Other Races And The Mythos

Many creatures of the Mythos can't or don't distinguish between the humanoid races. In most cases, cults of the Great Old Ones or the Outer Gods can’t be considered traditional religions; they are typically transactional and related to status, recruiting folk for what they can offer, not who or what they are.

Boggards

Bokrug is often worshiped by boggards, who revere him as a monstrous father figure and protector.

Dwarves

Coastal dwarves sometimes fall in with the cult of Cthulhu out of greed for gifts of wealth and in hopes of leaving a legacy of immortal children. Dwarven arcanists and rulers sometimes worship the Crawling Chaos in hopes of taking their power to new heights. Dwarven societies sometimes contend with the cyclical rise and fall of the Cult of the Sleeper when it does a particularly good job of hiding its sacrifices. The hidden dark places surrounding most underground dwarven settlements make stashing bodies all too easy, and sometimes dwarves take part in covering up the cult’s awful deeds for mercenary reasons that eventually evolve into faith in the Sleeper. Ghatanothoa and other deep-dwelling entities often enslave isolated underground groups of dwarves, forcing them to make offerings to avoid death or worse.

Elves

Elves rarely fall in with the cultists of Great Old Ones and Outer Gods, partly due to their cultural obsession with good and partly due to their disinterest in the materialistic rewards that such cults usually offer. Desperate elves sometimes join the Cult of the Black Goat due to its power to strengthen and foster growth in forests in the face of even extreme destruction. The artistic and elitist aspects of the Cult of the Yellow Sign appeal to some elves who look down on other humanoids. Drow and driders sometimes worship Atlach-Nacha in the hopes of gaining arcane secrets.

Gnomes

Although no Great Old One or Outer God has conventionally widespread influence among gnomes, desperate and isolated groups pick up the worship of a variety of such creatures with disconcerting frequency. The most common cults propitiate the Opener of the Way, seeking power or perhaps some of the vitality they have lost in separation from the fey realms. Gnomes whose obsessions have consumed them to the point of utter callousness are tempted by the artistic aspect of the cult of the Yellow Sign.

Goblinoids

Azathoth sometimes appeals to the despairing underclass of goblin society. The underground cult of the Sleeper sometimes appears in hobgoblin societies as a legitimate religion in which adherents can earn blessings in exchange for sacrifices.

Halflings

Halflings are among the least likely to worship Great Old Ones and Outer Gods. A few are tempted by the wealth offered by some cults, but these are rare individuals. It is not unheard of for halfling farmers to make offerings to the Black Goat, and halflings forced into servitude occasionally turn to Azathoth for release from their despair.

Humans

Even in worlds with many humanoid races, humans singularly attract a particularly wide variety of Mythos entities, perhaps due to their dangerous curiosity or else the range of places they settle. Humans are the most prolific known cultists of the Black Goat and Crawling Chaos. Coastal humans sometimes fall into the cult of Cthulhu alongside deep ones, tempted by offers of wealth and immortal children. Humans are drawn to the cult of the Sleeper, which is at least at first socially acceptable as a faith, for the same reason they worship any deity. The cult of the Windwalker tends to appeal to high mountaineers and arctic dwellers desperate for the strength to stave off starvation or fend off expansionist civilizations from fairer climes. Tcho-Tcho occasionally trade with and infiltrate human settlements due to their shared ancestry and similar appearance.

Kobolds

Yig occasionally rises as an inspiration to the most self-assured and clever of kobolds, who view him as a sort of draconic forefather or peer to dragons.

Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk are sometimes drawn into the schemes of serpentfolk, who can pass as lizardfolk with simple disguises. A few violently isolationist lizardfolk from deeply forested swamps worship Shub-Niggurath in a modified form of the Cult of the Black Goat.

Merfolk

Merfolk generally oppose the deep ones and their dark magic, but a few are sometimes coaxed into joining the cult of Cthulhu or Mother Hydra as an opportunity to marry into a larger, more powerful, and more stable civilization.

Orcs

The underground cult of the Sleeper grants blessings in exchange for sacrifices of war prisoners, a supply of which orcs rarely lack. Orcs of high, cold steppes and tundra may find welcome as followers of the Windwalker, though they are not common. Chaugnar Faugn's similar aptitude for strengthening cultists likewise appeals to some orcs. Underground orc communities are sometimes forced to serve the Sleeper and other deep-dwelling entities hungry for servitors and sacrifices.

Tengu

Tengu in coastal regions are among the most common creatures seduced by the worship of Cthulhu. Occasionally, a tengu too smart for his own good turns to the worship of the Opener of the Way for an edge against rivals.

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