Primevals

**Primevals**, unspeakably ancient beings that wander the endless void of The Slip, are a staple of horror stories told by many different peoples in Ygdren. They are known also as *World Eaters*, *Nameless Ones*, *Great Old Ones*, *Ender Serpents*,or *Void Titans*. Though physically no primeval has ever been seen, and there is no concrete evidence that fully confirms their existence, occassionally some folk will claim they are under the servitude of one, suggesting that their influence stretches beyond The Slip into the material plane. Some scholars suggest that the disturbances caused by the First Dread War brought this world to the primevals' attentions, but what truth is in this claim is so far indeterminable.

## Greater Primevals

Based on information gathered from those scant few that claim to have a connection with primevals, it appears that there is a hierarchy amongst the strange beings, with a primal struggle for power and the consumption of power forming its foundation. The list below briefly details some of the supposed strongest primevals, that have attained influence on the material plane the most often.

### Jormundrekir, The White Wyrm

Described as a gigantic astral drake, with ethereal white scales and eight hollow, bottomless eyes. It is said to be a fierce rival of Aenathair, as both vie for a claim over the waters of Ygdren. Followers of Jormundrekir claim an affinity with the open sea, often suffer of wanderlust, and seek to control and wield the power of the ocean. Most famously, one of the wyrm's followers is said to have unleashed a flood of monstrous waves onto an ancient city in the far north of Wyldcrown, burying it and all the surrounding valleys beneath miles of solid ice.

### Ynalthed, The Pale Mistress

A shapeshifting entity born of moonlight, that is said to be capable of projecting illusory forms into the material plane and seeing through them. These forms often take the shape of a ghostly, ice white-skinned woman with precise scars lining the entirety of her body in strange alien patterns, dressed in wispy white clothing that seems to float of its own volition. Above all else, followers of Ynalthed value knowledge, seeking every scrap of information to feed their mistress, even to their own detriment. It is said that the maiden grants them in return the power to peer into other creatures' very souls.

### Vhothrh'endul, The Elder Mind

Said to take the form of an amorphous cluster of brain matter, with multitude tentacled limbs to tear apart its victims' thoughts. Of all the primevals, Vhothrh'endul is the only one to be worshipped as a diety by a civilisation of illithid in the New World. Its followers value memory, experience, and intellect, and hoard it jealously. Often, followers of the primeval are granted psionic powers to further seek out intelligence and rip it away in service of their patron.

### Drauzaloth, The Defiler

Depicted as a titanic winged monstrosity, its body made of a festering, bubbling, corpulent mass of flesh in vaguely humanoid form. The skin constantly churns and whirls, sprouting foul tentacles and reabsorbing them. Bubbles burst on the surface to reveal hate-filled eyes, and slobbering mouths form or close randomly about its horrible body. It is also known as the *Lord of Undeath*, and revels in necromancy, blood magic, and the power gained from the souls of the damned. It is said that the Wraith Queen of Naz'barleíd, an ancient lich that resides deep in the ice wastes of Wyldcrown, serves Drauzaloth, who gave her the terrible power to ascend into unholy immortality.

### Rhagorak, The Chaos of Creation

A cosmic entity that is described as a raging hurricane of black cloud and thunderous winds. Known also as *The Chaos Lord*, its followers value untethered power above all else. They are often harbingers of chaos and destruction, sweeping through areas and leaving nothing but careless devastation in their wake. Some rumours suggest that the great storms that sometimes descend from the icy plains of Wyldcrown are caused by the influence of Rhagorak, though the truth of this matter is disputed.

### Iraevex, The Fury

Depicted as a massive phoenix of black flame, with a wingspan that can blot out the very sky. It has a third eye that burns with golden fire and can ignite rage in the most peaceful of mortals. Its followers often crave vengeance or power, and see anger and wrath as a means to that end. Such followers are not always evil, and can channel such anger into good means, but teeter always on the brink of that cliff edge where their simmering resentment can drown them in hateful thoughts.

### Aenathair, The Kraken Queen

Described as a tentacled leviathan, with crustacean-like armour and a burning hunger. It is said to be a fierce rival of Jormundrekir, as both vie for a claim over the waters of Ygdren. Followers of Aenathair claim an affinity with the ocean depths, are often more comfortable below the ocean than above, and have a fierce hatred for those who choose to remain landlocked.

### Mordecaen, The Faceless One

Depicted most often as a six-armed humanoid, with a completely featureless head that is blind, deaf, and mute. It communicates telepathically and sees through the eyes of those who serve it and those it consumes. Mordecaen prizes order and balance at any cost, and is said to have sacrificed its senses to peer into the fabric of time. Obedience is expected, disobedience is ruthlessly punished, and no impurities or irregularities that disturb the cycle of life and death are to be allowed. For this reason, it is considered a rival of Drauzaloth, and its followers often resolutely hunt down necromancers and other aberrations.

### Xchotl, The Horned Serpent

Described as a slender coiled snake long enough to wrap around stars and devour them whole. It is plumed with vibrant feathers and has large curling horns on its head. Cults dedicated to its worship are often attributed with cannibalism and blood sacrifices in order to appease the entity and stop it from tearing into the material plane in order to feed on the two suns and plunge existence into an eternal night, bringing about the end of times.

## Lesser Primevals

Smaller and less powerful by far than the entities above, lesser primevals are nonetheless still presumably quite powerful. With the deterioration of the planar barriers to The Slip, some particularly small lesser primevals are said to have passed into this plane, taking refuge from the greater primevals that seek to consume them. Whether creatures reported to be such primevals are actually primevals or simply unexplained aberrations remains to be determined however.

### Urathain, The Ender of All

Described as a vaguely humanoid, obese and grotesque creature, with arms that meld jarringly into coiled tentacles, metal strips bolted into its flesh, and a giant gaping maw in place of a stomach, lined with jagged teeth and fangs. From behind a hooked iron helmet that's riveted over its skull, stare beady red eyes filled with malice and a cunning intelligence devoid of empathy. Known also as the Glutton of the Abyss, Urathain wishes only to feed: on power, flesh, or fortitude. It devours everything it can grasp within its net of influence, but it is not a mindless beast. In fact, it is shown to use cunning and malice to achieve its goals, and is known to hold grudges or personal vendettas.

### Emrazak, The Twisted Blight

Described as possessing the form of a bulbous tree, its surface covered in a myriad of blinking eyes and dozens of snapping maws. Its branches and roots are a twisted mixture of claws, pincers and tendrils that induce mutations with the slightest touch. It revels in the perversion of nature and seeks to twist it into new and unnatural forms.