MAYJUNE REWARDS 25 (Patreon)

Aaron Glaser

Bestiary involving the mighty Tarrasque!

draco flame

a giant monster from a favorite mythology or cryptid of your choosing.

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The monsters of Earth, and also of it’s alternate reality adjacent sister world Urth, are incredibly strange and dangerous beasts of all shapes and sizes. From the tiny vegetable lambs growing in far flung lush and undiscovered forests, to the massive Catoblepas that stride across the Earth God’s Domain. The most notable are the large and horrifying titans that still live on Urth, and remain in hidden, hushed places deep within the hollows of Earth. The Nephilim are a race of human adjacent creatures spawned through breeding with the children of the progenitor, or the progenitor itself, and beasts which I hardly need remind you played such a part in the history of mankind before most of them were wiped away through war.

Though Nephilim spawned from the children of celestials and man, the celestial seed is potent and can impregnate any beast that it chooses to lie with and so too the genes of man and beast can be easily corrupted through these cosmic things. And as their children and their children’s children go fourth to be fruitful and multiply, the beasts of the land are tainted and changed as the line between man, beast, and celestial blurs into a single amalgamation. One type of nephilim that bore the qualities of celestial, man, and beast, is the dreaded Gargan. Also known as Devil Titans, Skybreaker Titans, or simply as acts of god. The Gargan were among the largest of the Nephilim, standing anywhere from the typical Nephilim height of roughly 15 feet, to the same height and higher than that of the Fire Giants at 100 feet and even breaching 200 feet in some scenarios and working as war mounts for the strongest of the Promethean fire giants. Though this is the most well documented reason for the existence of the Gargan, there are other stories that imply even more strange and ancient forces playing a part in their birth, but this is unknown. More beast than man, the Gargan were titanic war machines that could lay waste to entire countrysides by themselves. They possessed enormous gaping maws lined with jagged teeth for ripping into their foes, and long gangly necks with matted thick manes along their heads and running down the neck to the base of their shoulders. Their noses were non existent and they had hare lips with leonid features that could have potentially come from a relation to Manticores or other leonine chimeras of the world with some of the most ancient Gargan said to have battled with the Red Knights of Arthur during tests of their proving grounds, as well as the hideous Bonnacon. They possessed massive tusks that jutted from their chin that would be used to gore their foes and demolish structures with ease. These genes run further as the gargan possess massive tails which grow enormous spiked bone protrusions that it can loose from the tip and fling as massive projectiles. Their eyes, though small, could see in the dark and strike fear into those who met their gaze. It is said that some who met the gaze of the Gargan would fall dead in an instant from fear alone.  Finally their thick bodies have a carapace like back jutting with hard and sharp bones to protect it from other large predators. The carapace of the Gargan are said to be so thick and hard that even ballista or canon shots could not pierce them, and even King Arthur wielding the mighty Excalibur was unable to fully pierce through it’s back to reach a Gargan’s vital organs. The Gargan are not only big and dangerous on land however as they can also submerge themselves in water and easily swim or run under water, holding their breath for days at a time.

Some of the Gargan who had been imbued with the power of fire by the Fire Giants were able to summon gouts of flame from their mouths and release blasts and streams of magma like an all consuming and destructive vomit that would destroy all in it’s path.

Bestial in nature, the Gargan could still speak and learn. Many were prone to bouts of insanity and would often be killed by their own people or allies after causing great violence and destruction through insane spasms and thrashing episodes, and their voices were akin to the celestial trumpets that would resonate through the plane. They could rarely be controlled and would only seek to kill, eat, and breed, and whenever it was done the Gargan would freeze where it was and rest for weeks, months, or even years, growing moss and sleeping in a near deathlike slumber. Unblinking, before it would rise again and attack. Some however would still cultivate bands of Nephilim and followers and work as leaders of sorts. Nephilim whom praised or worked along side gargan were called Gargantua. From consuming it’s flesh and partaking in it’s seed or through mating and breeding the titanic things they gained strength. Often times showing their own bouts of insanity and violence, but growing larger, more insatiable and corpulent and they became known as their own creatures of sorts.

