Yea, the tale was old ere Pangeae arose gleaming in the sun and foundered back into the stygian depths as if naught but a tear upon the surface of the vast uncaring sea; even the sands of ancient aegyptus lay ‘neath the waves and had yet to be trod by man and gods, and the stars in the heavens still quivered from the grim passage of db'meth…

     After the great god-thing cthulhu had taken upon himself one of the virgins of darkness, into the realm of ax'nakk there came to be born yoth-nath, whom the high priests of p'nagla did proclaim as the son of mighty cthulhu.  All paid adulation and homage to the exalted child, lest the wrath of his father ravage and decimate the land.  Few were those that laid eyes upon yoth-nath, for he was to be raised by the high priests in the ways of the old ones, hidden from inquisitive eyes.

     However, whispers flourished among the folk of az'nakk in regards to the son of cthulhu.  Amongst the elders it was rumored that yoth-nath was naught but a hideous nightmare thing, even more unearthly than his father; whilst those who attended the lesser priests avowed that the son of cthulhu was of such unworldly beauty that any who gazed upon his countenance was forever blessed.

     ERE long, these furtive whispers came to the ears of the high priests of p'nagla.  Fearing to face the acrimonious wrath of great cthulhu lest he hear these selfsame mutterings, they approached the mighty god-thing and told him of the many strange things which they had heard in regard to yoth-nath.  The mighty cthulhu pondered the words of his worshippers, then spoke upon his priests, telling them that come the dawn the folk of az'nakk would behold the son of cthulhu,

     The high priests of p'nagla, by use of their arcane dark powers, sent tidings across the realm, proclaiming the words of mighty cthulhu.  Throughout the night those that dwelt within the lands of az'nakk made their way to the temple of r'leyh, wherein they might gaze upon yoth-nath, son of cthulhu.

     Immense was the throng which girdled the temple, and as the morning dawned a loud and tumultuous cry arose from the encircling multitude as a procession of the high priests of p'nagla moved out upon the concourse.  Then all became silent and the gathering prostrated themselves in humble supplication as yoth-nath, son of mighty cthulhu, appeared before them.

     Although he was naught but a few seasons old, yoth-nath stood as tall as the mariners which plied the nameless seas which skirted az'nakk.  His skin was fair and golden and his features were pleasant to the eye.  But his lineage to great cthulhu and the old ones was markedly evident, for a large mass of short thin tentaculum covered his head, his long snakelike fingers were covered with myriad rows of tiny cephalopodic suckers, and a pair of feathery gills gently fluttered about his neck with every breath he took.

     The son of cthulhu gazed out upon the throngs kneeling before him.  He cried out an arcane invocation to the old ones and to mighty cthulhu.  The peoples of az'nakk repeated the chants of yoth-nath, and as the echoes died in the shadows of the temple, the son of cthulhu re-entered the shrine and the folk of az'nakk repeated the chants of yoth-nath, and as the echoes died in the shadows of the temple, the son of cthulhu re-entered the shrine and the folk of az'nakk returned whence they came, marveling at what they had witnessed.

     Great cthulhu spoke often to yoth-nath during his edification, yet yoth-nath seldom paid heed to the words of his father, for the touch of man was strong upon him.  The son of cthulhu would fain listen to the voice of his mother as she spoke to him from beyond the darkness; this he was forced to do for the ordeal of his birth had been too great for her to bear.  By use of the rituals and sorceries which the high priests of p'nagla had taught him, Yoth-nath was able to raise the ethereal wraith of his mother and therein learnt much of the ways of man.

     Many long seasons passed, and with each passing cycle, yoth-nath grew, both in stature and in intellect.  Ere long, the high priests of p'nagla avowed amongst themselves that the son of cthulhu was nigh as powerful as his father; yet such enlightenment vexed them greathly, for they were fearful of what the mighty god-thing would do if such knowledge came unto him.

     And it came to pass that the great cthulhu was made aware of the perturbations of the priests, and his wrath before them was filled with a strange savage vehemence.  Mightily he smote upon them and called forth his son, yoth-nath.

