Dark Origins: The Great Old Ones
- Giovanni Crisan
- Mar 23
- 11 min read
Updated: Mar 25
by Giovanni V. Crisan
Phase II x Deimos Infinitum
Published March 24, 2026
Mention H. P. Lovecraft to any RPG player, and immediately a majority of people will have tentacles, fish men, and cultists come to mind. But Lovecraft’s body of work did more than just make cosmic horror a worldwide phenomenon: it created an entire mythos of supernatural beings that encapsulated horror in a way that had been forgotten by modern audiences.
“The Great Old Ones” is a term that encompasses several primordial, godlike entities from the Cthulhu Mythos - ancient alien intelligences that existed before humanity and who treat our world as one more incidental stop - a simple blip - in a much larger cosmic history. They are a category of beings, rather than a lone species of creatures: they have incredible power, wildly varied physical forms, and overlapping cults and lineages that form wherever they are recognized as existing. And they are all tied together by their ancient existence (untraceable to a specific origin), their inhuman perspective, and their tendency to warp the worlds they touch with creeping dread.
Check out Horror at Yishusu Landing, a complete campaign with Lovecraftian horror themes!
In most Cthulhu Mythos games and media, they can be divided into three main categories to distinguish them:
Great Old Ones - “Local” godlike creatures now bound to specific worlds or regions; they are immensely powerful but not omnipotent, often sleeping or imprisoned on or near Earth or some other inhabited world.
Outer Gods - Cosmic, near-abstract forces that exist across the realms of space and time; the can be best described as being to the Great Old Ones roughly what the Great Old Ones are to humans.
Elder Gods - Later additions, usually framed as opposing or balancing the others; they are generally considered more benevolent or less hostile to humanity, depending on the author or game line.
Defining The Great Old Ones
The Great Old Ones are usually massive, unique alien entities (such as Cthulhu or Dagon) associated with specific locations like sunken cities, star‑fallen temples, or lost continents. They have bodies, lairs, cults, and known histories, and they can sleep, be bound, or be partially awakened by humans or humanoids. Thus, in stories and games, they’re the ones humans most often interact with, worship, accidentally awaken, or resist.
Power‑wise, the Great Old Ones are unmatched on the worlds where they reside - but they are not cosmically encompassing, although they can be “fed” and as a result, become greater than they were meant to be.
Think of them as ancient planetary or regional gods or overlords: horrifying, but still somewhat character-like - until they reach a higher state.
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Origins and Cosmic History
The Great Old Ones don’t have a clearly defined history, mainly because they pre-date most of the known universe. They are believed to have been created by dark forces, like the “Outer Gods”. They can’t be traced to any existing world, nor are they tied to any world or planet for too long; instead, they drift or migrate through the void, “seeding” themselves across stars, planets, and dimensions. Wherever they arrive, they leave a mark: whether they change the ecology of the planet, build a massive following of hive-minded cultists, or leave temples, scriptures, or statues that their presence inspired in the inhabitants of that world..
But the key word in their ecology here is “seeding”, where they often plant themselves in a world or region and go into a deep slumber, gaining power through various means. They often leave behind clues of their existence, and humans who find and decipher these clues form cults that aim to strengthen the Great Old One… and prepare for its arrival.
Most stories that cover a snapshot of a Great Old One’s existence state or hint that they arrived when the planet was still young, long before mortal life or when mortal life was in its earliest microbial forms. Some crashed with falling stars or rode in on comets, while others unfolded themselves from higher dimensions into the planet’s oceans, polar wastes, or its deep mantle. Sometimes these histories include descriptions of competing elder species who fought them sporadically: sometimes driving them back, and sometimes entering uneasy truces where both sides agreed to sleep rather than risk mutual extinction - but the Great Old One always returns to a static state in solitude.
Over geologic ages, the Great Old One is overcome by the planet’s changing ecology, sometimes buried under an ocean, sometimes under rock or magma, and sometimes being torn through the planet’s less obvious aspects, allowing it to exist in multiple facets of reality like a dream-world, astral world, or alternate dimension. Sometimes the being is trapped by a rival entity, and very often they become dormant because of reasons humans cannot understand. Most myths agree, though: they are not dead, only sleeping, waiting for the “correct” configuration of stars, minds, and rituals to stir them. But they can be killed.
“That is not dead which can eternal lie
Yet with strange aeons, even death may die”
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Biology and “Ecology”
Calling what the Great Old Ones have a “biology” is almost incorrect by mortal standards. Each is like a unique, bizarre physics experiment… some are material, appearing as vast, tentacular or amorphous masses that can be dissected and are made up of tissues that are not like any local life: metallic cells, self‑shaping crystal, living gas, or liquid stone; others are more baffling for most intelligent beings: partially conceptual and existing as patterns in radiation, gravity, or thought, only forming into bodies when conditions suit them. Many exist simultaneously on multiple scales, like a mountain‑sized mass in the sea, a whisper in dreams, and a tiny, intricate knot of black geometry embedded in a relic.
