Crimson Lord

One of the Nine Horrific Lords

The Crimson Lord is an Eldritch Being that Scholars lack a true name for and disputed the existence of at length before certain experiences solidified it as one of the nine Horrific Lords of the Outer Reaches. Their goal is unclear and revolves around amusement of itself and those that it pledges itself to, though these pledges whether to members of its own kind or others seem to fit fancy and lack no binding power.
This creature often frequents the reality that mortals reside in without notice or provocation, and the visit often goes without record for some time. The dimension that this creature resides in is unknown, some have speculated that it is a wanderer in the Outer Reaches with no desire to tie itself down to a specific place but rather to move about and meddle as it sees fit with events that unfold. This creature interacts with our world in the shape of a gaunt humanoid with elaborate, grotesque face paint that is reminiscent of a circus performer. While most Eldritch Beings exist in a state that is beyond the comprehension of mortals this one appears to gain satisfaction by masquerading as a humanoid that gives the appearance of a malnourished Human in a blue and red suit. The appearance of the suit is of fine materials, silk and satin, and the creature wears a cap and bells like many court jesters across the land would in matching colors to the rest of its outfit with the two large bells resembling perfect white orbs. Its desire is to seek purpose, it remains fascinated by creatures that hold great purpose and it collects these facets of importance and drive to enact change by turning them into ornate copper bells. The purpose that it collects is removed from the world along with the source of it, leaving behind a gap in memories and history that few have the skill to explain much less to notice.
During the Eldritch War the Crimson Lord would visit nobles, military leaders, and rulers of kingdoms under the guise of being summoned on the basis of "Entertainment of No Purpose." There are no first-hand records of what occurred during these entertainments but those that remained through the experience and are able to recount any details of it experience confusion and mixed horror as if chasing a memory that doesn't fully exist. Details that remain from their encounters include the color red, laughter, juggling, and some sort of story that they feel they should be able to remember but fail to do so. The leader of every race was solicited at one time or another by this creature and it was the downfall of the Dragonkin King, a handful of Ancient Metallic Dragons, and many others. There are still individuals being discovered today that have met their end or rather their "collection" at the hands of the Crimson Lord and vanished from memory under most circumstances.
It is said that this creature has a vast form that is likened to the existence of something that has rotted and become full of holes, lacking in ways that mortals are not able to understand. For this reason, it searches for "amusement," seeking out the melodies of those with incredible purpose and conviction in an attempt to complete its form though it seems to be in no rush and acts on this as a whim. Iconography of this creature is rare and seems to be a creature that has few worshippers though they are known to be some of the most fiercely devout with their symbol being the cap and bells of a jester, the cap is depicted as smeared and running with blood while the bells are depicted as two roaming eyes. Though assumed to be capable of shifting its shape this creature appears to enjoy returning to the specific form of a gaunt, faceless humanoid though it has been noted to manifest a smile that encompasses its smooth, featureless face from one side to the other. The appearance of a smile or any feature more specific than the general appearance of the creature has been associated with those that recognize it for its true identity and either willingly or unwittingly overcome the strange effect it has to divert attention from itself. These observers are noted as the "Purposed" or the "Awakened" by the worshippers of the Crimson Lord.
Those who worship this creature are known as the Crimson Court and are made up of fantastically average individuals that hold no sway in their governments nor immediate or notable power in their places of residence. Because of this it is often assumed more than proven that this creature is sparsely worshipped but the claim is unchallenged due to the nature of its effects and the mysteries surrounding its visitations that are assumed to continue to this day. The promise of the Crimson Court is to remember a purpose and become fulfilled, with claims revolving around the peace of null existence and a life that is dictated by the movement of the world around to become without identity and consequence. Those in the Crimson Court seem to have the ability to manifest and become a host for the Crimson Lord when unknown conditions are met but there is little recorded evidence of these claims from first-hand accounts. Rather, most first-hand accounts that detail any interaction with the Crimson Court are fragmented testimonies with large gaps in knowledge, lack of coherency, and while recounting events the witness typically wanders in thought and grows silent or complacent to the point of forgetting that they were in the midst of any explanation at all. Those from the court itself that have been detained or questioned exhibit a level of amnesia initially and when probed by magical means they fall into a vegetative state, seemingly fixed in happiness without desire or action to enact even basic survival tasks. If observed, these individuals will expire from natural causes but if observation is lax they will mysteriously vanish from any containment environment imposed upon them with signs of the containment being opened without force to allow the contained member of the court to leave.
Members of the Crimson Court seem highly resistant to magic that would cause illusions, deception, or alter their minds in any way as if they have some higher form of clarity often seen in high-level magic users or martial artists. Though there appears to be no direct link or control over those that partake in the Crimson Court, little is known about the full extent of the Crimson Lord's power. As far as research has concluded, anyone is able to leave the Crimson Court at any time that they wish but they simply do not wish to and there are no reported accounts of such an occurrence happening.

Divine Classification

Eldritch Horror

Species

Eldritch

Realm

Outer Reaches

Church/Cult

Crimson Court

Body Features

The form that the Crimson Lord chooses to inhabit is that of the fool, a jester, or a clown. The physical appearance is of one that is gaunt and stretched horrifically tall with features that imitate that of a human but the disproportionate structure of the creature borders on the impossible. Most recount the being as between 7 and 9 feet tall, with twisted fingers resembling that of sharpened bone though flexible and large enough to wrap around a barrel or the torso of most races with ease. His clothes are noted as being high-quality red and blue, checker patterned though onlookers feel compelled to avoid eye contact through inexplicable means. In the instances where onlookers have felt the compulsion to not look at the creature's face, they recollect not realizing it until several moments after the creature has left their vicinity, and then they are overcome with a feeling of dread accompanied by depression and anxiety.
Those that do have knowledge of it are able to behold it fully and can see that it has no face, just a smooth pale surface that is similar to a marionette. It is still made of some type of flesh as if someone has stretched pale skin over an actual face and then stretched the entire skull to resemble a funhouse reflection. Few accounts state the creature has a smile, misshapen that traces the creature's face from top to bottom though no other facial features have ever been noted and none have ever reported the smile opening though conversation is not only implied but reported. When questioned about the voice of the creature or how it communicated there has never been a true recollection.