Ykoné

The Mistress of the White Silence

> *“My mind aches, running through perforated veins so deep;*
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> *Blood runs as cold within me as the moods of night do creep;*
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> *Relentless restless tears falling on feasts I cannot feed nor eat;*
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> *Fears gorging upon my withered agony, there just to compete.”*
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> - Excerpt of the *Bliss of the Eternal Gnawing*
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Ykoné is the Elder Evil of Cold, Paranoia, Desperation, and Hunger. Her followers believe Her to be the true God of Winter, the Primal Truth of the world as it is and should be: bereft of comfort and warmth. She seeks to usurp Vjyrna of Her Domains from the Far Realm, spreading fear and misguided fervor among mortals from within the Whispering Rime.

The absolute frigidity of Ykoné's being causes the air around Her to condense and fall as snow in an eternal blizzard. She does not speak, Her desires and emotions conveyed through the language of the Growling Stomach. It is a maddening and agonizing tongue, understandable only by those who sacrifice their very essence to the White Silence.

Ykoné's form is that of a rabid and ravenous wendigo; a creature derived from the mortal fear of starvation and the unthinkable taboo. Two spots of bright-shining frost illuminate the whirling snow around Her in the imitation of eyes. Those who attempt to hold that gaze are said to grasp the full understanding of the Growling Stomach, and are subject to a wild and grotesque transformation.

## Ykoné's Influence

Ykoné claims dominion over winter, and everything negative associated with it. To many the White Silence is an unbearable truth, made false by the blessings of the Elder Gods. To Her followers, hunger and cold are natural expectations of a reality bereft of comfort. Those who worship Ykoné seek to enlighten themselves and otHers with the Primal Truth of the White Silence, and fulfill themselves by understanding what it really means to be hungry.

Ykoné is furtHer associated with paranoia, a common result of the intense isolation and hunger brought about by Her worship. Her followers rarely find comfort in company, oftentimes convinced that those around them secretly plot to kill and consume them. This is often a black mirror showing their own intentions, as the extreme starvation they subject themselves to drives them mad. In the Plains of Csiildra Ykoné holds much sway, for in that barren landscape of ice nothing takes root.

After the Broken Vow and the Weeping God's subsequent ravaging of the Many Realms, there were many, old race and new, that were left with no means to sustain themselves. Driven to desperation and madness by poverty and hunger, many committed the unthinkable taboo. The amalgamation of shame and pain wrought by the souls of those lost to this epidemic led to the creation of Ykoné. Born of the mortal fear of cold and hunger, Ykoné quickly cemented Her influence throughout the many realms. While the rest of the Elder Evils worked on their plots to usurp the Elder Gods, Ykoné instead spread fear and panic through Her mortal followers. Many came to fear and loathe winter, stripping power from Vjyrna and fueling Ykoné's own ascension to the highest ranks of Elder Evils. This seed of discontent has remained in the many realms despite Ykoné's loss during the Great Usurpation, its mere presence siphoning off influence from Vjyrna to this day.

Ykoné's ultimate aims are unknowable, as with all Elder Evils. She uses Her power oftentimes against Her own self-interest, inciting grotesque acts of desperation for little more than what seems like pleasure. Her grasp on the mortal psyche is so pervasive that She can survive this constant culling of Her faithful. there will always be those who are truly desperate and yearn for meaning. It is those that the Primal Truth of the White Silence preys upon.

Because of Her stubborn grip on mortal consciousness, Ykoné is broadly considered a Major Evil. She is almost universally reviled, Her existence viewed as a reminder of much darker times, and a symptom of the broader failures of the Elder Gods.

### Ykoné's Goals

Ykoné as a being is utterly alien. Attempts to understand Her actions inevitably fail, for Her consciousness and thought process exist outside of mortal concepts of reasoning and morality. Her very existence is anathema to sense and logic, making the study of Her a futile attempt at taming that which should never be touched by sane hands. Her one and only focus is the undermining of Vjyrna's influence. She often seems entirely unconcerned with whether the mortal races live or die, and Her actions commonly work to harm Her influence by culling Her own followers.

Despite Her constant war against the Elder Gods, Ykoné also remains vigilant against the quelled Voetis Sect. Rebellious beings that seek to do nothing but destroy, to the unitiated it seems Ykoné would have more in common with them than Her allies in the Goetica Sect. To those who have some grasp of Ykoné's intentions, however, they know that Her existence is reliant on the mortal races. As a being focused first and foremost on Her survival, it is understandable that She works to ensure they are not entirely erased from existence, for it is through their suffering that She thrives.

