Pathfinder Creature Feature: The Alghollthu or Aboleths
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- Lets take a deeper look at the terrifying masters of the deep!
▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Introduction & Preamble
3:31 - History of the Alghollthu
17:15 - Ecology and Types of Alghollthu
18:52 - Vidileths
20:31 - Omnipaths
21:46 - Elders
22:38 - Uldraaghu
23:51 - Plizeazoths
25:21 - Enisysians
26:35 - Ulat-Kini
28:42 - Chuul
29:58 - Ugothol
And don't forget to Like & Subscribe!
CREDITS
The large high-res map I use is not a Paizo official map, but the work of the incomparable Rob McCaleb ( www.artstation.com/robmccaleb ) used here with their gracious permission.
Content for this video came from "Pathfinder Adventure Path: Ruins of Azlant" particularly "The Lost Outpost" module which featured an extensive look at the ecology of the alghollthu.
If you enjoyed this video, please support Paizo publishing by purchasing this product or others.
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#paizo #pathfinder #golarion #innersea #roleplaying #rpg #history #lore #d&d #alghollthu #aboleth #veiledmaster
Really weird fun fact: The name for them was derived from an inside joke amongst the staff. James Sutter apparently misspelled the word "although" often enough that it became a running joke, enough that they ended up using it!
Haha! That's great
That's awesome. I love to learn about things like this.
More like James Stutter
I don't play in Golarion, rather in my own homebrew world, but these videos are such a good insight into the lore of Golarion that I'm tempted. Nah, I'll just nick the good bits. Thank you MythKeeper, creating these videos can't be easy!
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching and I its nice to hear the videos are still useful to non-Pathfinder players 😅
Nice. I'm a big fan of aboleths.
Hope this was to your liking then!
Our Aboleth overlords are pleased with the release of this video.
I have a resident wizard player in my kingmaker game and his character constantly researches the creatures of the stolen lands in his studies I create different sections of books in the studies of a creature. Each author has a different style of writing. “Rolakur the Mythkeeper. An Ulfen writer who’s novels are enjoyable and very accurate, however rare, and expensive. The books made by him are sought by many scholars and he did not make extensive copies.” I usually try to use your formatting in the videos to impart your style in the summaries.
This is totally awesome. Loving Rolukar as well. So glad to be making an entry into the game world!!!
Man, it feels so good to explore such an important creature to the setting. Love the new name they got. Have a great day everyone! Thanks for the vid.
I never knew the in depth lore of Golarion Alghollthu beyond "They got super pissed at the Azlanti and caused the Starfall." This was a hugely inspirational video for me, the veiled masters have the capacity to be dropped into my homebrew wonderfully, as it could just be another world the aboleth/Alghollthu fled to. When you used the word Precursors describing the Azlanti it just clicked because it's the exact same title used in the Thief PC games I'm basing my world on, and the glyph magic uses the same name as well! It was meant to be, awesome video, as always!
Awesome! I’m glad this served as inspiration, they will make for some fun foes for your players to contend with as well
@@TheMythKeeper (player, their character wading through a half flooded corridor in the subterranean ruins of "Old City")
"Hey guys... How long has the water been... Slime? Guys?"
Yet another excellent approach by Paizo to classic dnd creatures. They have a very interesting origin story and overall vibe in a pretty explored trope of ancient underwater nefarious threat, placed somewhere between Lovecraftian Dagon and Elder Scrolls' Sloads.
I love how these are 'science-y' non-religious creatures as well. Cool choices all around.
Interesting. I never much cared for Aboleths or Abberation type monsters in general, but the capacity of the Alghollthu and their minions to infiltrate, corrupt, and destroy is compelling. And the story of their origins as well as that of the Starstone itself is pretty dang cool.
Excelent video as always!
Awesome! Thank you for watching.
Hello mythkeeper I'm a fan from Brazil, just wanna say since my days are mostly full due to my job your videos made my GM and lore seeking easier, since you pull all the things I'd usually seek for my games. Thanks a lot for beeing such an amazing person for my game table and for doing these videos.
P.s. can I maybe give you an idea for videos? If so.... videos on some of the legendary weapons in pathfinder? I always thought that the history of a civilization can also be told by the weapons it used.
