor deity in power. Not really much to say about them other than that they get cocky in this stage of life and many are done in by their overambitious natures.

Ancient Ones- Akin to a higher deity in power. At this level, they mostly exist within the Veil of Dreams because existing elsewhere would simply draw too much attention to themselves. Most gods make it a high priority to root out any influence of these beings from their realm at the first sign of them. They have presences across realmspace, dabbling in the affairs of multiple realms at any given time as they work towards some personal goal which only they are capable of understanding.

Ones Beyond- These outer gods are cosmic beings so powerful they've transcended all comprehension and have chosen to dwell solely in the Blackest Sea. Their influence over realmspace is small, and if that ever changed, reality itself could very well come to an end. They work in much subtler ways than their younger forms, existing in mere echoing whispers.

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Some Notable Ancient Ones

Not a definitive list, just a couple of random ideas to set the tone. I actually think less world building at the start of making this story is fine since these entities are supposed to be secret things and it's not like they would they would constantly appear as topics of casual conversation. The main character's mind literally can't process even thinking about some of the more powerful beings at the start of the story, so it's easier to take things slowly.

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Mmaarharl, bearer of the eternal womb, broodspawner, mother of monsters

One of the rare outer gods firmly on the side of lesser beings. A fertility goddess who has spawned countless offspring throughout her existence. Mother of the heroine. Used to have a male counterpart, L'deibo, who was her sole mate and was even more powerful because of him, but he was slain by a rival god. Now, she will never be as powerful again and she makes up for this by mating with others to create an endless army of kin who serve her will. Respects the lower races, watching them with great interest and occasionally mating with those that she favors, pumping out more offspring.

Because of her neutrality, most gods and goddesses across the realms turn a blind eye towards Mmaarharl's creeping influence. More often than not, the mother of monsters will fight against others of her kind as opposed to causing major trouble of her own.

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Sk'itamot, the knowing fool, the paradoxical schism

A God of knowledge and ignorance, bouncing between extremes at any given second. They hoard secrets and dispense them. Everything they do is in the pursuit of furthering their understanding. Often taking the form of a smiling jester or a court fool when dealing with mortals. They withhold their information and enjoy speaking in half-truths to guide their followers down paths that ultimately lead to folly and ruin- eagerly taking notes on what happens as a result of that interference. Some believe it's true goal to be to take all the knowledge for itself and lead all of reality into a new era of dark and cosmic ignorance.

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Zazshaachlo, the entropic ender, king of nothing

A nihilistic entity dwelling in a pocket of the Veil of Dreams known as the Isn't. Any who come before Zazshaachlo begin to rapidly wither out of existence in its presence. A very threatening deity who could even endanger gods, if it weren't for its low motivation. By nature, it shouldn't exist. It is a personification of the void and yet demonstratably exists. Low follower count because of how uninterested it is in expanding its influence. Believes itself to be inevitable, anyway.

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Drerland

Drerland is a province to the easternmost side of Karnalle. It is bordered by Echora to the northwest, Rhoivan to the southwest, and Tior to the south. The Hyrst Mountains block off access to most of Echora, and the only way to get there from Drerland is either through boat or the the northernmost point where the mountains stop. Save for the murky coastal shores and some mountainous terrain, Drerland consists entirely of rivers, lakes, and muddy swampland. Fog and rain are almost a daily occurrences, the climate seemingly disconnected from the rest of Karnalle as it does its own thing.

Drerland has very little civilization and only has one major city, Mireshroud. It is located to the northeast of the Rhoivan city of Hollobell near the border, sitting on a river known as the Bogback. It is the capital of Drerland and the seat of power for House Drudgewallow, the weakest and poorest of the seven great houses. There is no formal nobility in Drerland beyond the Duke or Duchess. In Drerland, anyone can proclaim themselves a lord and find little resistance so long as they have the power to back up their claims. Furthermore, these swamp lords keep to their own and generally don't show much deference to the Duke.

Drerland is something of a punchline in the other provinces. People who come from there aren't taken very seriously and are looked down on with disdain. They have no major exports beyond swamp fish, though every so often strange jewelry and artifacts crop up that are said to be from Drerland and those go for a high price- especially among mages.

There is an unofficial export- people. Mithimere, the grand city of mages to the south, is always in need of human test subjects. It's an open secret where they come from. No one is going to miss a swamp dweller or two. The crown turns a blind eye to this traditionally, as the advancement of magic is seen as an important endeavor, though the right has been rescinded several times to punish Tior for falling out of line.

There are numerous small villages throughout the swamps, some under the umbrella of some of these swamp lords, others left entirely to their own devices as they make their living through fishing, gathering, or by raising wetland crops. There is practically no exposure to the miracles of world outside Drerland, these people live extremely basic peasant lives without the modern comforts of arctech, and the only mages they have around are dubious witch doctors, shamans, and occultists who serve unknown outer powers.

Because these people live in a land influenced by powers beyond their comprehension, their minds are generally more primitive and easier to corrupt. Drerlanders are often stupid, childish, and easily bewildered. Others have their worst traits brought to the forefront over time, becoming worse and worse the longer they live in the swamps. A lot of bad things go on in Drerland that don't need to be explicitly spelled out- some certain real life stereotypes about swamp dwellers should come to mind right about now. Maybe they would be better off if they left, but most don't even think of it as a possibility and there isn't much life for a Drerlander outside the swamps in the first place.