The age of the Elder Evils is well documented, each of their births recorded by great tragedy and chaos. Ykoné is both ancient and young in this respect, for while as an entity She is new, the fear of hunger and the desperation to survive is a sensation as old as life itself. It is because of this that Her place in the general hierarchy of the Goetica Sect is unclear. Some of Her peers view Her with deference, while others dismiss Her as pathetic and too reliant on the influence of mortals. Regardless of this, She is universally feared by mortals, a fact that grants Her much power and influence on a divine scale.

### Divine Relationships

Ykoné as an entity rarely interacts with other Divines, focusing Her efforts instead on the expansion of Her influence. The rare beings that do involve themselves with Ykoné often do so negatively. Only a select few interact with Her in a neutral or positive manner, oftentimes only because they must. Despite this isolation, Ykoné does hold some amicable relationships among Her peers, though these are notable exceptions.

Xarinthys holds much respect for Ykoné, as She stood with Him alongside the rest of the Goetica Sect against Izim's rebellion. The two share a mutual hatred of the Elder Gods, both seeking to supplant their peers and achieve dominion over the mortal races.

Izim in turn reviles Ykoné, viewing Her as a sycophant and a monstrosity. His hatred of mortal concepts drives Him to extinguish any vestiges of their existence, one of the foremost being Ykoné and Her association with mortal emotions. Ykoné cares little for Izim, not at all concerned for His dreams of Her destruction.

As with all Elder Evils, Ykoné hates and is hated by the Elder Gods. The two pantheons perpetually seek each others' destruction, often culminating in brutal and destructive clashes at the border of the Far Realm. Chief among Ykoné's ire is Vjyrna, who Ykoné views as a false god. The two hold a special hatred for each other, mimicked across the entire pantheon with each God and their rival.

## Worshipping Ykoné

As an Elder Evil, Ykoné’s worship is forbidden in all places that the Gods hold sway. Because of this, Her worship is oftentimes done in secret and with much caution. Cults devoted to Ykoné tend to enact their worship through self-flagellating acts of starvation and exposure. Some followers and champions of Ykoné travel to the far poles of the world, hoping to suffer the extreme cold of these areas in the pursuit of enlightenment. A rare few even travel to the Frostfell, hoping the abject cold of the Plane of Ice would reveal to them the true meaning of the White Silence. This pursuit is always fatal, much to Ykoné's pleasure.

Rituals honoring Ykoné usually take the form of sacrifices. Her worshipers will forgo food and warmth in rituals intended to appease their mistress. Some will even offer humanoid sacrifices, stripping people down and tying them to posts in the arctic to die of hunger and exposure. A few cultures hold festivals meant to appease Ykoné, rather than praise or venerate Her. The White Night festival in Eisheim is one such celebration, where residents will fast through the night, leaving what they would eat outside their homes as offerings to dissuade Ykoné from visiting harm upon them. It is said that those who take from these offerings will be met by Ykoné Herself, who will devour their body and soul and leave their mangled corpse in the blood-stained snow.

## Myths of Ykoné

Ykoné appears in many tales of adversity, often pitting heroes against the elements. Her faithful interpret the heroes of these stories as tragic fools, rejecting the gifts of the White Silence in the name of comfort and civilization.

***Mortal Desperation.*** According to legend, there was once a great hero of Verdan named Lucien. This huntsmaster claimed the heads of many beasts, amassing great honors in the name of his God. One day, Lucien ventured into a blizzard in search of food for his tribe. It was in this storm that he was attacked by a Winter Wolf. Surprised by the monster, he was driven back until he slipped into a crack in the ice sheet. He became trapped in this hole, the Winter Wolf above him breathing frost down the gap. It is said that Lucien survived for days in the intense cold, before hunger and fear overcame him. He was possessed by Ykoné, who drove him to gnaw off his own arm. Bloodied but free, he slew the Winter Wolf, before dying of cold and blood loss in the icy fields just outside his home.

***The Eternal Gnawing.*** It is said that when one embraces the path of the White Silence, they will be cursed with a condition known as the Eternal Gnawing. According to legend, this curse originates from Ykoné Herself, as a method to separate the weak from the truly desperate. For once, a priest of Vjyrna sought to swindle the Mistress of the White Silence. In hopes of rooting out Her cultists, he joined one of their group and underwent their trials. Aware of this priest's deceit, Ykoné afflicted him with the Eternal Gnawing. It is said that those who suffer from this curse will be met with a hunger that would drive the Gods to madness. Under this curse, one would consider consuming their friends, their family, and even themselves. Those who succumb to the curse often kill themselves gorging on their own flesh. Cultists are found with faces buried into their own abdomens, mouths awash with gore. The priest was the first of many to fail this trial, being found frozen in the frosty wastes of Ironfrost, his hands holding his own half-eaten liver that he had wrenched from his stomach.

