“Then the shadowed outlines began to take shape, and I perceived that the squirming entity bore some remote resemblance to a human form laid flat on its belly…as it looked up to hiss at me I saw that the beady little black eyes were damnably anthropoid…”
Yig, Chosen of (Lesser Servitor Race)
The name given these beings is sarcastic, mocking their pitiful condition. The unfortunate souls known as the Chosen of Yig were once human, but angered the Great Old One in some fashion. Now they are something not altogether human or ophidian. Yig reserves this punishment for normal humans, those without any connection to his worship, or without the tainted blood of the Serpent People in their veins. The exact crimes that warrant such a punishment are unknown, though those who kill many snakes, or harm Yig’s servants and worshippers are sure to face the Snake-God’s wrath. Sometimes, the curse will not be visited on those who have angered Yig, but their children while they are still in the womb.
The transformation is a slow, painful process, and there is no known method of reversing it. It takes 28 days minus the victim’s POW. The Chosen’s skin dries, then peels away, exposing a scale-like flesh underneath; initially, this skin is extremely sensitive, and the Chosen will be in excruciating pain for a few days before the skin toughens and becomes leathery. The teeth fall out, and are replaced with dozens of tiny, needle-pointed fangs. The arms become partially fused to the Chosen’s trunk, and the legs become fused below the knee. The victim can only flop around, or clumsily slither. The Chosen’s eyesight fails, colors and light replaced by a sort of infrared vision. The nose flattens against the face, and is only good for labored breathing. Only with a flick of the tongue can the Chosen detect smells in his environment. The ears atrophy then rot away; no longer able to hear, the Chosen can now instead feel nearby vibrations.
Most often, the Chosen does not survive the transformation process. Either the mutations kill them, or they commit suicide in grief and horror. Those who do survive do so with their sanity shredded. Most Chosen spend the rest of their loathsome days forgotten in insane asylums. A few manage to escape, haunting lonesome parts of town, or dark forests.
Chosen of Yig, Once-Human Mockeries
char – rolls – avg
STR – 3d6 – 10-11
CON – 2d6+6 – 13
SIZ – 3d6 – 10-11
INT – 1d6 – 3-4
POW – 3d6 – 10-11
DEX – 1d6 – 3-4
Mov 5 – HP: 13
Av. Damage Bonus: 0
Attacks:
Bite 40% damage 1d8 + poison*
*POT equals the Chosen’s CON. The poison affects the respiratory system, causing the lungs to collapse.
Armor: 1 point of dull, leathery scales.
Spells: None
Sanity Loss: 0/1d8 to see a Chosen of Yig.
Bruce is a sociology student and co-host of The Crypt Keepers podcast
