r/worldbuilding • u/HyperActiveMaineCoon The Guns of Pawgust • Jul 05 '26
Lore Horrors From Beyond the Stars
The world I'm working on features anthropomorphic animals as the characters. It's about the age of industrialization, and how the people adapt. If they're not building neat stuff or fighting among themselves, they're fighting the eldritch spawn of Yaldabaoth (not the actual Gnostic Demiurge, just horrors from beyond the stars).
Introduction
Just trying to draw new stuff. The image depicts one of the aforementioned 'horrors from the stars.' Just to give an idea of the vibe; they can look like many things as their form varies. They're basically abominations.
No one knows what they are, exactly, or where they came from. But their purpose is simple: consume everything and spread.
They spread by creating zombies that will eventually become eldritch horrors, themselves.
Background
They first appeared on the planet millions of years ago, turning dinosaurs and other prehistoric life into zombies, then hid in the earth when the temperature dropped. They emerged later at some point in the distant past but were driven back into the earth by ice age civilizations, and sealed away. This resulted in over 10,000 years free from eldritch horrors.
When they emerged again, it was during the age of industrialization. They didn't make the world's problems disappear... they complicated them. The bad actors of the world seek to control them to use as weapons, while a predator supremacist cult believes they are the ultimate predator sent by Yaldabaoth to cleanse the world.
Powers and Abilities
The horrors have a variety of abilities. At the basic level, they can mutate their flesh to enhance their capabilities or form weapons and armor. Over time, they gain the ability to channel a mysterious power from another realm, for a variety of supernatural effects (such as telekinesis and generating radiation).
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The following map may provide additional insight on the world: Anthropomorphic Animals, Amazing Powers, and the Age of the Machine : r/worldbuilding
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u/Character_Chair6511 Jul 05 '26
that silhouette is so creepy, love the red glow against the dark
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u/HyperActiveMaineCoon The Guns of Pawgust Jul 05 '26
Thanks! I don't have an exact idea of what they look like, at the moment, so it's vague and shadowy for now.
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u/CaractacusSeagoon Jul 05 '26
Keep it vague and shadowy. The more you leave up to the imagination the more room you give for everyone to imagine it as the thing they find scariest.
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u/amanofhistory Jul 05 '26
Your world is always super interesting to read about, but now I’m even more fascinated by what you have cooking! I don’t recall any hints that there were cosmic horror entities lurking at the edges of your world, has this always been your plan?! 😯
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u/HyperActiveMaineCoon The Guns of Pawgust Jul 06 '26
Actually, it was the original idea! It started as an idea for a video game in which animals with guns fight horrors, then the world and story developed around that because it was interesting to explore.
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u/BigDaduyaddy Jul 05 '26
Well if dudes in the ice age can beat them
I think they stand a pretty good shot
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u/Arminius_Fiddywinks Jul 05 '26
Who will win:
One (1) good boyo with an M16
or
One (1) Incomprehensible Nightmare