Thank you so much for the suggestion! I don't have any immediate plans for weapons, but its a great idea. Thanks for watching!
Man oh man do i love me some Aboleth lore! Wish wotc didn't invent them, just so we could see more material and interpretations of these distinct yet unknowable beings!
Thank you for another amazing video. I watched various lore youtubers before you for Faerun lore but you are the best to do it for any setting. Also pathfinder has my favorite setting and youre the only one to dive so deep and give us what we really want! Thank you so much I look forward to every video.
Wow, thank you! These are really kind words, and I really appreciate them.
I have been waiting for this!!!! Thank you!
No problem, enjoy the early access!
I really love abo- er, i mean algolthus. My favorite homage to Lovecraft and weird fiction in general.
They are a great D&D villain and were ported over excellently into Pathfinder.
I liked how you broke down the lore through TSR, to WotC, to Paizo. I understand that’s not what your channel is normally about, but I find that type of design history very interesting.
You're very welcome! From time-to-time I do try and share that too. Check out my OGL video if you're interested in that type of thing btw.
Aboleths were in the 1e MMII (1983). That was (IMO) a good book; it also held such personal favorites as the modrons.
Modrons are great! When we get to Inevitables we'll see Pathfinder's version ;-)
@@TheMythKeeperAren't they phasing out inevitables in favor of aeons, inasmuch as inevitables originate in the OGL?
@@TheMythKeeperNeat. Are we going to see Pathfinders version of city of Sigil too?
@@tomkerruish2982 - Its possible. For now they are still part of the lore. I think its more likely they will simply recieve a name change like much of the other OGL stuff.
@@chillax319 - I think the city of Axis is a pretty good facsimile for Sigil. I already have one video that talks about Axis in my Outer Planes Guide to the Heavens. I have some more coming when I talk about Aeons and Inevitables.
Just wanted to say thank you so much on a whole for this video series! Me and some buddies are delving into our first adventure path soon with me as GM, and these videos are an invaluable resource me! The world of Golarion is awesome!
Thank you so much! And welcome to Pathfinder 🙂
I just started an azerketi investigator rogue in an ocean based campaign. I'm friggin' pumped about this lore. I'm playing a sorta fox moulder spoof mixed up with all kinds or modern conspiracy theory ideas. I think the GM is happy with me as it seems they know I'm tryna investigate their plot and it may be the Alghollthu. Thanks anyways for the content, so much more here than just nexus alone.
Hey, you're very welcome! In about 7 weeks, I think, I have my Andoran deep dive coming (3 weeks for Mythwatchers Club members) and there's some good Azarketi content in that too, so keep an eye out for it.
This was quite neat. Informative and clear. Great video!
Thank you!
Great stuff as always!
Thanks again!
Thanks for the interesting video!
Thanks for watching!
excellnt work, it's amazing the adapttion of this cratures....i mean Paizo
Yeah credit where credit is due. Paizo digs deep when they write about a creature.
heck yes, I was hoping you'd get around to these!
I am running Ruins of Azlanti and this was a great source of information so I know what on Golarion to do
Excellent as always. If you are taking requests I woukd love a video on Lamias. I think they are way underutilized.
Thanks for the feedback! I didn't have any immediate plans for this but I'll put it on my 'for consideration' list for some future videos 🙂
Nice video 👏👏👏
Thank you 👍
Finally!
'Tis here! The doom of all!
This came out on my birthday. I missed it because I fell asleep. But WOO pathfinder lore for a birthday present is the best
Happy Birthday!!!
how are adventurers not driven mad by just looking at these things?
they just look madness inducing
They are pretty frightening creatures, that's true!
I love your videos. Are there audio only versions so I can listen without having TH-cam open?
My understanding is that there is a way to do this through the TH-cam podcast channel. Unfortunately beyond knowing that's a feature, I have no idea how to actually use it. Regardless, I did create a "Podcast channel" in TH-cam that contains every single one of my videos in a roughly logical order. I think you can see it in Playlists.
Positive comment
Complimentary reply! 😅
Haha! The MythKeeper approves!
