The Aberrant Lords

*"It is said that the world itself was borne of the dream of a great being that sleeps eternally in the void. Lurking in the darkness, unspeakable horrors whisper to the sleeping being, propagating terrible thoughts and feelings of dread in the being's mind. From these feelings of fear, terrors so great that they disturb even an unfathomably powerful cosmic being, crawl forth the Aberrant Lords. These are the children of horror itself - abhorrence made flesh, and their power is not bound by the laws of time or space. Their influence seeps through all realms, echoing in the gibbering of madmen and glistening in the black of bile. Hidden away in far flung corners of the world, there are forbidden secrets and knowledge granted by these deities. If one has the stomach for it, and indeed the steadiness of mind, there are unholy rituals which may allow commune with those who exist beyond time and space. Through such ritual, one could curry favour from the Aberrant Lords, receiving great boons of power as rewards for the completion of all manner of heinous acts."*

*- Octavius Gretton in 'On the Aberrant Lords'*

The Aberrant Lords are a group of deities that exist outside the planes themselves, in a region of the universe known as the far realm. All credible knowledge about them has been collated over many centuries from all manner of writings, from the theses of master wizards to the unholy writings of zealous cults. There are currently four known lords, but due to their very nature there could be countless more, the existence of which would be unknown to mortals.

## Gwaark'el, The Great Sculptor

*"These creatures, these alien abominations are not of this world. Far beyond the light of the furthest star lies Gwaark'el; a great sculptor who forges terrible affronts to nature that crawl their way into this plane, whence they writhe and slither in the darkest abysses of the world"*

*- Vlador Moykspar in 'An Account of Aberration'*

The lawful evil deity of creation, summoning, portals and birth, Gwaark'el (pronounced: gwar-KEL) is the most well known of the Aberrant Lords. It is a commonly accepted theory that he is responsible for the creation of all the aberrations of the universe, which he forms from a powerful material known as primordial mucous. His motives are largely unknown, and throughout the years he has been described to hold many roles on the cosmic scale; from a scholar to an artisan of madness. Some scholars, along with the cults devoted to him, claim that the very concept and magic of portals and other means of summoning are a gift that he shared with the universe. These claims go on to suggest that whenever a mage casts a spell that opens a portal or summons a creature, they are communing in some way with Gwaark'el, regardless of whether or not they are aware of this.

Gwaark'el appears as a towering mass of grey-green flesh, on top of which sits a terrifying visage of three milky coloured eyes and a vertical gash brimming with teeth for a mouth. Hardened fleshy growths form something of a crown atop the head, and some depictions of Gwaark'el show these protrusions continuing all the way down his back. Also depicted with Gwaark'el is primordial mucous; a viscous slime which has been described as being a number of colours, from pale red to black, and some accounts claiming it is a colour indescribable to mortal minds.

## Khaamerez, Lord of Teeth

*"Rend the weak and flay the feeble, claw like blade and tooth like needle,*

*All are prey to the mighty lord, hunters vicious make his horde"*

*- Warcry of the Cult of the Endless Maw*

Khaamerez (pronounced: KAR-meh-REZ) is the chaotic evil deity of war, hunger, aggression and predators. Wars, genocide and other instances of mass demise give Khaamerez power, and as such he rose to prominence amongst cultists in the early days of the Age of Arcana, a time where countless wars were fought against Humania to regain lost territory. Some cultures believe that individuals who are irrationally angry or violent individuals carry "The Mark of Khaamerez", a black, bite shaped scar on the heart or brain. This claim is widely disputed, though there are countless reported cases of this phenomenon nonetheless.

Though able to shapechange, Khaamerez's true form is a gigantic, six armed humanoid. His pitch black skin has the texture of sandpaper, and his body is covered in various toothy maws. All six of his hands feature mouths in the palms of their hands, and when he speaks he does so through these mouths, which talk in unison. His innumerable teeth are stained with the blood of fallen prey, and his fingertips will drip with acrid bile from the mouths in his palms.

## Lijadesh, Lady of Tongues

*"Wouldst her vile words fall upon thine ears, mistaketh them not for truth. No knowledge thoust will exhume from her vile writings, and thus I beseech thee, purge her lies from this world. Mine champions I implore thee, battle the mistruths of Lijadesh and uphold truth, knowledge and reason in the face of all adversity."*

*- Yairus' decree to her followers, spoken through her avatar, Kelenborm, in 87 AA.*

Lijadesh (pronounced: LI-jah-DESH) is the neutral evil deity of lies, language, poison and curses. She is often viewed as a patron of the selfish, and many self-serving individuals have sought her powers for their own gain at the expense of others. The knowledge goddess Yairus views her domain as antonymic to Lijadesh's domains, and thus the two are sworn enemies. Writings and records retrieved from the lairs of Lijadesh's cults are some of the only documents that the followers of Yairus will destroy rather than collect and catalogue, as misinformation is a greater sin than the destruction of knowledge. Some believe Lijadesh to have an influence, however small, in all nefarious plots that occur in the world, from military coups to the assassination of kings.

Of all the Aberrant Lords, Lijadesh engages in the most dealings with mortals, and her name would at least be known to the average person. Despite this, her appearance is widely disputed. When she appears to mortals she wishes to meddle with, she often takes the shape of a nude female of varying race and physical features, clad in flowing ribbons of silk. These apparitions are known as Icons of Temptation, and usually appear to individuals who are vulnerable to manipulation. Despite these apparitions, her true form is utterly incomprehensible to mortal minds, though researchers have collected a number of accounts from those claiming to have seen her true form. Common themes when describing her appearance and the effects of her presence include:

* No specific object or entity was seen, instead the landscape or surrounding environment seems to warp and shift into impossible vistas while a voice echoes in the back of the mind.
* A humanoid figure glowing with an alien colour that could not be described in any known language.
* While in her presence, an unavoidable sharp taste coated the tongue, much like sour berries or rhubarb.
* A humanoid figure which took the form of a number of people known to the one perceiving her, such as family members and friends.

## Muluurunur, The Whispering Void

*"It is both the thing that dwells in the void, and the void itself. One could only assume what esoteric knowledge is held within such an ancient, inscrutable mind."*

*- Octavius Gretton in 'On the Aberrant Lords'*

Muluurunur (pronounced: MUH-lur-un-ur) is the true neutral deity of knowledge, darkness, eternity and dreams. As such, there is some debate to its relationship to Yairus; a far more well known knowledge deity. In truth, the pair are equally cautious and respectful of each other, understanding that they both have unfathomably deep wells of knowledge that transcend time and space.

Where Lijadesh's has a form that is incomprehensible to mortal minds, Muluurunur lacks any form at all. The void is, by its very nature, true nothingness. Muluurunur visits mortals only in dreams, where its metaphysical form can be somewhat better interpreted. Those who claim to have been visited in their dreams talk of seeing a corridor with an impenetrable darkness at one end, and a pair of pale ghostly hands reaching forth from this darkness. This darkness speaks in a raspy, whispered voice which some claim to be the voice of someone they know or once knew.

Muluurunur is by far the most enigmatic of the Aberrant Lords, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is the only lord that is not inherently evil, which makes its intentions even less clear than those of its fellow lords. Secondly, since no mortal is recorded to have made first contact with Muluurunur; it always seeks out specific individuals and thus there are no known cults devoted to this lord. This makes the overall knowledge of Muluurunur far more scarce, with the only reliable accounts coming from a select few warlocks who have entered patronage with Muluurunur.