Alien Gods and

Eldritch S e crets
W
ORKS OF COSMIC HORROR

portray ancient and

alien intelligences that lurk beyond

the perception of ordinary mortals,

beings whose very presence provokes

madness and despair at an indi-

vidual’s utter insignificance in the

greater cosmos. These entities are at

best neutral to lesser beings and at

worst utterly hostile by the nature of

their very existence, capable of anni-

hilating entire civilizations with no

more thought than that of a mortal

crushing an ant underfoot. There are

others of less power, though they are WRITING Anthony Pryor

COLOR ART Júlio Rocha
no less malevolent. EDITING Mike Myler
LAYOUT Frank Michienzi

Alien Gods and Eldritch Secrets  |  EN World EN5ider

D espite this many of these ancient god-like beings
have attracted vast cults of worship with priest-
hoods, rituals, sacred texts, and artifacts. What follows
are a sampling of such beings, along with informa-
tion about their followers, relics, and spells. Note that
these names and the concepts to which worshipers
adher, are nothing more than rationalizations of
unknowable beings filtered through the limited
minds of mortals—they are far beyond comprehen-
sion, their true natures and goals are as inconceivable
as they themselves are. Mundane concepts such as
alignment, intellect, and purpose mean nothing to
them, and they may behave in ways that are entirely
contrary to what their followers believe.
Axu-Nagos (The Entropy,
The Great Nothingness)
That an entity can manifest the concept of chaos
and the eventual entropic death of the cosmos is the
kind of self-contradiction that defines many cosmic
beings. Axu-Nagos is the embodiment of disorder
and the inevitable chaos into which all things eventu-
ally descend, to the point that it may not even truly be
called an entity or god. Rather than a true conscious-
ness, Axu-Nagos may simply be yet another natural
force like gravity or magnetism. There are those who
claim otherwise, believing it to be a separate force
with intent and purpose that cannot be truly known,
only served. Some scholars have chosen to delve
into its true nature—most go mad or join the cults of
Nothingness, violently seeking to further Axu-Nagos’
existence through acts of unwonted chaos.
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AXU-NAGOS WORSHIPERS
Those who revere this entity or the powers that it
represents feel a duty to hasten the end of life, order,
and the universe’s very existence. While single mortal
individuals cannot achieve such goals on their own,
they do their best by studying chaos magic, commit-
ting acts of mass death and destruction, and sowing
disorder. They have neither rationale nor greater
purpose in their activities and make mayhem for
reasons given to them by their leaders, and if a
worshiper perishes in their pursuits so much the
better. Axu-Nagos’ cults do not seek fame, fortune,
power, influence, or rewards in an afterlife—they just
want to destroy, and see utter oblivion for themselves
and the rest of the universe as their ultimate destiny.
AXU-NAGOS SPELLS
With intense and fanatical worship the followers
of Axu-Nagos believe they’ll be awarded with the
ability to innately cast one or more spells associated
with their god. This magic is chaotic and destruc-
tive in nature, inevitably cast to cause the most havoc
possible. Should a worshiper be granted this boon,
cantrips can be cast at will, while more powerful
spells can be cast once in a number of days equal to
half its Hit Dice.
Axu-Nagos Spells. Acid splash, poison spray, color
spray, hideous laughter, blindness/deafness, fear, confu-
sion, cloudkill, mislead, disintegrate, irresistible dance,
prismatic spray, feeblemind, maze, meteor swarm.
For example, a cult fanatic has 6 Hit Dice so would
gain the acid splash and poison spray cantrips, as well as
innate casting of color spray and hideous laughter each
once per day, blindness/deafness once every 2 days, and
fear once every 3 days.
Saukkassus (The All-Being,
The Dreamer)
From whence do dreams come? Are they simply the
subconscious reflexes of a sleeping mind or do they
originate in a distant realm, mere echoes of a slum-
bering being of unimaginable power and intellect?
Some believe that Saukkassus is the source of dreams
and that as it slumbers, images of its reverie are
reflected in the minds of sleeping mortals (and even
in those such as elves who meditate rather than sleep).
Saukkassus is said to exist on all planes of existence at
once, and the powerful emanations from its sleeping
mind influence beings everywhere—including
the gods themselves, who even with their reality-
changing powers are still subject to the slumbering
power of The All-Being.
SAUKKASSUS WORSHIPERS
While it sleeps, Saukkasssus’ effect on the waking
world is chaotic and sometimes destructive, but not
ultimately world-ending. Should it awaken however,
its chaotic conscious mind is thought to be so over-
whelmingly strange and alien that all things in the
multiverse would be driven to madness (deities
included). The All-Being’s worshipers are divided
between those who wish to keep their deity asleep—
known as the Sleepers—and the opposed Awakeners.
The Sleepers’ motivations are obvious as the
cosmos will continue to exist so long as Saukkassus