Though the Gargan were incredible for their strength and size… there was one such Gargan which became feared and renowned across Earth, and Urth due to it’s sheer size and penchant for destruction. A Gargan which came to be known as the Tarasque.

Long ago, in Galatia (The Anatolian highlands of modern Turkey), along the river of Rhone and in a wooded land between Arles and Avignon, that a beast emerged one day and slew many bands of knights and soldiers that passed through. It was said that it had appeared before in other parts of the world, emerging from the sea or from mountain passes with it’s hideous visage. These were cursed lands at that time. Plunged into darkness through years of war with the fae, and with other writhing things that lived in the shadows and existed in the depths of our minds. A land where it is said that avatars of madness once roamed these woods and where spellcasters took part in vile rituals of chimeric grafting and sacrifice. Where ancient leviathans and seething beasts would lay together and create sins against the nature of man. Whatever the case, whatever the truth, the beast existed and none could kill it. It lived for years there as it grew larger and larger before for a long period vanishing. Before it vanished, some claimed that it stood taller than a fortress, while others still say it’s head brushed past the clouds.

The truth was known years later when it suddenly, and violently returned. A beast so massive that an entire forest grew along it’s carapace. A colossal titan that stood hundreds of feet tall, potentially standing at over 1,000 at the height of it’s strength, and over half a mile long, the Tarasque was an unimaginable titan of unrivaled strength. It would march along the landscape slowly, crawling on it’s hands and knees most of the time due to the strain it’s massive body put on it and moving at a plodding and destructive pace. Cities would see the Tarasque coming for days, hearing the thunder of it’s steps and seeing the visage of death as it approached from miles away. When it would roar, the sound could be heard across the world, the rumbling causing earthquakes and even tsunamis across the planet. The destructive force would rend mountains and wipe out cities with a strength attributed today only to a nuclear weapon and were said to rival that of the Aeon Aletheia. It’s screams would literally microwave the air around it and leave behind strange shadows of things that once were. It’s celestial power would resonate through the world with it’s screams as well, as several false rapture events would be triggered from it’s roars as they resonated like the trumpets of revelations and could part the clouds. Ancient scholars claim that in the battle that the Tarasque fought against mankind, in it’s final roar of indignation the Earth was thrown off of it’s axis by several degrees due to the sound and it damaged the atmosphere of the planet permanently.

The other Nephilim attempted to tame the Tarasque but it could not be stopped. It continued it’s march onward. The Nephilim praised it as a messiah of sorts. A God to defeat all gods. To slay the progenitor and deliver them to salvation. Armies of giants followed this unstoppable titan as it shambled ever forward. The armies of King Arthur stood before the mighty beast and clashed with it’s unstoppable might, only managing to hold it for a time before it would resume it’s march forward toward the Black Lake near Nerluc. Many cities, towns, and settlements were wiped away by the monstrosity. Man and Nephilim alike could not stop the beast. For many years it marched slowly forward, killing and destroying everything around it with an unknown destination in mind. And in that time it’s followers had children, and their children bore children, and it was from these offspring that St. Martha, borne of Nephilm blood and wielder of the miracles of the progenitor stood before the beast. A follower of the Creature and a follower of God, and she used God’s divine judgment to force the beast to halt, freezing it forever in it’s mindless rampage as the titan saint placed her belt around it’s neck and tamed it in a fit of divine glory. The Tarasque had been halted, only miles away from the Black Lake. No one knows why the beast marched toward it, or why the titan stared so longingly at it’s shores, or what miracles brought the beast finally to justice. Afterward the city of Nerluc, so damaged by the beast, was rebuilt around the creature and became a hub for explorers, wanderers, and pilgrimages as the beast had been turned in the name of god. They would come and witness the thing, beat it with sticks and weapons and attempt to make the beast bleed and some would even collect bits of it’s flesh and blood for their own to become more powerful themselves.

