Chthonian

"A deadly race of extraterrestrial worm-like monsters that can live for virtually eternity through a process of hibernation and draining the planet's life-force while burrowing beneath the dirt. Extremely vulnerable to water or any type of liquid, and the majority of their species on Earth had gone extinct during the biblical deluge."

- Men of Letters' notes on the Chthonians.

Chthonians are massive burrowing worm-like creatures that are the offspring of Shudde M'ell, one of the Great Old Ones. They are ancient creatures that believed to have existed before the time of man.

Overview
Chthonians are described as immense squids, with elongated worm-like bodies coated with slime. Despite their squid-like appearance, chthonians are land-dwellers and are even harmed by water. Chthonians are powerful burrowers, live for more than a thousand years, and are protective of their young. It is said that a chanting sound accompanies every chthonian, and that by such they can be detected while underground and unseen.

Description
The most important individual chthonian is the gigantic Shudde M'ell, which is worshipped by the rest and is one of the Great Old Ones, a race of extraterrestrial eldritch deities that made their way to Earth in an attempt to hide from the forces of light.

History
From Shudde M'ell, the chthonian race was born and flourished underground, however, when the polytheistic deities were given the Earth, they began an extermination of any Old One they came across. The chthonians were nearly destroyed when they aided Cthulhu and the second hose of Old Ones against the gods in a bid to claim the Earth.

Millions of years later, the chthonians resurfaced during the time of Noah, much of their activities were unknown though it is likely that they terrorized the humans that were foolish enough to trespass onto their territory. Much like the rest of the monsters and corrupt humans, they too were not spared from the Deluge, with the powerful flood ensuring all but their total destruction since the chthonians are vulnerable to water with only a couple hundred of chthonians surviving.

Since their expulsion from the surface world, Chthonians have become a rare creature to behold, as these entities now live deep within the Hollow Earth, lurking in the pathways leading to the Earth's core with only a few appearing in the upper strata and outer crust. The burrows carved out by these eldritch beasts have come to be known as the Caves of Chthonia and begin just beneath the deep ground and go on to extend all the way into Agartha, where their expansion is challenged by the Agarthians.

Myths and Legends
The species is the creation of Brian Lumley and was first featured in his short story "Cement Surroundings" though the creature never made a direct appearance. The chthonians had a more prominent role in Lumley's novel "The Burrowers Beneath", whose title was taken from a fictional story from Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark."

In Greek mythology, "chthonian" refers to beings that inhabit the underworld; they are considered to be the dark, shadowy counterparts of the Olympians.

Notable Chthonians

 * Shudde M'ell - Leader and Creator of the Chthonians

Trivia

 * The name Chthonian has a strong resemblance with the term chthonic.

Image Sources

 * (Borja-pindado-chthonian-b.jpg) Chthonian by Borja Pindado
 * (Borja-pindado-chthonian-a.jpg) Beached Chthonian by Borja Pindado
 * (Chthonian by stranger86 daycrj9-fullview.jpg) Chthonian by stranger86
 * (Jakub-bazyluk-spawn-of-chthonian-jb.jpg) Machina Arcana - Spawn of Chthonian illustration by Jakub Bazyluk
 * (Chthonian (Fantasy Flight Games).jpg) Chthonian from Fantasy Flight Games
 * (Chthonian 2 (Fantasy Flight Games).jpg) Chthonian from Fantasy Flight Games
 * (Achtung! Cthulhu 7 (Modiphius Entertainment Ltd).png) Chthonian from Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
 * (Bestiare-6.jpg) Cthonian from Call of Cthulhu 7th edition
 * (Loic-muzy-v7-illus-1.jpg) chthonian and Dholes by Loïc Muzy
 * (Loic-muzy-planche-bestiaire-v7-2.jpg) chthonian and Dholes by Loïc Muzy
 * (Cthonian.png) Cthonian by Ryuga Boumera