Baoht Z'uqqa-mogg

Bringer of Pestilence, Decaying One, Father Stinger

### Common Blessings

**Carrion Call:** able to summon a gathering of vermin and insects to obscure or obstruct others (costing 5 or more magic points).**Embody Plague:** body is covered in weeping sores and boils; able to shoot acid-like pus from hands, sores, or mouth (inflicting 1d4 damage)

Baoht Z'uqqa-mogg is a powerful winged scorpion-like monstrosity with an ant-like head. It is worshipped by small conclaves of ghouls. Baoht also lived on Shaggai, a planet that was destroyed by the Outer God Ghroth. This being is currently dwelling on Earth.

A castaway from another world, some say Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg visited Earth not long ago, making its home in deep caverns. Strange art, said to have been created by those from below, shows an arachnid-scorpion like thing, covered in a dark-green segmented shell. What passes as a head seems to be a bulbous mass of stiff and segmented antennae or feelers, below which are pairs of pus-dripping mandibles and numerous yellow eyes. Two giant claws at the front are paired with a large scorpion-like tail at the rear, with numerous spider-like legs in between. From its carapace rise three pairs of sharply angled wings, while across its flesh are oozing sores and blisters.

Originally an inhabitant of the planet Shaggai (perhaps as a captive of the shan), Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg departed that world when it was destroyed by Ghroth. During the 17th century, the entity came to Earth and has returned numerous times thereafter. Presumably, this Great Old One’s elder prison was destroyed by Ghroth or its lesser standing meant it had escaped the attention of the Elder Gods in millennia past but was later captured by the shan. What seems certain is its current freedom, but what drew it and keeps it returning to the Earth remains a mystery.

Human encounters appear to have been quite rare. At the times when it has come to Earth, accounts tell of murky locales, like swamps and city sewers, and graveyards; for some reason, Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg is drawn to damp, dark, and filthy places. In part, such areas are often the haunt of ghouls and this fact may be worth noting, as some ghoul communities seem to have taken the deity as their own, turning away from Mordiggian in favor of this living god that crawls among them. Those who have associations with certain ghouls have learned of a schism forming between ghouls who worship Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg and those who do not.

Given its ghoulish connections, it may be supposed that Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg enjoys consuming dead flesh, which the ghouls have in vast supply. Alternatively, perhaps the Great Old One is using the ghouls for some other purpose, as yet unclear; possibly, as a means to access the Earth’s Dreamlands or establish some army of ghouls in a bid to expand its domain. In consideration of its arrival on the planet, perhaps the ghouls can enable Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg to obtain something only available here on Earth.

The connection with the shan is of interest, as these beings hold Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg in some regard; perhaps seeing it as a lesser but equally valuable deity to Xada-Hgla. Those shan on Earth are just as likely to call upon and venerate Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg in their devotions. Of note is the naming of the deity in the libretto of the banned opera *Massa di Requiem per Shuggay*, which features a single aria calling out this “wondrous” god. Perhaps the deity shall play some role in the shan’s greater schemes for the planet and its inhabitants?

## Cult

As yet, Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg has no organized human cult, although small groups of worshippers are likely, especially those who have had some form of contact with the deity or those who have an association with ghouls. Certainly, as this Great Old One appears to be able to move freely, it is a veritable living “god” in human terms, so those seeking a tangible belief would find something gruesomely appealing in Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg.

Ghoul cults to the deity do exist, although these are small when compared to the religion of Mordiggian. In addition, certain shan individuals or groups may hold Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg in high regard and seek to summon the god for various purposes.

## Encounters

Most likely, Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg would become known via contact with ghouls or those caught up with the shan. The entity may be summoned or visit the planet of its own accord. Humans learning of Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg may wish to access its elder knowledge and power, hoping to placate the entity in various ways.

Given that Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg body is attractive to earthly vermin and insects, infestations of such creatures in a locality may signify the god’s imminent arrival or presence. In addition, the entity has been known to appear in dreams, although whether this is due to the deity’s own mental projection or another’s magical visions is unknown.

Lastly, earthly encounters will primarily take place in damp and dark surroundings, which the entity seems to prefer. If summoned, it is liable to burst upward from the ground, showering all present with filth, dirt, and virulent ichor.

## Aura

A sense of unwholesomeness accompanies Baoht Z’uqqa-Mogg and its works. A feeling of dirt, grime, and filth makes one feel weighed down and unclean. The preponderance of vermin, insects, and other crawling things that seem unhealthily drawn to the deity further amplifies this feeling of uncleanliness.