Glaaki

Gla'aki (erroneously simplified as Glaaki in the edited version of the Revelations) is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. Gla'aki first appeared in "The Inhabitant of the Lake" (1964), an early story by Ramsey Campbell. Recently this being featured in Campbell's The Last Revelation of Gla'aki (2013).

Gla'aki in the mythos

In Cthulhu Mythos fiction, Gla'aki is a Great Old One and dwells in a lake in the Severn Valley near Brichester in England (though he has been reported in other lakes around the world). Gla'aki has the shape of an enormous slug covered with metallic spines that, despite their appearance, are actually organic growths. Gla'aki can also extrude tentacles with eyes at the tips, allowing him to peer from underneath the water. It is believed that he came to the Earth imprisoned inside a meteor. When the meteor landed, Gla'aki was freed, and the impact created the lake wherein he now resides.

Gla'aki is an ancient and wise creature with vast knowledge of the other beings that are active in Britain's Severn River Valley, such as Y'golonac, the Denizens of S'glhuo, Shub-Niggurath, Eihort, and Byatis. The cult's holy book, known as The Revelations of Gla'aki, was written by his cult, which gleaned sorcerous knowledge from their master. While the original text was reputedly written in eleven loose-leaf notebooks by various unidentified contributors, the 1865 edition published by the Matterhorn Press of Highgate is contained in nine volumes, described as "edited, organised and corrected". A small edition printed exclusively for subscribers, it is now extremely rare.

Gla'aki's cult (Servants of Gla'aki)

By driving one of his spines into a victim and injecting a special fluid, Gla'aki can turn the unfortunate into an undead slave; however, if the spine is broken off before the fluid is injected, the victim dies anyway but is at least spared the fate of becoming Gla'aki's slave. The injected fluid produces growths throughout the victim's body that allow Glaaki to manipulate the subject's corpse.

Many people come to serve Gla'aki willingly, in exchange for the promise of eternal life. What they don't realise is that he makes good on his promise by driving his spines into them, turning them into undead slaves.

The Green Decay

As time passes the undead creatures become increasingly sensitive to sunlight, and even begin to take damage from it. The Servants of Gla'aki refer to this condition as the Green Decay.

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