Nioth-Korghai

Nioth-Korghai
Also known as	EXP: Ubbo-Sathla
Origin	Karthis
Affiliations	Ubbo-Sathla
First appearance	CIRCLE: "The Tomb Spawn", Clark Ashton Smith
Appearances	CIRCLE: "The Tomb Spawn", Clark Ashton Smith EXP: "The Star Vampires",
Created by	Clark Ashton Smith

🔀 This article is about the species, not the god of the same name

Nioth-Korghai is a long-lived androgynous, yellow, fungoid, squid-like alien race. They come from the planet Karthis, a water-world, and possessed a highly evolved civilisation millions of years ago. According to them they created the first true hominids, after 700 years of experimenting. Some of the Nioth-Korghai became vampiric (calling themselves "the Ubbo-Sathla") and these were outlawed by the Nioth race. Their relationship with the Cosmic Octopi is unclear. A group of criminals attacked the Earth in the late 20th Century.

Background in Call of Cthulhu

The Nioth-Korghai are space-faring vampires traveling in a 50-mile long spacecraft. Whom lie dormant within, until they either reach a world with suitable prey or they are contacted by an intelligent life form. These aquatic fungi are capable of possessing sentient life forms, and are able to leave their host and possess a new one. They feed on the lifeforce of sentients by kissing their victims, whom rapidly age as it's drained from them. If only a little is taken, it leaves the victim tired but if all of it is taken, the victim ends up as dried and withered husk.

Nioth-korgahi can shapeshift to resemble life forms but at great cost to their power, which can be restored by draining a victim's lifeforce. It can revert back to their true form at will, without cost. They cannot be wounded but are instantly killed if impaled in the solar plexus region. It's a race which worships the Outer God Ubbo-Sathla.

Deviation in the 1985 Movie

In the film Lifeforce, the space vampires were in appearance vastly different than in the Colin Wilson's novel, The Star Vampires. They still fed on the lifeforce of their victims, traveled in a planetoid-size spacecraft, and possessed others. Unlike the octopoid-like star vampires of Colin Wilson, their true form was that of a demonic bat-like humanoid.

Behind the Mythos

The name Nioth-Korghai was created by Clark Ashton Smith as a minor god in his Zothique stories. Francis Laney listed it as a Mythos god in his Glossary. Colin Wilson picked up the name and applied it to his aliens in the novel The Star Vampires. Chaosium also used them.

Gallery

Gallery of the Nioth-Korghai

Gallery of the Spacecraft