"N-nonhuman bloodline?" Jeffrey Rogge stammered, then cautiously asked, "Do you mean the evil gods you mentioned in your lecture?"
"No," Tierra said decisively.
"Servants of the evil gods?"
"No."
"Favored servants of the evil gods?"
"Closer. A lesser servant race of the evil gods," Tierra said.
"A s-servant race?" Jeffrey Rogge was somewhat disappointed.
"Deep Ones." Tierra began to explain. "They are an aquatic humanoid race with fishlike traits and nearly eternal lifespans. As a race, they revere their leaders, Father Dagon and Mother God Hydra. While serving them, they also worship the great Cthulhu. Deep Ones have numerous cities in seas all over the world, all submerged beneath the waves."
"Deep Ones can produce hybrid offspring with humans. Although humans who inherit the 'Deep One' bloodline look no different from ordinary people for a period after birth, contact with their own kind or extreme stress may cause their features to rapidly transform into the frog-like appearance unique to Deep Ones, commonly known as the 'Innsmouth look.' As time passes, they gradually lose their human form. The rate of transformation differs from person to person, and some show no abnormalities throughout their lives. Once the transformation is complete, these hybrids enter the water from bays or other watersides and join the Deep One community. Because of their immortality, the descendants of Deep Ones may even meet their distant ancestors." Tierra gave Jeffrey Rogge—a handsome blond, blue-eyed man—a hard look.
Jeffrey Rogge felt his scalp prickle under Tierra's gaze. Combined with what Tierra had just said, he instantly had a bad feeling. "You mean... I, I might... might turn into a frog-headed thing someday?"
"That depends entirely on whether you accept the 'Deep One' bloodline within you," Tierra continued. "When the transformation begins, a hybrid's eyeballs gradually bulge outward until their