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The Race Against the Elder Things

The Colour Out of Space

This flow traces the Great Race’s conflict with an older subterranean enemy, from conquest and imprisonment to the persistent fear of renewed escape.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
The Elder Things' CitiesThe Elder Things' Cities from "The Colour Out of Space". An Ancient Occupation A Prior Civilisation The Elder Things dominate Earth and establish windowless cities before the Great Race’s arrival.
An Ancient Occupation A Prior Civilisation The Elder Things dominate Earth and establish windowless cities before the Great Race’s arrival. A Difference Beyond Communication Their distinct minds prevent the Great Race from making the exchanges it conducts with other beings.
The Great Race ArrivesThe Great Race Arrives from "The Colour Out of Space". A New Power Takes Hold Minds Migrate The Great Race enters Earth’s cone-shaped inhabitants from its dying world.
A New Power Takes Hold Minds Migrate The Great Race enters Earth’s cone-shaped inhabitants from its dying world. A Struggle for Territory The newcomers encounter an established enemy rather than an empty planet, setting the conditions for conflict.
The Enemy Is Driven BelowThe Enemy Is Driven Below from "The Colour Out of Space". Victory Through Technology A Forced Retreat The Great Race uses its instruments to defeat the Elder Things and drive them into inner-earth caverns.
Victory Through Technology A Forced Retreat The Great Race uses its instruments to defeat the Elder Things and drive them into inner-earth caverns. Seals and Defences It closes pathways and leaves guarded openings for possible future military use.
Renewed Signs of DangerRenewed Signs of Danger from "The Colour Out of Space". The Underworld Is Not Quiet Sporadic Incursions The Elder Things sometimes break through in isolated places, including abandoned cities and poorly sealed…
The Underworld Is Not Quiet Sporadic Incursions The Elder Things sometimes break through in isolated places, including abandoned cities and poorly sealed routes. A Culture of Vigilance The Great Race builds weapons and keeps watch, though public accounts suppress the details of the threat.
A Threat Beyond the RaceA Threat Beyond the Race from "The Colour Out of Space". Survival Is Deferred A Looming Catastrophe The Great Race anticipates that its ancient enemy will eventually succeed in a final irruption.
Survival Is Deferred A Looming Catastrophe The Great Race anticipates that its ancient enemy will eventually succeed in a final irruption. Escape Rather Than Conquest Its strategy becomes a mass migration into a future species, preserving minds rather than defending the old cities forever.
About 600 million years ago
Before the Great Race era
After the Great Race's arrival on Earth
During the Great Race era
As the Great Race foresees its future