The Primal Giants

Far to the frozen north sailed At'amdra, and there he found an island where dwelt a race of  monstrous giants amid the ruins of a once great city. These savage giants were called the Ith'uuklim by the primitive people who lived on nearby islands and it is said long ago the monsters sought to conquer the young tribes of man. But Nodens had witnessed the vileness of the Ith'uuklim and sent a mighty earthquake to destroy their city, then he caused strange foul vapors to rise from the earth to rob them of intellect. Now the giants roamed the fallen city as animals devouring any living thing they might find and even preying on their own kind when food was scarce.

At'amdra considered a landing on the isle of the Ith'uuklim, for no doubt great treasures remained in the ruins. But wisely sailed on as the place had been cursed by the gods.

 (from the Lemurian Codex)

Skarl the Drummer

OF SKARL THE DRUMMER

When MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI had made the gods and Skarl, Skarl made a drum, and began to beat upon it that he might drum for ever. Then because he was weary after the making of the gods, and because of the drumming of Skarl, did MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI grow drowsy and fall asleep.
And there fell a hush upon the gods when they saw that MANA rested, and there was silence on Pegana save for the drumming of Skarl. Skarl sitteth upon the mist before the feet of MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, above the gods of Pegana, and there he beateth his drum. Some say that the Worlds and the Suns are but the echoes of the drumming of Skarl, and others say that they be dreams that arise in the mind of MANA because of the drumming of Skarl, as one may dream whose rest is troubled by sound of song, but none knoweth, for who hath heard the voice of MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, or who hath seen his drummer?
Whether the season be winter or whether it be summer, whether it be morning among the worlds or whether it be night, Skarl still beateth his drum, for the purposes of the gods are not yet fulfilled. Sometimes the arm of Skarl grows weary; but still he beateth his drum, that the gods may do the work of the gods, and the worlds go on, for if he cease for an instant then MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI will start awake, and there will be worlds nor gods no more.
But, when at the last the arm of Skarl shall cease to beat his drum, silence shall startle Pegana like thunder in a cave, and MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI shall cease to rest.
Then shall Skarl put his drum upon his back and walk forth into the void beyond the worlds, because it is THE END, and the work of Skarl is over.
There may arise some other god whom Skarl may serve, or it may be that he shall perish; but to Skarl it shall matter not, for he shall have done the work of Skarl.

"The Gods of Pegana" by Lord Dunsany

The Saga of Huurgan, part 1

In time it came to Huurgan to leave the island of Co'crissus and take up again to the sea, for the wanderlust in his heart was far greater than his desire to remain as consort to the Queen Saajh, regardless of the comforts and pleasures of that position. He woke early one morning and left the Saajh dreaming in the royal bed chambers, then roused his crew and bid them to set sail as the sun rose.

Saajh awoke alone and went down to the docks in time to spy Huurgan's ship pulling from the harbor. A great anger rose in Saajh and she swore by the dark gods that her lover would not leave until she tired of him. With good reason was Saajh called the Witch Queen of Co'Crissus for she conjured a terrible astral demon that set to devouring Huurgan's crew.

Seeing that a ship with no crew is useless, Huurgan took up arms and fought the monster. But to no avail for his weapons passed without harm through the creature's vaporous form. In desperation Huurgan  turned and hurled his spear in a long arc across the bay, striking full into the ivory bosom of the Witch Queen. Saajh sank to the docks with a sigh as the last breath left her body and without the Witch Queen’s life force to sustain it, the ravenous demon faded away.

Huurgan's crew pulled mightily upon the oars and the ship raced to the open sea. But a great sorrow came upon Huurgan while he plied the tiller and pondered the death of Saajh;  for that spear had been a gift from a gladiatrix of Ukadd and it was a very fine spear indeed. (From The Lemurian Codex, Chapter XXXVII The Journeys of Huurgan)

The Scrolls of Druuna Cosaan

"And the great King Khossus looked into the glass from Leng, and therein beheld strange stars and further to strange worlds where life took shape only glimpsed in the nightmares of men. Thus did Nyarlathotep touch the mind of Khossus as he gazed upon the things beyond, and ruin came unto the land of Sohure."
(from the Scrolls of Druuna-Cosaan)

