Mythos BestiaryIX 327 The elder things, also known as old ones, came to the world over a billion years ago.. An elder thing’s puffy, star-shaped head has eyes emerging from the tips of e
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The elder things, also known as old ones, came to
the world over a billion years ago They stand a little
over 2 meters tall They have pentameric symmetry,
where almost every aspect of their being manifests in
fives Their barrel-shaped bodies have five prominent
ridges They have five folding wings which they can
pull into large crevices in their bodies They have
five powerfully-muscled tentacle-shaped legs ending
in flippers and five crinoid-like arms that divide into
five tentacles, each of which in turn subdivides again
into five more delicate tendrils This produces a total
of 125 manipulatable tendrils An elder thing’s puffy,
star-shaped head has eyes
emerging from the tips of each
“petal” as well as proboscises
with toothed mouths that protrude
from the inside angles The heads are
also covered with prismatic cilia, sensory
organs that enable them to sense objects,
temperature, movement, etc., all without
light or air
Ecology
A highly adaptable alien species, elder
things can live under water, dwell on land,
or fly through the air They can even travel in
outer space From head to foot they typically are
7-8 feet in height, and usually weigh a few hundred
pounds
To human eyes, they resemble echinoderms with
radial symmetry They also have a massive
five-lobed brain deep in their torso, each lobe of which is
concerned with a different aspect of reality Despite
their weird appearance and incredible hardiness,
they are composed of normal, terrestrial matter
Their bodies are tough, able to withstand the
pressure of the deepest ocean, or the vacuum of
space They can live for tens of thousands of years,
and can hibernate for even longer eras Few die, except
by violence
They reproduce with spores, but are only interested
in increasing their numbers when colonizing new regions They can feed on both organic and some inorganic substances, but are preferentially carnivorous
Technology
The elder things are masters of both magic and technology One of their brain lobes is devoted to magic, a second to technology, and a third to the biological arts and sciences Each of these lobes is larger than a human brain and gives the elder thing massive potential in its assigned area Elder things do not
normally rely on high technology in