Old Gods

## Physiology

Each apostle is unique in their true form – a spiritual reflection of themselves made flesh. Their appearance varies greatly, from warped versions of animals to demonic and hellish monstrosities, many of which bear remnants of their human features. Conversely, the features of an apostle's true form are often reflected in their human form, ranging from the obvious like Wyald's ape-like face to the more human features of Locus, Irvine and Grunbeld.

When an apostle is killed, their spirit is dragged into the Abyss, and their physical body reverts back to its original human form with all injuries remaining on their bodies analogous to the injured parts of their previous apostle form.

## Personality

Most apostles are defined by their lack of empathy and insatiable desire for bloodshed, though there are exceptionally disciplined apostles such as Grunbeld, Irvine and Locus who are able to suppress their ravenous tendencies. Following the Incarnation Ceremony, numerous apostles flock to Griffith and pledge their allegiance to him. In doing so, they are finally granted a place in the world of man, fighting alongside humanity as the White Falcon's metaphorical beaks and talons.

Despite their transformation into demonic beings, several apostles are able to retain at least one shred of their former humanity; an example of such is the Count, who after being mortally wounded was unable to sacrifice his daughter in exchange for new life.

## Abilities

### Sonic Screams

All apostles – save the Egg of the Perfect World – bear an initial humanoid form, but are capable of assuming their true forms at any time. Even in human form, they boast strength and reflexes far beyond that of typical humans. Wyald was completely untrained in combat, but with his monstrous strength, easily mutilates challengers like Barbo and keeps up with a trained swordsman like Guts. In their true forms, most apostles are extremely powerful and boast powers and strength greatly exceeding that of most humans.

Size is no guarantee of power, and while many apostles are incredibly terrifying for their monstrous appearances, ones that utilize abilities not immediately evident are particularly lethal. Examples include Rosine, who is capable of flying at speeds high enough to break the sound barrier and create sonic booms, and Irvine, whose very specific and refined usage of self-fashioned arrows makes him as of yet untouched. The Count's body, already very slippery and malleable, is able to sustain numerous injuries from Guts and still properly function, until he is decapitated. Rakshas boasts a similar power, having an amorphous body and only being deterred by the destruction of his mask.

Some apostles are able to create spawn called **pseudo-apostles**, usually by some method of transforming humans, though the method varies as can the effects. The Count creates a spawn from Zondark by forcing him to ingest a parasitic slug, allowing the Count to speak and monitor through him, and granting Zondark his regenerative abilities. Rosine's elves are spawn created from hundreds of kidnapped children, while adults are turned into monstrous insectoid guardians that can shift between human and insect forms at will. The Egg of the Perfect World uses its tendrils to "sting" and infect humans, granting them forms reflecting their beliefs: the Great Goat is transformed into a goat-headed stereotype of a demon, while Mozgus and his disciples are transformed into stereotypically angelic beings bearing wings.

Though more of a biological quality rather than a commonly used ability, apostles have Abyss-fueled evil power flowing through their bodies; as such, they can have various effects on contacted subjects. Ganishka's Man-Made Beherit is a vat filled with amniotic fluid and made from stitched-together apostles that, since their interiors are linked to the beyond, are used to turn embryos of pregnant women into rapidly-developing daka as they're infused with evil power, and by the emperor himself to initiate a second, artificial reincarnation. By raping Casca, Femto was able to taint her two-week-old embryo into a mutated fetus that was born in under a month. Guts has been using the Dragon Slayer to kill apostles for such an extended time that their blood and malice have tempered the sword, imbuing it with astral properties suitable for inflicting damage on astral beings.

## Known Apostles

(† indicates the apostle has died)

1. Nephren-Ka
2. Inuit Man (Sedmelluq form)
3. Native American Chief † (Ythogtha form)
4. Native American Archer † (Azathoth form)
5. Greenlander Native Wemon (Ycnágnnisssz form)
6. Rus Prince (Rhan-Tegoth form)
7. Viking Princess (Cxaxukluth form)
8. Viking Blonde-haired Girl (Tulzscha form)
9. Viking Red-head Boy (Ubbo-Sathla form)
10. Viking Black-haired Boy (Zindarak form)
11. Viking Man with Brown-Haired (Shaurash-ho form)
12. Anglo-Saxon Knight (Byakhee form)
13. Mongol Slave Women (Yidhra form)
14. Viking Girl with a Red Hat (Cthugha form)
15. Jomsviking (Dagon form)
16. Wend King (Byatis form)
17. Wend Blind Man (Dweller in the Gulf form)
18. Rus Girl (The Worm That Gnaws In The Night form)
19. Swedish Viking Framer Husand (Eihort form)
20. Swedish Viking Framer Wife (Kthanid form)
21. Viking Old Man (Y'golonac form)
22. Nun (Yibb-Tstll form)
23. Danish King (Ghroth form)
24. Novgorod Pirate (Crom Cruach form)
25. Norwegian Slave Wemon † (Ithaqua form)
26. Norwegian Slave Child † (Tsathoggua form)
27. Sámi Woman † (Cthylla form)
28. Arab Trader Leader (Shuma-Gorath form)
29. Arab Trader (Cyäegha form)
30. Native Cree Girl (Mother Hydra form)
31. Native Cree Chief (Glaaki form)
32. Native American Wemon (Yog-Sothoth form)
33. Anglo-Saxon Girl † (Zstylzhemgni form)
34. Anglo-Saxon Boy (Ghizguth form)
35. Varangian Wemon † (Yig form)
36. Varangian Boy † (Zoth-Ommog form)
37. Blonde-haired Viking Man † (Idh-yaa form)
38. Black-haired Viking Man † (Ghatanothoa form)