Yog-Sothoth

From PathfinderWiki
Yog-Sothoth
The summoning of an aspect of Yog-Sothoth.
(Deity)

Titles
Lurker at the Threshold
The Key and the Gate
The Watcher
Realm
Alignment
Areas of Concern
Gates
Space
Time
Worshipers
Edicts
Gather knowledge of gates through space and time, curse or mutate unborn children
Anathema
None
Cleric Alignments (1E)
Domains (1E)
Chaos, Darkness, Knowledge, Travel, Void
Subdomains (1E)
Dark Tapestry, Exploration, Memory, Night, Stars, Thought
Cleric Alignments (2E)
Domains (2E)
Knowledge, time, travel, void
Favored Weapon
Symbol
Black spiral
Sacred Animal
None
Sacred Colors
None
Source: Wake of the Watcher, pg(s). 67 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 91, 130-131 (2E)

Yog-Sothoth is the Outer God of gates, space, and time. One of the most powerful and enigmatic deities of the Great Beyond, he is said to be a terrible, self-aware manifestation of the Dimension of Time, or even the Dark Tapestry.234

Appearance and existence

Being a manifestation of the Dimension of Time, Yog-Sothoth is coterminous with all of space and time and can exist in multiple times and places at once, but it seems that either he cannot properly intrude upon the Material Plane unless summoned; or perhaps he can but has no reason to do so. When he does so, Yog-Sothoth appears as a congeries of iridescent spheres, a conglomeration of glowing balls of various sizes and colors, or as the Lurker at the Threshold, a mass of endlessly writhing and growing black tentacles. In both forms, Yog-Sothoth wreaks incredible havoc when summoned.256

The Windsong Testaments refers to Yog-Sothoth as the Watcher and one of the two anchors of each incarnation of creation, alongside a Survivor from the previous multiverse, currently Pharasma. Between Pharasma and Yog-Sothoth, the Age of Creation began with the birth of the Great Beyond.7

Yog-Sothoth has been variously described by the Old Cults as a being that dwells within the Dark Tapestry; the Dark Tapestry itself; or a sapient embodiment of the Material Plane.2

Servants

The Great Old One Tawil at'Umr serves as the physical projection of Yog-Sothoth's will and pursues his goals across the dimensions. It is theorised that Tawil at'Umr is little more than the side effect of Yog-Sothoth brushing up against the Material Plane.8

Church of Yog-Sothoth

The cult of Yog-Sothoth is not an organised religion. Worshipers of Yog-Sothoth tend to be isolated and often insane arcane spellcasters, such as alchemists, sorcerers, and wizards, searching for hidden eldritch secrets and hoping that Yog-Sothoth will reveal these mysteries to them in exchange for their worship. Other common worshipers are cults comprised almost exclusively of witches. They believe that Yog-Sothoth will grant them great power, and that his increasing intrusions are a sign that he is taking an active interest in Golarion. All are prone to bicker and fight among each other as much as they fight with others.4910

Yog-Sothoth's followers believe that he is preparing for the awakening of the Great Old Ones on various planets, whose inhabitants will be wiped out to make way for the true masters. Cultists often call upon him to 'bless' pregnant women, leading to the birth of children and spawn of Yog-Sothoth that shall prepare the world for when the stars are right and the Great Old Ones rule again.21112

Some others worship Yog-Sothoth as a deity of time and space, and have called upon him in order to learn about or travel to distant places or times. They describe him as a non-evil guardian of the secrets of the cosmos' true nature who reveals them to those who ask, yet the very act of interacting with Yog-Sothoth is dangerous to one's life and sanity.613

Ultimately, Yog-Sothoth cares little for mortal worship, as he has no real need of it except for one purpose: worshipers who will either directly summon him into Golarion's realm of existence themselves, or who will mate with him to produce a spawn of Yog-Sothoth or child of Yog-Sothoth who will summon its progenitor instead. Once summoned to Golarion (or any other world, for that matter), Yog-Sothoth would be free to ravage the surrounding area and consume any and all lifeforms he can reach, corrupting the very space and time he touches with his foul and unnatural presence.26

References

Original Source: H. P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", 1927, published posthumously in 19415

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

  1. Varies according to source / is unknowable
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 James Jacobs. “Cults of the Dark Tapestry” in Wake of the Watcher, 67. Paizo Inc., 2011
  3. Robert Brookes, et al. “Chapter 3: The Great Beyond” in Planar Adventures, 214. Paizo Inc., 2018
  4. 4.0 4.1 James Jacobs. “Coming Together” in Return of the Runelords Player's Guide, 8. Paizo Inc., 2018
  5. 5.0 5.1 James Jacobs. “The Elder Mythos” in In Search of Sanity, 73. Paizo Inc., 2016
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Paizo Inc., et al. “Demigods and Other Divinities” in Gods & Magic, 91. Paizo Inc., 2020
  7. James Jacobs. (October 31, 2019). The Windsong Testaments: The Three Fears of Pharasma, Paizo Blog.
  8. Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 6, 149. Paizo Inc., 2017
  9. James Jacobs. “Cults of the Dark Tapestry” in Wake of the Watcher, 61. Paizo Inc., 2011
  10. Colin McComb. “Minor Deities” in Faiths of Corruption, 20. Paizo Inc., 2011
  11. John Compton, et al. “Bestiary” in What Grows Within, 83. Paizo Inc., 2017
  12. Richard Pett. Carrion Hill, 23. Paizo Inc., 2009
  13. James Jacobs. “Continuing the Campaign” in Black Stars Beckon, 69. Paizo Inc., 2017

External links