Cthylla

the Secret One, the Secret Daughter, the Kraken, the Bride of Hastur, Scylla, Chosen of Cthulhu, the Hidden One, Mother of Limbs

### Associations

Aces in the hole/up the sleeve; cthulhi; deep ones; back-up plans; failsafes; filial duty; hidden agenda; lies; limbs; motherhood; obfuscation; offspring; rebirth; secrets; yuggya

### Relatives

Azathoth (great-great-great-grandparent); Magnum Innominandum (great-great-grandparent); Darkness (great-great-grandparent); Yog-Sothoth (great-grandfather); Shub-Niggurath (great-grandmother); Nug (grandparent); Cthulhu (father); Idh-yaa (mother); Ghatanathoa (sibling); Ythogtha (sibling); Zoth-Ommog (sibling); Mordiggian (half-sibling); Tsathoggua (cousin); Yogash the Ghoul (half-nibling); K'baa the Serpent (half-grandnibling)); Ghoth the Burrower (half-great-grandnibling); Howard Phillips Lovecraft (distant relative)

> In mine mind’s eye I beheld a thing composed of glistening red-black flesh within an oval outline. The shape was vague and evermoving, caused by appendages or growths that seemed to constantly grow and be reabsorbed. Many of these tentacle-limbs ended in hooked claws, although two were wing-like in nature. Its globular head extended and retracted on a thick neck. About the head grew six eyestalks, each moving independently and able to also retract fully. While its beaked maw was like a set of serrated blades.
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Cthylla, also known as the Kraken or the Secret One, is a Great Old One, the offspring of Cthulhu and his androgynous mate Idh-yaa, having come to Earth with Great Cthulhu from the star Xoth. Indeed, according to the *Instollar Daemonical* of the enigmatic Casper Volks, Cthylla is “daughter” to Cthulhu and is critical to his plans, as should Cthulhu somehow die, Cthylla will give birth to him once again. Volks, and, it should be noted, some other scholars, holds that Cthylla is one of four “children” (the others being Zoth-Ommog, Ghatanothoa, and Ythogtha). Whether “children” is an accurate term is in doubt, as they could equally be splinters or fragments of Cthulhu allowed to develop into “adulthood.” Volks states that Cthylla is kept imprisoned in Yhe, not by Elder Wards but rather by Cthulhu’s will, due to “her” value in ensuring that deity’s immortality. As such, she is vigilantly guarded by countless deep ones and yuggya.

Her cult tries to hide all information about the goddess, most famously by defacing the Columns of Geph. Her legend is dimly recorded in Greek myth as "Scylla". Certainly, outside of Volk and less than a handful of scattered references, Cthylla’s name is rarely mentioned and, instead, the title of “Hidden One” is sometimes used, suggesting a degree of secrecy surrounding this entity. Thus, this deity remains relatively unknown and mysterious. No idols have, as yet, come to light, and rumors circulate (within certain quarters) of those who seek to delve into the lore concerning this entity all coming to a sticky end or simply disappearing without a trace.

## Appearance

Cthylla has the appearance of a gigantic, red-bodied, black-ringed, and six-eyed octopus with small wings. Like her father, she is able to alter her body-proportions at will, such as by enlarging her wings to enable her to fly. While she normally has eight arms like any octopus, she can extrude or retract additional ones at will (she has been known to sport as many as twelve arms). Each arm is equipped with dozens of razor-sharp claws, each about five inches in length.

Cthylla was once captured by researchers who mistakenly believed her to be a rare specimen of a previously undiscovered octopus species. For the sake of preserving and studying the species, they attempted to impregnate her through artificial self-insemination.

Cthylla is described in some rare and occulted tomes in a more humanoid form as a possible bride for Hastur.

## Cult

No human cult exists for Cthylla, and those who mention the entity’s name seem never to be heard from again. Such skullduggery stems from the deep ones, who appear to go out of their way to control information regarding Cthylla, using human (and semi-human) agents to quiet, warn off, or dispose of those who would dig too deep. Indeed, copies of *Instollar Daemonical* are exceedingly rare due to the majority of the books being destroyed (the book’s only print run, along with the original manuscript, were nearly all burned in a mysterious fire). Consequently, when a copy becomes known, there is great interest among collectors of such tomes, as well as a great fear, as previous buyers have all (apparently) suffered “bad ends.”

Within deep one society, a sect whose name translates as, “Cthylla’s Keepers,” are charged with maintaining a blanket of darkness over this deity. Those who seek out Cthylla will surely come to the attention of this sect, who jealously guard against exposure.

## Encounters

While direct encounters with Cthylla are most unlikely (unless somehow finding oneself wandering around Yhe), those seeking to keep this deity a secret may come sharply into focus for anyone using the god’s name in public or otherwise attempting to undertake research in this area. Drawing upon the numerous resources of the Cthulhu Cult, the dedicated agents of Cthylla’s Keepers are likely to prove a dangerous threat.

## Aura

Secrets, hidden agendas, lies, and general obfuscation abound, with Cthylla hidden at the center of an age-old conspiracy of silence. What the real truth of Cthylla is remains unknown, and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that everything humanity “thinks” it knows is, in fact, a lie for a larger and more hideous truth.