***The Wendigo.*** Among the Goliaths of Eisheim is a legend as old as their people. Two brothers ventured into the northern peaks of Ironspike in search of game. They were trapped there by an intense blizzard for a week. Unable to withstand the intense hunger that overtook them, one brother killed the other and ate him, violating the unthinkable taboo. The brother vanished without a trace, leaving the half-eaten corpse of his sibling to be buried in the snow. The Goliaths believe that the surviving brother underwent a dire transformation, both a punishment from the Gods, and a blessing from Ykoné. He became the first Wendigo, an evil spirit of hunger and violence made in Ykoné's image that stalks the northern wastes of Eisheim, preying on humanoids that dare challenge its mistress.

***Enlightenment.*** The pursuit of the White Silence is a path to much suffering. Those who seek to embrace it often end up killing themselves by starvation, mutilation, or exposure. Those who withstand the temptations of the Eternal Gnawing are said to be gifted with a grace and clarity that can only be described as enlightenment. They no longer require food or warmth, instead viewing them as a poison. These beings wander the cold wilds of the world, their eyes glowing with the same bright-shining frost of their mistress, blinding any who dare look upon them.

## Ykoné's Champions

**Alignment:** Usually chaotic, often evil

**Suggested Classes:** Barbarian, cleric, druid, ranger, warlock

**Suggested Cleric Domains:** Nature

**Suggested Backgrounds:** Haunted One, Hermit, Outlander, Urchin

Most worshippers of Ykoné believe Her to be the true God of Winter and that Her ideals are deserving of universal imitation. It is the goal of all of Ykoné's faithful to tear down vestiges of civilization and the Elder Gods in the name of their god.

### Ykoné's Favor

As an Elder Evil, Ykoné as a being is entirely unbothered by the affairs of mortals. She is a form of Primal Truth, a manifestation of reality's taste for darkness and suffering. When Her mortal agents ask Her for aid, She tends not to react, for the Mistress of the White Silence cares not whether you live or die. When She does come to Her followers' rescue, the results are horrific, often resulting in mass casualties and storms of apocalyptic scale and cold. Despite this, Ykoné requires servants, Her faithful acting as Her means with which to enact Her plans to usurp Vjyrna. The Ykoné’s Favor table offers several suggestions for the nature of your connection to the Elder Evil.

 **6** | You have no idea why Ykoné shows interest in you.

### Devotion to Ykoné

Servants of Ykoné prefer life away from warmth and civilization. As a follower of Ykoné, consider the possibilities on the Ykoné’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.

 **6** | **Rebellion.** The Elder Gods are false. They deserve no reverance or quarter. (Chaotic)

### Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Ykoné when you expand the Elder Evil’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

* Spreading the Primal Truth of the White Silence
* Starving yourself and those around you
* Converting or killing the servants of the Elder Gods
* Building or restoring a temple to Ykoné

Your piety score to Ykoné decreases if you diminish Ykoné’s influence in the world, contradict Her ideals, or make Her look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:

* Refuting the Primal Truth of the White Silence
* Giving in to your hunger and feasting
* Bringing warmth to cold places
* Furthering the aims of the Elder Gods

Ykoné is not benevolent. She does not care about Her followers. She only cares about enacting Her plans to overthrow Vjyrna as God of Winter. Her followers will often act in accordance with this knowledge, knowing that nothing they do matters to their God but the continued destruction of the Elder Gods.

#### **Servant of Ykoné**

*Piety 3+ Ykoné trait*

As a servant of Ykoné, you have proven yourself beneficial towards the continued spread of Her Primal Truth. You have advantage on Charisma (deception) and Charisma (persuasion) checks made in relation to your patron. In addition, you are immune to the effects of hunger, and can survive without food for twice as long as you normally would.

#### **Pawn of Ykoné**

*Piety 10+ Ykoné trait*

You have resistance to cold damage, and are unharmed by temperatures as low as −50 degrees Fahrenheit.

#### **Slave of Ykoné**

*Piety 25+ Ykoné trait*

As an action, you can cause a cloak of swirling frost to encompass you, giving you immunity to cold damage and extremely low temperatures for 1 minute, as well as temporary hit points equal to 5 times your proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

#### **Champion of the White Silence**

*Piety 50+ Ykoné trait*

You can increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.