Magic behaves differently in Drerland. Spells have a higher chance of backfiring, warped by the strange energies in place, and scrying or other forms of divination/long-distance remote viewing straight up don't work. Worse, you might invite in some presence you didn't intend on by opening your mind to the future like that. The more powerful you are of a mage, the less wise dwelling in Drerland becomes. It's like making a lighthouse of yourself, attracting who knows what.

The most famous aspect of Drerland is a dungeon known as the Dessicated Sky Whale- located directly in the center of the province. It is one of the most dangerous dungeons in all of Karnalle. In actuality, it is the corpse of an ancient one who may be only dreaming and not actually dead. This is not common knowledge. The inside of the corpse is structured like a bio organic dungeon for inexplicable reasons. There are monsters to fight, puzzles to solve, and treasures to find.

The only downside is the madness the place inflicts on the dungeon dweller. It isn't something you can get used to like in the Gnarled Woods, it will destroy you if you aren't strong enough to resist it or haven't taken preventative measures. As mentioned in another document, the sky whale is also used as a portal for cosmic powers to manifest in Karnalle through. Any adventurer who happens to be there for that won't be making it back.

The sheer number of outer gods playing in Drerland's sandbox will be kept vague. Better to give myself room to add new elements when I want to rather than box myself in- but it will always be made apparent that the protagonist and his heroine are very small fish in a black and unending sea.

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Hollobell

A medium-sized city in the Northeast section of the Rhoivan province bordering Drerland and Mireshroud. Maybe around thirty thousand population. It is under the dominion of House/Count Loramore. The town has a very sleepy atmosphere. Not as unsettling as Cransmere, where the cause of the dread is very much known, but it's still one of those places where everything feels off for some inexplicable reason and no one is quite right. Is one the several towns in Rhoivan with an adventurer's Guild.

The town has a large population of Drerlander's who are looked down on and treated poorly. They have a look to them- wide-eyed, gaping, pale. Not quite the 'Innsmouth look' but reminiscent. Most of them are laborers and other low-paying, thankless jobs.

The story will start here, but won't be very long until the protagonist leaves so I don't think a ton of notes on the city are necessary. I'm okay with flavor being added in the writing as long as things that are brought up fit the whole 'city on the edge' atmosphere.

One local superstition is the call of the swamp. It is a well-known phenomenon for people living in Hollobell to occasionally feel a calling pulling them towards Drerland, and if someone suddenly vanishes, it's often blamed on the swamps. People have their own interpretations on why this happens, with no one agreeing on a single cause.

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Mindflayers

in my setting, Mindflayers are a race of kin who come from the Blackest Seas. 'Ir'athrid' is the name of their race in their own tongue. They are a race devoted to worshiping and furthering the agenda of the outer gods as a whole, unless an individual is specifically tied to one specific entity. Their true forms have squid heads, but they adopt human guises and even an inbetween-form on occasion. These forms are not illusions, but actual transformations- no 'you're just seeing me the way you want to see me' shenanigans.

They have been in Karnalle ever since the sky whale dropped, but starting two millennia ago they made contact with the high ruling mages of Mithimere and began a partnership. The Council of Archsages benefits from gaining forbidden magical secrets from their allies while the Mindflayers use them for convenient purposes. Mindflayers are the ones who first showed Karnallian mages how to craft void ships and they are responsible for other breakthroughs in magic throughout the years which have historically been misattributed to various mages.

Mindflayers are active in politics throughout many realms. In Karnalle, they have infiltrated different stations across the kingdom and affect things in small ways, shifting the world towards chaos over the centuries. It's not a hugely widespread problem, but it's safe to say there are a handful of undercover Mindflayers in just about every important city.

Mindflayers are powerful sentient creatures, with great talent at magic and in psychic abilities. They can easily control the minds of the weak, create illusions, and much more.

Off the western coast of Drerland there is an underwater city where the Mindflayers using Karnalle as their base of operations make their home. The existence of it isn't even known to the archsages. The main purpose of this city is breeding and educating young spawn to perform various roles in society. They have a very inhuman and depersonalized society where the individual is devalued and made to conform, otherwise they'd be culled. After reaching adulthood the spawn are given specific roles that they will never deviate from unless otherwise stated.

The exception to this is if a Mindflayer is 'claimed' by an outer god. This can happen through communion with a specific god but a more common occurrence is when a lowly one is born. Because lowly ones are often abandoned by their parents, they psychically reach out to unclaimed members of kin races to become their personal servants and caretakers. The ones they end up with is totally random- the entire process is a shot in the dark. Mindflayers can tell when a member of their race has been claimed, and they are relieved of their roles in society to go and be with their new master or wherever they are required.

Mindflayers do not experience love, or so they claim. Breeding is a job for them and most never even get to experience it because they aren't chosen as worthy enough to contribute to the gene pool. Some have sex to keep their cover as humans. They hatch from eggs in one big breeding pit known as the pod. Females will deposit their eggs into a pod and never have anything to do with the child ever again. Mindflayers refer to someone born in the same pod as them as their podmate.