The King in Yellow
The King in Yellow is enigmatic, charming, decadent, and thoroughly cruel. He is somehow associated with Hastur, another Great Old One, though students of the occult disagree as to how they are connected. Some believe the King IS Hastur. His insane cultists believe the King is simply an avatar form of Hastur that can only appear on worlds that the light of Carcossa, his home planet, shines upon. Another possibility is that the King in Yellow is Hastur at a different point in his development, like some sort of cosmic larva that is capable of traversing space and time to appear as a separate entity on wholly different worlds. What the truth is, only the King knows.
The King is generally thought to be approximately human in size and stature, though he always takes a form taller than average. "Generally" is used here because the King can manifest in different human receptacles and at times even tower over others through some sort of interdimensional influence. The King could pass for a human if not for his garb: decadent yellow robes and an eerie Pallid Mask.
Though the King moves among the populace as if one of them, his passing brings madness, beauty, love, and pain. Ultimately, the King's touch brings ruin to civilization.
The dead rise within the King's presence, returning in a myriad of undead forms, trailing behind him in like some unholy court.
These glimpses of the King become increasingly overt, until eventually, the King appears in full form, emerging from the artists canvas to take their hand. At this point, the candidate is so insane that they willingly accept the King, blending together until they become a wholly new being, the King in Yellow's presence now physically rooted to the world.
The King is generally thought to be approximately human in size and stature, though he always takes a form taller than average. "Generally" is used here because the King can manifest in different human receptacles and at times even tower over others through some sort of interdimensional influence. The King could pass for a human if not for his garb: decadent yellow robes and an eerie Pallid Mask.
Though the King moves among the populace as if one of them, his passing brings madness, beauty, love, and pain. Ultimately, the King's touch brings ruin to civilization.
The King's Voice
The King in Yellow's voice is an extension of his supreme authority. When he speaks, all are compelled to listen. He speaks only in exact, irrrefutable truth. If the King asks a question of someone, they are compelled to answer truthfully.The King's Robes
Merely touching the King, even his extravagant yellow robes become spiritually linked to him. They see him in their dreams and are eventually seduced by his power and the irresistible Yellow Sign until the King eventually comes for them to guide them to a world beyond this one.The Pallid Mask
Though it can take on many forms, such as a porcelain mask or a cloth mask, the King is never without the Pallid Mask. More radical cultists believe the mask might very well be the king himself while the rest of his human form is nothing more than a "skin" he wears whenever he chooses to manifest. That is to say, when a sufficiently insane and devoted individual puts on the Pallid Mask, they become the King in Yellow.The King's Motivations
The King in Yellow's motivations are as varied as they are unknowable. He may act benevolently to his worshippers, but they are nothing to him but disposable extensions of himself, easily replaced. Whatever his intentions may be, the King revels in glorious destruction and the harvesting of souls. The means may vary, but the end results of his touch are always the same: "cities in flames, people shrieking in terror or abasing themselves before the King in frantic pleas, the dead rising up, and the very air charged with malignant fumes".The dead rise within the King's presence, returning in a myriad of undead forms, trailing behind him in like some unholy court.
The King Cometh
The King's attention can be caught in several ways. The simplest and most obvious ways to draw his gaze are to perform The King in Yellow in a populated venue, or to simply find and (mis)use the Pallid Mask.Through an Individual
As was discussed above, the King in Yellow may manifest by possessing or absorbing a suitable host. The King chooses a suitably insane individual, generally with a passion for art and great emotional depth. The process is gradual, with the candidate beginning to see glimpses of the King in their works: "a tattered yellow ribbon pattern in the rug he is weaving; sentences in their novel or play that they know they did not write; or bright citrine clouds floating amidst the white in the canvas they are painting".These glimpses of the King become increasingly overt, until eventually, the King appears in full form, emerging from the artists canvas to take their hand. At this point, the candidate is so insane that they willingly accept the King, blending together until they become a wholly new being, the King in Yellow's presence now physically rooted to the world.
Through Great Art
In a similar vein, art pieces produced by devotees of the King can cause him to spontaneously emerge. In cases like these, the King is made to known to a large number of people at once, for example, at a theater where The King in Yellow is performed, or at a gallery displaying art featuring his motifs or the Yellow Sign.Divine Domains
Decadence, Disorder, and Nihilism
Artifacts
The Pallid Mask
Holy Books & Codes
The King in Yellow
Divine Symbols & Sigils
the Yellow Sign
Divine Classification
Great Old One
Religions
Church/Cult
Children
Quotes & Catchphrases
The King: “Good sir, tell me what you need, which I can present to you, to bring you under my wing as a comrade, and a blessed worshiper of the Yellow Sign.”
Doughty Hero: “Nothing and no one. I cannot and will never serve you!”
The King: “Ah, well enough then. So now you must die instead.”
Doughty Hero: “Nothing and no one. I cannot and will never serve you!”
The King: “Ah, well enough then. So now you must die instead.”
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