Gulmoth

Gulmoth is a term mages use for Abyssal entities that primarily manifest outside the Astral Realms, being either alien and hostile spirits, bizarre mutations of life, or even living anomalies in time and space. Unlike their predominantly Astral cousins, the Acamoth, gulmoth are generally temporary visitors to the Fallen World, wreaking some long-term harm before escaping back into their alien home. The primary way they manifest is as the being released by a Manifestation Paradox, but there are many ways for inauspicious occult correspondences to align and release one to menace the world. Some summongs occur randomly, others require elaborate rites which even Sleepers can perform.

Certain types of Gulmoth are popular for Abyssal summoning, as unlike many entities they wish to be called into the world, and they generally do not need to be haggled with - the gulmoth you want explicitly outlines the cost of its services, and wavers little.

A partial list of Gulmoth includes:

• The Prince of 100,000 Leaves - a colossally powerful entity that is best described as an alternate timeline. It hungers to consume our own timeline, and works hard to bleed into our reality and subvert our history.
• Abyssal Assistant - summoned by an intense obsession to create an invention, this Gulmoth takes the form of a handy tool or implement. When wielded, it manipulates its owner into inventing impossible devices, which slowly drain all life in their vicinity until the inventor is dead.
• Abyssal Spiders - summoned when a human has their mind supernaturally dominated or manipulated, these spiders slowly infest the victim's brain. After a few weeks, the host's brain is rewritten to produce a 'psychic static' that is used to lure supernatural beings towards the host. If the supernatural being gets close enough, the host will bite them, injecting them with more spiders that lay eggs inside their skin and die, restarting the cycle.
• Anumerus - a creature that is summoned by the incorrect manipulation of numbers. A politician who rigs an election, a cashier who steals money from the till, a pollster who fakes results or the purveyor of a pyramid scheme might accidentally summon it. Once in our world, it begins to manipulate numbers in an ever larger area around it, ruining timetables, computer systems and anything that can be counted until civilisation begins to break down.
• The Crossways - an Abyssal pathway that manifests when a certain path is trodden again and again by an Abyss-touched individual. Once walked, you becomes trapped in a limbo version of reality - you can see and hear everyone, but no one can hear and see you. You are compelled to walk the Crossways deeper and deeper until it is said you enter the Abyss itself.
• The Electric Animator - this entity is summoned by random happenstance, often during severe thunderstorms, sunspots or the aurora borealis. It inhabits electric systems, and begins to toy with them, switching devices on and off, combining broadcasts and TV signals to send compelling messages to anyone nearby. If left alone, it is an annoyance, but if anyone starts messing with its devices or tries to fix the 'fault', it lashes out, using any and all means to harm those that mess with it. In larger facilities like factories or hospitals, this entity can be devastatingly lethal.
• Flesh Intruders - summoned when a tainted organ is transplanted into a new body, these horrifying Intruders slowly take over their victims body by liquifying their other organs and growing new ones to replace them. The liquified organs are expelled in a spray of acid that can cause severe damage to the surroundings. The new organs develop numina, that the Flesh Intruder uses to achieve its goal, which is unique to each individual Intruder.
• The Halfway House - this entity takes the shape of a dwelling appropriate to its surroundings. The house appears in an appropriate location when there are supernatural beings nearby. It attracts them to it, being seemingly empty and inviting. Once within, if they perform a sacrifice - such as using a soul stone to create a Demesne, destroying a spirit, or giving up a relationship or hobby, the house becomes grounded. Slowly, it begins to stalk those within, giving them visions and temptations uniquely tailored to each individual, until it has sapped their life, mind and soul and absorbed them into its fabric. Then it retreats back to the Abyss until it is summoned again.
• Blood of the Oath of Ruin - this entity is somewhat unique in that it has a permanent foothold in the Fallen Realm. Many years ago, a man known as Ian Harper struck a deal with a strange entity, and it forever tainted his bloodline and deformed their bodies in exchange for prosperity and power. These days, the Harpers are a powerful clan that carry the Abyssal taint within their veins. Wherever they reside, ruin and mutation spreads, and each new generation brings the Oath of Ruin more firmly into the Fallen World.
• The Invisible Codex - infamous among Mage society, this entity preys on an instict shared by all mages: hunger for knowledge. It appears in the form of a book, manifesting on library shelves or in antique bookstores - but only when there is a powerful and ambitious mage nearby. The book will appear to contain whatever information is most likely to attract its target, often promising arcane secrets and hidden lore unobtainable elsewhere. Once its victim starts to read, they will begin to waste away, but are unable to stop, until the book consumes their body, mind and soul.
• The Ractain - an entity that spreads disease that slowly causes the bearer to go blind and weakens the Gauntlet around them, allowing Spirits to break through into the Fallen Realm - and typically ensuring the bearer wanders into the Shadow where they eventually fade away, transforming into Resonance. The Ractain Contagion always begins with a bearer of a unique genetic abnormality known as the Ractain Strain. These individuals lead normal lives until they experience a near-death experience, at which point the Contagion is unleashed, infecting them and other normal humans around. The Contagion erodes the Gauntlet in an area, creating Loci and Verges if enough bearers congregate in the same place.
• Red Worms - a particularly nasty Abyssal manifestation that occurs when Paradox is unleashed, tainting any meat in the surrounding area. If the meat is consumed, the Red Worms are able to gestate within the unwitting host. They change the physiology of the host so that they become more photosensitive, bleed more easily and have lowered inhibitions - in essence, a perfect target for a Vampire. Once a vampire consumes the infected blood, the Red Worms are able to reproduce in the undead body, congregating in the mouth and throat of the vampire, so that when the vampire next feeds, another host is infected. The presence of the Red Worms has an effect on the magic of a given region, tainting mana, hallows, resonance and even artifacts. This effect is more pronounced the more infected there area.
• The Shard - an abyssal video game that sends out invitations to players to join up,. Many who do become obsessed with the game, until it swallows their lives whole. They play night and day, searching for ever greater loot, and quests, until they hear of a secret gate within the game that requires a series of difficult quests to be achieved. Once this elaborate ritual is completed, the gate opens. The game crashes, and so do the computers, and sometimes the players crash as well, suffering mental or physical debilitations. The energy and effort spent on the ritual has opened a hole in the Abyss, allowing another Abyssal Intruder to slip into our reality. Its purpose concluded, the game vanishes, and a week later, a completely new game appears, and the cycle starts anew.