Spooktober 2024 - Legends: Gorgalthon, The Elder Maw

Gorgalthon, known as the Elder Maw, is a legend passed down through generations—a tale forbidden by the Church, yet often used by parents and mentors to frighten children into obedience.   The legend tells of a primordial entity, one of the oldest beings twisted by the Shroud. Gorgalthon is not merely a physical being but an abomination from beyond the veil of known reality. Its form is a grotesque, incomprehensible amalgamation of sinew, bone, and shadowy essence. Those who have laid eyes upon Gorgalthon describe wildly different visions of its shape. Some see a hulking, clawed beast with tendrils stretching into the abyss, while others claim it appears as a swirling mass of chaos, a void given form. It is said to predate the fall of Grimvæl’s ancient civilizations.   Its body is constantly shifting, a barely-contained entity from a realm beyond time and space. The very air around Gorgalthon bends and distorts, as if reality itself frays in its presence. At the core of this being lies a vast, gaping maw—seemingly endless, with jagged teeth spiraling into an abyss of darkness. This maw is said to consume not just flesh, but entire dimensions, erasing anything and everything that falls into its depths.   Gorgalthon's presence brings more than just physical destruction—it is said to unravel the minds of those who gaze upon it for too long. It exists partially in this world, but its true form lies beyond, in the unknowable chaos from which it was birthed.   Legends claim that no mortal mind can fully comprehend the origins of Gorgalthon. Ancient texts and forgotten cults whisper that Gorgalthon predates the world itself, drifting through the endless void. When the Shroud descended upon Grimvæl, it did not create Gorgalthon; it merely allowed the creature to cross into our reality, snatching away any unfortunate enough to encounter it.   Some renegade scholars of the Church theorize that Gorgalthon is but a fragment of a far larger cosmic entity—a being whose presence defies the very laws of reality. They speculate it may have once been a servant or lesser god from a realm beyond mortal comprehension, cast out or summoned into our world by ancient, long-forgotten civilizations through arcane rituals.   Though there have been no recent sightings of Gorgalthon to confirm its existence, cults devoted to the Elder Maw still persist. These fanatics worship the creature, spreading bloodshed and sacrifices in its name. Aggressive toward those who do not share their twisted beliefs, these cults have come into conflict with the Church of the Three, Hunters, local lords, governors, and vagrants alike.   Among the relics recovered from such a cult is a single drawing, believed to depict Gorgalthon.