Third person: 200B.C. Remote Cult Valley

The soft breeze brushed across the long grass. There was nothing but the soft humming of crickets and birds singing in the trees. A village lay softly on the cliff sides of this valley. The sounds of the village men and women waking up to start their early morning chores were all that could be heard in the deep route of the cliffs. The clattering of clay-made tools and rough grunts from men heaving heavy lumber and rocks onto their backs or onto platforms soon followed after.

The soft padding on the ground on the path leading to the meadow and long grass was soon heard as a slim figure of a girl ran up the path with a woven basket in their arms. The soft hums of a tune could be heard along with the girl as they drew closer. The girl was no older than 14 years old and she stopped in front of several brightly-hued flowers. "What a wonderful morning to gather herbs for the coming winter," her voice was soothing and calm as she lightly brushed against the petals of the flowers.

The breeze picked up and swayed the bottom skirt of the clothing she wore (see the above image for reference). "Oh dear," she said with a hinted tone of disappointment, "troubled winds later tonight. Thanks to the blessings of the great old ones we don't have to worry about the destruction it might cause." Though the village and valley were remote from other civilizations the village was well aware there were villages much bigger than theirs. Though nothing was needed from those villages as the Eldritch Gods they worshiped gave them all the means of survival and substances. Humming again she kneeled in front of a patch of fiery red berry bush as she began to pluck each berry and snap a few leaves to place inside the woven basket. "The hellfire berries are ripped and perfect for grinding into the dye we need to color the ceremonial attire for the coming of winter's festival," the girl hummed happily to herself. After picking more than enough berries she stood and grabbed her basket and headed further into the long grass fields.

Stopping near the mud-filled banks near the clear river she bent down and dug her finger into the clay and pulled up several roots and tiny buds from underneath the clay. "Just as I thought, perfectly in season for the vinyl buds to be harvested. The chief and mother are going to be glad these are ripped to cook into the stew," the girl giggled before pulling the root up more and plucking the buds off the root. Plucking enough of the buds the girl set the root on the ground and buried the root. Patting the clay flat she stood once more and walked over to the clear river banks and dipped her hands in the freezing water watching the water turn slightly brownish-gray before becoming a transparent blue once more. Taking her hands out of the freezing water she patted them against the skirt of her robes.

Humming to herself she picked up the basket and stepped onto the path once more heading back to the cliffside into the village once more. "Ailana," another voice called out to the girl, "there you are! Where have you been all morning? Did you not hear the whistling in the valley? A massive storm is brewing in the west and hitting the northwest as we speak." Ailana, the girl looked to see an older boy not far from her age running up to meet her halfway. This boy was her older brother, Rhedyn. "I have heard the whistling of the valley but I had to gather supplies before the storm, brother. You know how busy mother and chief can get before the storm I am merely helping and doing my part."

"Why did you not wait for me, Ailana?" Rhedyn asked as he looked over the top of Ailana to see the valley of long grass swaying in the wind. "I would have helped gather supplies and carried back more of the heavier set of supplies for you," he placed his hands on top of his axe, "father chief has sent me to gather kindling and wood to create a barricade from the harsh rains that are expected to be happening during the oncoming weather." Ailana smiled and nodded her head, "very well, I will gather the kindling and you can gather the wood. Splitting the responsibilities would be better and faster so we can make it back before sunset." Ailana suggested as Rhedyn nodded his head in agreement.

Rhedyn and Ailana walked down the pathway leading away from the valley of long grass towards the wooded area. The smoke forest. A forest they nicknamed due to the fog that would set in once sunset. They reached the woods and got to gather wood and kindling.

Time passed as the sun was setting behind them as the skies grew gray and the breeze became harsh winds. "Wind is sure picking up," Rhedyn commented as he huffed adjusting the rope around his shoulder blades. "I wonder which Eldritch God is upset this time?" Ailana added sighing. Rhedyn nodded his head merely keeping quiet.

"Brother Rhedyn," Ailana began as Rhedyn looked over at her, "do you think at my coming of age ceremony if I give a wish of birthing a healthy girl do you think Shub-Niggurath will grant my wish?"

Rhedyn hummed before sighing, "why wish that when you have 3 years before that to happen?"

"I am planning for the future brother," Ailana giggled, "besides mother said girls are a blessing as they bring a new era along with the partnering of a newborn male. It's already been announced our dear cousin Fae is being arranged with Hyde, the son of the blacksmith Syndr. Fae wishes to have a son first so is it wrong that I wish for a newborn girl?"

