Call of Cthulhu D20 - Zothique

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What Is This?
Copyrights
This document is for game masters using the D20 System of
roleplay gaming. It is intended as an aid to those who wish to
create their own game world based on the stories in Clark Ashton
Smith’s Zothique cycle. This guide is not a stand-alone game, and
it is not intended as a license for developing commercial products
based on the Zothique cycle. Should an official Zothique D20
System game product sanctioned by the owners of the Zothique
copyrights become available for general purchase, and if the
contents of that product should match or exceed the utility of
this document, the author will issue no further editions of this
guide.
Copyrights to the literature of Clark Ashton Smith (hereafter referred to as CAS) belong to
CASiana Literary Enterprises (the estate of CAS) in conjunction with Arkham House
Publishers. This document is not officially sanctioned by either organization. Commercial
rights to game development based on the works of CAS are not granted or implied by this
document; neither can the existence of this document be used by the author to claim rights to
game development based on the works of CAS.
Certain words used in this document are the creation of CAS, and the use of such terminology
in commercial products may violate trademark and/or copyright laws. These words are
defined as follows:
1) The names "Zothique", "Gnydron" and "Ghorii"
2) All names defined in the section "Place Names"
3) All deity names listed in the section "Religion"
1
This document's use of the names defined above is for the sole purpose of acknowledging
CAS as the creator of those names. Original conjecture provided by the document's author is
not intended to supercede any official authority recognized by the holders of the Zothique story
copyrights.
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The Last Continent
Clark Ashton Smith, poet, artist and fiction author, was a friend
and contemporary of sci-fi & horror author H.P. Lovecraft. Clark
Ashton Smith (CAS) is best known for his contributions to the
pulp magazine Weird Tales.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicat-
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must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to
or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or
conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
CAS’s Zothique is the last continent to rise from the seas before
mankind’s demise on Earth. In 1931, CAS submitted the following
kernel of an idea for Zothique, which at that time he called
“Gnydron”:
“Gnydron... is more subject to incursions of ‘outsideness’ than
any former terrene realm; and more liable to the visitation of
beings from galaxies not yet visible; also, to shifting admixtures
and interchanges with other dimensions or planes of entity.”
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grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of
this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
— A Tale Of Gnydron,synopsis, CAS 1931
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Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You
have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
Zothique was most likely inspired by CAS’s earlier tale, The
Abominations of Yondo, written in 1929. Here the mood is set for
many tales to follow:
“It was then that I heard a diabolic chuckle on the hillside above
me. The sound began with a sharp abruptness that startled me
beyond all reason, and continued endlessly, never varying its
single note, like the mirth of an idiotic demon. I turned, and saw
the mouth of a dark cave fanged with green stalactites, which I
had not perceived before. The sound appeared to come from
within this cave.”
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Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights,
title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
— The Abominations of Yondo,CAS 1929
As Zothique developed through Clark Ashton Smith’s pen, it
became a realm of sociopathic sorcerers, decadent tyrants, grue-
some cannibals, maniacal half-demons, ill-fated dreamers, arcane
aliens, and the animated dead.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions
of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
2
“On Zothique, the last continent on Earth, the sun no longer
shone with the whiteness of its prime, but was dim and tar-
nished as if with a vapor of blood. New stars without number
had declared themselves in the heavens, and the shadows of the
infinite had fallen closer. And out of the shadows, the older gods
had returned to man: the gods forgotten since Hyperborea, since
Mu and Poseidonis, bearing other names but the same attrib-
utes. And the elder demons had also returned, battening on the
fumes of evil sacrifice, and fostering again the primordial sor-
ceries.
The typical city is ruled by a hereditary monarch, but cities are
occasionally seized by tyrannical wizards—or even by divine
avatars of the outer planes.
Some engineering concepts from forgotten eras persist, but a rari-
ty of materials and equipment makes erection of high towers cost-
ly and laborious events. Yet, tyrannical monarchs love to build
monuments reflecting their own greatness, and lofty spires still
rise above Zothique.
=75pkl=75pkl=
Place Names
(see map on last page)
Aramoam
- capital of Ustaim, with marbled palaces and palm trees.
“Many were the necromancers and magicians of Zothique, and
the infamy and marvel of their doings were legended every-
where in the latter days.”
— The Dark Eidolon, CAS 1935
Avandas
- capital of Dooza Thom, with sturdy mansions.
Geography
Black River
- westward ocean current.
Calyz
- a fallen empire in the east.