A great cathedral and religious city was built upon the back of the beast as a commune was formed as the commune became Tarascon of Nerluc. The cathedral known as St. Martha’s Basilica, was massive, as was the platform it was built upon by driving stakes inlaid with silver and piercing the beast’s back. The belt was also pinned into place around it’s neck with the pillars of silver, and it was crafted massive rings and bracelets as well as a crown out of brass, stone, stained glass, and other various metals. The cathedral was the largest of it’s kind standing over 770 feet tall, with the entirety of the commune covering roughly 10 miles initially, but the portion located on the Tarasque’s back taking up over 10 acres of land, with smaller platforms built on it’s head and tail. It is said that these platforms were built using similar designs to the Titan city of Laputa. This wandering city known Tarascon  would march across the countryside displaying the might of the church and still working as a sort of siege engine to destroy the enemies of the church. Over time the city of Tarascon took on it’s own hierarchy. The commune city was broken into three Localities. The Head known as St. Curlande Astre, The back known as LaRougnat, and the tail known as St.Berstett. There was also a small community along the massive lift known as St.Martha’s Grace.

St.Berstett was named after one of the enslaved Nephilim. Berstett was jokingly canonized as a patron saint for the Nephelem. He was one of the humans to clash with the  followers of the Tarrasque, and to give up his knighthood and become a priest after the Tarrasque was stopped and many of it’s followers bowed to St. Martha. He accepted many of the Nephilim and accepted them as a part of our society and claimed that they were close if not closer to god than mankind, and that they could cast aside their ways and become holy beings once again. Many Nephilim actually followed his teachings and some were able to forego their insatiable lust for violence and sex due to his teachings, however the church still laughed as he was eventually devoured by a Nephilim that he attempted to offer his divine grace toward and he was canonized after his death. He is commemorated in St. Berstett with a statue of him being devoured by a Nephilim. Though many find him to be a Joke, the Nephilim that consumed him repented for his vile ways and went on to become a powerful inquisitor known as Pantagruel, and it was believed that St. Berstett survived and bound himself to Pantagruel from within him, sharing his divine light. St.Berstett Is closest to the ground and where most will enter the commune. Towns and cities will create large ports and massive staircases reaching 200 feet high to reach the city as well as grabbing hold of the massive ropes and chains hanging from it to reach the bottom. There is also a large lift at the furthest gate that lowers to the ground where holy men and women will leave to greet the people or allow some into the commune. These ports were littered with the poor and unfortunate, riddled with disease and misfortune, hoping the lord’s grace would shine upon them and they would be allowed into St.Berstett. The commune of St. Berstett however was not much different however, as it was made of many living quarters, areas of study and worship, but also where the working class would cook, craft, and forge. The seamstresses would work daily to fix the miles of fabric that covered the beast’s back, and metallurgical workers would prepare to fix and polish the copper, brass, silver, and gold plated ornaments that adorned the titan. Their occupations were demanding and did not pay much, and so St. Berstett was seen as a slums of sorts. Many who came to Tarascon did not ever go further than this save for business or religious pilgrimage to LaRougnat and the Basilica. When plagues and disease would strike, St.Berstett was struck the worst. And when the enslaved Nephilim would become unruly or violent they would face the worst genocide and crimes against them. Overpopulation and vermin plagued the location, as did violence and theft as several small gangs and bandit groups began to roam through the location, the most notable of which is known as La Main Rouge, a group of assassins and cutthroats that operate throughout the beast in underground circles. Some believe that they may even have tunnels INSIDE the Tarrasque’s body that they use to reach other parts of the commune. It is unknown if this group has any connection to the 1950’s terrorist organization.

