Cthulhu

Cthulhu

(Deity)

Titles

The Dreamer in the Deep

Realm

R'lyeh, Earth

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Areas of Concern

Cataclysms
Dreams
The Stars

Worshipers

Old Cults; half-insane artists, poets, and visionaries

Follower Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Chaos, Evil, Madness, Void

Subdomains (1E)

Dark Tapestry, Insanity, Nightmare, Stars

Favored Weapon

Dagger

Symbol

Complex rune around eye

Sacred Animal

None

Sacred Colors

Black, blue

Images of Cthulhu

Source: Bestiary 4, pg(s). 138

Ⅰ

Cthulhu

(Creature)

Type

Aberration
(chaotic, evil, Great Old One)

CR

30

Environment

Any (R'lyeh)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Images of Cthulhu

Source: Bestiary 4, pg(s). 138

Ⅰ

Ancient Cthulhu is the most powerful of the demigods known as the Great Old Ones, and is regarded as the herald of the Outer Gods.

Home

For now dead Cthulhu sleeps in the corpse city of R'lyeh, beneath an ocean on a distant world far from Golarion, held in stasis by powerful magic and the power of the Elder Sign. However, he can reach across the voids of space to touch the sleeping minds of mortals (usually half-insane creative minds like poets, artists and visionaries), who dream of madness and wake with memories not wholly theirs, sometimes not even realising that they are being influenced. His cult is spread in this manner.

Appearance

Cthulhu resembles a massive humanoid with an octopoid face, immense draconic wings, and foul, protoplasmic, writhing flesh. His exact form is somewhat fluid, and he stands more than 100 feet tall.

Servants

Cthulhu is served by the star-spawn, which share Cthulhu's shape and purpose. Though smaller and weaker than their master, they still possess tremendous power. A star-spawn of Cthulhu infested the demiplane of Ramlock's Hallow around 4718 AR, an arrival and awakening that corresponded with an appearance of the apocalyptic Ashen Man on Golarion.

Worshipers

Cthulhu is worshipped by various aquatic cultures, those dwelling near coasts, and those driven to madness by haunted dreams. They are careful to hide their faith and meet only in barely trodden places, infecting others with terrible visions of their master rising from his sunken city. They know R'lyeh will rise again when the stars are right, and it will be a matter of time before their master arrives on Golarion to wipe it clean and prepare for the Outer Gods' return. They believe that their obeisance will cause Cthulhu to reward then, but in truth Cthulhu is unlikely to notice them at all.

Despite no direct connection existing between the demon lord Dagon and Cthulhu or any Great Old Ones, the faith of deep ones is often a combined veneration of Dagon and Great Old Ones, particularly Cthulhu. Dagon considers this an amusing compliment.

Cthulhu's temples are stark, cyclopean, monolithic buildings, but since most of his worshippers lack the resources to build them, they usually make do with simple hidden shrines.

On distant worlds

The Citadel of the Black on Aucturn is a temple to forgotten or forbidden deities, including Cthulhu, where worshipers can worship openly. Rumors suggest the Citadel is operated by a shadowy being, and Aucturn is generally associated with the Dark Tapestry and the elder beings who live there.

Yithians recorded details about religious practices of Cthulhu worshipers in metallic books called Pnakotic records.

Religious symbol

Cthulhu's religious symbol is a complex rune surrounding an open eye.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

External links

• Cthulhu (real-world fictional character) on Wikipedia
• H. P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"; 1926, published 1928