"I see no problem with that thought process but do not tell mother or father that or they'll make sure to delay your arranged marriage until you hit 20 years of age," Rhedyn chuckled. "Now focus sister we are entering the town and I do not need you tripping over the wooden beams of the road again like yesterday." Ailana hummed in acknowledgment before looking straight ahead occasionally greeting the towns folk as they greeted the two. Coming upon the largest home on the rocks they stopped and greeted the chef, their father.

The town readied for the storm as the wind grew monstrous and strong before the strikes of light hit the ground overnight pellets of rain soon followed during the bright early morning when the sun should have risen for the day but it was nothing but darkness and gray. Building their village in the heavy stones of the cliffs was a clear advantage for them as flooding was no issue and the harsh winds did nothing in means of bringing cold or destruction to the foundation of the homes. Ailana stood close to the mudded window watching the rain pound against the mudded roads beneath their second-story home. "It feels like the tears of one of the Gods this storm does it not daughter of mine?" a smoothed honey-filled voice snapped Ailana out of her trance. Sitting further in the dark sat an older woman sewing with a thin needle against the animal hide that was brought in 3 days prior.

"Why say that, Mother?" Ailana asked as she moved further into the room away from the window and sat next to her mother. The older woman chuckled as the needle was midway through the hide. "well," the woman began, "there was a devastating fire that the kingdom had set in the dark forest to try and drive out the thousand young there. Poor things as many of them did not survive the vicious flames."

"Do you think Shub-Niggurath is behind this fierce storm?" Ailana asked with interest clear in her voice. Her mother hummed as she threaded the needle through the fabric once more. "Poor the thousand young as they did nothing to warrant the cruelty of the tyrant's kingdom affairs. Shub-Niggurath's anger and despair are rightfully directed as her young were involved. But mother," Ailana asked as her mother looked up and away from her craft, "do you suspect that the title Mother of a Thousand Young was a given or earned title as Shub-Niggurath told in your stories state she protects all children under her care inside the black forest?"

"Well while that is a good argument to bring into the discussion of one worth but even before her name title suggests she is the mother to several other Eldritch gods even some that fall under the ring of 'Great Old One' but she was one of many who already had a title before the creation of the Azathoth's Court," her mother hummed.

"Isn't the court led by Yog-Sothoth?" Ailana asked as her mother nodded her head. "But why must there be so much harm when it comes to those who have resided here for centuries when our humanity is a mere sliver to them?"

"Majority of mortality fear what one cannot explain," her mother started to explain, "that is why in our village we pass the teachings of our ancestors to the younger generation bringing knowledge in hopes of bringing peace to the unknown. Our teachings are a mere glow in the vast void of knowledge." Ailana hummed as she stood once more and walked over to the window clapping her hands before she took a kneel and bowed her head. "Are you sending your condolences to Shub-Niggurath, my dear daughter?" Ailana did not respond only keeping her posture as Ailana's mother stood before joining beside her.

The storm raged on throughout the day as it kept picking up with more flooding and more wind. "She sure is in enormous amounts of pain if she has been raging for this long," Rhedyn commented sitting on the bench closest to the window where Ailana sat. "Wonder if that tyrant's kingdom killed more than just a few children for her to be in that amount of pain. Father, you stated that the scout assisted with the survey after the tyrant's kingdom had left the area. How many had perished?"

The older man that was running a waxed cloth against iron looked up and huffed, "that tyrants kingdom had the nerve of perishing nearly three-eighths of the thousand young. Only a mere one-eighth had severe injuries but the group was able to save and spare their lives. If the destruction happened to our village as it did to the dark forest I would be rampaging their kingdom tenfold in vengeance for all the lives that they had taken. Her anger is well understood." The older man huffed as he set the waxed rag down on the table and swung the large axe he held.

"How many times I have told you," Ailana's mother entered holding a tray in her arms, "do not swing any weapons in the home unless someone is attacking our home. Now comes and sit down a snack of dried fruits will settle the uneasiness caused by this storm." Ailana stood up from her seating place as she and Rhedyn came closer and sat at the earthern tables. In silence, they ate the dried fruits as Ailana hummed softly. "What ales you my daughter?"

"My thoughts are running wild as I still struggle to see why that tyrant that rules that kingdom west of our village even dared to enter the black forest and even didn't think twice about harming Shub-Niggurath's thousand young. Shub-Niggurath is one of the calmest of Eldritch Gods so why anger her as she is against and will protect those who she views as her children from those who wish harm and chaos?" Ailana sighed as she looked out the window once more. "She's the passive of all of the court but yet they do her harm. How is that any fair?" Ailana's mother sighed as she set the dried fruit down.

