Servitor race

“	Now the Yuggya serve my lord Ythogtha and His Brother, Zoth-Ommog, even as the Deep Ones serve Cthulhu and the Tcho-Tchos their lords, Zhar and Lloigor; and as the Flame-Creatures strive ever to free Cthugha and the Serpentmen of Valusia sought to unchain their lord, Yig, so do the Yuggya tirelessly gnaw at the bonds that hold Ythogtha and Zoth-Ommog.	„
	~ Zanthu (EXP: "The Thing in the Pit")

A servitor race is a species that collectively serves another entity or entities. Typically, the entity they serve is a Great Old One, although species that serve Outer Gods, Great Ones, or Elder Gods aren't unheard of either. In many cases, the servitor race will venerate the entity that they serve as a deity, and dutifully perform ceremonies and even sacrifices to it.

While examples of servitor races can be found in the works of the earliest Cthulhu Mythos contributors, such as H. P. Lovecraft and Frank Belknap Long, the concept was first codified as an important aspect of the mythology by August Derleth, who laid a foundation that the expanded Mythos would build upon.

In the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, most species are classified as either servitor races, independent races, or fabulous creatures. The game establishes that the Great Old Ones are often accompanied by their servitor species, representatives of which "may act as hitmen, messengers, spies, and delivery boys, frightening off investigators and bulking out confrontations".

Definition[]

While alien entities are often worshiped as gods in Lovecraft's stories, the distinction between widespread cults and examples of species-wide servitude is not always clear. For instance, Cthulhu is identified as the leader of the cosmic octopi, also referred to as his "star-spawn", which are currently imprisoned in R'lyeh (HPL: "The Call of Cthulhu", At the Mountains of Madness). Conversely, the Deep Ones are also known to offer tributes to Cthulhu, and are free to move about, rather than being imprisoned, although stones marked with a certain sign can repel them (HPL: The Shadow Over Innsmouth). In the Dreamlands, the Shantaks, Moon-beasts and Men of Leng are all followers of Nyarlathotep, whereas the Night-gaunts serve Nodens, and the Ghouls owe allegiance to no deity (HPL: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath). Some species are also portrayed by Lovecraft as entirely irreligious, including the Elder Things and the Great Race of Yith.

It was Derleth who first established the notion that the Great Old Ones have "spawned" several species as "servants" or "minions", who are actively trying to free their masters from the imprisonment that the Elder Gods subjected them to, and preparing the terrain for their return (AWD: "The Return of Hastur"). Unlike the Great Old Ones, the servitor races aren't themselves imprisoned. However, they are also defined by the fact that the sight of the Elder Sign can repel them. Species identified as servant races by Derleth include the "Abominable Snowmen" / "Abominable Mi-Go", the Byakhee, the Deep Ones, the Dholes, the Shantaks, the Shoggoths, and the Voormis (AWD: "The Keeper of the Key", "The House in the Valley"). It's worth noting that some of these would later be classified by Chaosium as independent races, not servitors.

Derleth also popularised the idea that, while collectively opposed to the Elder Gods, the Great Old Ones have several enmities and rivalries with each other, which extends to their servitor races. As a result, the various servitor races are not to be assumed to be allied with each other at all times, and instead are more commonly at odds, leading to situations such as the servants of Hastur actively working against the servants of Cthulhu and vice-versa.

In the expanded Mythos, different authors have different takes on whether or not all servitor races are free. Some species loyal to the Great Old Ones are currently imprisoned by the Elder Sign, including the Dwellers in the Depths (EXP: "The Horror from the Bridge") and the Chthonians (EXP: The Burrowers Beneath). While the Dwellers in the Depths and the Spawn of Cthulhu (another imprisoned species) are both classified as "servitor races" by Chaosium, the Chthonians are classified as an independent race. In the works of Brian Lumley, the Chthonians and the Spawn of Cthulhu (referred to as "Cthulhi") are both regarded as actual Great Old Ones, explaining why they are imprisoned, as opposed to mere servitors like the Deep Ones, which are still free.

As for their origins, many servitor races are believed to have been created, spawned, or sired by their masters. For instance, the Tcho-Tcho people are said to have been born from "seeds" left by Zhar and Lloigor, and have since been trying to free their progenitors from the subterranean chambers where the Elder Gods have trapped them (AWD: "The Lair of the Star-Spawn"). The Miri Nigri were given life by Chaugnar Faugn, who made them from the flesh of Earth animals. Unlike most other races, the Miri Nigri have no mind of their own, and live only to serve their creator. Conversely, the Brothers of Chaugnar Faugn are more accurately described as dimensional extensions of Chaugnar, as opposed to individual beings (CIRCLE: The Horror from the Hills). Similarly, the Fire Vampires are merely extensions of Fthaggua (CIRCLE: "The Fire Vampires"). The Shoggoths, meanwhile, are a rather unique case, in that they were created by the Elder Things (HPL: At the Mountains of Madness) but chose instead to venerate and serve Ubbo-Sathla (EXP: "The Descent into the Abyss").

In "Dreams in the House of Weir", by Lin Carter, the Dholes are explicitly called Shub-Niggurath's "servitors", while the Nug-Soth are only identified as her "worshipers", possibly implying a distinction. Despite venerating the same deity, these two species are blood enemies. However, it's been noted that Shub-Niggurath herself doesn't favor one race over the other, and doesn't particularly care about which one will be victorious at the end, an attitude reminiscent of some classic Mythos stories, such as "The Door to Saturn", which sees the Ydheems worshiping Hziulquoigmnzhah, who is completely indifferent to their devotion.

Lin Carter's classification[]

Servitor race	Led by:	Loyal to:
Aihais	Ta-Vho-Shai	Vulthoom
Cold Ones	Rlim Shaikorth	Aphoom-Zhah
Dark Ones	Yeb	Ghatanothoa
Deep Ones	Dagon and Mother Hydra	Cthulhu
Dholes	?	Shub-Niggurath
Flame Creatures / Fire Vampires	Fthaggua	Cthugha
Ghouls	Naggoob or Nug	Nyogtha
Gnophkehs	?	Rhan-Tegoth
Gray Weavers	Tch'tkaa	Atlach-Nacha
Hidden Ones	Tsunth	Zushakon
Mi-Go	N'gha-Kthun	Hastur
Miri Nigri	?	Chaugnar Faugn
Night-gaunts	Yegg-Ha	Yibb-Tstll or Nodens
Serpent-folk	Sss'haa	Yig
Shantaks	Quumyagga	Groth-Golka
Shoggoths	K'thugguol	Ubbo-Sathla
Tcho-Tchos	E-poh	Zhar and Lloigor
Thuum'ha	Bokrug	Mnomquah
Unclean Ones	Yeb	Abhoth
Voormis	Voorm	Tsathoggua
Yuggs	Ubb	Ythogtha and Zoth-Ommog

Chaosium's classification[]

In the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, servitor races are further classified as either "Greater Servitor Races" or "Lesser Servitor Races", depending on the danger posed by an average individual.

Greater Servitor Races[]

The following individual beings are also classified as Greater Servitors:

Greater Servitor	Species
Dagon & Hydra	Deep Ones
Guardian Pillar	unique being
Naggoob	Ghoul
Nyarlathotep's Half-Brother	unique being
Quumyagga	Shantak
Yath-Lhi	Vampire
Fthaggua	Fire Vampire
Ubb	Yugg
The Watchers in the Waste	unique beings
Xiurhn	unique being

Lesser Servitor Races[]

The following individual beings are also classified as Lesser Servitors:

M'bwa
Yath-Lhi's Guardsmen