The Rituals of Hali

The members of the cult of the Yellow King groveled before a roaring bonfire. The cult leader, an enigmatic old man named Prynn, chanted aloud an incantation from The Rituals of Hali, an ancient book written in a tongue that only a handful of scholars across the world could read. That book revealed the path to eternal life in the mortal shell and the awful price to be paid .
Blood ran freely from the runes Prynn had carved into his chest. The wounds that would scar not just his flesh but his very soul and forever mark him as a servant of the Yellow King.
 Prynn completed the incantation and the old wizard grinned as the avatar of the Yellow King emerged from the flames. It's shape was hazy and indistinct, Prynn had the impression of great height, ragged yellow robes, and an ivory mask covering the face. The creature bent close to whisper something into Prynn's ear. Without hesitation Prynn sank to his knees before the entity and presented his wrists. A blade flashed from somewhere within the Yellow King's tattered robes to slice across the outstretched wrists and more of Prynn's blood splattered the ground. The cult leader lifted a quill with numbing fingers and signed his name in blood on the outstretched palm of the hideous thing. His name was but one of many, most of them in languages forgotten before the first stones were laid in Sumeria. Prynn fell to the ground, fainting from blood loss.

The Yellow King turned to face the grovelling cultists and their ecstasy turned to horror as he assumed his true shape to begin the feast. The screams lasted long into the night.

 Prynn awoke the next morning amid the butchered remains of what had been twenty foolish humans. I didn't matter, he had been reborn as a servant of the Lord of Hali and granted one hundred years of life until the stars wheeled around and the time came to renew his pact with the Yellow King. So would it be forever until he failed to pay the tribute of blood and souls his terrible master required. Prynn hid the Rituals of Hali, the book must be preserved for he knew his name would not be the last written on the hand of the Yellow King.

Last of the Dragons

In the time of the first men the ancient dragons made war on the dark lords of the chaos realms, seeking to end the influence of the demon spawn upon mankind before the young race grew numerous and covered the world. 

But the demon prince Su'Kru-Ital devoured the King of Dragons and a third of the dragons were destroyed by the demonic hordes. The dragons retreated to meditate upon their defeat and fully a third more died from grief in that first millennium of contemplation. 

And so by the apex of the Hyperborean age  of sorcery only eight dragons were thought to exist and of those only Suroc’ur was known by name.

( The Lemurian Codex)  

The Scroll of Kirem

The caravan had stopped for the night. One of the travelers  the sorcerer Abdul Alhazrad lounged on a fine rug, by the light of the full moon he studied the glyphs on some ancient scrolls obtained from a tomb in the crypts of Kirem. His brawny servant Achmed and the other travelers had already drifted into strange dreams induced by the Black Lotus petals that Alhazrad burnt during his evening meditations.

Alhazrad could read the ancient hyperborean language however he was not certain of the meaning of the words he chanted from the scroll. He suspected they were words of power for they seemed to  linger in the  air after being spoken. Perhaps the scroll could summon up spirits of  vast knowledge or some amusing imp from the netherworld. Alhazrad had no fear of what the words might call up, his  knowledge of the seal of Koth protected him from spiritual harm and  Achmed was well equipped to handle any physical dangers.

The chant ended, apparently with no effect. Suddenly Achmed lurched from spot where he lay dozing; clutching his stomach, he began screaming, bloody froth poured from his mouth. The man stood upright and Alhazrad stared with horror at the source of his agony;  monstrous taloned hands ripped open his belly from the inside and yellow eyes gazed out of the wound. With a final heave that tore Achmed apart, the demon stepped into the world of men through the gate the sorcerer had unknowingly created. Alhazrad sank to his knees before the gore covered demon and pleaded for his life. The demon  towered above Alhazrad, staring down at his groveling new master with blazing contempt, for he was bound into service to this human by words that neither he nor the sorcerer understood.

Lemurian Demonology

Beyond the gate of Agut-atoth are demons beyond number, hungered to madness they tear eternally at the barrier. What the Elder Gods crafted the demons cannot rend asunder but the sorcerer may open the gate for a short time and call through certain things by means of the proper seal and incantations. It is done with utmost care for if the H'klim of the Elder Gods take notice they will slay the sorcerer and should the sorcerer err in the seal or formulae he will surely be consumed by what is called up.
(The Druuna-Cosan Scrolls as translated from the Aklo by Hasper Charris)

The Black Lotus Rituals

   Abdul Alhazrad was pleased with the spot he had chosen to perform the Black Lotus Ritual. It was a one room hut on the edge of the wastelands. Once the home of a madman who wandered the hills talking to shadows and oddly formed rocks, that hermit had disappeared one night during a sandstorm and the place had been shunned since. The hut had a single window facing south and that too was a good omen; for as a boy Alhazrad had glimpsed an ice bound mountain in the grip a fever dream and had known it was in the southern most reaches of earth. Perhaps the visions that the Black Lotus granted would allow him to see that mountain again or even the things that slumbered beneath it.