Zothique is an unlinked continent, with low hills & mountains,
and no major inland bodies of water. It is surrounded by numer-
ous islands and archipelagos of various size which are, in total,
more populated than the greater continent of Zothique, which is
mostly dry desert. Cyntrom, Naat & Sotar are the largest nearby
islands.
Celotia
- desert in the west. Referred to as “the Celotian waste”.
Chaon Gacca
- abandoned capital of Tasuun.
Cincor
- ancient and defunct empire of the west. Now a wasteland.
Cith
- a village in the west.
Sometime in forgotten history, a section of the Earth has been
completely removed, drawing into the void a rapid ocean current
known as “the Black River” that flows westward, impossible to
resist except by magical means.
“And the red suns and ashen moons went westward over Xylac,
falling into that seldom-voyaged sea, which, if the mariners’
tales were true, poured evermore like a swiftening river past the
infamous isle of Naat, and fell in a worldwide cataract upon
nether space from the far, sheer edge of Earth.”
Cyntrom
- a large island south of Zothique. Part of the empire of
Yoros.
Dhir
- a pale, salty desert between Ustaim and Yoros. A former
inland sea?
Dloth
- a devil-infested desert between Dooza Thom and Tasuun.
Dooza Thom
- a northern kingdom.
Faraad
- capital of Yoros. On the broad River Voum.
— The Dark Eidolon, CAS 1935
Ilcar
- a northwest empire.
Generally speaking, the closer one gets to this chasm, the more
profoundly alien the environment.
“The sand of the desert of Yondo is not as the sand of other
deserts; for Yondo lies nearest of all to the world’s rim; and
strange winds, blowing from a pit no astronomer may hope to
fathom, have sown its ruinous fields with the gray dust of cor-
roding planets, the black ashes of extinguished suns. The dark,
orblike mountains which rise from its wrinkled and pitted plain
are not all its own, for some are fallen asteroids half-buried in
that abysmal sand. Things have crept in from nether space,
whose incursion is forbid by the gods of all proper and well-
ordered lands; but there are no such gods in Yondo, where live
the hoary genii of stars abolished and decrepit demons left
homeless by the destruction of antiquated hells.”
Ilozian Sea
- southeastern sea.
Indaskian Sea
- southern sea.
Iribos
- an island near the Black River.
Istanam
- an area of numerous cities, south of Tasuun, northwest
of (and perhaps part of) Yoros.
Izdrel
- a wilderness area west of Yoros.
Loithé
- capital of the island of Sotar.
Miraab
- capital of Tasuun.
Mirouane
- a port city on the west coast of Zothique.
Mykrasian Mountains
- bucolic mountain range near Cincor.
— The Abominations of Yondo,CAS 1929
Nooth-Kemmor
- a barren land north of Dooza Thom.
Cities of Zothique
At some time in future history, each city of Zothique will meet its
demise, usually in the form of an apocalyptic disaster. You may
wish to set your game cities before, during or after these disasters.
A loose chronology of historical events can be gleaned from the
Zothique cycle, but in my opinion such labor is unnecessary. This
is, after all, your Zothique. The practical concerns of your cam-
paign should determine which cities thrive and which have col-
lapsed. Defunct coastal towns will be more likely to have some
human remnant—lepers, lunatics or other pariahs—than towns in
the desert. Desert ghost towns will probably be haunted by
ghouls, animate dead, or weird demonspawn.
Orient Sea
- eastern ocean.
Ornava
- a far eastern island ruled by giant birds.
Oroth
- a port of Xylac.
Psiom
- one of the twin cities of the delta.
Puthuum
- site of an ancient abbey of priests exiled from Ilcar.
River Vos
- a river flowing through Izdrel.
River Voum
- a broad river flowing through Yoros.
Sha-Karag
- city between Yoros and Ustaim.
3
Shathair
- (former) capital of Calyz on the eastern shore.
Optional Dualism Chart
Shrunken Seas
- the northwest ocean area, near Ilcar.
Siloar
- town of northern Yoros, perhaps in the region of Istanum.
Good
Silphon
- another town of northern Yoros, perhaps in the region
of Istanum.
Lawful Good
Vergama
Chaotic Good
Sotar
- southeastern island, famous for sorcery & arrack (liquor).
Tasuun
- a central desert kingdom.
Tinarath
- a country between Dooza Thom and Xylac.
Lawful
Neutral
Chaotic
Tosk
- southeastern island of apelike inhabitants.
Thasaidon
Uccastrog
- southeastern island of evil torturers and sorcerers.
Ullotroi
- southwestern country.
