“The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order.”
The
Outer Gods are a pantheon of utterly alien, unfathomably ancient, poorly understood deities that exist outside of reality itself, or the concepts of faith, souls, and quintessence. They are often grouped alongside the
Great Old Ones, who are demigods akin to archdevils or demon lords, under the collective umbrella of the Elder Mythos, or gods of the
Dark Tapestry. The Great Old Ones respect the Outer Gods and may be seen as heralds or high priests of their greater kind.
According to many scholars, the Outer Gods are so ancient that they predate the Great Beyond and
Pharasma, and thus the concept of mortality itself. Many Pharasmins consider this to be blasphemous, but the truth may not be something they can accept.
Most Outer Gods make their homes within the
Material Plane, in the Dark Tapestry, the blackness between the stars. They are much freer agents than the Great Old Ones, able to travel the Dark Tapestry, other parts of the universe, and even out of time and reality.
Outer Gods are of a vast, alien intelligence and perceive reality in such an inscrutable way that they cannot recognize their own actions as evil. For mortals, the differences between cults of the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones, collectively called the Old Cults, are practically meaningless. Those who follow them and draw magical power from their worship are almost always insane, believing that when the stars are right, these ancient beings will return to unmake the world. For their part, the Outer Gods are mostly unconcerned with mortal worship, and some do not even understand the concept of faith.
The total number of Outer Gods is unknown, but individual gods are known to include
Yog-Sothoth and
Shub-Niggurath.
Other References
In a
Letter to Professor Crowl from
Professor Petros Lorrimor, the short-term presence (no less than 4 days and 4 hours) of a manifestation of an Outer God would disrupt the spiritual energy of a
ley line.
Related or Referenced