 

    Alhazrad seated himself in the midst of a complex series of circles and mystic symbols drawn in white chalk on the floor. He chanted the Dho-Na formulae as he lit the brazier. The dried Black Lotus began to smolder and lazily the blue smoke rose, tendrils coiling and twisting like serpents. As the smoke drew near his face, Alhazrad inhaled deeply.

 

   The lotus fumes struck his brain like thunder, he had brief but terrible sensation of falling down an endless tunnel, then he was standing, staring at his still chanting body, Alhazrad's astral form had been freed from the cage of flesh. He turned toward the window and could see countless paths leading from it. Alhazrad stepped through and began to travel.

 

   He flew through nearer astral realms and beheld spirits of the dead, some lost in  false bliss and others lost in equally false torment. Those realms could not hold him and he probed beyond the nearer realms and glimpsed the maelstrom of time itself. Lean and hungry Hounds of Tindalos stalked the edge of the maelstrom, he spoke to those things, telling them the time and place to slay his earthly enemies. That vague scent was enough for the tindalosi, they leaped into the vortex to find their prey.

    Alhazrad guided his spirit sideways into the lands of dream. There he marveled at great shantaks on the wing and was briefly entertained by the antics of playful zoogs. Then he watched as the zoogs devoured a lone traveler and his amusement became revulsion.

    He left the dreamlands and returned to the plane of earth. He sent his spirit to the very bottom of the sea where he stood with Mother Hydra and her daughters before the sunken tomb of Great Cthulhu. He felt a call from the sepulchre and he entered within, his spirit passing through the stone like mist. There he beheld the corpse of Great Cthulhu, a mountain of alien flesh that was dead but still dreaming. That dreaming essence of Cthulhu flowed out to touch him and something attached itself to Alhazrad, pain ripped through both his astral and corporeal forms.

     The agony shattered the spell and sent the sorcerer's soul crashing back to his body. Alhazrad  came to his senses with the morning light, the black lotus had long since burnt out, the sigils and diagrams on the floor were smudged from the convulsions that had wracked his body through the night. But something had changed in Alhazrad, as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes, he perceived certain angles were corridors leading to other worlds where other things gazed hatefully upon mankind. The were also changes in his physical form, but Alhazrad decided it would be best to hide those from curious eyes and bound himself with rags as though he were a leper. For those new parts of himself fought for control and they were so very hungry.

 

The Dark Mother

     The  shrieking apes whose children would some day be called men clambered down from trees and stood upright on two trembling legs, they began to kill with clubs and carried burning embers to make fire.  Their primitive intelligence grew and among them one began to dream, not of mating or hunting, but of a beautiful female voice that spoke from beyond the stars. That gentle and wise voice named herself as Shub-Niggurath, the Mother of Darkness.
     The Dreamer had only simple language, but he understood the voice of Shub-Niggurath and she told told him many things. He found an ancient oak and carved a symbol on it, exactly at the time and in the proportions she had instructed. In a season many plants that were good to eat grew around the tree and the tribe ceased roaming to dwell there. The voice taught him of plants that would heal the sick so that his people would prosper.  The voice of Shub-Niggurath would sing to the Dreamer and he in turn taught the tribe to sing the Dark Mother's praises as they gathered around the mighty oak. For a time it was perfect, there was much food and peace, the tribe grew large and its children strong. The tribe held the Dreamer in high esteem and his word became first in all things.
   Then one night near the time of the falling leaves, Shub-Niggurath spoke to the Dreamer with a voice harsh and fearsome. The Dreamer awoke in a fit of terror and he told the tribe of the Dark Mother's desire; that they should capture people of another tribe, as many as were the fingers of both hands and bring them to the oak. Half were to be bled dry on the roots of the tree in the dark of the moon and praises sung to the Mother of Darkness. The other half were to be given to the terrible firstborn of Shub-Niggurath, who would come to receive this tribute of flesh. It was done, the Dreamer led his tribe to war for the pleasure of his goddess and she smiled upon him as he performed the grisly rituals.

