Alghollthu master
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This article contains information of uncertain canon status due to changes made in the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project.. Additional context might be available at Meta:Alghollthu master. |
Aboleth
- This article covers the species known in their language as aboleth. For the broader family of creatures formerly referred to as "aboleths", see alghollthu.
Alghollthu masters, known among themselves as aboleths, are the most common and well-known members of the alghollthus: ancient, powerful aquatic creatures who claim to predate the very gods themselves and plot byzantine schemes from their underwater cities.1
Name
The word aboleth in their own language, when translated into Taldane, is roughly equivalent to owner, master, or god. The creatures called alghollthu masters are only one part of an anatomically diverse species who call themselves alghollthu, meaning the one who are all.23
Appearance
An alghollthu master's appearance is alien and bizarre; the closest analog would be some sort of nightmarish, prehistoric fish that has grown to huge proportions. The creature's outline is fish-like, with a powerful tail at one end and a pointed head at the other. The head bears no resemblance to any sort of known fish, having three huge, alien, red eyes located at its very front. The creature seems to have no other facial features, lacking even a mouth. Behind this hideous head is a slime-covered body. Further back it has a fish-like dorsal fin that helps with movement, but instead of the fins one would normally find on the side of a fish, it has two long, grasping tentacles on each side.1 From head to tail, an alghollthu master is around 25 feet long and their bulky bodies weigh well over 6,000 pounds.4
An alghollthu master is a master of mind magic, able to weave illusions to confuse, or simply crush the will of those who oppose it. Alghollthu masters have several unique abilities: their tentacles are covered in slime that weakens the flesh of those it touches. They also have the ability to release a cloud of mucus that removes a creature's ability to breathe air and instead make it breathe water. Alghollthu masters normally use this to capture and make use of air-breathing slaves; it also ensures the controlled person's loyalty, as the effect only lasts a few hours and must regularly be renewed.1
Habitat and society
Alghollthu masters dwell in the deepest, darkest depths of the Arcadian Ocean, untouched by sunlight. There they dwell in vast, alien cities whose buildings are supported by the water, and which dwarf almost every human structure. These cities are hideous to look upon, as they are created with strange, alien designs that bear no resemblance to the tastes that govern human architecture.[citation needed]
Language
Alghollthu masters generally speak their own language called Alghollthu, as well as Thalassic, Common tongues such as Taldane and Mwangi, and the most common languages of the Darklands: Aklo and Sakvroth.1
References
Paizo published a major article about alghollthus in The Lost Outpost titled "Ecology of the Alghollthu".
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 . “Monsters A-Z” in Bestiary, 14. Paizo Inc., 2019
- ↑ . “Mysteries of Golarion” in Occult Mysteries, 12–13. Paizo Inc., 2014
- ↑ . “Ecology of the Alghollthu” in The Lost Outpost, 71. Paizo Inc., 2017
- ↑ . “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary, 8. Paizo Inc., 2009
