Servitor of the Outer Gods

Serviteurs des Dieux Extérieurs

. . . something amorphously squatted far away from the light, piping noisomely on a flute . . . [amid] noxious flutterings in the foetid darkness . . . no warmth lay, but only the clamminess of death and corruption.

— H. P. Lovecraft

A tentacled lump of flesh, a Servitor’s features remind one of a frog or octopus. The being almost always carries a musical instrument called a “flute” for lack of a better name, and is generally piping away at it.

Habitat : beyond space and time. Commonly found at the throne of Azathoth and at places inhabited by extremely powerful transcosmic entities.

Distribution : wherever it is sent. The Servitor is an extremely hardy entity which appears to be immune to vicissitudes of climate, temperature, atmosphere, and other environments factors.

Life and Habits : a Servitor normally accompanies a much larger being. Sometimes a Servitor acts by itself to assist in organized cult worship of those beings which appear to be its masters. While called Servitor, it is unclear exactly what relation the creature has with the larger being or beings it supposedly follows. Perhaps the species is parasitic or symbiotic, rather than attendant (Dannseys, 1978). If this is true, its high intelligence and occult aptitude probably lead it to foster the development and worship of its host being.

The Servitor is adept in the practice of occult science and this, added to its physical robustness, makes such a being extremely difficult to harm. A would-be collector should carefully prepare for all possible contingencies, take proper equipment, and keep more than one escape route handy.

Distinguishing Servitors of the Outer Gods :

• Chthonians are much larger and accompanied by chanting noises, rather than piping sounds.

• Cthulhu and his spawn are much larger and always greenish in color.

• Flying Polyps can fly, and frequently are more or less invisible.

• Formless Spawn are black in color.

• Moon-Beasts do not extrude tentacles, except for their pinkish sensory organs, always found at the tip of their snouts.

• Shoggoths are constantly bubbling and forming and reforming eyes or other organs.

Comparative height chart

Fig. 19—Servitor tack and roll.

Movement Servitors normally progress by rolling. The being grips the substrate with its tentacles, pulling itself into position, after which it can roll along at moderate speeds.

Flute of a Servitor