  With the blessings of Shub-Niggurath the dreamer lived far beyond the normal span of a man and spawned many children, some with strange aspects and even stranger appetites. When at last the Dreamer died they buried his body at the foot of the great oak so his bones would be tangled in the bloodstained roots of the ever growing tree.
 The tribe dwelt for countless years at the great oak and in time they evolved into true men and built a stone temple around the ancient tree and around that temple sprang up the first great city of man on earth, which was called Gron-Hia in that old tongue.

 Even to this day the oak still stands in the crumbled ruins of the temple and the Prophets of Pnom claim that when the comet Oucarobius stains the sky the Dreamer can be heard singing to his dark goddess. Although some would say it is just the echoing shrieks of apes from the distant forest.

The Vile One

"And in those places where men delight in vice is the presence of Y'Golonac known, and he draws to him those most wicked, that they may be devoured by him, their flesh made sweeter by their sins."
 from the The Hagan Apocrypha

The Demon of Yiddaqqua

No scholar knew the origin of the strange demon that lurked the ruined city of Yiidaqqua and no sorcerer knew the true name that might bind or banish it. But the demon rarely showed itself in an angry mood and would sometimes converse with travellers who took shelter in the crumbling palaces of that once great city, telling tales of heroic warrior-kings who vanquished monsters and treacherous sorcerers.
The demon often spoke of a great treasure in the catacombs beneath Yiidaqqua and graciously offered to lead many a traveller to the hidden trove. But strangely none who searched for these riches ever returned.
 (From the Scrolls of Druuna-Cosan)

Priest of Bokrug

"It is told that in the immemorial years when the world was young, before ever the men of Sarnath came to the land of Mnar, another city stood beside the lake; the gray stone city of Ib, which was old as the lake itself, and peopled with beings not pleasing to behold. Very odd and ugly were these beings, as indeed are most beings of a world yet inchoate and rudely fashioned. It is written on the brick cylinders of Kadatheron that the beings of lb were in hue as green as the lake and the mists that rise above it; that they had bulging eyes, pouting, flabby lips, and curious ears, and were without voice. It is also written that they descended one night from the moon in a mist; they and the vast still lake and gray stone city lb. However this may be, it is certain that they worshipped a sea-green stone idol chiseled in the likeness of Bokrug, the great water-lizard; before which they danced horribly when the moon was gibbous."
 (from "The Doom that Came to Sarnath" by H.P. Lovecraft, 1920)

Prophecies of Pnom

   For a time Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones will be freed from their tombs to prey upon the herd of mankind. In their fear and madness the remnants of humanity will call upon their Elder Gods to save them, but those gods are weak and fearful, and they will not leave Kadath to face Great Cthulhu.

  In this time the crypts under the Monastery of Tsan-Chan will give birth to the Avatar of Nyarlathotep that is to be known as the Prince of the Black Flame. He shall inhabit a body sewn piecemeal from age old corpses and cover himself with yellow robes to hide his decay, only those with the third eye will see his crown of black fire and wings of black flame.

    The Avatar will cause the stars to change their course, then will Cthulhu and his spawn be made to retreat to their tombs and be sealed again, dead but dreaming. All men will turn will turn to serve the Avatar and he shall build a great empire to cover seven tenths of the earth. Mighty altars will be set for the Outer Gods and they shall run red both day and night. Elder Seals shall be broken and the demons beyond Kadath set loose on the world to be worshipped and given all manner of sacrifice.

   In the far reaches of Kadath will the Elder Gods of man cower, for the world will no longer be theirs. In time they will be forgotten by all men. Their names not written down on any parchment or carved upon any tablet they will grow old to become mere shadows, eternally whispering of all they have lost.

("Prophecies of Pnom" as translated by Prof. Christian Morgan)

The Dhole Rituals

   In primal times the men of Lemuria served the outer goddess Shub-Niggurath, she who is called the Dark Mother of a thousand young.  A great temple was built to honor the goddess and her jade altars were stained red with the blood of human sacrifice. The terrible first born Children of Shub Niggurath came to dwell in the forests of Lemuria and these places were made sacred to them, these things spawning abominations with beasts and even upon the daughters of the lemurians. For their veneration of the outer god the Lemurians were rewarded with lush harvests and became wealthy beyond all other tribes of men.

  Then the Picts came to Lemuria in their long ships decorated with skulls of men and  beasts. The Picts were mighty warriors who acknowledged no deity save the war-god Cruuach, who had decreed that the world belonged to those with the will and strength to take it. In the field of battle they slaughtered the Lemurians and even the abominations of the Dark Mother fell to their spears, for in those days Pictish wizards had knowledge of the Seal of Koth which made iron as poison to those things from outside.

