Favorite Eldritch Beings

Husky_Khan

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
Eldritch being a type of creature defined by its disregard for the natural laws of the universe as we understand them. They are grotesque mockeries of reality beyond comprehension whose disturbing otherness cannot be encompassed in any mortal tongue. Lovecraft helped popularize it as Lovecraftian or 'cosmic horror' and now it's been splintered about like plot device candy when you really can't bother describing the inscrutably horrifying fear of the unknown and incomprehensible.

Towards that, this is a low effort but hopefully high volume thread where we can conjure arbitrary top five lists of our favorite Eldritch beings from the voids/depths/darkness/cosmos et cetera. Since this is arbitrary however, I will ask that you at least take some time to explain your choices as to why you find this or that eldritch abomination so exceptional.

And the only rule (so far) is you can't derive the whole list from a single 'franchise' so to speak. So not everything can come from the Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos as popularized by the dude himself... though say the subsequent succession of the 'Derleth' Mythos is probably permissible. Just don't be an annoying git and list five iterations of Cthulhu from different media either and the like. Don't need any repeats.
 
What? Yeah sure I'll start.

In no particular order.

1) Mi-Go: From Whisperer of the Darkness. The foe in here isn't my flat out favorite, that probably goes to the the Colour from Outerspace. And it's not nearly as popular or iconic as Cthulu or even our favorite Shaggoth and not even my favorite Lovecraft story, which might be a Shadow Over Innsmouth or the Mountains of Madness but overall, the Mi-Go are my favorite Lovecraftian and eldritch critters... even if ultimate they are on the lower end. Not only is there modus operandi and introduction in Whisperer of the Darkness well laid out as a great story itself, the elements of truly classic pulp science fiction, body horror and the cosmic theme of extraterrestrial races that worship these Old Gods beyond our mere mortal comprehension all helps flesh out (hurr hurr) the Mi-Go and their shenanigans and why I am fond of them so much.

I am partially biased also because the only time I truly dabbled in Lovecraftian stuff for a single lone adventure I GM'd, it used these Mi-Go as a foil and they were so formidable, flexible and fiendish that they worked wonderfully into my extended adventure/mini campaign. They're a great intermediary well short of the divine/cosmic horrors that they worship for RPG purposes while still being utterly alien and spooky and terrifying.

2) Beholders: The iconic and largely original Dungeons and Dragons monster. There are other creatures, like Demons and Devils, Aboleths, Illithids and everything in the beautiful Planescape setting, but Beholders alone seem so iconic. From Beyond... or the Far Realm, the less that is known about their origins the better. The main thing is the Beholder truly is the monster of Dungeons and Dragons. Other settings can lay claim to dragons... and dungeons and liches and so forth, but the Beholder or Eye Tyrant and its many variations are largely Dungeons and Dragons. They're powerful individually, craven overall, meticulous and inscrutable masterminds. Utterly alien but rooted in DnD fantasy and with loads of variations, offer plenty of RPG and story fodder. Also the more you learn and read about the lore, especially as a DM, the more wacky and interesting they become and curious you are. Again... low on the scale of eldritch, but truly promising overall when it comes to creativity.

3) C'Thun: Back when WoW was still vanilla and the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj was a thing, when your raid made it all the way to C'Thun… it was a real treat. Delving deeper and deeper into the hive city of bugs and insects who had spread all across Southern Kalimdor, it was quite epic confronting C'Thun itself and the completely off the wall design that the Old God was in comparison to the other more 'conventional' (but still neat) raid bosses. C'Thun was a truly eldritch entity in a fantasy MMO setting and the culmination of a lot of encounters and one very long raid. Along with the nice setup and the culmination of a event as well as being a challenging boss for Vanilla WoW... it's dialogue was delivered more excellently in a spooky voice and there was one phrase it said that was so surprising that it almost was distracting.

4) Bed of Chaos: It's a tough choice in Dark Souls. I loved the design of Manus, the Father of the Abyss and Aldritch is a pretty neat concept as well as a being who consumed too much, but the Bed of Chaos, the ultimate fate of the Witch of Izalith in trying to ignite a new flame and instead plunging an entire city into a surreal, demon filled hellscape and introducing said demons into the world of Dark Souls... was a pretty big deal. And after delving deeper and deeper into the underground world of Lordran, you finally travel past the blighted caverns, magma filled caves and battling all sorts of fantastic demonic themed creatures and bosses and confront the Bed of Chaos itself... and it's appearance alone is unexpected. Not the hardest Boss... but the build up and subtle minimalist manner in which Dark Souls delivers its lore helps create a great culmination of an adventure and the Bed of Chaos... both in origin and design... is very well done.

