“ | With only a slight churning to mark its rise to the surface, the thing slid into view above the dark waters. Vast, Polyphemus-like, and loathsome, it darted like a stupendous monster of nightmares to the monolith, about which it flung its gigantic scaly arms, the while it bowed its hideous head and gave vent to certain measured sounds. | „ |
~ Private Watson |
Father Dagon is an Ogdru Hem, and known by the people of Lemuria as Urgo-Hem. Also known as Lord of the Deep, he is said to preside over the deep ones, an amphibious humanoid race indigenous to Earth's oceans as well as the followers of the Cthulhu.
Overview[]
He, like many of the Old Ones, possesses a large cult following made up of humans who engage in a ritualistic ceremony that allows them to become members of his kind as well in order to be forever part of his darkness. This cult in question is known as the Esoteric Order of Dagon, a secret cult based in Innsmouth.
Dagon is an enormous specimen of Deep One that has been mentioned in texts since ancient times. While apparently immortal, his longevity may be attributable to his fraternization with the Star Spawn, who sometimes select formidable specimens from a given species to protect, nurture, and empower for reasons known only to them.
Appearance[]
Dagon is depicted as a gigantic Deep One of unfathomable size. Like other Eldritch entities, his appearance was said to be nightmarish, like something that emerged from the more horrid crevasse on the ocean floor. Its eyes are as black as the watery abyss it dwells in, and it arms ungulate with menace was they slither through the ocean floor like kraken tentacles.
It may also be that there has been more than one gigantic specimen of Deep Ones who could have been confused with or mistaken for the original Dagon. All Deep Ones continue to grow slowly after they reach maturity, provided that they have access to enough nourishment. In fact, there are ancient Dagon-related carvings that display what appear to be several gigantic Deep Ones wrestling with whales.
History[]
Background[]
Dagon is one of the Ogdru Hem and believed to be the first Deep One to have ever been created. All Deep Ones can be traced back to him and his consort and is thus the father of the Deep Ones. It is unclear if he participated in the global conflicts between the Old Ones and the polytheistic gods but there is indication that he did as Dagon holds a deep hatred towards other sea gods such as Poseidon.
Dagon was the one who paved way for the arrival of Cthulhu and his kin. He first dug the great pits of R'lyeh deep beneath the depths of the southern Pacific Ocean, and from the foundations, the gargantuan Deep Ones, would construct R'lyeh in order to prepare it for Cthulhu's arrival. After the war Dagon, alongside the inhabitants of R'lyeh, fell into a deep slumber after their defeat by the gods and would awaken in response to the "shifting of the tides".
City of Dagos[]
When the legions of Dagon rose to prominence in the oceans of the world, Dagon commanded the citizens of Atlantis and all other Merfolk of the sea to bow before him or suffer the wrath of his army. While the majority of Merfolk colonies followed the example set by the mighty city of Atlantis in refusing to yield, there was one city that greatly feared the Lord of the Deep, a newly emerging metropolis known as Adýnamos. Looking upon their magnificent city adorned in undersea jewels and riches of supreme opulence, the citizens of Adýnamos were cursed with selfish greed, hunger, and darkness that did not allow them to risk the destruction of their city in a lengthy rebellion against the forces of Dagon but instead wished to expand their power throughout the seas by proxy of Dagon's influence.
Instead the city, along with the Nameless King, surrendered before the Lord of the Deep and swore an eternal allegiance to Dagon in exchange for having the resources to grow their empire into the most magnificent beneath the seas, striving to become even greater than Atlantis itself. Over time the citizens of Adýnamos became corrupted, transforming into the dreaded Merrow after Dagon would take them into the Abyssal Deep where he would subject them to unthinkable torture that warped and twisted their mind, body, and souls. They believed their actions to be just and coming to the conclusion that Atlantis needed to be destroyed so that they could reign supreme. A crudely built monolith was erected in honor of Dagon by the Merrow though the monolith's true purpose is unknown.
War against Atlantis[]
After the Fall of Atlantis, the Atlantean people became incredibly xenophobic towards the worship of foreign gods outside of the Greek pantheon. When the legions of Dagon rose to prominence within the oceans of the world, Atlantis refused to bow before the Lord of the Deep. This sparked a deadly undersea conflict that largely unnoticed by the surface world, however there were records by ancient seafaring traders or sailors describing a "terrible" storm that ravaged the seas with the storm being a product of the ensuing conflict between the Merfolk and Dagon.
