Spoiler Thread for Leaf 003 (Patreon)

Abdel's reference to his writing as a "Worke of Darknesse" is an important point, as he clearly doesn't dislike or fear these revelations. So I am staking a claim early on to a range of words that we may view as negative, but that Abdel (and his fellow travelers) see as positive. Azathoth being dubbed the "Blind Idiot God" would be a good example of this occurring in Lovecraft stories. 

Page 5 further expands the scope of Abdel's worldview. He writes of the lands to the North (Europe), the Dark Kings to the South (Africa) and Leng (intermittently located in Asia). So going forward we know the things Abdel writes about will not be limited to the Middle East.

The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign was introduced in The Whisperer in Darkness by Lovecraft as an homage to Robert Chamber's King in Yellow. The opportunity to introduce conflict is too good to pass up, and showing differences in how humans interact with Mythos entities is very interesting. We also have our most prominent example of Sir Randolph's coded messages yet. These are not part of Abdel's text our Dee's translation, but instead represent an important note intended only for other "true believers".

Page 6 introduces the Wheel of the Four Guides, and with it four Mythos entities. Azathoth from Lovecraft, Daoloth from Ramsey Campbell, and Ubbo-Sathla and Abhoth from Clark Ashton Smith. I have big plans for all four of these Gods, and how they interact/contribute to the cult's cosmology. 

Page 43 gives us more insight into Abdel's youth. It is certainly a balancing act to write in the voice of an 8th century Yemeni poet, but the fact that this represents a translation thrice removed from the source gives me some latitude. Nonetheless I am trying to be authentic with details as I am able. The spellings though (Mekkeh for Mecca, Mahometan for Muslim) reflect 16th century practices of transliteration.

The mother ghoul is my first significant female character, but she won't be the last. She hints at some revelations to come later in our narrative, and writing her dialogue was really fun.

On page 44 I was able to sneak in a reference to a God created by Clark Ashton Smith. I'm hoping folks will get it! The idea of the "spitting box" comes from Arabian Night's Entertainment, one of Lovecraft's childhood favorites. The Jizyah on the other hand is straight out of historical records. I wanted a mundane career for Abdel to start out in that would allow him to come into contact with the Mythos, and this fit the bill. His reputation as a Poet (or even a Mad Poet) will come later in his life.

An unblinking sect who meets under the Sign of the Fish? Probably not important. We probably won't hear any more about them...