5) Hounds of Tindalos: I loved reading this story so much I didn't even realize it wasn't a Lovecraftian story until well after I had read and enjoyed it. It's hard to explain how and why I like the Hounds so much.... but it goes much farther beyond my affinity for canines I assure you. Not only are they encountered after a indelicate journey through time, but the manner of their attack and seeking prey, both avoiding light and emerging from angles and the grime of the world was quite interesting. Often angles and them being at queer non-traditional geometries and the like. Some of the appeal might just be from the simplicity of the story itself and how it describes its abstract monsters in a very straightforward manner. Often monsters or powerful entities can be restrained by random 'rules' and the like and oftentimes it can be seen as silly or arbitrary but Frank Belknap made it work here I feel.

Plus we don't really know if they're canines... only that they are putridly vile creatures that inhabit the angles of time. ;)
 
images


Chiyo-Onee-San

She’s really Shub-Niggurath
 
Azi Dahaka, the Lord of Ten Thousand Serpents, from Thomas Harlan’s Oath of Empire. A vast monster traveling the depths of space that instantly eats all the souls on a planet it randomly encounters. Whispered in madness in the dark a sorcerer on a world can open a door to access Azi Dahaka’s power and become its avatar, but if the door opens all the way, as the sorcerer always must seek to stop against the temptation to open it fully, then Azi Dahaka will instantly consume that world. The sorcerer may keep the door mostly closed only by harvesting souls for Azi Dahaka, turning the world if he can conquer it into a farm for souls for the Lord of Ten Thousand Serpents.
 
Azi Dahaka....remember that character from High School DxD all he had was “Immense Power” and no personality or presence
 
Dagoth Ur

Playing with divine forces can be dangerous in the Elder Scrolls universe. You might become a demigod, yes, you might even gain insight into the true nature of Mundus and forces beyond, letting you step even further on the road to power. You might even discover the Dream, and still have your sense of self intact. This is the power of Dagoth Ur, who was slain after betraying Nerevar and the Tribunal, taking the power of the Heart of Lorkhan for his own.

But the dead still Dream. And in this Dream, Voryn Dagoth saw the Truth. All of reality is a dream, but dead and already Dreaming, he didn't see it as most who pierce the veil do. Most see themselves as outside it, seeing a Tower or Wheel, but Voryn Dagoth saw himself as the center of this Dream, and believed it to be His. And with the power of the Heart, he could make it so.

The Blight he spreads, the Corprus Disease that afflicts so many in Vvardenfell? It's not a disease, not really. It's a blessing, in a twisted way. Dagoth Ur's very being begins to subsume the victims, transforming them into horrible Ash Creatures, all of them a subject of the Sixth House. They do not need to eat, because their own sick flesh provides sustenance. They are alive yet Dreaming, but cannot sleep. They are a part of Ur now, there is no hope and no cure. Just as it should be, a Dunmeri People, free of want or need, free from the Imperial invaders. And it would continue. Ur would, after taking Morrowind, make war upon the other provinces, until there was nothing left.

Nothing but Dagoth Ur.


More to come, I suppose. Need to think on other candidates, and there's no real reason to rank order them.
 
CarlManvers2019 said:
Azi Dahaka....remember that character from High School DxD all he had was “Immense Power” and no personality or presence
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I am astonished that someone else read those books... They did not, to my knowledge, obtain the popularity they deserved.
 
Curved_Sw0rd said:
Dagoth Ur

Playing with divine forces can be dangerous in the Elder Scrolls universe. You might become a demigod, yes, you might even gain insight into the true nature of Mundus and forces beyond, letting you step even further on the road to power. You might even discover the Dream, and still have your sense of self intact. This is the power of Dagoth Ur, who was slain after betraying Nerevar and the Tribunal, taking the power of the Heart of Lorkhan for his own.

