Doomsayer

The Eldritch's secret Names contain the power to end all things. Doomsayers learn fragments of these Names, which they never speak, and write them with special quill and ink onto special paper, which they roll into scrolls and never look upon. But so long as they carry them, they may invoke their power to inflict a doom upon someone. They stitch their mouths shut so they cannot accidentally speak the secret Name fragments, but break the stitches to inflict a doom.

The Eldritch

All thing must end. All that is will one day cease (or so they say). This dread certainty is complemented by the dread of uncertainty - when, why, how will this ending com to be? From these twin forms of dread comes the Eldritch, figures of vast, ancient, unknowable evil, and their True Names contain within them the answer to how and why things end. Not the ending that death brings, which is natural, not the ending to a story or even merely a world, but the ending of all that is, was, or ever shall be, and - most importantly - the violence and fear brought on by even the possibility of that. In other words, the Eldritch are embodiments of the acceptance of the cessation of all things and the use of it to control and warp people, to encourage terror and pain. They are the sense of impending doom and the panic that comes with it. And the lies that are often wrapped around it.

Names of the Eldritch

Fragments of the True Names of the Eldritch exist within every doom, every catastrophe, every apocalyptic lie. To find such a Name, one must be at the heart of cataclysm and be attuned to them, to sense them, and to know how to understand them. These fragments, once found, can be recorded in various ways and shared, and most fragments that exist are in the control of powerful institutions that share them carefully with their agents.

Doomsaying

To become a doomsayer, one must obtain one of these Name fragments and have the presence of mind and willpower not to speak them, have the right materials to write them down, and then the training to draw upon them to inflict doom upon a target. Most doomsayers are called "redeemers" and work for the Church of the Redemption (see below), and thus get the materials, training, and Name from them, but some become doomsayers independently or in cults or other groups. To inflict a doom upon someone, the doomsayer must be carrying the scroll upon which the Name fragment is written, and they must be able to hold the fragment in their mind while speaking, but without speaking the word.

Dooms

A doom is a fate; though technically the word can refer to any fate, in this context, it is always a negative one, a distinct ending - though not necessarily death. It can be the end of a relationship, job, living situation, or the end of something more abstract, such as the end of understanding a language, having a skill, etc. It will always be something the target does not want. Larger dooms may be more destructive - the end of a city or civilization, for example.

To inflict a doom, the doomsayer must hold the Name fragment in their mind. The amount of its power they allow through depends on what they try to wield and how well they hold it back - the more they fail, the more power will be unleashed, and the more their minds will be damaged. If they use too much power, the doom they inflict may be worse than they intend; if they use too little, they may fail to inflict the doom.

Most Name fragments are weak - max power to wield is 16 (which is extremely dangerous) - because the Church or other groups control them and do not give out the more powerful ones. Only the most powerful, trusted doomsayers gain access to the most powerful fragments.

When they present themselves as redeemers, they claim the dooms they inflict bring redemption from sin.

Doomsday

If a doomsayer were to speak the complete Name of one of the Eldritch, the world - and possibly more - would end.

Madness

Every speaking of doom inflicts damage to the mind of the doomsayer. As they wield their power, they begin to lose touch with reality. Minor damage may heal over time, but anything over a 10 in power will cause permanent damage. The damage adds up and becomes a certainty, eventually, that the Eldritch must be awakened and loosed upon reality once more, culminating in the doomsayer losing their ability to resist speaking the Name fragment. Once they do this, they will be a mindless thrall of the Eldritch whose Name fragment they spoke.

Inventory

Doomsayers require special inks, quills, and paper for their work.

Inks, Quills, and Paper

To safely write a fragment of an Eldritch Name, a doomsayer needs vellum or paper made from skin or plants with any amount of infernal essence or resonance. Quills must have been plucked from live birds. Ink must be squid ink.

Stitching

To stitch their mouths shut, doomsayers must use thread that has been dyed with blood.

Variations

There are five main variations of the doomsayer:

Doomsayer

A doomsayer is a generic term for anyone who wields these powers independent of any organization.

