Arkham Files Bestiary

Many of the creatures found in the Arkham Files are based on H.P. Lovecraft's designs, but Diana has taken dramatic license with their attributes. Some of the creatures, such as chittaks, were created by her. Assisting her in the project is one of Neal's friends from Columbia University, Richard Carlisle. Richard is a sculptor and, like Neal, a graduate student in the visual arts program.

The list below is updated through Time Crystals. The bestiary will be expanded when additional creatures are introduced.

Chittak: First appearance in Visions from Beyond. First identified in The Crypt. Resemble bush babies. They have golden eyes and silver fur with green spots. Two, named Ch'uli and Ch'orri, live in the rafters of Lavinia's office. Their speech sounds like a soft chittering. Lavinia can converse with them. Home planet: Merope.

Cthylla: First appearance in Time Crystals. An octopus-like winged creature who dwells on land. About the size of an elongated basketball, the black body is marked with broad yellow bands. Cthyllas evolved from the oceans on Tirelia and now live in caves. Their slimy tentacles are capable of paralyzing humans. Home planet: Tirelia. (Based on Brian Lumley's creation)

Ghast: First appearance in Visions from Beyond. Emaciated humanoids with rough warty skin and powerful hoofed legs. The average ghast is eight to ten feet tall. Its arms are as long as its legs and end in sharp claws. Ghasts have the ability to emit a noxious gas which acts as a fog to hide their presence. They devolved from humans tortured by Azathoth into unrecognizable beasts and serve as his soldiers. Of rudimentary intelligence, they lack the ability to communicate but can be controlled by spells and other means. An alien race known as the Ymar devolved ghasts from ancient Egyptians. Ghasts live in a world of darkness and shadows. They are unable to tolerate daylight. They can only exist a few days on Earth, and even for that brief period require a human host. Neal first encountered a ghast in Whateley Rare Books. The element algolnium gives Neal the ability to perceive the ghast within the host. Lavinia confirmed that his amulet enables him to kill ghasts, but only on Earth. Home planet: Tirelia. (Created by H.P. Lovecraft)

Gug: First appearance in The Crypt. Somewhat reminiscent of a gorilla, a gug is roughly as tall as a ghast. Covered in lank black fur, it has a vertical mouth extending from the jaw to the top of its head and yellow eyes which protrude from short stalks on the sides of its face. The arms bifurcate at the elbow into two branches, giving it four massive clawed paws to seize its prey. Gugs dwell in an underground city which is accessible via a staircase from the frozen monastery at Leng. Home planet: Tirelia. (Created by H.P. Lovecraft)

Nightgaunt: First appearance in Visions from Beyond. The nightgaunt is suspected of having been the inspiration for the dragon of myths and legends. Nightgaunts are ghostly gray with membranous bat-like wings. Their bodies average ten feet in length with barbed prehensile tails twice as long. They use their tails as weapons. The barbs on the tail are poisonous and can be deadly if the wound if sufficiently deep. Nightgaunts have slick, rubbery skin. Unlike dragons, they are incapable of producing fire. There may be a connection between nightgaunts and ruby crystals. Mozzie believes that ruby crystals act as portals to wormholes linking parallel universes or branes. Elizabeth has suggested that nightgaunts may transport the crystals to the desired location. If she is correct, that implies they are also being controlled by Azathoth. Home planet: Tirelia. (Created by H.P. Lovecraft)

Shantak: First appearance in The Locked Room. Immense winged creatures roughly the size of horses. Their scaly bodies are predominantly brick-red in color, but they have iridescent green stripes on their necks. Their manes and tails are adorned with colorful feathers. Shantak wings resemble those of pterodactyls. Neal and Peter first saw shantaks flying over the monastery of Leng in The Locked Room. They're highly intelligent and communicate through a complex language of shrieks and hisses. In Time Crystals, shantaks assisted Neal and Peter in accomplishing their mission. Home planet: Tirelia. (Based on H.P. Lovecraft's creation)

Shilka: First appearance in Cinereous Skies. Telepathic. Resemble mouse lemurs with ginger fur. Their saliva acts as an anesthetic for wounds. Home planet: Merope.

Sornoth: First appearance in Cinereous Skies. A saber-toothed leopard which lives on the planet Merope. Devolved by the Ymar to do their bidding.

Zoog: First appearance in The Locked Room. Secretive skulkers in the night, zoogs are sometimes mistaken for rats or opossums. They have lank, sparse fur and long hairless tails. Their snouts are covered with pink worm-like tentacles. They can perch upright like monkeys and are able to manipulate objects with their fingers. Intelligent and cunning, zoogs produce wine from the fermented sap of the moon-tree. The wine appears to be highly addictive to humans. Zoogs live in colonies and have formed an alliance with the Ymar. Their speech sounds like fluttering. Home planet: Tirelia. (Created by H.P. Lovecraft)

Illustrations of the creatures are on the Arkham Files boards of my Pinterest site.