Gothic/Lovecraft horror aesthetic mixed + Imperial Chinese aesthetics

I begun to wonder what the various aspects of gothic/Lovecraftian horror would be like in a setting in a high fantasy world based off of Imperial China. Obviously, both Lovecraftian and gothic horror and their own "flow" of how they work, basic things like monsters, the places they're set in, the characters, the atmosphere and many other things included, but it's been itching my brain to imagine those aspects combined with aesthetics of Imperial China. Things like the architecture, the culture, the government and all the other things are all important aspects to consider.

So, by this point, I need help with taking everything how these things combined would be designed. The combining of Lovecraftian/Gothic horror aesthetic and Imperial Chinese aesthetics is paramount. I basically need help figuring out how to combine the details and finding a balance in the mix of the setting. I will never make the claim of being an expert on the subject of Imperial China, so anyone knowledgeable about the subject who is willing to help with that is welcomed.

Well, the closest thing that exists and matches you description would be Blizzard's recent work on World of Warcraft in the Mists of Pandaria expansion.

The Sha are suppose to be pieces of an Eldritch Abominations.

Also, Lovecraft has a fear of fish, but I don't know any vicious sea monsters in Chinese mythology or literature.

Gothic or Lovecraftian?

When it comes to Gothic, you probably could find something to replace gloomy mountaintop castles and abbeys, creepy monks and so on. Supernatural (ghosts, vampires) would require you to do some research on Chinese beliefs, but judging by what I know of it, you probably should be able to find replacements in them. The problem might lie in Christian motifs. I don't know if all of that can be believably replaced with Buddhism, because that seems like the closest equivalent. A highly popular foreign religion with monks and stuff.

As for Lovecraftian, consider the typical Lovecraftian hero. An academic recluse, usually upper class or a heir to some sort of legacy. I believe that could be relatively well replicated with a Confucian official, or someone studying to be a Confucian official. Creepy villages cut off from the wider world can be anywhere. As for the monsters Chinese mythology has its share of cosmic beasts, but I'm not sure what it would involve to make them more Lovecraftian. Lovecraft mixed his own fears (fish, miscegenation), cultural references that anyone would vaguely recognize (Dagon — without really good erudition you won't recognize him as a Caananite deity, but you'd probably associate the name with something Biblical and bad), and distortion of familiar mythological patterns (Azathoth as a distortion of God, Shub-Niggurath of Classical goddesses, so on). I'd wager the creatures would be snake-like, this isn't the only option that you could find, but it fits both our own fear of snakes and their prominence in Chinese mythology.

Random idea — perhaps you could set up the ancient Chinese mythology (or stand-ins you've created) as the equivalent of Cthulhu Mythos. Buddhism and Confucianism would play the role of "standard" society (as equivalent of Lovecraftian takes on Christianity and Classical western culture), living in blissful ignorance of the old. Weird inhuman powers slither beneath the surface of the Earth, slumber in far corners of the world. Taoists, if I may so suggest, should be a nice stand-in for all those evil villagers and tribes. You know, since (designated) evil Taoists already appear in Chinese fiction like Journey To The West.

I'm not saying I'm an expert either, so that's just my musings about the idea.

Are you familiar with Cowboys And Aliens? I read your post, and that's the first thing that came to mind - you think you're seeing one story play out, only for a completely different one to hijack and take it over.

I think, rather than go for balance, having the Lovecraftian threat appear more or less out of nowhere and nettle the characters would be the way to go. Because what you seem to be trying to do is mash together two (or three, depending on how you view 'Gothic' and 'Lovecraftian') wildly contradictory cultures, without giving much explanation of what the image you have in your mind is, and that makes it more difficult for us to assist you.

Either way, it's going to be helpful to study the elements you wish to kitbash. I'd start by watching a bunch of movies set in that era.

You are right, clarification would have been best.

For starters, yes I am looking to mash the three concepts together, but finding a balance in their radical differences.

For starters, I want to imagine a merging of the architecture of Lovecraft Country buildings with that of the buildings of Imperial China. The idea of old crumbling structures with slanted roofs and ornate designs in a foggy seaside village, hideous, unnaturally colored part catfish like Deep Ones lurking in the water, Tiangou like Hounds of Tindalos lurking in the shadows. Stuff like that.

edited 16th Apr '14 11:44:31 AM by DarkbloodCarnagefang

I imagine the ruins of a city high in the mountains, only the stone footings remaining of the old timber frame houses and palaces, all covered with vines. During one of the periods of feudal warfare, an army garrisons in a village only to find out that it has been taken over by a serpent demon who has bewitched the minds of the townspeople. The general, an educated man from the nobility, recounts in his journals how a mysterious dark force keeps picking off his men. In the court library of a mythical king lies a set of ancient scrolls, the characters painted in an odd rust-brown ink that resembles dried blood. Their author, a mysterious sage originally from Persia or India, describes mind-bending horrors revealed to him through his unorthodox methods of divination.

Has anybody in this thread ever played Cursed Mountain? It's not a great game storywise, by any stretch, but its initial setting—a haunted Nepalese ghost town high in the Himalayas might give you some ideas on how the story might feel.

edited 27th Aug '14 9:22:24 PM by AmbarSonofDeshar