Connected to St.Berstett and LaRougnat is the great feat of engineering known as St. Martha’s Grace. A massive cathedral in it’s own right, standing at nearly 100 feet tall and hanging suspended from the massive chains of le Sacre Coeur, St. Martha’s Grace is a huge building with a working mechanized rail system that runs along the chains and carries up to 300 people at a time from St. Berstett to LaRougnat, not including the 300 that lived there naturally. This device was created through human ingenuity, and the aid of Nephilim who were inspired by their celestial heritage to create unknown devices and machines. It was named St. Martha’s Grace as it was said to be like St. Martha’s grace delivering yo to your salvation as it carried you up to the LaRougnat cathedral. When not in operation it sits, away from the rest of the cities in it’s own designated location on the massive ring of Lead and Brass that weighs down the Tarasque’s tail. This large cathedral is a place of worship, but also a place of healing. Many of the healers and medicine women of the convent live here on this mobile platform, going back and fourth from St. Berstett to La Rougnat to help those in need. These nurses and nuns took care of the people of both locations and risked their lives dealing with the plagued individuals during times of great disease and strife when ties are cut between St. Berstett and LaRougnat to prevent the people of LaRougnat from becoming ill. The main sect of the church running St. Martha’s Grace is known as The Sisterhood of the Sacred Heart. The sect is also well known for having very dangerous and well trained followers, with the Sisters of the Sacred Heart learning many methods of sword play and combat and to wield divine miracles. During a period of quarantine once, the people of St.Berstett and La Rougnat heard screams coming from St.Martha’s Grace that lasted for days until it went silent. Assuming the worst, when the quarantine lifted and the Brotherhood of the Silver Heart went to investigate they found things strangely normal, however they soon discovered the truth, that a sect of the sisterhood known as the sisters of Our Lady of Self Flagellation had mostly taken control of the church and had participated in a dark ritual to create several Sinbearer mothers, as well as Kyton alter Girls and boys. Over 170 of the members of the sisterhood were tried for witchcraft and burned. It is unsure what caused this event, however before and after many sisters not only in St. Martha’s Grace, but through all of the Tarrasque speak of hearing something strange calling out to them from somewhere else. Something they call “L’appel du vide” or “The call of the void”.

The central location is LaRougnat, home of the St. Martha Basilica, as well as a sprawling labyrinthine town made of various churches, living quarters, and shops. This is the prime hub of Tarascon, and where the Inquisition of St. Martha, known as the Brotherhood, or Knights of the Silver Heart preside and where their headquarters are located in a building across from the church known as St.Florian’s Reverie. There the soldiers train and live amongst the pious church goers and the pilgrims from outside of town. The Inquisitors hunt down those who participate in witchcraft with the main Inquisitors being known as Borgne due to their armor making them appear as if they had a single eye on their helmet. These knights trained to not only wield weapons and don their signature armor, but to utilize various divine secrets. Many of the knights here were part of the Knights Templar as a different sect and knew many of their secrets. They trained to wield divine power and miracles, specifically with the ability to make great jumps and survive great falls, and also to be able to sense one’s true intentions by looking them in the eye. Many of these knights were corrupt and abused their power, and many were defected from or transferred from King Arthur’s army after the devastation of Camelot. Some members of the Brotherhood of the silver heart would participate in rituals in which they ate part of the Tarasque, mining at it’s flesh in the tunnels beneath he city and drinking it’s blood to grow stronger and allow their divine magicks to increase in strength as well. Those knights who did so also experienced the call of the void and more than one was found floating in the Black lake, or would enter the lake to never be seen again. La Rougnat is also where much of the church is, and where most people who come on a pilgrimage to Tarascon come to prostrate themselves on the steps of St. Marthas’s Bassilica. It is believed that St. Martha still exists within this Bassilica. Though legends say that she took residence in Tarascon and took up a diet and abstained from flesh, fat, meat, and eggs and ate only once a day, other darker stories tell that she was quite the opposite, and would consume vast amounts of flesh and blood as she seemed to fall deeper into her nephilim heritage and as the church went on to be mostly populated by the Bearers of the cross or the Progenitor’s chosen. The city is large and very close together, with most of the locality able to be traversed from one building to another. Many people who lived within LaRougnat would say that you could traverse the entire town without touching the ground once you were on a rooftop. Because of this it was a clutter of walkways and rooftops, doors and maze like corridors, and it was easy to get lost. Because of this, it was also easy to commit crimes as many dark alleys, cellars, and basements were away from the prying eyes of the inquisiton. Not to mention holy Nephilim known as Reprobus also keep the city safe and eliminate problems, however sometimes these Nephilim break their vows and slink around in the dark alleys and kill people, not to mention the large number of members of the inquisition who would do the same. Many of the people here would be moderately wealthy from the outside, and many would seek refuge here, leading to the religious location to become like that of an aristocratic ball. This location is also under constant maintenance, with many workers being on clock to fix and repair parts of the city that break down, especially in accordance to the pillars of faith that uphold the platform on the Tarasque’s back. Here they work with laborers from St. Berstett to fix the chains, and to ensure the cloth is still presentable. Beneath the town is the catacombs, which weave as a sewer system that pours out of the side of the Tarasque, however many parts are built into it’s flesh and some even seem to go into tunnels into it’s body and locations that appear to be hollowed out bone and veins are sometimes reported. These underground locations are filled with strange people, disease, and small flea like creatures and parasites that have grown fat and mutated by consuming the Tarasque’s flesh.