There are some common traits among the Great Old Ones, though. They’re all immortal or near-immortal; they do not age in a mortal sense. They erode worlds - worlds do not erode them. None of the Great Old Ones are generally affected by their environment in a significant way. Vacuum, pressure, heat, cold, or radiation - these affect how they express their existence, but they do not generally affect their survival.
The Great Old Ones can also “reproduce” through a unique process of fragmentation. Shards of them (blood, tissue, dreams, statues, avatars) can behave like lesser organisms or parasites, forming an often vast “ecosystem” of spawn and servitors around each one. In addition, they project their psychic presence into the world they inhabit. They radiate impressions like dreams, impulses, phobias, or tapestries of reality that act like ecological pressure on nearby minds.
Adding them to the local hierarchy of living things in their chosen place of existence can be tricky. In the “food chain,” Great Old Ones are more like apex invasive forces than physical predators. They don’t need to eat in the mortal sense; they feed on things that humans can’t often grasp. For example, some feed on slowly undoing the stability of an ecosystem, on mortal consciousness or sanity, or on other abstract concepts, like patterns or emotions.
The effects of their presence in a world is also often misunderstood by mortal minds. Where mortals see devouring, the Great Old Ones may simply be adjusting local reality to be more comfortable for themselves, but they generally see mortals the way humans see grains of sand from afar: they don’t. And it is this indifference that makes them terrifying. Unlike demons and monsters, who thrive on directly interacting with mortals, The Great Old Ones see humanoids as irrelevant to their existence.
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As mentioned above, every Great Old One tends to eventually accumulate a “cloud” of lesser beings around it, forming something like an ecosystem. These groups of creatures and humanoids feed the being, whether willingly or not, but it is an unrequited devotion. Remember that the Great Old Ones see even those that are loyal to them the way a mountain sees the animals that live on it.
The main components of this ecosystem include:
Spawn: Semi‑independent offspring or fragments that share aspects of their progenitor. They might colonize oceans, caverns, or cities, forming long‑lived lineages. They exist to feed the being, spread its influence, and eventually initiate its awakening or release.
Transformed servants: mortals reshaped into inhuman forms by exposure, ritual, or direct contact with the being, leading to a gradual mutation or instant reconfiguration. These become protectors of the Great Old One, usually holding greater power than most of the local life and able to scare or destroy any would-be intruders.
Associated species: snakes, deep‑sea things, storm spirits, etc., which may gain indirect protection from the Great Old One or whose actions may be influenced by their presence or aura. These are generally unintelligent creatures that function as minor distractions for trespassers, or as food items for the spawn or servants of the being.
Cultists: mortals who worship the Great Old Ones as gods, hoping for power, protection, or simply to be on the “winning side” when reality changes. They are usually willing to do anything, and sacrifice anything, to advance the awakening of the Great Old One.
Humanoids, especially travelers, explorers, or adventurers may come across strange breeding pools, where spawn slowly overrun native flora and fauna; cities adapted for non‑human bodies, with walls and ceilings in impossible angles, vertical corridors, or thick fluids flooding their halls; religious or scientific enclaves where people willingly change themselves to be more “fit” for the Old One’s eventual return.
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Role in Mortal History
As civilizations rise and fall, they reinterpret the Great Old Ones’ presence. Early thinking beings mistake them for gods, demons, or personified storms. They receive myths, prophecies, and taboos and warnings, like, “don’t fish beyond that reef”, “never build on that mountain”, or “do not sleep under an open sky when the red star rises”. As some of these civilizations fall, the new ones may take the Great Old One as a benevolent force, or they may see it as a threat that could eventually bring doom to their existence.
When the locals evolve to the point of creating large civilizations, cities, and empires, governments and groups try to harness their powers to gain an edge. They do this by building temples atop the sites where it is believed the Great Old Ones are dormant or imprisoned, by using fragments of their bodies as materials for weapons, architecture, or magic; bargaining via cults for longevity, insight, or dominance over rivals; or leading/luring rivals to become unwilling sacrifices. Often the large civilization is built around the worship or careful admiration, of the Great Old One.
As usual, humanoids evolve and gain confidence over the immortal beings, leading to attempts at controlling things the mortals cannot fully understand. This can lead to catastrophes in a classic case of hubris. Partial awakenings may cause floods, plagues, or region-wide madness. Wielding the power of a Great Old One may seal the doom of not just the target, but the wielder as well. Rituals may result in entire regions becoming blighted, uninhabitable except by the Great Old One’s spawn. Again, the mortals are insignificant to the Great Old One, and all of the worship and rituals are for nothing.
Eventually, knowledge and secrets become lost to time. Relics, glyphs, and writings may be buried by vegetation, debris, or fully or partially destroyed by the elements. As known histories and rituals become whispers, much of the facts are lost, leading to folklore, twisted nursery tales, sailor’s warnings, or holy prohibitions. Backing the validity of these exaggerated stories would be ruins (black stone cyclopean masonry, sunken ziggurats, or maybe fossilized tentacle‑marks in the rock), occult texts that are half‑understood or dangerously incomplete, and occasional carcasses of strange spawn.
