The All-Mother
“Iä! Shub-Niggurath! As a foulness shall ye know Them. Their hand is at your throats, yet ye see Them not; and Their habitation is even one with your guarded threshold.”
—H.P. Lovecraft, “The Dunwich Horror”
Basic Information
Shub-Niggurath, often whispered as “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young,” is said by some to be a child of Azathoth and the Darkness. Across the cosmos, beings worship her, their chants ringing out in unnatural rituals and ceremonies, with the words, “Iä! Shub-Niggurath!” even imprinting on their minds. This cosmic entity seems to resonate deeply with sentience and perception, yet her origins are obscure. Delta Green records trace her back to Babylonian magi around the 10th century BCE, who carved desperate calls to "Shuba-Nígùr-Urash," the “Shining Terrible Secret One of Earth.” Earlier Sumerian writings before Gilgamesh mention the ominous “Másh-Ngi,” meaning both “black goat” and “prophetic dream.” Over time, this being was concealed under deities like Ningal, Astarte, Cybele, Freyja, and Coatlicue, with priests of K’n-Yan and Mu also worshipping her. She has been associated with numerous gods and goddesses, often representing fertility, though she transcends any human gender.
Shub-Niggurath’s perverse version of fertility involves strange organic substances, including psychoactive compounds and growth hormones. Some researchers and cultists have recklessly sought her out for access to toxic elixirs or mystic gateways. Once Shub-Niggurath’s spores or excretions infiltrate a human, that person is absorbed into her garden, where they grow or are harvested at her will. Certain cults have even entered the health food industry, and some of her influence has reached the American food supply. Her “Young” may be spread throughout humanity, unaware of their connection.
Domains
Core Domains: (e.g., madness, decay, transformation, chaos)
Associated Concepts: (e.g., time, knowledge, entropy, illusion)
Manifestations
Physically, Shub-Niggurath is said to appear as an immense, boiling, slick mass. Within her body, ghastly forms occasionally coalesce: black tentacles, slime-dripping mouths, writhing legs, and hooved feet, hinting at her “goat” title. When she manifests, she may produce the “Dark Young,” foul offspring that extend her presence into the world.
Abilities and Powers
Aura of Power: Any human present when Shub-Niggurath manifests is automatically at −40% on all rolls (except SAN). A character that fails the SAN roll for encountering Shub-Niggurath cannot act for 1D10+2 turns, instead goggling in abject terror at its monstrous form and its overwhelming, terrifying presence.
Discorporation: A successful attack with a Lethality rating of 70% or higher causes Shub-Niggurath to explode in a disgusting spray of slime and fragments. Each character present who fails a Luck roll loses 1D6/1D20 SAN as the horrific power of Shub Niggurath passes through them and returns to secretive, verdant areas to reform. Such a reconstitution takes months.
Dismissal: Certain hypergeometric principles are known to cause Shub Niggurath to cease manifesting in a summoning, utilizing ancient forces to restrain and re-trap it. That requires access to or knowledge of a ritual that dismisses Shub-Niggurath, a successful activation roll, and the permanent expenditure of 5 POW.
Fundamental Control: Shub-Niggurath can change scale, mass, and molecular order at will, growing, shrinking, changing or transcending any physical limitation without a roll. Most attacks against Shub-Niggurath have no effect (but see DISCORPORATION).
Effluvient Life: Shub-Niggurath can focus, mutate, enhance or otherwise change any life-system at will. It can permanently increase stats and HP, work permanent biological changes, or absorb, consume, or extend life. Such changes range widely in impact and effect, but experiencing gross physical changes costs 1/1D6 SAN, at a minimum. Humanity survives in its present state by avoiding the Old One’s attention.
Mythos Lore
Historical Mentions: (Known references in texts or folklore, rumors from ancient cults, or myths surrounding the deity)
Hidden Knowledge: (Delta Green files, forbidden tomes, or occult sources that provide further insight. Often cryptic, fragmented, or contradictory.)
Summoning and Encounters
Summoning Requirements: (Requirements for invoking or summoning the deity, typically involving eldritch rituals, rare items, or specific astronomical events)
Direct Encounters: (Effects on those who meet or interact with the deity in person, including immediate physical, mental, and environmental reactions)
Residual Effects: (Lingering effects after an encounter, such as nightmares, permanent psychological changes, or strange physical symptoms)