Sandy petersens cthulhu mythos 50

II Mythos Races
once, but there is no social or

300 years of age are found in the

biological imperative to do so.

older forests.
Zoogs breed more quickly

Life Cycle

than

Zoogs give birth to 6 to

after leaving home (so, from

10 to 15 days. The blind,

3 to 5 years of age). It then

nearly-embryonic young are

has up to eight viable progeny,

only about a centimeter long,

which it raises to maturity. When

perfectly sized for the mother to

those babies leave home, the zoog is

pick them up and put them into her

these become her chosen. This is often but not always
the right-hand pouch; she-zoogs are “left-pouched” or
“right-pouched”, just as humans are “right-handed”
or “left-handed.” All the other young are placed into
her less-preferred pouch, and become off-pouch. Each
pouch normally has four internal nipples, so if five or

other

is ready to mate within a year

gestation period of only

or most interesting young into her favored pouch, and

any

sentient race. A typical zoog

12 (2d4+4) babies after a

pouches. She puts the four best-looking

almost

ready to mate again. This means that
a typical zoog first mates around the age of 4,
and then has almost exactly eight surviving offspring
about every four years following this. This means that
twenty pairs of breeding zoogs (a typical colonization
group) can increase to 50,000 adult zoogs in only two
decades.

Society

more babies are off-pouch, only four survive—typically

Each individual zoog forest is its own independent

the strongest or fastest. The others starve within a day

nation, responsible for its own treaties and decisions.

or two, and the mother cleans them out of the pouch

Zoogs never go to war with other zoogs, and are

and eats them.

bemused by the fact that other sentient races fight

The pouchlings stay attached to the mother’s

amongst themselves. Not engaging in such strife

nipples and don’t leave the pouch for 2 to 3 months.

does not preclude them from taking advantage of it,

When they emerge, fully-furred and capable of life on

however.

their own, they are now called “zooglets.” They usually
stay in or near the parental home until maturity.

Zoog society and social importance are closely
tied to their biology. Zoogs raised in their mother’s

Zoogs reach full size, intelligence, and sexual

preferred pouch are the chosen, promoted and trusted

maturity in 2 to 4 years, depending on how well they’re

as the upper tier of zoog society, while those raised in

fed. Once the young are completely independent, the

the inferior pouch are the off-pouch and are considered

parents move on as well. Zoogs can live for a long

lower class. Because each pouch has four nipples, there

time—much longer than most small mammals.

are almost never more off-pouch than chosen and vice

Zoogs older than 30 to 40 years are forced to extend

versa in a given zoog forest, notwithstanding death and

their longevity through magical potions, forest herbs,

infant mortality. The chosen vs. off-pouch hierarchy

or spells. Zoogs with access to these age-defeating

is the most fundamental differentiation within zoog

techniques can live for many decades, and zoogs over

society, and forms the basis of their system of nobility.

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