Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos

Nyarlathotep

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Worshipers: Scientists, thinkers, community leaders.
Domains: Artifice, Charm, Knowledge, Time.
Energy Channeled: Negative
Favored Weapon: Light mace (scepter or rod).
Favored Creature: Panther.
Favored Instrument: Flute.


Legend
Nyarlathotep is the herald of the outer gods, ambassador for these completely alien beings. It has an uncanny understanding of mortals, and is able to influence mortal societies both subtly and directly. Nyarlatotep is said to have a thousand forms and each of his forms has a name suggestive of its abilities. Known forms and titles include The Dark Sphinx, The Haunter of the Dark, and The Crawling Chaos. Most of Nyarlatotep’s avatars appear as humanoids, often of ancient lineage. It can travel through space and time and sees the entire universe as its toy and plaything. The destruction Nyarlatotep brings is rarely direct, instead he manipulates mortals to bring doom upon themselves through insidious suggestions and gifts of knowledge for mortals to misuse.

Strictly speaking, Nyarlathotep is not a Great Old One at all, it belongs to an even more alien group of creatures known as the Outer Gods, and it is said to be their soul and herald. It is the only Outer God to be actively worshiped, the others are more like personifications of natural forces. The leader of the outer gods is Azathoth, the mindless god at the center of the multiverse, primal god of matter, energy, chaos, and destruction. Azathoth has no cult, but can be invoked by other cultists when using powers related to its nature. The Outer Gods are eternal in a way not even the Great Old Ones can match, and because of time travel, Nyarlathotep is several times as old as the universe.


Church
Nyarlathotep has a keen and insidious mind, and is able to subvert both individuals and groups to serve him. It entices adherents with visions and with gifts of magic and technology, often alien in both space and time. His title on Porphyra, He Who Walks Behind, comes from his ability to subvert mortals and turn their everyday activities into a front for a cult. This begins by altering customs in seemingly nonsensical ways, but soon turns murderous and self-destructive in the extreme, with dangers ranging from mass murder to physical calamities to displacement in both space and time. His cult is never common and usually self-destructs within a short time, but can appear anywhere. The downtrodden of the Clockwork Lands are particularly vulnerable to his gifts of sudden power.


Spell Preparation Ritual
Invoking Nyarlathotep, you ask for guidance and inspiration. Nyarlathotep inevitably sends ideas and visions to your mind, giving you clues to both goals to achieve and ways to achieve those goals. Select any one spell from your spell list (that is not in your spellbook) during spell preparation. You gain knowledge of this spell and can prepare it once if you can prepare spells of the spell’s level. You must cast any such spell you have prepared before the next time you prepare spells, or it is lost.


Alternate Codes of Conduct
When a cleric selects two domains from their associated faiths they take on the responsibility of meeting certain codes of conduct, lest they earn the disapproval of their deity and lose access to their class abilities (see Cleric and Disapproval).

A cleric of Nyarlathotep may substitute one or both of the associated codes of conduct for the ones listed in their domains.

  • You must work actively to suppress irrationality and encourage another to act solely on reason.
  • You must pay honor to the dead. All dead should be buried and, if possible, mummified so they may journey to the afterlife and serve the Black Pharaoh.

See Also

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a - All text is Open Game Content.