Nyarlathotep

**A Thousand Masks**: During setup, add the mask monster markers to the monster cup.

 **The Crawling Chaos**: Set aside all mask monster markers. If a monster from the cup would appear, a random mask monster appears instead, if able.**At Midnight:** Add 1 doom token to the doom track for each mask monster in play; if there are none, a monster appears!

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**Nyarlathotep** is an Ancient One that appears in the *Elder Sign* Core Set and Omens of the Pharaoh, and a Character Card that appears in the *Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game* Masks of Nyarlathotep, Dreamlands, and The Thousand Young.

## Availability

D-117P, an alternate art version of D-117, was given as an attendance prize for the 2014 World Championship.[citation needed]

## Artwork

The Elder Sign Ancient One Card for Nyarlathotep uses an illustration[?] from EE-P14: Profane Messenger by Doug Williams.

MoN-130 uses an illustration[?] by Cyril Van Der Haegen.

D-117 uses an illustration[?] by Diane Özdamar.

D-117P uses an illustration[?] by Anthony Feliciano.

TTY-36 uses an illustration[?] by Jon Bosco.

*This section of the article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.*
## Mythos

Nyarlathotep first appeared in the prose poem *Nyarlathotep* (H.P. Lovecraft, 1920).

Nyarlathotep is the soul and messenger of the Outer Gods. It is said to dwell in a cavern at the center of the world, accompanied by two mindless flutists. It often carries messages and performs services for the Great Old Ones and Other Gods, being the only one of them who seems free and able to do so.

The Crawling Chaos acts as an intermediary between the Great Old Ones and their worshipers, as well as taking messages between the Great Old Ones themselves. In fact, Nyarlathotep may be a personification of the telepathic powers of the Great Old Ones. Nonetheless, Nyarlathotep seems to have a distinct personality which the Old Ones' inhuman minds might find difficult to create, and it has been openly contemptuous of its supposed "masters" at times.

His relations with particular Great Old Ones may vary. Cthugha displays open enmity toward it, and the cults of Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu vary in attitude from friendly cooperation to thinly-veiled dislike.

Nyarlathotep has been worshiped under several guises in all parts of the world. One of its most infamous cults was among the Stygians, who called it "Nyarlat" and brought its worship to Egypt. The Crawling Chaos was one of the greatest gods in the land of the Nile, where it was the ruler of the underworld, the master of the night, and the patron of sorcerers. After many years, however, the people of Egypt grew frightened of the dark god and struck out all references to it from their records and monuments, reassigning its attributes to other gods such as Set and Thoth. Though the enemies of the cult were able to suppress the memory of Nyarlathotep, a few remembered. Resurgences of its worship occurred throughout Egyptian history, the most famous of which were led by Nephren-Ka, the Hyksos, Nophru-Ka, and Nitocris. (It was during Nephren-Ka's reign that the suffix "-hotep", meaning "the gratified", was added to the god's name.

The Outer God will eventually bring destruction to humanity and the earth. Several prophesies state that Nyarlathotep will come in the last days, dressed in red and with wild beasts following it, licking its hands. The Crawling Chaos will journey among the cities of the world, giving demonstrations of science and magic. Then "quaking auroras will roll down on the citadels of man", and humanity will be destroyed as the Crawling Chaos turns the entire universe into a colossal graveyard.

Nyarlathotep's true form is a noxious expanse of yellowish slime, but to carry out the bidding of the Other Gods, Nyarlathotep can take any one of its thousand forms. It has used only a few during its journeys to our world, however; those that are
known are listed below.

* The Beast (worldwide)
* The Black Man (England)
* The Black Pharaoh (Egypt)
* Black Wind (Kenya)
* The Bloated Woman (China)
* The Dweller in Darkness (Wood of N'gai)
* The God of the Bloody Tongue (Kenya)
* Haunter of the Dark (Australia, Yuggoth)
* Kruschtya Equation
* Shugoron (Malaysia)
* Skinless One (Middle East)
* The Thing in the Yellow Mask (Dreamlands)
* Tick Tock Men

## Notes and references

1. ↑ Harms, Daniel, "Nyarlathotep", *Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia*.