    The Lemurian priests begged Shub-Niggurath for aid. In a single fortnight they sacrificed a thousand virgins in the garden of the great temple, the ground become as red mud, soaked with blood that nourished the strange and unwholesome plants that grew there. At last the Dark Mother appeared to them, she came in a form so exquisite the young acolytes gouged their eyes from the sockets, wishing her beauty be their last sight. The Dark Mother spoke, "From across the void I have watched these foul men defile my land and slay the children of my own blood. It shall end now. I shall give to thee formulae to rouse the Dholes from their sleep in the deep earth, let those devouring worms feast and cleanse the land". The Dark Mother laid her hand upon the head of the groveling archpriest, words older than the stars flowed into his mind. He fell to the ground numb with knowledge.

   The archpriest was alone when he awoke; Shub-Niggurath had taken the other clergy and acolytes as tribute. The high priest took hammer and chisel to carve the alien words that gnawed at his mind, setting them forever into the temple walls. Then he traveled to the edge of the pictish camp as his god had instructed. He could hear the useless cries for mercy from his countrymen as the Picts cast them alive into flaming pyres, hatred overcame fear in the archpriest and he at last spoke aloud the formulae that would call up the terrible Dholes.

      It was so; the titan worms rose and swallowed the screaming Picts. But their hunger was not satisfied, they consumed all the men and beasts of that ancient land, till nothing of flesh lived in Lemuria. Only at the oceans did the Devourers stop, for the mystery of water is beyond the mind of the Dhole. The Devourers turned away, burrowing through space, time, and dreams, back to their home deep beneath the Crypts of N'kai.

 For eons the land was empty of living things but in time men returned to the Lemurian continent and inhabited the ruins of the previous race. Wisely they sealed the Temple of Shub-Niggurath and when that land sank beneath the waves the Dhole formulae was lost in that forgotten temple on the ocean's floor.

Demoness of the Wastelands

Abdul Alhazrad was dying of thirst, he had wandered into the great desert searching for a nameless city of antediluvian kings and swiftly became lost in that endless waste. His supplies and camel had disappeared in a sandstorm nearly four days gone and now it seemed his doom was upon him, but a whisper carried on the hot winds led him forward;
Come to me, wanderer.
Would you dare gaze upon me?
Come to me,
burn in the fire of knowledge and beauty.

     After a long nightmare of sun, sand, and misery, Alhazrad stumbled inside the gates of a ruined city. The ancient demoness Ereshkigal greeted him and restored his strength with words of healing and honeyed wine of no mortal vineyard. In return she bade Alhazrad to remove the hundred binding runes that the Elder Gods had written upon her flawless body. The glyphs held her to the dead place, punishment for the abominations she had led her worshippers to perform in primal ages. Fearing the wrath of the Elder Gods even more than the seductive demoness, Abdul refused . 

 Ereshkigal offered to trade him knowledge of many unspeakable demons for her freedom. The mad arab's lust for arcane secrets overcame his fear. He agreed and bade her speak.

 
   For two days and nights Ereshkigal sang to him. Her songs were older than mankind, they told tales of the Great Old Ones; Tsathoggua, black toad of the abyss; Yig, father of serpents; Ahruman, who is called the lord of corruption and Pazuzon who breathes the black wind that kills men and beasts; even whispering of Yog-Sothoth, who is the gate and the key; of all these and many others she sang .

  By the third day Abdul could bear no more as his brain seethed with things no mortal should know, he begged the demoness to be silent.

   

   Then Ereshkigal demanded her payment, she gave Alhazrad ink and quill that he should mark through the runes that held her to a dead and forgotten place. But he betrayed the demoness, inscribing yet another binding to her perfect skin and then fleeing for the city gates. Ereshkigal's voice turned to a roar of curses and she prophesied that the knowledge she gave Abdul would lead to his terrible demise. Alhazrad stole a single glance over his shoulder at the horror the Ereshkigal had transformed into. Then he ran harder, praying his heart would burst and save him from the memory of what he had witnessed.

   Alhazrad was found days later by a caravan, screaming at shadows and frothing like a mad dog. When he recovered his sanity, Abdul put to paper all he had learned from Ereshkigal. Secrets that would eventually reward him only with madness and pain.

Demons beyond Kadath

In the chaotic realms beyond Kadath there are ten Lords, less than gods but greater than flesh, they are Demons of the greater order. Only seven of the ten are known from fragmentary codex known as the Demonology of Ysra. They are to be evoked with the utmost caution for they delight in atrocity.