HEY! what’s this release window?! Normally I’d wake up to this video but now I’m going to be falling asleep to one!
Sorry! I'm just experimenting and see if this affects the stats at all. Didn't mean to keep you up late! 😅
@@TheMythKeeper No no, please experiment at your leisure. If I’m conscious when I get the notification, just try and keep me from gobbling up these videos!
@@christopherpugnetti5827 🤣
Good video. One thing I am curious about is how they interact with the Cthulhu and mythos elements that are in pathfinder, including the great old ones themselves. As they and there servant races have a lot of overlap. So I am curious if there is any canon stuff, and what stuff you might do here?
Well both Dagon and Cthulhu are associated with waters, deep oceans and sea creatures with many grasping tentacles so there is a natural thematic connection. But as written, the alghollthu would ally with the great old ones to acquire advantage and power, but avoid serving them outright. They do not believe in deference to higher powers, and they would prefer to conquer all gods rather than to serve them. I wouldn't be surprised though if some small groups of alghollthu hadn't attempted to either strike a deal with Dagon for advantage, or acquired a relic of Cthulhu, and had it corrupt them in such a fundamental way that they ended up in service to those ruinous powers.
I was reading through some of the other comments and it made me wonder. We know. Wizards have their own monsters [i.e. the mind flayers, gith, and beholders], but does paizo have any?
There are definitely creatures, like Sinspawn, Psychopomps - probably Vesltracs too though they dervice from Kytons - and the very Pathfindery design for Goblins that feel to me like a core part of the iconography of the setting. There are a few other creatures (like the Ghorans or the Jistkan Automatons) that are also unique to the setting but I wouldn't necessarily think of as being 'product-identifying' in the same way.
Do you think you would ever be interested in posting these on a podcasting service like spotify? I love your videos, but I drive for a living, so audio only would be a huge help for me.
Eventually, yes, but for now, you can listen to a Podcast version of this - music.youtube.com/
Search for "Mythkeeper Podcast"
Link to TH-cam Music App: apps.apple.com/us/app/youtube-music/id1017492454
Lets gooooooo psychic fish time
Well this certainly explains Japan.
Huh, from my reading of the lore a veiled master doesn't split into two veiled madters, they split into aboleths. A veiled master is a metamorphosis of an elder aboleth, kinda like a butterfly.
Also, the golarian Aboleths would be considered evil abominations by true aboleth society due to their practice of self-slavery as, much like Settra, an aboleth does not serve.
Also, the amplifiers were specifically designed to overcome aboleth resistance to mind control, which iz why their actions would result in righteous genocide by the rest of aboleth society.
Well only one Veiled Master departed for Golarion and now there are more than one - so you can do the math there. I may have skipped a step, but ultimately its immaterial. A Veiled Master is a fusion of multiple aboleths into a greater form. If a Veiled Master splits into a lesser form then those lesser forms will each eventually grow and split into other lesser forms and then eventually reform into a new Veiled Master when they have reached sufficient mass and power. Ultimately all aboleths, veiled masters or otherwise, are still the same root individual. Unlike all other organisms they even share the same soul stuff, which is why no Aboleths can be found in the outer planes save for mortal aboleths doing some kind of plane-hopping. (They cannot be judged by Pharasma until the entire race is extinct).
Veiled masters separate becoming 2 aboleths. Those 2 aboleths go out and consume until they can become 4 aboleths. So on and so on and so on. Eventually you have multiple veiled masters and lots of aboleths since there are enough for some of them to combine
22:40 "Uldraaghu" Where did you get the art for it, look in the dragon books listed couldnt find it.
Oops! My credits are totally wrong in this video. The Aboleth lore actually all comes from the Ruins of Azlant adventure path! I'll correct the links shortly. Also the chapter titles are all wrong too! Thanks for the note!
What Golarion lacks in Mind Flayer lore, it more than makes up for with Alghollthus.
Seriously though, I really dislike what they did with the intellect devourers. It's like if someone else owned the rights to the terminology associated with the Roman Empire so they rewrote "Julius Caesar" with chickens as the dramatis personae.