Umbri
- one of the twin cities of the delta.
Lawful Evil
Chaotic Evil
Ummaos
- towered capital of Xylac.
Ustaim
- northeast kingdom.
Evil
Vo s
- a river flowing through Izdrel.
Voum
- a broad river flowing through Yoros.
The following gods are listed in order of popularity. Domains and
favored weapons are matters of conjecture.
Xylac
- a western empire.
Yethlyreom
- seat of the former empire of Cincor.
THASAIDON -
Lawful Evil (Chaotic & Neutral Evil Avatars)
Domains: Evil, Law, Fire, Death, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Mace
Ymorth
- mountains between Tasuun and Yoros.
Yondo
- a haunted wasteland on the rim of the Earth.
Dark archfiend, “prince of all turpitudes.”
Worshiped from the central deserts (Tasuun)
to the southern islands (Sotar). Thasaidon is
generous with his power, because he knows
that power corrupts. Thasaidon is known and
feared throughout Zothique, even where he is
not worshiped. The vampires and lamiae pay
him homage, and wizened liches drawn upon
his power for continued earthly presence
beyond the grave. Typical clerics will be power-hungry bureau-
crats. The game master may elect to have some high-level arcane
spells available only by the grace of Thasaidon.
“Before him, on an altar of jet, was the dark, gigantic statue of
Thasaidon which a devil-begotten sculptor had wrought in
ancient days for an evil king of Tasuun, called Pharnoc. The
archdemon was depicted in the guise of a full-armored warrior,
lifting a spiky mace as if in heroic battle... And often, through
the mouth of the statue, Thasaidon would utter oracles to
Namirrha, or would answer interrogations.
Yoros
- southern empire.
Yumatot
- a seven-isle chain populated by cannibals.
Zhel
- a fertile lowland at the foot of the Mykrasian Mountains.
Zul-Bha-Sair
- city in the desert south of Xylac.
Zyra
- a half-desert plain of lakes and grasslands.
Religion
trS]7[sRt
The two main deities are Vergama (chaotic good) and Thasaidon
(lawful evil). You may prefer a simple dualism that allows clerics of
similar alignments to worship different avatars of these two gods.
This is a simple way to cover all the domains within the good and
evil alignments. For instance, a certain sect may worship Vergama
as a female, neutral good deity whose primary domain, after
Good, is Protection. For members of this sect, Vergama will act
and appear according to their expectations.
“Before the black-armored image there hung seven silver
lamps... Wild and lurid was their light, and the face of the
demon, peering from under his crested helmet, was filled with
malign, equivocal shadows that shifted and changed eternally.”
Chaotic, lawful, and plain neutral deities would be minor in the
dualistic system. These neutral gods would be Basatan, Geol,
Mordiggian, Ong, and Yululun.
— The Dark Eidolon,CAS 1935
An alternative to the dualistic system would be to create new
deities whenever none of CAS’s fit the needs of your campaign.
Or you could create both new avatars of major gods and original
minor ones! Do what you need to make it balanced.
VERGAMA -
Chaotic Good (Lawful & Neutral Good Avatars)
Domains: Good, Chaos, Air, Healing, Luck
Favored Weapons: Staff, Spear, Polearms
As in the days of antiquity, the worship of specific deities is usual-
ly a matter of regional preference. The deities of Zothique are pro-
fuse, but most are generally too cruel, too indifferent or too alien
to have a paternal (or maternal) relationship with mortals. Some
deities originate from within the Earth, having slept for countless
millennia during the rise of mankind; some are immigrants from
across vast distances, from other dimensions or times; and others
are hybrid godlings of both alien and native origin.
Vergama is the most abstract and
distant of the gods, and he (or
she) is described in a variety of
ways by those that worship him.
Clerics will usually be independ-
ent prophets.
4
“...he gave thanks to Vergama who, throughout the whole conti-
nent of Zothique, was deemed the most powerful and mysteri-
ous of the genii, and was thought to rule over the heavens as
well as the earth.”
ALILA -
Neutral Evil
Domains: Evil, Magic, Trickery
Favored Weapons: Dagger, Crossbow, Poison
“Queen of perdition and goddess of all iniquities”.