The masses in a modern world are in an ignorant bliss, treading over a thin crust of denial and nescience. Even when presented with signs of the Great Old One’s existence, modern intelligent beings willfully ignore the traces of evidence and wave them off as hoaxes, easily explainable as benign, or brushed off as coincidence.
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Ecology of Influence: How Great Old Ones Shape the World
The Great Old Ones alter ecosystems in layered ways. First, there is the physical geography: their presence is associated with trenches, volcanoes, impact‑craters, endless storms, or anomalous zones where normal physics is often twisted. Sometimes these odd landmarks automatically lead to curiosity from the local intelligent beings, causing the creation of myths, legends, and even religions.
Then there is the climate and cycles of the biosphere: tides, auroras, eclipses, comet paths, or any repeating pattern, which can be subtly “tuned” to their sleep and stirring, allowing old calendars and cultic festivals to often map to these rhythms.
Flora and fauna are also affected, leading to mutated populations near their sites of slumber or imprisonment. On or around these areas there could be bioluminescent forests, blind cavern beasts with psychic sensitivity or abilities, fungal networks that remember the past… even parasite species that thrive on the fear of other creatures or on corpses generated by the Great Old One’s cults.
Finally, there is the memetic spread, which can include stories, symbols, melodies, and dreams that act like spores, carrying their influence far from their physical body. The lore helps to power some of these beings through fear (if that’s what they feed on), loss of sanity, or even mental syncopation.
So in the broadest sense, their “ecology” is one in which information, fear, and geometry are as important as flesh. Remember that humans can’t fully grasp the concepts that make these beings what they are, and explaining any one aspect of their existence or influence in simple terms is a fool’s errand.
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Awakening and Long-term Arcs
Most stories depict the Great Old Ones at a critical point in their existence within that particular world or region. When these stories begin, the being may have slumbered for millenia and now a cult or other outer influence has brought it enough fuel that it is ready to awaken unless that outside influence is stopped. But this twilight state forces the external influence of the Great Old One to intensify, leading to visions, intricate dreams, and higher consciousness for many nearby mortals. Sensitive individuals like artists, prophets, and sorcerers begin to share some of the imagery they receive as prophecy or warning. Some of the visions may be of a sunken city, a black spiral, or a name that sours the ears (see, “The Call of Cthulhu”).
Cults then begin to form at this time, or they become more influential, as scattered madmen become organized and guided by visions or emissaries. Large populations begin to think alike, as synchronization of thoughts is autonomously puppeteered by the being’s aura. Nature also begins to show signs of looming doom: unusual tides, sudden animal migrations, inexplicable auroras, or stars seen in the wrong positions. Relics activate, humming, glowing, or whispering.
If not interrupted, the process progresses, leading to local or regional reconfiguration. Seas begin to rise, land sinks, or the sky itself changes color or pattern, and reality becomes “friendly” to the Great Old One’s true form.
Finally, if successful, the entity partially or fully emerges as a visible physical form, a world‑straddling storm, or a pervasive psychic presence. But keep in mind that “awakening” is rarely an on/off switch… it is a slow process that has been in motion for millennia sometimes. And even partial stirring can permanently change the world.
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Using This in Your Game
To make Great Old Ones feel coherent and unforgettable at your gaming table, pick a theme for each one. (e.g., depths and pressure; memory and madness; hunger and repetition.) Let that theme shape its spawn, cult rituals, and environmental effects, the way filmmakers use themes in subtle ways throughout a film to guide their audiences’ thoughts, foreshadow future events, and build tension for the climax.
Begin by showing the ecology first. Cosmic horror is rooted in the anticipation of what may come, and the feeling of insignificance for the heroes. Players should see the warped landscape, the altered animals, and the cult behaviors long before they encounter even an avatar of the Great Old One. Drop the name in whispers, let the PCs hear legends and folk tales. Maybe warnings like some of the ones listed above.
Center mystery on cause and effect, not stat blocks. The threat is less “how many hit points it has” and more “what happens to the world if it stirs another inch?”
I can’t stress enough how important it is for the players to feel their insignificance in comparison to the being... but do allow them to see that they can have some influence on the outcome, as hope is what feeds motivation. So, how can you do this? Let players interact mostly with intermediaries. Cult leaders, mutated servitors, possessed scholars, semi‑sentient relics - all are safer, more roleplay‑friendly faces of the Great Old Ones’ influence, and can cement the idea that the PCs are too insignificant to face the being directly.
I highly recommend the campaign setting Horror at Yishusu Landing from Deimos Infinitum Publishing for an expertly plotted arc that builds slowly from a local concern to a cosmic one. The Mesoamerican-themed story begins with handling petty crimes in a major metropolis and evolves to traveling to a new world where a Great Old One is being courted into consciousness. The campaign also includes an excellent primer on how to properly incorporate cosmic horror elements and themes to any campaign.
Follow us on YouTube to keep the conversation going! We have videos discussing this topic in more detail on our channels, Left for the Vultures and Headless Hammerhead:
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