"Your care and thoughts mean so much to Shub-Niggurath as you care for her children as much as she does which gives you a brighter insight into empathy. Shub-Niggurath is indeed a passive God one of many firsts that showers her children and followers with protection and motherly affection. But with that motherly affection comes motherly wrath. Her anger can demolish villages as big as kingdoms with her wrath. That tyrant reaped what they sow now it's only a matter of when she reaches that Kingdom and destroys it as they had destroyed her children," Ailana's mother picked up the dried fruit once more and took a bite out of the fruit.

"Motherly rage," Ailana thought over that phrase as she took a bite of her dried fruit, "motherly care and motherly rage are the same concept but have a union with each other when it comes to protecting the ones you love. I am starting to get it now as Shub-Niggurath is the Mother of a Thousand Young she has those responses when it comes to the care of her young."

"Quick learner you are daughter," the mother gave a soft chuckle, "that is the precise reason why Shub-Niggurath is showing such grief and anger. She feels responsible for what happened as it happened to her children and so now she's seeking payment for said lost children. I do pray she gets the payment for the loss of her children as she can be quite a restless god without the comfort of her children."

"Do not worry wife," the older man huffed, "My group and I made the markers on the trees and roads that lead directly to the tyrant's kingdom and wrote which task force did the dirty work on each dirty path we laid down."

"I do hope you weren't spotted by the king's men while doing all of that, father," Ailana said with worry as her father waved at her.

"Nay' my daughter I had one of the youngest do all of the markings quite the swiftest lad we have in the group. He was in and out in a matter of seconds," Ailana's father chuckled.

From morning to night the storm raged on until the next morning when Ailana woke to gray skies but no wind and no rain. Taking it as a sign that it was clearing up she grabbed her basket and slipped on her clogs and headed out the door to the valley where the poppy flowers grow. Humming softly surveying the fallen trees and ripped-up roots and the mud that was presumed deep enough to her knees around the river banks. Sighing she shook her head knowing it'll be difficult to gather different herbs for quite some time. Walking further down the path she stopped and stood frozen as she heard the soft women's voice weeping. But she did not see anyone awake at the village and there were no signs of a broken down carriage anywhere on the way towards the poppy flower meadow.

It confused Ailana but also gave her the curiosity to go see where the weeping was coming from and from who. Speeding her pace up she walked along the path to where she came to blackened grounds and many torn clothes lying around in the center of the mess leaning against a cracked rock sat a woman with grayed dark brown hair with unknown shapes protruding from the woman's head. Clothed arms covered the face of the said woman as Ailana came closer to the woman the weeping continued she could soon make out the hand-woven basket in her hand as it was torn and scorched. Ailana was shocked that this much destruction happened so near the village. "Ma'am? Are you alright? Do you need help? My village is just over yonder," Ailana said with caution.

(Authors Note: a design for Shub-Niggurath was made by my friend Eldritch Chao. I thought about which versions should I show in the story either the depictions of H.P Lovecraft or the cuter versions presented by my friend so yeah I decided on the cuter version)

The woman gave a slight whimper as the woman answered, "you would offer such a thing as help to a stranger?" Her voice sounded hoarse. Ailana chalked it up to it being caused by the fact the woman was crying for a long time. "My village welcomes those who need help and guidance. The chef is my father," Ailana took a step closer.

"Oh, young one how much I adore your kindness," the woman shifted slightly as the woman held out her free arm, "come here, dear child." Ailana walked gingerly closer to the woman and reached for her hand as the woman pulled her closer to her. With unspoken words, Ailana sat down next to the woman as the woman set the burnt basket on Ailana's lap as woman shifted once more to sitting facing her but with her head bent down. "This basket once belonged to one of my beloved children but those from a falsehood came to my territory and killed several of my children. Several of my followers did give me closure in leading me to who had caused such chaos and death. But yet, I still have this emptiness that my children once filled," the woman wept as their breathing hitched.

"Children," Ailana whispered under her breath, "the black forest? Ma'am are you—" before the words left Ailana's mouth the woman looked up and the eyes that Ailana met with were dark amber with the slits in the eyes met with her dark purple eyes. The unknown shapes on her head were her horns with little mouths a gap. "Madam Shub-Niggurath," Ailana breathlessly spoke.

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Authors Note2: hey everyone sorry for the long wait I had a major writer's block for a while and had a long to do before the holiday season approached but I will get a little more out before the holiday season is over and such so thanks for everyone for sticking with me. This a reminder this is nothing historically correct so please don't come after me for anything that might not be historically accurate there will be a few things that may tie historically but not all that much as I wish not to get ranting about things that are not important and if something is misrepresented I don't wish for any backlash for things I might get wrong so yeah it's not gonna historical accurate on for some bits and pieces there will be historical events such as knights and the black plague but in brief mentions, nothing detailed in much so please enjoy!