I do think more than any other creature (maybe beholders?) that Mind Flayers are super-closely associated to D&D. Avoiding them will hopefully prove to be good for the long term health of Pathfinder as it increasingly tries to become its own distinct brand and setting.
They any good deep fried with Potatoe Chips, and a squeeze of lemon, or some vinegar?
Yes but if you start having strange fishy thoughts afterwards don't be alarmed...
Would you believe I was creating a character based around the Azarketi when this came out?
Awesome! That's great timing
@@TheMythKeeper Yeah. The basic premise is he's a Wyrmwitch who inherited a mission from his dad to reform a cabal of Alghollthu his father's tribe went to war against a long time ago, seeing the value in what their people gave humanity even if it was for evil ends.
@@goldenbrigain7031 - That's a hard mission. Part of the reason Alghollthu are particularly hard to reform is that they're all essentially clones of each other. Genetically altered clones, sure, but the same aggressive totalitarian creature all the same. There isn't that much of a range of personality among them (not many 'nicer' aboleths) because they're all the same root entity.
@@TheMythKeeper Then it seems I've chosen a worthwhile quest
Spooky cat fish
Could you talk about mimics next
I have a video planned on "Dungeon Denizens" where I'll talk about common dungeon dwelling creatures, which should hopefully include Mimics. (I haven't actually decided which common dungeon creatures to include in that yet!)
@@TheMythKeeper nice
Crown of the World for next regional deep dive?
Winter is coming 😉 -that is, unless you are living in the southern hemisphere…
Its not time for Crown of the World yet, but I will say my next Region Deep Dive is in the north of the Inner Sea region and its totally awesome 😎
So...where were the Ulfen during the Age of Darkness? We know that the Kellids went into caves for a time and the Taldor are decended from Azlanti and Kelshite. And Cheliaxians *used* to be A mix of Taldor and Ulfen (a retcon that annoys me). For that matter what did Kelish people do during Earthfall?
Well the Keleshites are actually a mix of ethnicities from the lands conquered by the Keleshite empire (there's like 6 different sub-groups, as you will see in my Qadira video in the future) but the 'main group' or the conquering group came from the Grass Sea which is located all the way east on Casmaron, so they were probably out of range of the blast for the most part. In fact they started expanding the Keleshite empire before the Age of Anguish (when the sun came back), so they were obviously confident enough to start building even though it was dark and scary out there. They were probably compensating with magic and binding genies and stuff even back then.
As for the pre-Taldan people of Cheliax, the Varisians, the Shoanti, the Ulfen, and probably even the Varki and the Erutaki, they were all much closer. The short answer is - they just toughed it out. They formed small communities. The prayed to their gods. They eked out a living. Eventually the sun came back and their civilizations started to expand again.
@@TheMythKeeper I see, thanks for the information. I haven't watched the Qadria video yet. But then again I listen to two or three a day at work so I'll get there eventually
@@Balevolt Oh! Its not out yet. I think its about 6 - 8 weeks out still.
@@TheMythKeeper Ahh I'll catch it then
I have a question, where do the Azarketi fit into all of this
During the Earthfall Cataclysm some Azlanti survived by adapting life under water; in time they became the Azarketi. The Azarketi consider the Alghollthu to be their great enemies because they called the Earthfall. I probably should have mentioned them, but they didn't exist at the time that Aghollthu were doing their machinations.
@@TheMythKeeper ahhh, thank you that makes things a lot clearer
MythKeeper is one.
You have uncovered my secret identity as one of the Veiled Masters!
@@TheMythKeeper i knew from as far back as your Earthfall video. You slipped up and were like "we sent... I mean they sent"
Look it up guys
@@philhudson3619 😳
aboleths remind me of the ogdru jahad and the ogdru hem from hellboy
Hey, good reference
Is this Cthulhu mythos?
Cthulhu adjacent.
Yeah you want my Dark Tapestry video for Cthulhu mythos
This love lovecraftian cult creating monster
I love this fish-monsters lore, but i'm not a big fan of their non-homogenic design in Pathfinder. After all, their are same species, or, at least kin
While normally I'd be on the same page, the Alghollthu developed genetic engineering techniques which explains their broader range of morphologies.