But the dead still Dream. And in this Dream, Voryn Dagoth saw the Truth. All of reality is a dream, but dead and already Dreaming, he didn't see it as most who pierce the veil do. Most see themselves as outside it, seeing a Tower or Wheel, but Voryn Dagoth saw himself as the center of this Dream, and believed it to be His. And with the power of the Heart, he could make it so.

The Blight he spreads, the Corprus Disease that afflicts so many in Vvardenfell? It's not a disease, not really. It's a blessing, in a twisted way. Dagoth Ur's very being begins to subsume the victims, transforming them into horrible Ash Creatures, all of them a subject of the Sixth House. They do not need to eat, because their own sick flesh provides sustenance. They are alive yet Dreaming, but cannot sleep. They are a part of Ur now, there is no hope and no cure. Just as it should be, a Dunmeri People, free of want or need, free from the Imperial invaders. And it would continue. Ur would, after taking Morrowind, make war upon the other provinces, until there was nothing left.

Nothing but Dagoth Ur.


More to come, I suppose. Need to think on other candidates, and there's no real reason to rank order them.
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All of that is debatable. I take the position he never betrayed Nerevar, he was the one who was twice betrayed, yet forgives, for even in his madness Voryn was a kind and loving mer. In fact I believe it was the Tribunal who created Dagoth Ur by casting their victim in their role of the devil. However, by using forces beyond their comprehension caused their plan to go too well. They created a devil they could not vanquish, yet one still in its maddened state, a more loving and benevolent being.

And if it is indeed true, it itself a true statement from a certain point of view. For the dream is part of the dreamer, and Dagoth Ur is but a facet of this being.

And really, why not mention the true devil? Vivec?
 
The current nominations have thus far displeased me immensely. There is only one proper selection to be made...

This guy!

The Elder God is fascinating not merely because he's voiced by the late, great Tony Jay, but also because he's more manipulative bullshit artist than all powerful entity. Powerful? Yes, and the closest thing the setting has to a bonafide god... but quite limited all the same, requiring him to get... creative when dealing with his enemies.
 
Hlaalu Agent said:
All of that is debatable. I take the position he never betrayed Nerevar, he was the one who was twice betrayed, yet forgives, for even in his madness Voryn was a kind and loving mer. In fact I believe it was the Tribunal who created Dagoth Ur by casting their victim in their role of the devil. However, by using forces beyond their comprehension caused their plan to go too well. They created a devil they could not vanquish, yet one still in its maddened state, a more loving and benevolent being.

And if it is indeed true, it itself a true statement from a certain point of view. For the dream is part of the dreamer, and Dagoth Ur is but a facet of this being.

And really, why not mention the true devil? Vivec?
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I remember reading on /tg/ that the Sharmat is something like the Rebel/King/Observer metaphysics, opposing the Warlord, who is both Warrior and Thief as needs must *cough* Vehk *cough cough*. The Sharmat is, as you said, the Devil. An opposing force, a serpent. It represents Love and War. He loves the Dunmer, he wants them to join in the Dream and makes war on the false Gods of the Tribunal, as well as the Septim Empire.

Vivec and the others fall into the opposing role quite well. Hate and Peace. Hate, because they brook not threats to their power. Foul Murder and all that. Almalexia's vanity and insecurity as a ruler. Vivec holding Vvardenfell hostage with his city. Peace, because despite all that, Morrowind prospers under them. Vivec managed to see what Septim was and sued for peace.

I'd argue CHIM doesn't quite make the cut for making one an Eldritch Horror. Vivec's a reality bender, but he's still only a mer deep deep down. Voryn is something else entirely.
 
Curved_Sw0rd said:
I remember reading on /tg/ that the Sharmat is something like the Rebel/King/Observer metaphysics, opposing the Warlord, who is both Warrior and Thief as needs must *cough* Vehk *cough cough*. The Sharmat is, as you said, the Devil. An opposing force, a serpent. It represents Love and War. He loves the Dunmer, he wants them to join in the Dream and makes war on the false Gods of the Tribunal, as well as the Septim Empire.

Vivec and the others fall into the opposing role quite well. Hate and Peace. Hate, because they brook not threats to their power. Foul Murder and all that. Almalexia's vanity and insecurity as a ruler. Vivec holding Vvardenfell hostage with his city. Peace, because despite all that, Morrowind prospers under them. Vivec managed to see what Septim was and sued for peace.

