Mordiggian

The Charnel God; The Great Ghoul; Lord of Zul-Bha-Sair; Morddoth; Shaurash-ho (Father of All Ghouls); The Prowler in the Tombs; Naggoob (in Hyperborea); The Mortician God; She Whose Hand Embalms; Cynothoglys; Charnel One; Old Gnaw; Worm of Corruption.

### Associations

Catacombs, cold, darkness, death, decay, dreams, embalming, ghouls, hidden tunnel systems, morticians, mystery, secrets, tombs, Zothique, Zul-Bha-Sair

### 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 (parent); Tsathoggua (cousin); Yogash the Ghoul (offspring); K'baa the Serpent (grandchild)); Ghoth the Burrower (great-grandchild); Howard Phillips Lovecraft (distant descendant)

### Common Blessings

**Knowledge Transfer:** grants the ability to assume memories of a deceased person by eating their remains. Such knowledge may be fragmentary, depending on the state of the remains.**Ghoul Sight:** human worshippers may be blessed with the ability to see in darkness, as well as receive an enhanced sense of smell.

**Transformation:** a human might be instantly transformed into a full ghoul, or be blessed with ghoul-like fangs and/or claws.

> Throughout the night in that accursed vault deep in the earth, my guide’s eyes flickered with delight as he told me of Mordiggian, the god of its kind. From his foul mouth I heard of the deathly chill air that heralds Mordiggian’s arrival, of the manner in which it sucks light and color from its surrounds, and how it appears as a huge and worm-like fetid darkness yet changes shape in an ever-spiraling array of forms, growing coiling cloud-like limbs of reaching tentacles, and sometimes appearing as an eyeless head upon the limbless form of a demon.
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It is said by some strange travelers that Mordiggian is worshipped in Zothique, in the city of Zul-Bha-Sair, sometime in the distant future. It is also said this deity resides in the Dreamlands upon a sea of bones, holding court to those who bring succulent offerings of ancient bone and flesh. Finally, Mordiggian is believed to visit the Earth when certain rites and offerings are made, often manifesting deep underground within ghoul-made catacombs and maze-like tunnels that are said to join this world to other places beyond human reckoning.

According to ghoul lore, Mordiggian does not transport itself magically, but rather crosses between worlds (such as the Dreamlands and the Waking World) by traversing the myriad network of ghoul tunnels, allowing it to move through its domain without hindrance. Most scholars agree that should this Old One wish to move to another location, time, or place quickly, it could do so through its innate powers, but, for some reason, it seemingly only does so when summoned by external forces, such as foolish wizards or humans seeking its approbation. Accordingly, few consider this deity to be bound by elder magics, which may mean it can go where it pleases.

Fortunately, Mordiggian appears unconcerned with humanity as a species, preferring to tender its attention on ghouls and a few other loathsome creatures. Ghoul lore suggests that this Old One views humans only as a source of nourishment (the deader the better), with its interest extending only to the possibility of transforming humans into ghouls. For the most part, this deity seems content to abide within its domain and receive offerings, although rumor exists of Mordiggian’s desire to expand its domain to the surface world and refashion both the Waking World and Dreamlands into one massive charnel house of death. Whether any truth lies within this notion remains a mystery.

For those wishing to delve into the secret lore concerning this deity, reports speak of two key tomes: the *Cultes des Goules* by the Comte d’Erlette, and the *Ghoul’s Manuscript*, which both go into detail on the rites, worship, and favored offerings to Mordiggian. Of course, if able to make the acquaintance of a ghoul, one may hear of such matters firsthand, if one can overcome the ghoul’s propensity for violence and its smell.

Thus, this Old One is perceived by some to be not an especially malevolent entity, as, on occasions, it has spared the life of those who are on good terms with the ghouls; however, for those who work against the interests of the ghouls (its “chosen ones”), Mordiggian’s fury is all-consuming and without pity.

Mordiggian is a worshipped by several human cults and cults of ghouls as a kind of symbol of Death. This name is used in Zothique, the human species's last continent, although the name might go back to medieval France. He is the main subject of The Ghoul's Manuscript and Culte des Goules. Described as swirling darkness, a gigantic shadow, a worm shaped column, Shaurash-ho appears as a formless mound with one arm-like appendage. It uses this arm-like appendage to kill whoever summons her.

