I’m Back, Bitches!

And then, something happened. I let go. Lost in oblivion. Dark and silent and complete.
I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.

—Narrator, Fight Club

I’m back. Where’ve I been? Doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t believe me even if I told ya the truth and, honestly, I’m not sure I would. Okay, that’s not fair: I wouldn’t believe me. I wouldn’t trust myself to know what’s real and what I’m twisting to not be “the bad guy” or…I dunno, some kind of fuck up? And even if I stuck to the truth, whose truth am I sticking to? I mean, they say there’s at least two sides to every story but I think it’s more like a kaleidoscope, shifting in real time and changing right before your eyes as an outside hand acts upon it. Everyone who looks through it is going to see things a bit differently.

I will say that I’ve missed Shoggoth Net. It’s kinda like the old Lovecraft Circle but without the racism. People writing in with entries for OctoberNomicon or Shoggoths in September. One year, February was all about vampires. Money wasn’t a thing. People were doing it for…I don’t really know. Just for the sake of writing and being part of the community or something. All I know is we’d put a call out for submissions and, bit-by-bit, we’d fill up an entire month with new community content.

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The OctoberNomicon Is Opening Once Again

October approaches, and something is scratching at the margins of the manuscript.

For more than twenty years, Shoggoth.net’s OctoberNomicon has spent the Halloween season filling the world with things that ought not exist: monsters drawn from folklore and urban legend, forgotten horrors recovered from weird fiction, original creatures dragged screaming from the imaginations of our contributors—and stories documenting what happened when somebody encountered them.

Now we need your help to open it again.

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Osterhase

In the spring of 1532 in the kingdom of Hesse, near the modern town of Dieburg, there was a bright light like the rising of the sun at midnight. Several villagers, men and strong lads, went out to search the area. They found only a scorched area next to an ancient standing stone deep in the forest. Unknown to the others, little Lampert Sebald an unusually brave lad of 9, followed his father into the woods with the others. Later he would swear that he had seen a 6 foot tall off white rabbit hopping out the forest. The next morning the children of the village started finding hundreds of iridescent eggs all over town. These eggs were sweet and delicious when cooked. Three nights later there was another midnight sun. The priest compared it to mana from heaven and declared it an Easter miracle. All was well until one week later when the unfound eggs hatched, at first they looked like a strange blend of rabbit and toad. Cuddly, warm, and fuzzy. Only the children could see them, so when they grew to fist sized and started eating the chickens, cats, and small game. The adults thought of foxes, dismissing children’s notions of killer rabbits. When they grew to cat sized and started attacking in swarms killing the cows, horses, and adults in unseen clouds of disappearing hemispherical chunks of flesh and spurting blood the adults were terrified. Finally, the adults believed the children about their Easter Rabbits. After a couple deaths and many attacks Lambert Sebald led the children in finding and killing the “rabbits”.

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Envenom 

Cost: 6 Magic points, 1 POW, 1D6 Sanity Points

Casting Time: 1 round.

This spell causes the victim’s tongue to temporarily elongate, fork, and drip a thick, sticky black poison. The poison is not strong enough to enter a target’s bloodstream through skin contact. However, when entering the bloodstream is quickly takes effect (all damage delivered on the following round). Typically, the practitioner casts this spell and then licks a bladed weapon, coating it with venom, before making a melee attack. The poison neutralizes quickly, growing weaker over time before becoming inert. After being cast the poison is effective for just six rounds, reducing its potency over time (round 1 and 2 – Severe, 1D10 / Round 3 and 4 – Moderate, 1D6 / Round 5 and 6 – 1D3). As with all poisons the victim is allowed a CON check, with an extreme success reducing the damage by 50%. The effects of the poison are necrotic, causing he flesh around the wound site to painfully swell, before blackening and dying. Only enough venom is produced to coat a single weapon, and due to the physical demands on the caster it can only be cast once per day. After casting the caster’s tongue returns to normal, but they become very hungry and thirsty, as their body struggles to recover from the demands the enchantment placed upon it. 

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Molt

Cost: 10 Magic points, 2 POW, 1D10 Sanity Points

Casting Time: 1 round.

This powerful healing spell takes two full days to perform. On the first day the caster performs the ritual, during which they must devour a quantity of meat equal to 25% of their size. For example, a SIZ 12 caster would have to eat a 4 SIZ worth of protein, or roughly 1/4th of their body weight. The meat must come from a single animal that was alive less than 24 hours before casting. The caster then falls into a torpor, sleeping deeply for about 24 hours. During this time their skin darkens, becomes leathery, and swells a bit, until they become encased inside of a leathery sack of their own hide. During this time all damage done to their bodies is restored, including magical damage resistant to natural healing, and the regeneration of lost body parts (restored eyes, regrown severed limbs, etc.). Any scars or tattoos the caster had before this spell was cast are now absent, along with any hair dyes or painted nails. While this is happening the caster is completely helpless, unable to move while their bodies regenerate. This ritual is typically one of last resort, performed when a cultist is horribly wounded or permanently disfigured. The spell is so taxing on their physical bodies it can only be performed once per six months. 

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Fertility

Cost: 12 Magic points, 1D8 Sanity Points

Casting Time: 6 hours.

This spell magically enhances the fertility of a man or woman, allowing them to conceive a child. This spell curse infertility due to age, illness, or injury in both genders, producing a child arriving full term from a smooth delivery to the mother. However, the child will be sickly and dies with 1D4 days, unless the second half of the ritual is performed. The placenta, or afterbirth, of this pregnancy must be planted of the earth, in a spot that receives both natural light and rain. If performed the child’s health improves with no lasting effects. However, as the child grows a strange tree begins to grow from the placenta, a sprout, growing into a sapling, becoming a warped and grotesque tree by the time the child reaches puberty. At this time their “twin” becomes a Dark Young of Shub-Nigguruath, forever bound to the child they once tethered to their mother and nourished with its own blood. These creatures follow their twin about, protecting them, punishing those who harm their human sibling. The now grown child somehow knows that this strange tree-like creature means them no harm and only wishes to protect them. Lastly, these children also feel a strong connection to the earth, nature, and Shub-Nigguruath, often becoming worshippers of the Outer Goddess who reaches out the them via dreams.

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Spells of the Cult of Shub-Niggurauth 

The worshipers of the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young have been gifted with arcane knowledge from the Outer Goddess.  Many of these spells embrace the cycle of life, death, and procreation.  Here is a selection of spells specific to the worshipers of the Outer Goddess Shub-Niggurauth

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Spells of the Yig Cult (Part One)

Human worshipers of the Great Old One Yig, Serpent Men sorcerers, and their multiple mix-blood offspring, have developed spells and reflective of their god. These arcane arts are never taught to outsiders, and should an infidel learn of them they’ll be relentlessly pursued by the faithful until they are forever silenced. Here are three spells sacred to the Cultists of Yig:

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WHISPER STREET

Whisper Street is the secret name for the network of information that flows from person to person in an urban setting. Who are the people who make up Whisper Street? They are the invisible and nameless men and women who deliver your mail, shine your shoes, pour your coffee, sweep your streets, collect your garbage, and so much more. When someone says, “Word on the street is…” they’re talking about Whisper Street. 

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Assassin Masks

Legends tell of a royal court, where a mysterious usurper had seized control of the kingdom.  To celebrate the usurper’s ascendency a grand carnival and masquerade ball was held. A group of seven assassins smuggled poisoned weapons into the masquerade ball. To better their chances of escape the assassins did not know exactly who the other assassins were. They would only know one another by the masks they wore, which followed a theme – the seven deadly sins (Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. 

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