 The first lord of the Chaos Realms is called Su'Kru-Ital. In the time of the first men dragons sought to destroy the chaos realms and invaded that place of sorrow, but the Demon Lord Su'Kru-Ital devoured the King of Dragons and a third of the dragons were destroyed. The dragons retreated to meditate on their defeat and fully a third more died from grief. Thus is Su'Kru-Ital sometimes called "Dragon-Breaker" in the primitive tongue of the Inutos. If angered this lord may often be appeased by an offering of a drop of dragon's blood, for it reminds him of his great victory. The spawn of this lord number over 70,000 and they are easily bound by the seal of their master.

The second Lord is known to be Auth-Neb. When the gods of men first appeared in Kadath he sought to join their ranks. Mighty Nodens cast Auth-Neb from Kadath back to the chaotic realms, for that demon's vileness was not concealed from him. Ever after has Auth-Neb dwelt in a vast chasm, chiseling a magic formulae into the stone. It is said that when the demon completes his work the gods of Kadath will be forgotten and powerless. The Prophets of Pnom agree that this is so, but they also declare that those gods will reign again for a short while, until R'lyeh rises from the depths to cast down all the works of man.

     Auth-Neb knows all the formulae of the gates of dimension and the shapes of time, with proper sacrifice he may give a Magus aid in this work. But if he is called often he will become familiar to the Magus and may take him when the barriers are thin or the seals made improper. The fate of those taken by Auth-Neb is not known, even to the Prophets of Pnom.
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The third greater demon is Xal'thv, he delights in depravity and is most easily called by those who share in this. Xal'thv rarely takes part in the constant war and conflict among the demonkind, but his wrath is feared even among the demons. It is said the the lemurian wizard Tullterum still howls in agony deep in the realm of Xal'thv, his flesh restored constantly so he can endure ever greater toture.
Xal'thv has no demonspawn as such, but his realm is inhabited by many sorcerers he has taken as priests and servants. These beings are to be avoided, they are twisted in both spirit and body, seeking always to draw the unwary into the games of Xal'thv.
The Prophets of Pnom have theorised that Xal'thv is in truth an aspect of that thing called Y'Golonac, as the demon shares certain features and desires of that vile Old One. This is not certain and perhaps the question is best left unanswered.

The fourth Greater Demon is known as K'Hurru'ss, though this is not his true name. Before the Gods of Man came forth to dwell in Kadath the Greater Demons crawled from the abyss to claim the chaos realms. But they were not the first to dwell in these places, for in the fourth realm they discovered a great stone seal covering a chasm. Gathering their strength they shattered the stone and K'Hurru'ss emerged. The demons claimed him as one of their own, but it is theorised by the Prophets of Pnom that K'Hurru'ss is one of the Great Old Ones, though the aeon's long imprisonment robbed him of much his memory and intellect.
   When the Gods of Kadath were young and uncertain the Greater Demons unleashed K'Hurru'ss and a great host of demonspawn. War raged across Kadath, the young gods led by Great Nodens slew endless hordes of demonspawn until they came to face K'Hurru'ss. The lesser gods were swept aside and only Nodens could stand before that monster from primal times.
  Their battle raged for days and finally K'Hurru'ss struck down Nodens and ripped the god's heart from his breast. Great Noden's body fell lifeless but his heart continued to beat in the jaws of the monster. Finding wonder in this,
 K'Hurru'ss left the battle and returned to the chasm he had sprang from.
The Gods of Kadath despaired, they were no match for the monster and feared what the beast would become if it devoured the heart of the mightiest of gods. Only one goddess, Io-Ilaysha, dared go into the pit where  K'Hurru'ss made his home. She was not a goddess of war or the hunt, but favored a small group of  mortals who lived on a tiny island of great beauty.
 Io-Ilaysha went into the pit and offered herself to the monster in exchange for the heart of Nodens. The beast  K'Hurru'ss accepted the bargain, casting aside the heart of Nodens and dragging his new bride to the very depths of his chasm. The Gods of Kadath fled with the heart, back to the battlefield where Nodens body lay rent asunder. The heart was restored and Nodens lived again, but changed with the knowledge that the gods of men were but small things in the hands of those from the outside.
    The Greater Demons restored the seal guarding K'Hurru'ss pit, but their knowledge and power is less than those who first built it. The Prophets of Pnom have spoken that the seal will be broken again when the stars come right, then shall  K'Hurru'ss and all the numberless spawn he begot on Io-Ilaysha be released on both Kadath and the worlds of men.

