O, great Mhat-huur,
Inheritor of flesh,
Of sinew,
Of muscle,
Of blood, tissue, and bone.
May thy purple flesh grace mine own.
— Unknown occultist
Mhat-huur is a powerful eldritch being, who's infinite flesh encompasses its own minor
plane. Their body is inherited from every being of flesh and blood that has lived, currently lives, and will live— granting them power over all such beings. Those that recognize this, and serve Mhat-huur by working to shepherd new flesh into the world— and thus, add to the flesh inheritor's mass— may receive access to a modicum of their great strength.
Symbolism & Worship
Purple Portraits
Purple flesh is commonly seen as a symbol of Mhat-huur, no matter what form it takes. Some may be scars, others may be growths and mutations such as boils, new extremities, and discolorations— gifts given by the Inheritor to those they deem worthy. What, exactly, makes one worthy for these gifts is unknown— especially considering that many of Mhat-huur's gifts are given to those entirely unaware of their existence.
Given the unsightly and at times uncomfortable nature of these gifts, many will try to cover or remove them— thinking them to be no more than strange injuries or illnesses— which can prompt the arrival of a
selod-huur. These are inquisitors born from Mhat-huur, sent to root out and punish those who commit the "sin" of rejecting their gifts. Possessing no bodies of their own, these inquisitors inhabit the bodies of those near the committed sin, and use the status and trust of their hosts in order to interrogate and investigate the incident. Once they believe their target to be found, they will then possess their body— and enact their punishment.
Worshippers of the Inheritor that do not find themselves granted their gifts often mark themselves with purple tattoos, hair dye, or
alchemical mutations. Tattoos and other manmade marks commonly take the form of a diagonal circle with two smaller circles along its edge, and a line through its center. Two spirals jut out from either side of the central line. The larger circle symbolizes Mhat-huur's infinite flesh, while the line and smaller circles symbolize the beings made from this flesh. The spirals symbolize the borrowed nature of their flesh.
Makers of Flesh
Those who worship Mhat-huur seek to create more flesh for the god's infinite mass, through any means they can. This may simply be by having children or breeding animals, stretching their own skin, gaining weight, or involve more complicated methods such as alchemical mutation, eldritch rituals, or summoning a
cose-huur. The cose-huur are Mhat-huur's priests, terrifying beings that capture beings of flesh and blood and weave them together to create horrid growing masses.
For the followers of Mhat-huur, flesh is seen as more than simply a fact of life— it
is life itself. And as such, all experiences of flesh deserve careful attention— be it pleasure or pain. For experiences of pain, worshippers will engage in self harm from simple self-flaggelation, or bruising, to burning, intricate cutting rituals, and purposefully seeking out rashes and illnesses that have unique effects on their flesh. Mutilation, however, is entirely out of the question— to permanently remove one's flesh is to reject it. With this in mind, the faithful must be careful when seeking experiences of pain.
We thank you, o Mhat-huur,
For the gift of body,
For the gift of blood,
This we will not waste,
And of each sensation,
Our flesh shall taste.
— Unknown occultist
Pleasurable experiences of flesh can involve a similar breadth of acts, from rubbing various textures on one's skin, physical activity, comfortable baths, or sexual acts, to imbibing various substances, undergoing certain alchemical mutations, and for some— even pain.
Myth
Followers of Mhat-huur believe that all flesh belongs to the Inheritor, and that their possession of it is merely temporary— akin to borrowing. Loaned flesh must be treated with respect, and experienced in full, and so the faithful seek to make the most of it. This extends to the flesh of others, and it is not uncommon for Mhat-huur's followers to seek and practice medicine— restoring flesh that has been damaged or lost.
A Pound of Flesh
Those that wish to gain access to
eldritch magics may eventually commune with Mhat-huur, and will be asked to make a sacrifice in order to gain their patronage. One must offer up their own flesh to Mhat-huur— what part of their flesh they wish to give, and how much, is up to them— so long as it covers a significant portion of their bodies.
This flesh is not lost, rather, it becomes one with Mhat-huur's own body— turning purple, and becoming weaker, withered, and easier to damage in the process. A small price to pay for access to eldritch powers.
Appearance
Few have travelled to Mhat-huur's plane, those who have describe their infinite purple flesh as a vast, writhing thing with hills, valleys, and even mountains that rise and fall as it breathes. Some of its flesh is covered with a thick hide, others are slick with red blood— veins snaking around the surface like vines. The air is warmed by its great body, and made humid by its sweat, blood, and myriad other bodily liquids.
Thick smells of sweat, blood, meat, and various other body odors fill the air. Those who listen can hear various groans, the stretching of flesh, gurgling, snapping, rending, and the soft beat of Mhat-huur's many hearts. Looking into the sky, one will not see stars, nor even a sun— rather, they will be met with distant vistas of Mhat-huur's infinite mass in the distance, occasionally occluded by fog, or clouds created from the moisture of their own body. Faint bioluminesence from the Inheritor's body lights the way, with occasional brighter lights sprouting from their form— bathing the plane in a lurid purple glow.
A well-written article. Mhat-huur seems so vast that I kept mistaking him as being a collective species rather than a single individual. In order to raise the sense of dread and unease, you might include more sensory details like sounds and smells to enhance the horror atmosphere.
Thank you— and you are correct! I've added a new paragraph to the end with more detail, including sounds, smells, the "sky" and more!
Definitely gives it that final kick