     Deep within the crypts beneath the temple of r'leyh, wherein the son of cthulhu was communing across the darkness with his mother, came the overwhelming irresistible call of cthulhu.  And though he was loath to respond, yoth-nath could not abide and emerged from the dark catacombs to face the terrible fury of his father.

     Into a maelstrom of horror came yoth-nath, and in that moment, he finally understood what his mother had spoken of when she had decried of “the evilness that be cthulhu”, for the mighty god-thing had effaced the ranks of the high priests of p'nagla and strewn the vaulted chambers of the temple with their torn and shredded bodies.

     Yoth-nath felt a strangeness overcome his demeanor.  Normally he had but little concern for the affairs which involved his father, but seeing the desecration which had been wrought upon the temple of r'leyh and the priests who had raised him since aught he could remember, the son of cthulhu knew that the necessity for vengeance had befallen him.

     Great cthulhu glowered at yoth-nath with baleful eyes which knew neither right nor wrong, good nor evil, but only power—strange occult power which made him nigh invincible to all who knelt before him.  There was no touch of fealty in the hard glaring eyes focused upon him.  Yoth-nath knew that his father's wrath would fall upon him, yet he stepped boldly forward to vindicate those who lay within the shattered temple of r'leyh.

     Foul and perverse were the words which the father spoke unto his son.  The folk of az'nakk grew afraid upon hearing such vile and fearsome profanity and a great exodus crossed the realm, leaving only great cthulhu and yoth-nath to stand amongst the temple's ruined shadows.

     By powers dark and cryptic did the god-thing assail his progeny with a blockbuster; and with those magicks and sorceries imbued upon him by the high priests of p'nagla, Yoth-Nath persevered against the occult onslaughts of great cthulhu.  Long did their acurst carnage wage, and there are those who say that if one searches diligently he may yet still find shadows of their struggle.  Yet as time passed, the son of cthulhu realized that he was engaged in a losing battle and that, ere long, his father would vanquish him, and destroy him as if he were naught but chaff before the wind.

     Sensing victory, great cthulhu advanced slowly upon the weakening figure of yoth-nath; yet his progress was suddenly deterred when a bright glowing nimbus of brilliant white bathed the recumbent form of yoth-nath.  Startled, the son of cthulhu gazed into the illumined aura around him and saw the figure of his mother floating above him.

     She smiled at him and told him that none could harm those protected by the powers of the virgin of darkness; and although the mighty god-thing cthulhu unleashed a fearsome and destructive onslaught, naught could touch yoth-nath.  As he watched, he saw other shadowy figures hovering within the aureole, and realized that the spirits of the high priests of p'nagla had allied themselves with his mother to protect him from the unholy furor of his father.

     Nevertheless, still did great cthulhu continue his rampage upon the glowing nimbus, yet to no avail.  Ere long, the mighty god-thing ceased his terrible rampage and spoke to those protected by the illumination, pleading to let him speak unto his son, saying that no harm would befall any of them.

     But the words of the god-thing fell upon unhearing ears, for both yoth-nath and his mother were well aware of the duplicity of great cthulhu's speech, and as he realized that his pledge was refused, once again a powerful and potent assault was launched against yoth-nath and his protectors.

     The specter of his mother moved slowly towards the boundary of the glowing nimbus and spoke to the ramping cthulhu, telling him that all of his great powers were impotent against the magicks of the virgins of darkness.  She said she was taking yoth-nath, her son, away with her into the netherworlds, wherein he would be taught secrets undreamt of by the old ones.  Then would come the day of reckoning, when yoth-nath, with all his new energies and abilities, would return and easily usurp the power of the great cthulhu.

     With those words, she opened a glimmering portal within the aura.  Yoth-nath took her arm and together they stepped into the darkness.  As the portal twisted closed, the bright glaring aura vanished into nothing and the great cthulhu stood alone upon the ruins of the temple of r'leyh.

     So great was the anger and rage within the god-thing that he unleashed an extreme and cataclysmic magical onslaught upon the very realm of az'nakk, destroying all that stood before him.  And so great was the destruction that the very realm of az'nakk became as a thing unknown, lost in the obscure shadows of time.

     And yoth-nath still awaits his time….

Contents