Between LaRougnat and Astre is St. Martha’s Belt. A massive device nailed into the Tarasque’s neck, it was believed to once be St. Martha’s belt. It is unknown if this is true or not, as it’s massive size would imply that. St. Martha herself was absolutely massive, or titanically fat. Though it is known among occult scholars that she was a nephilim and possessed a violent and insatiable appetite and so it could be a combination of both. Some believe that this is not true however and that she did not become overcome by her hunger until after she defeated it, and that St. Martha’s belt is more of a celestial device used to mind control the Tarasque.

Finally we have St. Curlande Astre. The only way to get from LaRougnat to Astre is to either climb the chains, scale the tattered cloth around it’s neck, or to wait until the Tarasque is commanded to lift it’s head and the gates  align and a bridge is formed between many of the chains and locked into place by the inquisition. Astre is made up of several large living areas and places of worship all surrounding a main building that is adorned with a 100 foot tall statue of St. Martha defeating the Tarasque that sits atop the main building. This is where many of the religious leaders and wealthy elite make decisions for all of Tarascon. Most people are never allowed to come here, though high ranking religious officials are granted an audience, and it has locations for people like the pope to stay as well. There are at least enough locations for roughly 50 upper class aristocrats and up to 200 servant staff to live, though the servants must occasionally venture out into LaRougnat and collect things for the elite. The Noble Elite also are known to venture out to La Rougnat for various events and church services. Many of the nobles here suffer the same issues as nobles of other locations, with inbreeding being very rampant through the Communes of Astre. Moreso with the various corruptions that take place through the creature’s body and their consumption of it’s flesh as a fad as well as fraternizing with the Nephilim in their employ has led to strange deformities from their inbreeding and some of the young to take on more Nephilim qualities, but also for some of the inbred nobles to become immobilized by growing skulls or tumors through their bodies. Not to mention the rampant accusations of cannibalism coming from their ranks and the call of the Void growing ever rampant amongst them.

After some time, The Commune of Tarascon became rife with corruption and violence, and in their bid for power they attempted to upend the Vatican as the religious capital….

No one is sure exactly what happened to the Tarasque or Tarascon. The French city of Tarascon is believed to be the base port of the Tarasque as there is still much evidence and portions of the legend remain in pop culture, but the beast and the cursed wandering commune are nowhere to be seen. Some believe that when they were led to destroy the Vatican and take control, The belt was broken and the Tarasque went on a rampage, destroying the commune before finally being slain by King Arthur. Others say that it was repelled back and after being chased down by the world the Tarasque receded into the depths of the Hollow Earth and still roams. Some say it succeeded and the Vatican we know now is built on the sleeping body of the Tarasque. Some say that the Tarasque wandered off in attempts to find the Black lake once more and died in the mountains, leaving the city in a distant location, untouched by man to devolve and fade into obscurity as the Tarasque lay slumbering for a millennia, covered in earth and snow, unknown to man’s prying eyes, while others believe bits and pieces of all of those theories to be true…

The truth is out there… but we may never know. What occult scholars do have however, is knowledge that the Tarasque was out there. And that it was unstoppable.

Why did the Tarasque seek the black lake… And why is it that to this day the people of Tarascon dream of the strange depths. A pitch black sea of grasping hands and muffled screams. Of a dark voice in a language they cannot speak, and yet they still understand. A call of the void. 

A call so great even a living mountain must heed…