           

    The fifth realm of chaos is the domain of the Greater Demoness, Aserah-Vashi. It is a place of dark jungles and steaming swamps, overflowing with foul demonspawn who bow before the seal of the Aserah-Vashi. It is from these swamps that Aserah-Vashi did conjure the great serpent Satha, the beast that slew Sammanus, who was brother to Great Nodens.      
   Nyarlathotep took notice of the sorceries of Aserah-Vashi, which were most complex and woven with unmatched skill. Nyarlathotep spoke to her of the Tablets of Ubbo-Sathla and the eldritch knowledge they contained, he guided her deep under the earth, into the labyrinth that was the dwelling of the abomination, Ubbo-Sathla. The demoness beheld the Tablets of Ubbo-Sathla, she read the secret name of Azathoth inscribed upon them and that primal rune melted her eyes from the sockets. Nyarlathotep left her blind and helpless that she would be consumed by the abomination. But the demoness had prepared for treachery, her sorceries broke the grip of Ubbo-Sathla and bore her back to safety. Aserah-Vashi dwelt in exile for a millenium, weeping from her empty sockets as she strove to comprehend the Rune of Azathoth.
     The eyeless Seers who serve Ymsha assert that Aserah-Vashi and her daughter Ereshkigal will aid any who are beset by Nyarlathotep. This is perhaps so, but what use is the power of a blind demon lord against the messenger of the Outer Gods?

 The sixth greater Demon is Ru'uak and he is the sometimes known as the conqueror, for he is cunning in the ways of war. 

 For a time three moons did rise over Kadath and no priest or sage could explain this. But Ru'uak, found that while these moons were in the sky the barriers that held the greater demons from Kadath grew weak. The demon and his army of spawn broke through to Kadath. In this he was aided by the Demoness Aserah-Vashi; she sent her servant Satha, a serpent huge beyond imagining, to serve Ru'uak in this conquest. The outer regions of Kadath were ravaged and then the horde set their eyes on the Palace of the Gods.

  The lesser gods of Kadath were afraid and fled, all save Great Nodens and his brothers, Cruuach the fierce and Sammanus of the golden wings. They were the first gods to awaken from the dreams of men and fear was not in them.

   In a place called the valley of bones they met the demon host. Nodens wielded a sword forged from lightning, the axe of Cruuach struck like thunder, and high above Sammanus soared raining fire upon the vile horde. Waves of demons fell before the divine brothers, but Ru'uak had planned well. The demon cast a potion into the air and the golden wings of Sammanus became heavy, he flew lower and lower, unable to resist the pull of that dark magic. The great serpent Satha snatched the winged god from the skies bearing him to the ground, and there Sammanuslay paralyzed by the venom of the monster. A thousand demons rushed upon the wounded god, his golden wings were ripped from his back, his flesh was flayed by cruel talons, when the demons finished nothing was left but blooded bones. Sammanus was dead.

   A terrible lust for revenge came upon Cruuach, he left his place at the side of Nodens, charging deep into the horde, demons dying at each stroke of his thundering axe. Then Ru'uak stood before him, the war god voiced his battle cry and struck. The mighty axe of Cruuach shattered against the armor of the demon, and Ru'uak struck him down. The demon ripped out the heart of the war god, devouring it.

    Nodens fought on, slaying demonspawn by the dozens until the terrible Satha reared before him. The demons backed away as god and primal monster fought with a fury that shook the mountains. Satha wrapped his coils about Nodens, pinning his swordarm and crushing the breath from his lungs that he could not speak the words of power. With the monstrous fangs of Satha swaying above his head, the first of the Elder Gods waited for death.

   Ru'uak stepped close and spoke, "This beast shall have your flesh, save the heart which shall be mine". The left hand of Nodens sprang up to seize one of Satha's venomous fangs, ripping it from the monster's jaw. In the same motion Nodens drove the fang into the skull of the great serpent. Nodens was broke free while the beast thrashed in agony and gathering all his strength he struck Ru'uak. The blade of forged lightning split the demon's armor and steaming black blood gushed onto the ground. Nodens thrust his hand into the demon's blood, that blood still coursing with the essence of slain Cruuach. Nodens spoke a rune of power never heard before or since, and fire erupted from the earth to consume all the demon horde.

