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Description
The Elder Things,
also known as the Primordial Ones and Old Ones (not
to be confused with the Great Old Ones) came to
Earth more than a billion years ago, establishing a
number of cities under the seas, and eventually
migrating to the land. There is strong evidence the
Elder Things actually introduced life to the planet.
Over the eons, the Elder Things waged war on the
Mi-Go and the Star Spawn of Cthulhu when those races
also colonized Earth. Elder Things are apparently
the mortal enemies of the Great Old Ones and their
followers.
Elder things stand roughly two
meters tall, and are barrel-shaped with a diameter of a meter at the
waist tapering to 30 cm at either end. Five wings and five sets of
tentacles (the latter branching into five arms with five fingers
each) are spaced about the circumference of the body. The top of the
body is crowned with a head of five eyes interspersed with five
stalks containing the being's mouths. A similar structure on the
Elder Thing's bottom has five long "legs" each ending in a
spade-shaped foot.
The Elder Thing's hide is
extremely tough and resistant to pressure changes or penetration.
Elder Things are effectively immortal, dying only from accidents or
violence. During times of stress Elder Things can enter prolonged
periods of hibernation — sometimes for millions of years. They
reproduce by spores. Elder Things are omnivores with a strong
carnivorous streak.
Society: Because there is
no "family" per se, Elder Things group themselves by interests and
careers, rather than by genetic relatedness. Their preferred form of
government might be considered socialistic. Elder Things once
inhabited vast stone cities of towering spires and eclectic
architecture (often with some variation of five sides). In their
dwellings and work spaces furniture is clustered in the center of
the room leaving the walls open for carvings, paintings and other
artwork. Elder Thing furniture consists mostly of frames for
supporting their bodies.
Elder Things are, by human
standards, amoral. They have no qualms about killing inconvenient or
bothersome organisms, and have been known to vivisect creatures they
find interesting.
Technology: Elder Things
were crossing the universe more than a billion years ago, and their
technology at the height of their civilization would be considered
almost god-like. They stressed the biological sciences over the
mechanical, however, breeding organisms to perform operations for
which humans would use machines. The
shoggoth were one of the slave races created by the Elder
Things, and there is strong evidence that all life on Earth owes its
origins to them.
The Elder Things Today:
Elder Thing civilization disappeared several million years ago for
unknown reasons. Most of their cities have been worn away by the
elements, but one vast metropolitan ruin still exists in the
Antarctic. This city is known to a few governments and universities,
but exploration of the ruins was long ago discontinued because of
the dangers hidden there. Most of the world is unaware of its
existence and there are a number of organizations who would like to
keep it this way. It is known that at least a handful of Elder
Things survived to the present day, and there may yet be many more
in undiscovered locations.
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