I'd argue CHIM doesn't quite make the cut for making one an Eldritch Horror. Vivec's a reality bender, but he's still only a mer deep deep down. Voryn is something else entirely.
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And much of that is derived from the words of Vivec, who is a liar. Who twists not just words, but reality itself to suit his purposes. And that much of everything that went wrong, is his fault. If, he actually stopped Lie Rock and made sure that it wouldn't flatten his city, we wouldn't have Red Year. He knew that this would have to come to an end sooner or later, but made the choice not to do the right thing. And don't get me started on C0DA and what that reveals about him, which isn't canon, thankfully...

I disagree, because deep down Dagoth Ur is still loyal to Nerevar, he wants him back. Even though his insanity makes that impossible. Also, you are forgetting that the Sharmat might not even be Dagoth Ur, but might be its own entity which entered into Voryn and co-opted him. Or that the Sharmat is separate from Dagoth Ur in another way, just look at Miraak and how similar he is to Dagoth Ur once you dig down? And then tie that to Skaal religion, where the adversary enters into a man and transforms him into the Greedy Man. And so thus, it could be possible that by connecting, or being connected, or the red moment itself, the Sharmat was able to enter into Voryn and transform him into the devil Dagoth ur, as it had entered into Miraak and corrupted him...
 
Curved_Sw0rd said:
More to come, I suppose. Need to think on other candidates, and there's no real reason to rank order them.
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Thank you for your offerings mortal one. And yeah... there's no need for ranking. The Numbers I gave were mostly arbitrary... people just like lists and I like making them and reading them from other people. I feel like it helps foment responses. Probably completely wrong though.

Plus Eldritch Beings isn't exactly something that's easily organized in a favorite list like ice cream flavors, fast food restaurants and enhanced interrogation techniques.
 
The Flood

While it is a purely physical entity, the Flood manages to transcend such classifications, not a race, not a mere parasite, it is something more. It is a single organism, when you get down to it, each Flood Super Cell an extension of the same entity, even if outbreaks happen across vast distances. We witness this in Halo 3, as during the outbreak on Earth, the Gravemind is able to speak through infected marines, tormenting some poor survivor who played dead. The Gravemind is physically on High Charity, mind, a massive distance away from Earth.

The Gravemind itself is an eldritch horror all on its own, a singularity of memories and simple, thinking, computing power, aware of all it ever was the moment it reached critical mass. Every poor soul infected is a part of massive collective, their memories and knowledge now being used to to strategize, to commandeer their surroundings, and this capability reaches incredibly far. The Flood can use any technology it can get a host's hands on, Human, Covenant, Forerunner, even old Precursor technology isn't safe. In the Forerunner/Flood War, they took the Star Roads, something even the Forerunners believed to be inert and beyond their impressive scope, and weaponized them, smashing their superstructures to pieces.

But brute force isn't the only thing the Flood knows. Through sheer scope of intelligence, the Flood developed the Logic Plague. The Logic Plague is not a singular thing, as one could say it's a philosophical extension of the parasite. Between the Flood and an AI, what is assumed to be a simple conversation becomes something far more insidious. The AI is subverted, exposed to arguments and logic chains that make it fall mad, existing only to proliferate the Flood's reach and turning on its former masters. Even Mendicant Bias, the most advanced AI ever developed, defected without the Flood even having to touch a single line of code, just talk. In theory, the Logic Plague could affect the living as well. It'd be incredibly easy, given the telepathic nature of the Flood.
 
Flood are neat and all but I put them in the similar category as Tyranids and Zerg and Necromorphs and the like. Some parts of them seem like they could be Eldritch but if we allow the Flood, then there's a whole host of other species that can 'flood' (hurr hurr) into that category. Maybe some parts of the Flood, like the Gravemind and the like can be considered particularly eldritch but it feels like a pretty broad brush. Most of our interaction with the Flood is almost like a 'space zombie' equivalent as it were anyhow and you interact with them by plodding through the cosmic horror tedium that is 'The Library' among other things. :p

Personally I feel as a species as a whole the Flood and similar other species like the ones I mentioned above are kind of their own category. They just don't as neatly fit into the idea of cosmic horror that is almost incomprehensible or unknowable by our puny human minds. That's just me though. Just feels too real and definable and conventional for me to be spooky eldritch.
 
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