Lamashtu

Lamashtu is the mother to all things that slither, crawl, or flap above and below Erilen. She serves as the patron goddess and creator of countless horrors, be they fiction or reality. As one of the few Abyssal entities that rose into a deity, Lamashtu is one of the sole reasons for even the Gods fearing what lurks within the depths of The Abyss.


Spheres of Influence: Monsters, Nightmares, Insanity,

Title(s):  Mother of Monsters, The Nightmare Queen, The Fiend Goddess

Symbol: A three eyed goat's head.

Depiction: Lamashtu is depicted as winged, emaciated humanoid whose skin is made of a vile sludge that constantly fizzles and pops, forming eyes, mouths, or arms as she pleases.

Month: Lamash, last month of Spring.

Relations

As befits her demonic origins, Lamashtu most of the Pantheon a bitter enemy; the feeling's mutual, of course. Lamashtu focuses primarily on growing her cults and expanding her worshiper's influence across Erilen, so that she may steadily rise into power.

Many remember her for her surprisingly heroic role in sealing away Rhysvial, as it was her that bound the Worldbreaker in place so that Belial and Murielle may properly seal him within The Vault.




Churches and Clergy

Lamashtu's cult lacks a proper structure or hierarchy, and is found scattered across the world. Her worshipers generally create hidden or secret shrines found underground, which are usually made from crudely constructed stone or wood circles. Many former altars of Lamashtu have been found within caves, containing evidence of the horrendous rituals and failed birthings that took place within the cult.

For the most part, her clergy seeks out deformity and perversion within both themselves and others, and often kidnap victims from nearby communities to conduct their torturous experiments. Worshipers are also known to consort with vile creatures in order to give birth to monstrosities, such as ogres or other horrors.



Holy Texts

Lamashtu's cult lacks any real books, as they much rather spread the word of their god through divine rituals or word of mouth.


Notable Equipment

Skulls of Musmahu: The seven heads of a great hydra that died in service to Lamashtu. The skulls of Musmahu are said to be scattered somewhere across Erilen. Several cults have claimed to have owned such a skull, and use it to hear the goddess' will.

Rituals:

The cult of Lamashtu doesn't have any known regular holidays, but debauched or hedonistic celebrations are very common among them.

Birthing: An important thing to the cult of Lamashtu is the birth of deformed creatures. It is said that the goddess' favour will show when a worshiper's child is born deformed. On the contrary, an inexplicable (and often fatal) birth of a healthy, 'perfect' child will mean that the worshiper has somehow incurred her wrath.