Newborn

The Newborn

(Deity)

Titles

Aucturn's Child

Adjective

Newbornite

Home

Aucturn (formerly)

Portfolio

Birth
Cosmic horrors
Paradigm shifts
Renewal

Favored Weapon

Aucturnite chakram

Source: Playtest Rulebook, pg(s). 247

The Newborn is a nascent Outer God of birth, cosmic horrors, paradigm shifts and renewal who hatched from its egg, the former world of Aucturn, in 324 AG, resulting in massive repercussions for the Pact Worlds and Near Space.

History

For aeons, a fetal deity had been gestating in the core of Aucturn, the planet-sized farthest astronomical object orbiting the Pact Worlds sun. It was home to many cults of Nyarlathotep, who used the temples dedicated to him to leech power from the the core, corrupting Aucturn and the gestating god. While many other gods noticed Nyarlathotep's actions, none were interested in intervening and risking divine conflict on behalf of the monstrous fetus, with the exception of Shelyn.

In 324 AG, when she heard the fetus' psychic cries, Shelyn returned to the Pact Worlds and confronted Nyarlathotep, demanding him to stop his parasitism. Nyarlathotep easily defeated Shelyn, but before he could land a deicidal blow, her brother Zon-Kuthon came to her aid. When the two siblings merged into Zon-Shelyn and successfully banished Nyarlathotep from this reality, the link between him and the fetus was broken as well. Nyarlathotep's stolen power flowed back into Aucturn's core, allowing the Newborn to hatch and destroying Aucturn in the process.

Home

On the surface of Aucturn, the then-unborn godling's embryo was visible as the Gravid Mound, a mountain shaped like an egg balanced on its narrow end. The caldera contained chunky amniotic fluids that occasionally roiled and spilled over. The Midwives, a cabal of 13 spellcasters, ministered to the fetus and attempted to ease the birth by regulating the Gravid Mound's bubbling fluids and occasional shuddering.

Cults

When this deity was still gestating inside Aucturn, residents of Amniek, a city located near the Gravid Mound and ruled by the Midwives, spent several hours daily chanting obeisance to the Midwives and pleading for the fetus' mercy. Visitors are not obligated but are advised to do so, in case the god would hatch tomorrow.

After it hatched, many ordinary people converted to the Newborn's faith in an attempt to understand their place in the cosmos and respond to a change to their worldviews. To others, the Newborn's birth brings hope for changes that destroy oppressive systems and shake up stagnation, as well as rejuvenation in general. A few seek power at all costs or push for changes that benefit themselves, to the point of trying to summon and control Midwives, though this rarely ends well.

Newborn worshippers tend to be solitary or form small groups that met by chance on the infosphere or through word of mouth or shared dreams. They might often follow another faith in addition to the Newborn's. A few abandon their old lives entirely, changing their name, mannerisms and clothing overnight to join an enclave of true believers. Most are interested in the occult, something often brought by a vision from the Newborn. The Newborn is also worshipped by those who prowl the Gelid Edge in search of aucturnite.

A minority of the Newborn's followers, called evangelists, refuse to accept any truth but their own and respond to anyone who disagrees with violence, coercion or control. A few wreaked havoc on Absalom Station right after their god was born; though they have fled or were punished, other evangelists continue to commit crimes in the Newborn's name.