Hundreds of Merrow, Raandeese, and Deep Ones under the command of Dagon have launched assaults upon the mighty city, only to be slain by the Atlanteans, or devoured by the city's guardian Charybdis, who uses her massive maw to swallow Merrow whole and tear large chunks of flesh out of giant Deep Ones. Despite the advantage, Dagon's forces suffered innumerable casualties from Charybdis and the forces of Atlantis, which also garnered a fear and heated hatred from the eldritch marine monsters towards Atlantis. Dagon attempted to assault the Atlanteans, only to be subdued by the Merfolk as Dagon was weak from spending so much of his power into building his legions. They defeated Dagon but could not slay him, so instead they managed to seal the Lord of the Deep beneath an island that would restrict his movements. On that same island, the town of Innsmouth would be built in 1643.
Modern Age[]
Despite being sealed by the Merfolk, Dagon would slowly build his strength and exerting his influence over the residents of Innsmouth, to the extent where humans would breed with Deep Ones to create abominable offspring. He found favor with a sea merchant by the name of Obed Marsh who built a profitable gold refinery, but the town only deteriorated further after riots and a mysterious epidemic (revealed to be a hostile raid of Deep Ones) eliminated half of its residents in 1845.
Obed also founded a pagan cult called the Esoteric Order of Dagon, which became the town's primary religion. Outsiders and government officials, including Census Bureau agents and school inspectors, are treated with hostility. This city was the base of operation for all of Dagon's activities beyond the reaches of the water, and thus an important stronghold for practitioners of the dark arts wishing to export the knowledge of their magics. Sometime during the midst of World War I, an officer serving the Navy came into contact with Dagon during what looked to be a lucid state of dreaming. Dagon was seen embracing the monolith crafted for him which implies that Dagon may be using the monolith to stretch his influence over weak-willed minds.
Shadow Over Innsmouth[]
A resident name Jack Walters managed to sneak his way out of Innsmouth, alerting any military operation about Innsmouth through Morse code. The British Paranormal Society were the first to have taken wind of this message and traveled to Innsmouth. It was there that the crew discovered unholy and horrendous activities being conducted in the town, and according to his journal, the town was under the command of a cult known as the Esoteric Order of Dagon that worship the "Old Ones from the Stars Above". While they were forced to combat the inhabitants of Innsmouth who turned out to be monsters themselves, the town was later destroyed after Jack Walters called in the Marine Corps to burn it to the ground, whom they had also saved during their unpleasant stay in Innsmouth.
A combined assault was immediately launched, but the ship that Jack was on at the time (a Coast Guard ship called "The Urania") was simultaneously attacked by the Deep Ones. Jack and the BPS fought off the Deep Ones for a while, but eventually Dagon himself rose from the depths of the ocean and attacked the ship. Jack managed to use the ships main cannon to launch missiles into his face while the enhanced agents of the British Paranormal Society distracted him. After being shot in the face repeatedly, Dagon went down, but managed to drag the ship below with him, taking with him the knowledge within Jack Walters brain.
Once the Federal Bureau of Control became aware of the incident, they began a massive cover up of the area and containment of the city of Innsmouth. The Bureau has taken ownership of the region and blocked it off from civilian access while they attempt to quarantine the city of the evil within, though this has proven a slow process due to the remaining Deep Ones and the forces of Dagon, who refuses to relinquish control of his once great stronghold.
Personality[]
Dagon has long been respected as a great keeper of lore within the depths of the abyss, sharing this sinister ancient occult knowledge with anyone daring to enter his watery void and face him in his domain. He is one of the few rumored to have traversed the entirety of the Abyss and discovered all its hidden chambers and passages.
Trivia[]
- It may also be that there has been more than one gigantic specimen of Deep Ones who could have been confused with or mistaken for the original Dagon. All Deep Ones continue to grow slowly after they reach maturity, provided that they have access to enough nourishment. In fact, there are ancient Dagon-related carvings that display what appear to be several gigantic Deep Ones wrestling with whales.
- In A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord Dagon Greyjoy was ruler of the Iron Islands. The symbol of his people is a kraken and the chant of their baptism is "What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger," all references to the mythos.
- At a very advanced age, some Deep Ones reach enormous sizes. Such individuals engender the Cult of Dagon, who worship these creatures as deities. They are, in fact, entirely corporeal beings whose great age contributes to their massive size. There is fossil evidence that the oldest, largest of these beings reached sizes of over 50 feet in height.