Cynothoglys is the progenitor of the ghoul species. She is the offspring of Cthulhu and father of Yogash the Ghoul with the Elder God Bast; it has been postulated that Mordiggian might himself have been a deep one once. Some sources mistakenly identify Nug as the “Father of Ghouls” but since Nug never visited Earth, it makes more sense for Shaurash-ho to own the title.

This mysterious entity, which the Book of Eibon describes as the free lead servant of Nyogtha, spawned other two horrid descendants (K'baa the Serpent and Ghoth the Burrower). The latter would have sired with a Roman noblewoman Uiburnia the legendary ancestor of Lovecraft himself.

Cynothoglys once held a cult in Italy which paid homage to it rather than worship.

## Appearance

Able to assume differing forms, this Old One’s appearance is, at its core, a cloud-like mass of living death and darkness. Sometimes it takes a ghoul-like visage, while at others it a whirling nightmare of tentacle-like limbs and a great maw. In all cases, its appearance causes fires and other sources of heat and light to be extinguished, while its smell is the heady stench of death.

## Cult

The ghouls are considered to be primary followers of Mordiggian, and are considered to be the Old One’s “chosen ones.” It is possible that the loathsome dholes pay homage, but such matters are beyond human understanding.

The Cult of the Charnel God is ancient, dating back (according to the ghouls) to the “Beginning of Days,” when the ghouls were said to have learned the secrets of magic and called forth Mordiggian from the “most awful blackness of unbeing.” Only ghouls may be members of the cult, although some knowing humans have at times petitioned for membership, only to be turned away until the day when they earn the right to become a ghoul (a strange process requiring a human to spend time among ghouls are partake fully in ghoul life). It is said factions exist with the cult, with some groups permitting only true ghouls into their ranks, as they consider human-turned-ghouls to be a lesser breed, while others embrace those that were once human with open claws.

The center of the Cult of the Charnel God appears to be situated within the Dreamlands, allowing ghouls to make pilgrimages from the Waking World (and vice versa) to bring offerings and receive wisdom from the high priests of the cult, who rarely emerge far in the Waking World.

Mordiggian is worshipped by some humans who have gained insight into the deity via tomes or contact with ghouls. Such groups are generally small, with many originating within a family unit and the beliefs being passed down the generations. Many human cults fashion themselves after the ghouls, partaking of unspeakable meals in the hope of gaining special insights or accelerating their transformation into full ghouls. As such, these human groups are highly insular and secretive.

In the far future, Mordiggian is the patron deity of the city of Zul-Bha-Sair on the lost continent of Zothique. Here, the Old One is worshiped by both necromancers and ghouls, with those in Zul-Bha-Sair offering up all of their dead to the Charnel God as appeasement ~ in fact, it is considered heretical not to do so, even for non-Mordiggian followers. The ghoulish priests of Mordiggian cover themselves in hooded robes of rich funeral-purple and silver skull-like masks. Within this future place, bringing the dead back to life is the greatest of transgressions and insures an attack by Mordiggian ghoul priests (and possibly the Old One itself).

## Encounters

Direct encounters with this Old One are rare but not unlikely, given the deity’s travels around its ghoul-tunnel domain that stretches from the Dreamlands to the crypts and mausoleums of the Waking World. More probable would be coming across ghoulish cult members in such tunnels, or perhaps inadvertently witnessing ghouls performing a rite to their god. It is known that the remains of specific humans (usually, humans of note) are sought after by the cult for offerings to the Old One, with some ghouls undertaking pilgrimages to bring such remains to Mordiggian. Occasionally, the distasteful enterprises of human worshippers may come to attention, leading to the discovery of cannibal-like families or secret societies devoted to the Charnel God.

## Aura

Death and decay, mystery and secrets are the trademarks of Mordiggian and its cult. A tangible exercise in body horror is likely. Given the inherent role of the Dreamlands with this deity, encounters may have a dream-like quality, forcing participants to wonder at the reality of their senses and memories.