The Great Old Ones

An Apocalypse Nipped in the Bud

The Elder Aberrations, also referred to as the Great Old Ones, were among the first life forms to emerge on Cynos after the birth of the planet. Formed from Elemental Chaos, the Elder Aberrations were great, bizarre beings of alien biology unlike anything previously seen in any of the Planes of Existence. The Elder Aberrations displayed an alarming level of intellect for a species so new, and an equally concerning desire to dominate and destroy everything in their path. Ashra and Boda, jointly responsible for the creation of Cynos, both recognized that the Elder Aberrations posed an apocalyptic threat to their newborn creation. In a rare act of cooperation between them, the Sun and Moon cast out the Elder Aberrations from Cynos via Astral currents, dooming them to drift endlessly in the The Astral Sea where they could do no harm to the planet.

Lesser Aberrations

A beholder.

Over the eons, the Elder Aberrations slipped into a deep, eternal slumber, unable to directly act upon Cynos or any other plane. Their kind, however, did survive on the planet in the form of lesser aberrations; smaller, less dangerous creatures of no concern to Ashra and Boda. These lesser aberrations would go on to become all manner of alien beings found on Cynos, from beholders to mind flayers to flumphs.

A mind flayer, or illithid.

Influence on Mortals

Via the Astral currents, the whispers of the sleeping Elder Aberrations sometimes make their way back to Cynos, where they may be heard by mortals. Through these channels, the ancient beings can bestow power onto those who would serve them, but their boons often come with a price. The motivations, gifts and costs thereof vary from being to being, and even in their unconscious state, the intelligence and guile of the Great Old Ones know no bounds. Indeed, a mortal warlock in service to such a being may never learn the true identity of their cosmic master.