…then there was Yvaxaz. The god of death, destruction and war. Yvaxaz became the favored spawn of Shub-Niggurath, the All Mother. While many of his features are vestigial in nature, the genealogy is undeniable. Aside from the lack of a Cyclopean presence, Yvaxaz, The Great Progenitor is made up of a primordial mass capable of amoeba like procreation. In times of great war he has been known to divide himself into several parts to create offspring. These offspring become his generals in his great crusade. Others call him Yvaxaz, The Keeper of R’lyeh. He is the guardian over the gates to Cthulhu’s resting place…
Excerpt: Awakened
By HPL
Gideon followed the bread smell, hunting for where Mrs. Webster had set up her cart. He jogged and skipped around the large market, kicking up dust as he went about. The heat of the day crept up on Gideon and he had built up a good sweat. As he moved about, he heard the usual shouts of merchants hawking their goods. He also heard the usual responses the Hawkers yelled to the urchins of the city. “Get”, and “Off with you”, and “I got nothing for you today!” He politely smiled or gave a courteous nod or a “Hello” to everyone that acknowledge him in anyway. Kill them with kindness he thought to himself, because you never know when they’ll have a helping hand to offer. Better to be remembered as the kindly boy, not the thief or miscreant.
“You there! Gideon, come over here,” a mans voice said. Gideon turned and looked about for its origin. A man was walking toward him. He wore leathers with various metal plates blocking vital points. “Are you behaving yourself or you up to no good today?” the man asked as he approached. “Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning up your blocks of the district. If you want slums I can find you some to move to.”
“Captain Daniels, how are you?” Gideon said, “I am of course up to no good as I should be,” he continued, with a hint of as smile on his face. “What else is there to do? I won’t be adventuring any time soon…or ever.” He said, mumbling the last bit . “As for the sweeping, I’ve recruited Raya to sweep on my behalf. She needed the coin and well you know…” Gideon trailed off.
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The captain smiled at this. “Oh, that is wonderful news, there is hope for you yet. It is such a fickle world my boy, I know your ability will awaken when it’s needed. Or maybe you want to stay a lazy scamp forever?” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Bah, I’m just teasing. I was actually looking for you, and yes I understand with Raya. Don’t be thinking there is extra pay coming your way because two of you are doing the job.”
“Of course not sir. What can I do for you today Captain Daniels,” Gideon said. Putting emphasis on “Captain”. Captain Daniels is one of the guard captains for the city. From everything Gideon has heard, the captain has been offered promotions but has turned them down, choosing to stay the captain of the Rime’s lower districts. The captain has helped him many times over the years and has been a father figure for many of the kids on the streets. They owed him everything, yet he has asked for nothing.
“I told you to call me, Oh never mind! I just wanted to check on you and make sure you hadn’t been having any trouble with those nobleman’s spoiled brats from the second district. I’ve put some feelers out on trying to control them coming down here to bother you and the rest. Coin is it’s own shield though, one that can be difficult to overcome.” The concerned look on his face was genuine and Gideon could appreciate that. Gideon had longed for a family, longed to be cared for. He had dreamed of it for as long as he could remember. He knew little boys should have a family, but never understood why he didn’t. Life had harsh lessons for those like him. Captain Daniels was the closest thing he had to that, but with unspoken boundaries. Captain Daniels stepped toward him, “I got something for you,” the captain said as he pulled half a loaf of bread from his bag.
The smile on Gideon’s face went from ear to ear at the sight of the bread. “Sir! Thank you so much, I was just looking for the Webster cart. You know Mr. Webster doesn’t like us scamps coming to the bakery, I hoped to find her and her cart in the market for fresh bread.”
The captain laughed harshly, “I can’t imagine why,” the Captain said with a smirk. “Well then it is a lucky thing for you, lucky that I found her early. Her bread was going fast today. You’d have been lucky to get scraps. I bought a few loaves, so I’m going to make my rounds and pass them out. Now off with you. Don’t forget to cook that smelly fish you got from Charlie because it might be getting a bit ripe in this heat. Now behave yourself,” he said and walked off in pursuit of his other projects.
Why does everyone keep telling me to be good, I don’t cause that much trouble do I? There was lots of trouble out there for children like him, trouble that made scamps disappear. Captain Daniels had once asked Gideon why scamps didn’t group together for protection. The captain didn’t understand what too many mouths and not enough food could do to a street group. Gideon had never seen actual cannibalism, but he’d seen a small group fall apart, torn apart from the inside when times were tight. He’d also noticed that the small and weak would gradually disappear. He didn’t like to think about what happened to those children. He shook his head clear. “Onto more cheerful thoughts,” he said. “Like cooking breakfast.”