295: Call of Cthulhu Deities: Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Release Date: 09/09/2024
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re and we’re putting on our ponchos. They look a bit silly, but that works for us here. The important thing is that they’ll keep some of the gore off our clothes. Comedy horror can be a messy business, especially once you bring gardening equipment into play. We’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, so we’ll probably just scream. Main Topic: Comedy Horror This episode sees us delve into the bloody world of comedy horror, trying to pin down what makes the two genres work so well together, looking at some examples from media, and trying to work out how to perform...
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We’re back and we’re learning about protein spills. What sounded like an innocent sexual innuendo has turned out to be more scatological than any of us would have liked. The unpleasant realities of theme parks are well hidden behind twee language and cute costumes. Happily, once we strip them away, we can find some good horror inspiration. Although we do wish it all smelled a bit better. Main Topic: Theme Parks and Horror This episode, we visit the topic of theme parks, amusement parks, funfairs and the like, looking for Call of Cthulhu inspiration. As with so many things rooted...
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We’re back and we’re hiding behind the sofa. Sure, the monsters, masked killers, and mutants can probably find us back here, but it still feels safer for some reason. Fear is rarely a rational thing, so why should our response to it be? Main Topic: Horror For the Nervous This episode came about when Scott was playing The Between with Josephine McAdam over on and she mentioned that she rarely watches or reads horror media because she finds it upsetting. Given how many horror projects Josephine has been involved with, this seemed like something worth exploring, so we...
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We’re back and we’re digging up the past. Some of this excavation is purely physical, burrowing into the clay under London in search of the usual skulls and spaceships. The rest, however, is more atavistic in nature, uncovering the strange, alien memories buried within our minds. On reflection, we probably shouldn’t have used pickaxes for both jobs. Main Topic: Quatermass and the Pit This episode is our long-overdue exploration of the strange world of Professor Bernard Quatermass, and especially the 1967 film adaptation of Quatermass and the Pit. While we’ve mentioned Nigel...
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We’re back and we’re blundering. That’s not to say that we don’t have a clue, but we’re not quite sure what to do with the handful we’ve managed to find. We’ve tried pinning them to a board and running strings between them, but the result is more abstract art than anything functional. Maybe we’ll just keep punching NPCs until one of them finally tells us what’s going on. Main Topic: How to be an Investigator This episode is our attempt to sharpen our own skills as investigators, or at least hope that others can learn from our mistakes. Scott and guest host Seth Skorkowsky...
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We’re back and we’re digging deep. While you might expect to find ghosts in these haunted landscapes, mostly we’re unearthing history. Oh, and carcinogens. On balance, ghosts seem like the healthier option. Main Topic: Haunted Landscapes Building on last episode’s discussion of Lovecraftian horror and detective fiction explored in Heather Miller’s , we’re delving into another part of the book, which lays out the idea of haunted landscapes. The landscapes in question are haunted by the past rather than ghosts, with layers of history transforming their geography and meaning. We...
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We’re back and we’re sifting through evidence. Being a good detective requires a keen eye for detail, an analytical mind, and a thorough knowledge of the genre. But that happens when you find yourself in a different genre than you were expecting? Is your uncanny ability to piece together disparate clues really an asset when it leads you to horrifying revelations? Maybe this new dark age thing we’ve heard about isn’t so bad after all. Main Topic: Call of Cthulhu and Detective Fiction This episode delves into the complex relationship between detective fiction and Lovecraftian horror....
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We’re back and we’re summoning. OK, we’re not quite sure why we’re performing these summonings, but here we are. It’s too late to worry about such stuff at this stage. We started off by calling up Iod. While he offered to take us on the journey of a lifetime, the final destination sounded less appealing. Zu-che-quon left us cold, especially with the whole eye thing. Maybe Nyogtha is the best option. Sure, an eternal undeath might drag on a bit, but it seems like the least worst option now. If only we’d thought all this through before starting that chant…
Main Topic: Call of Cthulhu Deities – Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha
This episode is our latest exploration of the deities of the Cthulhu Mythos. We have devoted previous episodes to Dagon, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Hastur, Azathoth, Nodens, Ubbo-Sathla and Mordiggian, Ithaqua, Cthulhu, Daoloth and Eihort, Gla’aki, Y’golonac, Tsathoggua, Atlach-Nacha and Abhoth, Cyäegha and Byatis, Yig and Ghatanothoa, and Shudde M’ell, Yibb-Tstll and Bugg-Shash.
Here, we’re turning to the creations of Henry Kuttner, a member of the original Lovecraft circle. Specifically, we’re covering the gods Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha. As usual, we discuss their origins in fiction, how they’ve been developed in the Call of Cthulhu RPG, and how we might use them in our own games.
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
Iod
- Henry Kuttner
- The Book of Iod edited by Robert M Price
- The Secret Doctrine by Madame Blavatsky
- “The Secret of Kralitz” by Henry Kuttner
- Weird Tales
- Yog-Sothoth
- “The Invaders” by Henry Kuttner
- “The Hounds of Tindalos” by Frank Belknap Long
- Vorvadoss
- Nodens
- “Bells of Horror” by Henry Kuttner
- The Book of Iod
- “The Hunt” by Henry Kuttner
- Brian Lumley’s deities
- La Tres Sainte Trinosophie
- Dictionnaire Infernal
- De Vermis Mysteriis
- Malleus Monstrorum
- Ghatanothoa
- Houdini
- The Cellar by Richard Laymon
- Pulp Cthulhu
Zu-che-quon
- The Amah Mutsun Tribe
- “The Descent into the Abyss” by Lin Carter
- “Dead of Night” by Lin Carter
- Ubbo-Sathla
- Remnants of Lost Empires
- Cthugha
- Cyäegha
- Event Horizon
- Pitch Black (2000)
Nyogtha
- “The Salem Horror” by Henry Kuttner
- Necronomicon
- Leng
- The Trap Door
- Crux ansata
- Ambergris
- Mordiggian
- Tsathoggua
- Yig
- The Two-Headed Serpent
News
Paul at Owlbear and Wizard’s Staff
Paul will be attending Owlbear and Wizard’s Staff in Leamington Spa, on Saturday the 14th of September. This is a one-day RPG convention that goes on for three days.
Matt and Paul at the Innsmouth Literary Festival
Matt and Paul will be attending the Innsmouth Literary Festival in Bedford on the 28th of September. Why not join them for a day of book readings, games, and seminars?