   Ru'uak survived the conflagration, although he appeared as dead for many days until the spark of life stirred him awoke amid the charred remains of his army with his ruined armor melted and fused to flesh, his power broken by the might and wisdom of great Nodens. The demon turned and began the long journey back to the demon realms, vowing never again to enter the Valley of Bones.

    The seventh realm of Chaos is the land of Mua'traas. This realm is composed of towering mountains that reach skyward like ragged claws. Vast labyrinths are cut into these peaks and in the depths foul things breed that have never seen the light of day. But foulest of all is Mua'traas, Seventh of the Greater Demons.
    Deep in the seventh realm there is a certain mountain with a great iron door set into the stone, Mua'traas came to this door and pondered at the runes carved therein. Divining that this was a seal he set about to break it, but the runes were beyond the craft of any demon. So Mua'traas sought the answer elsewhere, he made his way to the Keep of Nyarlathotep and waited at the barriers.
     In time war erupted between the Greater Demons and the Gods of Kadath. Mua'traas sent his hordes to the battle, but he kept his vigil at the keep of Nyarlathotep.
   At that battle the brothers of Nodens were slain, their death cries echoing across the aethers. Nyarlathotep left his keep to observe such a portentous conflict. He did not wish for Nodens to met his weird at that time and so sent a mighty spell into his mind that he would lay waste to the demons.
  In the moment of Nyarlathotep's departure the barriers around his keep grew thin, and Mua'traas slipped into that great hall. It was a place that no Demon or any God of Kadath had before entered, but ignoring the many wonders about him Mua'traas stole into the library of Nyarlathotep and opened the Book of Azathoth. The Demon Lord learned the secret of opening the iron door, and what dwells behind it.
  Mua'traas is seldom involved in the wars and feuds of his fellow demons, much of his time is spent in bringing sacrifices to the thing behind the iron door and it is not known if he serves out of devotion, or fear.   

The Forgotten Goddess of Kadath

From the "Demonography of Ysra" as translated from the Hyperborean Aklo by Ludvig Prynn:

 In the chaotic realms beyond Kadath there are ten Lords, less than gods but greater than flesh, they are the Demons of the greater order. They are to be invoked with the utmost caution for they delight in atrocity.
   The fourth Greater Demon is known as K'Hurru'ss, though this is not his true name. Before the Gods of Man came forth to dwell in Kadath the Greater Demons crawled from the abyss to claim the chaos realms. But they were not the first to dwell in these places, for in the fourth realm they discovered a great stone seal covering a chasm. Gathering their strength they shattered the stone and K'Hurru'ss emerged. The demons claimed him as one of their own, but it is theorised by the Prophets of Pnom that K'Hurru'ss is one of the Great Old Ones, though the aeons long imprisonment robbed him of much his memory and intellect.

   When the Gods of Kadath were young and uncertain the Greater Demons unleashed K'Hurru'ss and a host of demonspawn. War raged across Kadath,  Mighty Nodens led the young gods to slay countless hordes of demonspawn until they came to face K'Hurru'ss. The lesser gods were swept aside and only Nodens could stand before that monster from primal times.
   Their battle raged for days and finally K'Hurru'ss struck down Nodens and ripped the god's heart from his breast. Great Noden's body fell lifeless but his heart continued to beat in the jaws of the monster. Finding wonder in this,  K'Hurru'ss left the battle and returned to the chasm he had sprang from, taking the beating heart of Nodens into his lair.   
  The Gods of Kadath despaired, they were no match for the monster and feared what power the beast would gain if it devoured the heart of the mightiest of gods. Only one goddess, Io-Ilaysha, dared go into the pit where  K'Hurru'ss made his home. She was not a goddess of war or the hunt, but favored song and kindness.

  Io-Ilaysha went into the pit and offered herself to the monster in exchange for the heart of Nodens. The beast  K'Hurru'ss accepted the bargain, casting aside the heart of Nodens and dragging his new bride to the very depths of his chasm. The Gods of Kadath fled with the heart, back to the battlefield where Nodens body lay torn asunder. The heart was restored and Nodens lived again, but changed with the knowledge that the gods of men were but small things in the hands of those from the outside.
   The Greater Demons restored the seal guarding K'Hurru'ss pit. But their knowledge and power is less than those who first built it and The Prophets of Pnom have spoken that the seal will be broken again when the stars come right, then shall  K'Hurru'ss and all the numberless spawn he has begotten on Io-Ilaysha be released to the ruin of Kadath and the worlds of men.