continues to slumber; they seek wisdom in Sauk-
kassus’ sendings, devoting much of their time to
sleep and dreams. Those seeking to rouse Saukkassus
believe themselves to be the chosen ones, blessed to
survive the end of its sleep where they will gain ulti-
mate power and enlightenment in the new multiverse
that follows. The Awakeners’ rituals often involve
sacrifice and other evil acts in an effort to directly
affect Saukkassus’ dream-consciousness and draw
it forth from slumber. As might be expected conflicts
between the two groups are common, but usually
take place in secret, behind the scenes in cities and
kingdoms. Assassinations, curses, twilight assaults,
and magical duels take place, often damaging prop-
erty and injuring or killing innocents caught in the
crossfire while leaving authorities puzzled.
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SAUKKASSUS ARTIFACT
The most precious of all items associated with Sauk-
kassus is the Book of Dreams.
Book of Dreams
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
This silk-bound volume details how to gain messages
and enlightenment directly from the All-Being’s
sleeping mind. While you are attuned to the book
and it is within your reach, you can cast the following
spells without the need for material components: sleep
(3/day), sending (3/day), divination (1/day), commune (1/
day), astral projection (1/day). You can only use the book
to cast sending on creatures that are asleep. Whenever
you use the book to cast astral projection, commune, or
divination you must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving
throw or be reduced to 1 Intelligence and 1 Charisma
(as the spell feeblemind).
Mortulos (Maker of Monsters,
Mother of All)
This strange being is said to live in twisting caverns
deep in Underland, or in a dimension consisting only
of dark, labyrinthine tunnels. It is an amorphous
thing simultaneously of flesh and not, covered in eyes,
mouths, and various limbs. Mortulos is a twisted
deity that births strange and unwholesome monstros-
ities, including aberrant creatures such as chimera,
chuul, gibbering mouthers, manticores, and otyugh.
It is believed by some that Mortulos is the actual
progenitor of even more terrifying creatures such as
the tarrasque as well, all emerging from its slime-
coated body and dragging themselves to the surface
where they breed and thrive, or fail to find a place and
die out. Some are so horrific that they cannot survive,
reabsorbed into Mortulos’ form. Almost the oppo-
site of entities like Axu-Nagos, Mortulos is a thing of
uncontrolled creation and fecundity, filling the world
with aberrant life and bloating to cataclysmic size
until all is absorbed into a single, pulsating, primor-
dial universe of flesh.
MORTULOS WORSHIPERS
Those who revere Mortulos do so in the knowledge that
they and all of existence will eventually be devoured
by this entity and its weird progeny. Its worshipers
seek out aberrations and attempt to control them,
letting them ravage the countryside and terrorize cities
in the hope that they will prosper, grow, and eventu-
ally reproduce. The followers of Mortulos also seek to
increase the population of sentient species regardless of
the consequences, overpopulation, or lack of resources,
believing that growing numbers of living things will
hasten the day when the Maker of Monsters rises to
absorb all. Such worshipers often work as doulas,
fertility experts, animal breeders, and in related profes-
sions. While their laboring may seem beneficial, their
intentions are almost always malevolent.
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MORTULOS SPELLWORK
Some powerful followers of Mortulos also command
magic that can twist and mutate animals or even
humanoids into aberrations as a horrific tribute to
their amorphous god.
Aberrant Transformation
8th-level transmutation (bard, cleric, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (vial of blood from an aberration)
Duration: Instantaneous
This spell transforms a creature that you can see
within range into an aberration determined by the
material components used to cast it. An unwilling
creature must make a Constitution saving throw to
avoid the effect. The transformation is permanent,
but the target can be returned to its original form with
heal, remove curse, or wish. The new form must have
a challenge rating equal to or less than the target’s
(or the target’s level, if it doesn’t have a challenge
rating). The target’s game statistics are replaced by
the statistics of the aberration. It retains its alignment,
Intelligence score, and personality.
The target assumes the hit points of its new form.
The creature is limited in the actions it can perform
by the nature of its new form, and it can’t speak, cast
spells, or take any other action that requires hands
or speech.
The target’s gear melds into the new form. The crea-
ture can’t activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit
from any of its equipment.
At the end of each long rest the target must make
a Wisdom saving throw, losing its awareness and
reducing its Intelligence score on a failure. This change
is permanent, but the target can be transformed back
into its original form with the spells remove curse, heal,
or wish. e