Worshiped in central Zothique. Priestesses will be
sorceresses, who, by conducting in advance an
hour of ritual and meditation, can elect to substitute any divine
spell of identical level for any arcane spell they possess. Divine
and arcane spells of Evocation cannot be used. If this variety of
sorcerer proves relatively weak after a few levels of advancement,
bestow the following feat:
— The Last Hieroglyph,CAS 1934
“No idols were wrought in the image of Vergama, no altars were
dedicated to him: yet sometimes he was addressed in prayer by
savage peoples, or was called upon with-dark runic formulae by
the more venturous wizards. Some claimed that the prayers and
the incantations were answered; but this, like all else that con-
cerned Vergama, was a matter of much doubt. Curious and
almost omnipotent powers were ascribed to him, and attributes
of tremendous bale and benignity; but there was no virtual
proof of their manifestation at any time.”
Alila’s Blessing
[Special]
Requirements: must be a priestess (sorceress) of Alila
— In the Book of Vergama,CAS 1934
Benefit: Gain a +2 bonus to Charisma when determining extra
spells per day and DC modifiers for spells. When casting an
Enchantment, treat all level dependent factors of the spell as
though the caster was one level higher.
THAMOGORGOS -
Chaotic Evil
Domains: Evil, Chaos, Death, Destruction, War
Favored Weapons: Bladed Weapons
Special: This feat is lost if the sorceress displeases Alila.
MORDIGGIAN -
Neutral (Lawful and Evil tendencies)
Domains: Death
Favored Weapons: None
Lord of the Abyss. A thunderous archdemon.
The typical cleric of Thamogorgos travels
with brigands or militias. The game master
may elect to have some high-level arcane
spells available only by the grace of
Thamogorgos.
Clerics of Mordiggian are rumored to be ghouls
(NPC only). The deity himself has appeared as a
colossal swirling column of worm-holed and ten-
tacle-coiled shadow, paradoxically dazzling and
devoid of all light. Mordiggian rules Zul-Bha-Sair
and nowhere else.
“‘Mordiggian is the god of Zul-Bha-Sair,’ said the innkeeper
with unctuous solemnity. ‘He has been the god from years that
are lost to man’s memory in shadow deeper than the subter-
ranes of his black temple. There is no other god in Zul-Bha-Sair.
And all who die within the walls of the city are sacred to
Mordiggian. Even the kings and the optimates, at death, are
delivered into the hands of his muffled priests. It is the law and
the custom’”
GODLINGS & DEMONS -
Various Alignments
Not all domains are covered by CAS’s Zothique pantheon. To fill
the void, You could invent your own godlings and demons: sub-
terrene, cosmic or ultradimensional.
When creating demons, the more bizarre and despicable, the bet-
ter. There are a multitude of demons in Zothique, although no
single demon claims a large mass of worshippers. Small cults are
common. More often than not, the relationship between mortal
and demon is temporary, usually ending in tragedy for the mortal.
Avoid known deity names, even if you copy a known deity. All
deities will be known by new names in Zothique. In Zothique,
no knowledge of our present religions exists, though there will
be coincidental similarities. Even the old gods will have new
religions.
— The Charnel God,CAS 1934
YUCKLA -
Chaotic Good (Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Good)
Domains: Chaos, Good, Trickery, Knowledge, Protection, Travel
Favored Weapons: Darts, Arrows
BASATAN -
Chaotic Neutral
Domains: Chaos, Water, Animal, Travel
Favored Weapons: Trident, Scimitar
A small and grotesque deity, Yuckla is the god of
laughter. Mainly known in Yoros and Tasuun.
Many fringe cults of this deity exist, and clerics of
Yuckla are often multiclass characters.
The sea-god. Represented as a kraken.
Worshiped along the coasts. Clerics will be
rare, and always found at sea or in coastal
towns.
GEOL -
Neutral
Domains: Knowledge, Magic, Earth, Protection
Favored Weapons: Short Sword, Longbow
ONG -
Lawful Neutral (Lawful Evil tendency)
Domains: Law, Knowledge, Protection
Favored Weapons: Flail, Spear
A lion-headed deity of Yondo, a horrid desert
perched at the edge of the world. The priests of
Ong are described as “dreadful magicians and
mysteriarchs”, “cruel and cynical inquisitors.” A
cleric of Ong outside of Yondo would be extremely rare. Most res-
idents of Zothique have never heard of Yondo, much less Ong.
YULULUN -
Neutral (Evil tendency)
Domains: Death
Favored Weapons: Axe
Worship of Geol is limited to northeastern Zothique, and even
there it is lax. Geol is
depicted as a dirt-
brown, pot-bellied fig-
ure, lying supine and
staring into the heav-
ens. Clerics are usually
content to collect their
official salaries, and do
little to promote
expansion.
Keeper of the Tombs. Important in the pantheon of
Tasuun. Clerics are part of a very small religious order.
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