support is the formation of Cthugha However, when as the one in charge of continued development of the cultists are added to the equation, greater collectives species Deep ones sworn to Mother Hydra may be can be realized The goal of these cults is to form such mutated or keep deep-sea monsters as pets a stage beyond that of Cthugha: a supernova that can destroy entire worlds There are stages even beyond this, which can potentially cause a massive explosion so powerful it can birth entire universes Some sages believe this is how our own reality came to be, at the dawn of creation Mortal worshippers of Cthugha are sophisticated and, in their own odd way, high-minded and forwardlooking They believe it inevitable that the natural and supernatural forces of death, darkness, and cold will someday overtake all existence In replicating the unimaginably powerful event that they believe birthed the universe by forming a mega-Cthugha, they hope to reset this course and lengthen the life of the universe Gathering enough souls dedicated to such a cause may require populations larger than a single world, perhaps requiring an entire star system of worshippers bonding with fire vampires in a great collective ritual Then and only then, the cult of Cthugha can bring about the death of this universe and the birth of a new one Father Dagon and Mother Hydra All deep ones honor and follow Father Dagon, and they form cults such as the Esoteric Order of Dagon to force their human followers and hybrid spawn to worship him This worship strengthens him and empowers his supernatural abilities A major purpose of the cult is to carry out the military, political, and religious functions of deep one society Less well known to non-deep ones (even among their land-dwelling allies and hybrid children) is their servitude to Mother Hydra As with Father Dagon, the deep ones not truly worship her but pay her homage 190 Ghatanothoa Cultists of Ghatanothoa primarily work to appease their dread deity so that it does not issue forth from its fiery lair and destroy those who live in the volcano’s vicinity Ghatanothoa prefers live sentient creatures for sacrifices for this purpose Unlike most Mythos cults, this one serves a useful purpose and its priests see worship as a civic duty The cult estimates the number of sacrifices required each year to stay the god’s wrath, works with political and military leaders to ensure a sufficient number are obtained, and carries out the necessary rituals For example, the local general captures as many war prisoners as possible by raiding, and then the priests hold lotteries among their own people to determine who will be sacrificed to make up the remainder One might think it madness that people dare to reside so near to Ghatanothoa’s volcano, but the constant mixture of lava and ash makes the soil of the surrounding countryside fertile and lush The cult can also beseech Ghatanothoa to project gnarled roots or otherwise shift the nearby land, such as to neutralize an invading army Also, those aware of the curse of Ghatanothoa’s presence in lands where it is worshipped rarely have an interest in raiding or otherwise directly interfering with the people there The cult has spread at times to other lands, geographically far from Ghatanothoa’s volcano itself These cults are heinous groups, often led by a lich or demi-lich mummified by Ghatanothoa, which use the god to further their own ends In their rituals, they open a magical portal to the distant volcano’s interior that they might reveal Ghatanothoa and deliver sacrifices, in return for which their god extends