Hacaulhu

A specific term for those who know of and openly admit to serving the Eldritch. These are usually members of cults who serve the Eldritch or individuals who have discovered them and seek to use them for power. They often wear masks to hide their sealed mouths and refer to themselves as "messengers" of the Eldritch.

Redeemer

The redeemers are the agents of the Church of the Redemption, a major, worldwide religion that promotes eschatology as a form of salvation and redemption for the collective sins of mortality, which will be forgiven by their god Zammacath. The redeemers take a vow of silence, hence stitching their mouths shut, to show their devotion, and only open them to "punish sinners". They are feared and respected the world over as paragons of their faith.

Eschatologer

An eschatologer is a scholar or scientist who studies the eschaton and the concept of metaphysical redemption, but through a lens of believing the Eldritch or Zammacath or both are the source of redemption. Their studies are critical to finding and revealing new Name fragments.

R'shaboth

Those undersea servants of the Eldritch who openly serve in regions near sleeping Eldritch, where reality is weaker.

Other Variations

Some obscure variants exist independetly:

• Hurhough: carnival workers who discover doomsaying (or redeemers or other doomsayers who leave their organizations) who use their powers to entertain or cajole crowd members, disguised as barkers or psychics.
• Ichaaut: a botanicist who works with Eldritch plants. Many serve in the Church, undersea, in cults, etc., but many are simply independent.
• Laokrhtos: a writer of fiction who uses fragments of fragments to interweave into their work to subtly promote the power of the Eldritch. Usually, they are slightly mad to begin with.
• Meliqurl: a street performer who uses music and dance to entertain, to lure people in to inflict dooms upon them.
• Nyghla: a crone who is attuned to the cycle of eschaton and ending, one who has a Name fragment and has connected to the power of the Eldritch.

Among those who directly serve the Eldritch or the Church, there are some specific roles.

The Church

• Gnothacthauchtha: an archivist of the church.
• Illathosphu: in the church, some redeemers write special sacred poetry using fragments of fragments to craft words that create feelings of intense dread in those who hear it.
• Sthaua-zsh: a pilgrim who serves the church and leads pilgrimages to places of power of the Eldritch or Zammacath, whom they present as sacred sites.

Cultists and Servitors

• Krnuthugny: a jester who serves a hacaulhu as a silent counterpoint, one who performs acrobatic stunts and silliness in an eerie manner.
• Phug'Ranack: a prophet who speaks dooms during religious ecstasy.
• Tigothorat: a sailor, driver, or other worker on an undersea vessel powered by Eldritch energy.
• Urhatawlg: a skald who sings the praises of the the Eldritch and leaders of the cults.
• Zsotlhath: one who uses the power of their Name fragment to open infernal gates to Eldritch realms.

Similar Occupations

Other users of Eldrith energy:

• Illokenep: a llothakekr who rides winged Eldritch beasts.
• I'nyallehughu: a space sailor on an Eldritch-powered vessel.
• Llothakekr: warriors bound to the Eldritch. They wield special lances that inflict a doom upon those they do not kill.
• Mitho: a pirate, often undersea, who serves the Eldritch.
• N'nyaug: a squid zoanthrope has gained their power via a fragment of an Eldritch Name.
• Phamai: a dancer who uses their art to draw upon the power of the Eldritch, as they are entirely enthralled to them.
• Rayrider:
• Sa-knar: a druid of the deep waters imbued with Eldritch energy, one warped by their power.
• Shualag: a ranger of deep waters imbued with Eldritch energy, one warped by their power.
• Tharndhauk: an assassin who serves the Eldritch.

Societal Role

Redeemers are respected, feared members of a major religion that is present in most feudal and capitalist countries. Doomsayers and servants of the Eldritch are more common among autocratic societies. Both are forbidden in matriarchal and socialist countries.

Skills

Some common skills include

• Writing
• Research
• Eschatology
• Scripture
• History

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species:

PRO +1
ATH -2
STR -3
AWA +1
WIL +4
PRS +1
STH +1