Father Dagon, Mother Hydra

The deep ones are not worshipful, they acknowledge no gods. There are, however, those who they must respect. Mother Hydra, the great conglomeration, feeding tendrils groping upwards from Laurentian Abyss, grabbing some things and releasing others. Father Dagon, the giant, floating along the North Pacific Gyre, eating and growing and demanding more. Sister Echidna, which wanders the arctic, spitting monsters ashore. Brother Koshei, recently recovered from below Lake Baikal and held with caution and foolhardiness by the USSR. These are the subjects of deep one one art, the ones worthy of idolization.

Of course, words like "Father" and "Mother" are the result of a clumsy translation, as neither Dagon, Hydra, nor the deep ones have any sort of sex or gender. They are not family, but they are the closest thing.

The deep ones may have been human once. Ancient corpses, lost at sea, may have drifted into the clutches of an amorphous blob, a massively parallel genetic computer, and ancient meddler in natural history: a shoggoth. Once it had a sample of human DNA a shoggoth could have spent millenia "digesting" it, endlessly mixing and remixing it with all the sealife samples it had gathered before. If a viable combination were found, it would not be hard for the shoggoth to bud off an example of that creature, and release it into the sea.

But although the shoggoths made them, they are uncaring, and the deep ones have spent their whole lives immersed in the dream of Cthulhu.

COLD DIAMOND

PROPOSAL SUMMARY:

The planet is changing at too great a rate. Our choice is between extinctions. Extinction by plague and privation, or extinction by rapid adaptation: the transformation of humanity into an alien being suited for life on our alien planet. Previous experiments have already established the efficacy of progenitor methods of hypnosis in deep-brain modification. With progenitor assistance, the USSR can finally create a New Man.

PROPOSAL STATUS: ACCEPTED

PHASE 1 COMPLETE
REPORT SUMMARY:

Successful subjects display virtually unlimited pain-tolerance, perfect self-control, and an increase in empathy paired with a decrease in sympathy. Subjects typically experience a degree of dissociation from their pre-treatment lives, which can be advantageous in cementing new identities. 

~65% of subjects suffered a mental breakdown during the process, rendering them unfit as subjects and unable to carry out any other duty. The causes of these breakdowns remain unknown. No pattern has been established.

Loyalty is a problem. Successful subjects cooperate and obey only when incentivized to. In the next stage of the project we will be attempting to induce deference to authority.

Its Alive!

The guide brings the sacrament in a shot glass. It takes effect almost as soon as I down it. The scales fell from my eyes and I saw the hundreds of writhing things that were hiding underneath.

The stars a thousand cold uncaring eyes and the sky a single black eye in which the stars were mere flecks. Many-tongued trees lap at the sun and shove each other into the shade. In the darkness of the woods some small, scurrying thing is devoured by a larger, scurrying thing. In the darkness between the stars something larger is devoured by something larger still. On and throughout everything a thick veneer of bacteria, always and forever the exemplars of life.

"Behold" intoned the guide "Shub-Niggurath."

Drones

Brain-lace interweaves the brain with a superconducting mesh, forming a new network of connections. Acting as an interface between the brain and traditional computer systems, brain-lace serves as a basis for plug-and-play augmentation. Universal ports allows cybernetics to be swapped out with a simple hand tool, with the brain-lace smoothing out the acclimation process. The most significant of these is is skillware: ROM chips imparting knowledge or skills that could be changed from day to day.

These innovations restored the practicality of human labor. Brain-lace had made humans the perfect chassis on which to run robotic parts and software, making humans a cheaper option than building from scratch, and more adaptable too. The early-adopters quickly dominated. Corporations wealthy enough to subsidize brain laces for their employees soon had the best engineers making products sold by the best marketers, overseen by the best managers, all run by the best executives.

But, suddenly, skill hardly counts for anything. Skills can be gained and lost at any time. What employers want is what can't yet be induced by chip: loyalty. Successful employees are those who can compete with tireless robots and never break step with company policy. Humanity has replaced robots, in more ways than they ever wanted.

Starve the Beast

So it came to pass that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and as there was no room in the town the infant was laid in a manger while angels announced his birth and shepherds worshiped him as Messiah and Lord. But He incarnated to reveal to the world that he had been defeated; the great beast squats upon the throne. There would no longer be life after death, only eternal doom in the belly of the beast.

Death would have to be abolished, and immortality embraced in all possible forms. He Himself went first, enduring a year of fasting, eating only pine needles and drinking only resin, before He withdrew to a his prepared tomb. Three days later He emerged, a living mummy, and began the war to preserve the world.

One thousand years later, and from His seat in Jerusalem His unliving armies have strode the world, banishing death and life forever. At the very moment the goal of unity was achieved, however, the world shattered. Even His guidance proved inadequate when spread across the world; time and distance encouraged interpretation, diversion, and schism.

The bog mummies of Britain recognize His divine but not earthly power, maintaining as much home rule as they can. The Zoroastrian problem threatens to peel Persia and Punjab from the empire. Sacred legions, their bodies together by the armor they have been nailed into, suddenly lack the only purpose to which they are suited. At times it seems only the monastic orders remain above the slow decomposition of the world, continuing centuries of perfect meditation in sealed cells.

In Hoc Signo Vinces

Welcome to the true Church Militant, Praetor

The sword of an angel can cut any substance, not because it is sharp, but because it is more real than any substance. Their goals are not our goals, and their judgement may be upon you at inopportune times. You can fight a demon, but always run from an angel. Remember the danger of the power of God.

Demons "exist" second-hand, manifesting in reflections, shadows, windblown dust, and of course, through possession. They enter the world through the corridor formed by two mirrors reflecting each other, from ponds still and clear as glass, and when someone dreams the right dreams.

The presence of a demon degrades reality. Possessed individuals often manifest "magical" abilities, and will slowly become more and more monstrous. Every demon or case of possession you will encounter will be unique; treat every encounter as though it was your first, and expect the unexpected.

I will see you in the field.

Dogs

Blind dogs lack both hair and eyes, but their senses of hearing and smell have both increased dramatically, allowing them to survive as skilled nocturnal hunters and scavengers. Not only do they breed true, but feral dogs will often give birth to blind dogs, ensuring their ubiquity. They can be found worldwide.

Hellhounds seem somehow to have gained traits from goats. Most noticeably, hooves and horns, as well as great dexterity on steep terrain and powerful jumps. Their primary prey are wild sheep and mountain goats. They are found in southern Europe and the middle east.

Carrion hounds have shriveled, hairless heads with with manes growing from their necks. Much like the vultures they resemble, they live by scavenging, although they will attack wounded or sick animals. They are found in the Americas, most often in mountainous regions.

Song dogs are similar to coyotes: small, cunning, and furtive. Their complex howling (from which they get their name) keeps them in constant contact with each other even over great distances, but they only meet to mate or hunt. They are found in northern Europe and Russia.