Sandy petersens cthulhu mythos (1) 49

Family Terminology
Zoogs can speak their own language as well as
others, but use specific phrases and unusual
concepts to describe family and the roles of other
zoog in their society. Some examples are listed
below.
Generation: Zoogs use this word to determine
the ranking of a zoog in their society.
He-Zoog: A male zoog.
She-Zoog: A female zoog.
Zooglet: A young zoog, furred and capable of
leaving its mother’s pouches.
Pouchling: An infant zoog, naked, blind, and
helpless. Normally never leaves the pouch.
Chosen: An adjective used to describe those
zoogs raised in their mother’s preferred pouch
and thus generally considered superior to other
zoogs.
Off-Pouch: An adjective used to describe zoogs
raised in their mother’s less preferred pouch and
thus generally considered inferior to other zoogs.

make it safer to move through a zoog forest. In truth,
zoogs are rarely duped by such attempts at trickery.

Family
Zoogs normally live in hollow trees or burrows which
they dig themselves or steal from other burrow-makers
(such as foxes or badgers). They prefer dark and damp
conditions. They typically dig a large network of
tunnels with at least two concealed exits in addition to

the main entrance for a quick escape at need.
When zoogs show affection, they grab and caress
their beloved or friend with their cold, clammy face
tentacles. Humans generally find this quite unsettling,
but those that become friends with a zoog learn to
endure it as best they can.
Zoogs do not mate for life. Periodically, two zoog
become infatuated. They then become obsessed with
each other, engage in wooing and flirtatious activities,

signed a treaty with the forest. All zoogs, regardless
of their forest, speak the same language, which is
instinctive, not learned. Hence, even a zoog raised by
humans will grow up able to speak its own tongue (as
well as the language of those who raised it).
Zoogs are generally carnivores. While they are
able to eat some fruits and vegetables (usually raw),
prolonged reliance on plant matter tends to make them
listless and sick. Fresh meat is always a treat, preferably
eaten raw. They can eat dried or cooked meat when
necessary. They enjoy all types of animal flesh and even
eat humanoids when they get the opportunity. Large
and/or intelligent prey must be ambushed and trapped,
as zoog are at their best from positions of stealth.
Zoogs are able to produce a musk-like substance
from glands on their heads, which they often smear on
trees or rocks to leave a trail for others of their kind to
follow. Some merchants sell “zoog musk,” which they
claim can be used to confuse or distract zoogs and thus

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and try to spend time together. At any given time, a zoog
is only interested in one other member of its species. Of
course, sometimes the object of a zoog’s affection does
not reciprocate, and then the heartbroken would-be
lover licks their emotional wounds and retreats, only
to fall in love with and obsess over a new zoog a few
months later.
If two zoogs prove compatible and a she-zoog
becomes pregnant, the pair moves into the same
burrow, and the father helps to protect and feed the
mother (and their babies) until their progeny have
grown big enough to leave the family unit. This process
typically takes a few years. Once the babies are on their
own, the parents separate, dissolving their personal
bond but maintaining emotional ties to their offspring.
Within a year or two (or sometimes just a few months),
the parents find new objects of affection and the cycle
begins again.
It isn’t rare during the natural zoog mating cycle for
zoogs to fall in love with the same partners more than