The Order of the Bloated Woman is an ancient cult devoted to a dark goddess whom they believe is an aspect of a primal deity worshiped secretly in many forms all over the world: one of the avatars of Nyarlathotep. This organisation is unique to China, and its rituals are practiced both on the mainland and on some uninhabited islands, such as Gray Dragon island, which houses a shrine as well as a village in which its inhabitants wear the cult characters of the Bloated Woman on medallions, belts, and so forth. At one time, it was much feared throughout the coastal regions of China; the dread Fukien pirates were said at times to take instructions from the Order, which reputedly wielded powerful magic against its enemies. Authorities now doubt that the Order still exists, but, in truth, it has grown in the last few years. Only a fraction of their victims have been found.
Their high priest is a man named Ho Fong, a wealthy import/export businessman from Shanghai. The sect employs a signature weapon: a sickle which they use to mutilate the victim's trunk before severing the limbs, bleeding to death; unlike many gangs with access to them, the use of firearms is rare. The sect is in contact with a Deep One colony in the East China Sea, and human and Deep One hybrids are common amongst their membership. (EXP: Masks of Nyarlathotep)
The ceremonial robes worn by the Order are a voluminous black and yellow silk garb, tailored to simulate the shape of the Bloated Woman. All members are marked with a tattoo on the left armpit with a symbol which allows identification. The ideograms are in kanji (the normal written Chinese language) and simply mean "Bloated Woman". Reflecting the cultists' range of interests, the Order normally holds only death rites and breeding rites. The former feature several hours of mad chanting and dancing followed by the slaughter of sacrificial victims and the summoning of the Bloated Woman, who devours the sacrifices and delivers a short homily encouraging self-sacrifice and unthinking obedience. The latter involve the ravishment of humans by Deep Ones, especially female ones.
The Order is well known in Shanghai's extensive criminal underworld due to the reputation of its minions, with both nationalist and leftist underground movements also being vaguely aware of their existence.
On January l4, 1926, the Gray Dragon island holds as many members of the Order of the Bloated Woman as can get there. The god appears as the Bloated Woman, and her followers grovel. The god then freezes, not to move again until the Great Gate opens and she roars her horrible triumph. Using the magma of the island, a powered rocket is launched toward the Indian Ocean, which opens the path to Nyarlathotep... unless it can be foiled.
Notable members[]
- Ho Fong:: High Priest of the Order of the Bloated Woman. He is a very dangerous man who looks between 55 and 60 years old, and has a seemingly friendly demeanour. He dresses in indifferently-tailored white linen suits, and smokes aromatic cigarettes wrapped in brown paper, often offering them to his guests. He likes to talk about the climate, history and geography of Shanghai, and always converses in a polite and friendly manner. For all the public knows, he is an importer, having a warehouse as the centre of his business. His reputation is faultless, and he is respected by all who know of him. He is untouchable by local Chinese offlcials. Yet, intruders who get inside the warehouse are to be captured for interrogation by Ho Fong or an aide, then sacrificed to the Bloated Woman. Ho Fong's warehouse contains a shrine to the Bloated Woman. Though Ho always carries a fighting knife, he prefers slower, subtler methods. Adept with drugs and poisons, his cunning and intelligence are his most dangerous assets.
- Sir Aubrey Penhew: a Nyarlathotep sorcerer, having learnt of it through his Egyptology studies in the shape of the Black Pharaoh. Incurably insane and maniacally capable, he is able to build a device to help open the Great Gate to Nyarlathotep.
Artifacts of the Bloated Woman[]
- The Tale of Priest Kwan
- Goddess of the Black Fan, by Liu Chan-fang
- Several statues of varying size fashioned after the Bloated Woman, up and including an image of the Bloated Woman about ten feet high. In truth, it's but a gate - one through which Nyarlathotep appears when summoned.