Chthonian

## Chthonians

The Children of Shudde M'ell

**Chthonians** are massive burrowing worm-like creatures that are the offspring of Shudde M'ell, one of the Great Old Ones. They are ancient creatures that was believed to have existed before the time of man.

## Overview

Chthonians are described as immense squids, with elongated worm-like bodies coated with slime. Despite their squid-like appearance, chthonians are land-dwellers and are even harmed by water. Chthonians are powerful burrowers, live for more than a thousand years, and are protective of their young. It is said that a chanting sound accompanies every chthonian, and that by such they can be detected while underground and unseen.

## Description

The most important individual chthonian is the gigantic Shudde M'ell, which is worshipped by the rest and is one of the Great Old Ones, a race of extraterrestrial eldritch deities that made their way to Earth in an attempt to hide from the forces of light.

## History

### Background

From Shudde M'ell, the chthonian race was born and flourished underground, however, when the polytheistic deities were given the Earth, they began an extermination of any Old One they came across. The chthonians were nearly destroyed when they aided Cthulhu and the second hose of Old Ones against the gods in a bid to claim the Earth.

Millions of years later, the chthonians resurfaced during the time of Noah, much of their activities were unknown though it is likely that they terrorized the humans that were foolish enough to trespass onto their territory. Much like the rest of the monsters and corrupt humans, they too were not spared from the Deluge, with the powerful flood ensuring all but their total destruction since the chthonians are vulnerable to water with only a couple hundred of chthonians surviving.

Since their expulsion from the surface world, Chthonians have become a rare creature to behold, as these entities now live deep within the Hollow Earth as to escape the violent waters, lurking in the pathways leading to the Earth's core with only a few appearing in the upper strata and outer crust. The burrows carved out by these eldritch beasts have come to be known as the Caves of Chthonia and extend all the way into Agartha, where their expansion is challenged by the Agarthians. In some legends, Agarthans were able to tame the surviving Chthonians by using them as transport. Agarthans poised to "ride" the beast as it rolled its open scale towards its highest point could literally mount the worm. As long as the scales remained open, the Chthonian would not submerge. Hooks were then placed towards the front of the beast to control lateral movement.

### Capture

One other Chthonian survived the Great Flood, separated from its kind that made their way to the Hollow Earth, and made its residence within the Gobi Desert; records of its movement indicated that it once dwelled in Turkey only to migrate to Mongolia. The Chthonian's activities brought forth the legend of the Mongolian Death Worm there have been tales and later classified documents describing it attacking camel riders and military Humvees. The Federal Bureau of Control were alerted to its location and managed to apprehend the beast but due to the threat it poses the Bureau opted to destroy it by submerging it in water. Moreover, it is speculated by archivists at Miskatonic University that the Chthonian would reside in one location only to defend a nest, meaning that somewhere in the Gobi Desert lies a batch of Chthonian eggs.

## Myths and Legends

The species is the creation of Brian Lumley and was first featured in his short story "Cement Surroundings" though the creature never made a direct appearance. The chthonians had a more prominent role in Lumley's novel "The Burrowers Beneath", whose title was taken from a fictional story from Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark."

In Greek mythology, "chthonian" refers to beings that inhabit the underworld; they are considered to be the dark, shadowy counterparts of the Olympians.

## Notable Chthonians

* Shudde M'ell - Leader and Creator of the Chthonians
* Mongolian Death Worm - Last Remaining Chthonian on Earth

## Gallery

*A dead Chthonian being found by Archaeologists**A Chthonian under the sand**A Chthonian destroying a town**A Chthonian destroying a Palace in Turkey**The size of a Chthonian*
## Trivia

* The name Chthonian has a strong resemblance with the term chthonic.

## Image Sources

* (Borja-pindado-chthonian-b.jpg) Chthonian by Borja Pindado
* (Borja-pindado-chthonian-a.jpg) Beached Chthonian by Borja Pindado
* (Chthonian by stranger86 daycrj9-fullview.jpg) Chthonian by stranger86
* (Jakub-bazyluk-spawn-of-chthonian-jb.jpg) Machina Arcana - Spawn of Chthonian illustration by Jakub Bazyluk
* (Chthonian (Fantasy Flight Games).jpg) Chthonian from Fantasy Flight Games
* (Chthonian 2 (Fantasy Flight Games).jpg) Chthonian from Fantasy Flight Games
* (Achtung! Cthulhu 7 (Modiphius Entertainment Ltd).png) Chthonian from Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
* (Bestiare-6.jpg) Cthonian from Call of Cthulhu 7th edition
* (Loic-muzy-v7-illus-1.jpg) chthonian and Dholes by Loïc Muzy
* (Loic-muzy-planche-bestiaire-v7-2.jpg) chthonian and Dholes by Loïc Muzy
* (Cthonian.png) Cthonian by Ryuga Boumera