Nyarlathotep (Lovecraft)

Nyarlathotep, sometimes referred to as the Crawling Chaos, is an evil Outer God mentioned in the works of H.P. Lovecraft where he is seen as a shape-shifting agent of madness and ruin who serves the other Outer Gods. He often visits Earth and enjoys bringing madness and suffering to inferior beings (humans are among them).

Appearance
Nyarlathotep is described as a master shape-shifter with over a thousand forms, many of which are seen as monstrous and capable of driving mortals insane - a trait common to Lovecraftian monsters, however unlike many of the other Outer Gods he also frequently takes on a human form as an enigmatic male fashioned on an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.

Personality
Nyarlathotep enjoys driving people insane and finds the act to be more enjoyable than simple death and destruction and is an altogether more human-like evil than the other Outer Gods, frequently employing deception and manipulation, even propaganda, to achieve his goals and often mingling with humans in order to seal their doom. These traits combined with his ability to walk freely amongst mortal life may make him the most terrible of all Lovecraftian monsters and it has been suggested by some that Nyarlathotep may be the creature that will ultimately destroy the world.

Relationship with the Other Outer Gods
Nyarlathotep acts as the messenger of the other Outer Gods and doesn't seem to hold loyalty to any particular being - instead serving them all in some fashion, though he is said to be especially loyal towards Azathoth - whose wishes he will fulfill without question.

Table of Forms
Nyarlathotep has many forms (some literature refers to these forms as Masks and claims that he has a thousand of them) and is thus known by different avatars.

Overview
This table is organized as follows:
 * Name. This is the name of Nyarlathotep's form.
 * Region. This is the geographical location where Nyarlathotep's form is active.
 * Description. This entry describes Nyarlathotep's form.
 * Notes. This field contains additional information.
 * References. This field lists the sources that contain references to Nyarlathotep's form. If the source is a story, it is denoted by a two-letter code—the key to the codes is found here. If the reference is listed as rpg it means a role-playing game was the source, with specifics included in a footnote.
 * If an entry appears in bold, this means that the reference introduces Nyarlathotep's form.

In Popular Culture

 * In Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, a series of Japanese parody light novels with romantic comedy theme, the heroine, Nyaruko, is a Nyarlathotepian alien who claims that her kin was friend of Lovecraft and became Lovecraft's inspiration for mythos. Also adapted into two gag oriented anime short series and a 12 episode full length series under the English name of Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos.
 * In Charles Stross' novels The Fuller Memorandum and The Apocalypse Codex, the containment of Nyarlathotep in a parallel universe and the attempts of a cult to free "the Black Pharaoh" is the main focus of the plot.
 * A 13-minute short film version of Nyarlathotep was released in 2001, directed by Christian Matzke.| [20] It was re-released on DVD in 2004 as part of the H. P. Lovecraft Collection Volume 1: Cool Air.
 * "The Dark Eternal Night" from Dream Theater contains numerous references to locations and imagery described in the short story Nyarlathotep.
 * Nyarlathotep also appears in the Megami Tensei series as a recurring demon and as a villain, particularly as the main antagonist of the first and second Persona games.
 * M, a major character in the visual novel Shikkoku no Sharnoth who initially uses the codename of James Moriarty, is revealed near the end of the story to be a manifestation of Nyarlathotep.
 * Nyarlathotep is a boss in the game Cthulhu Saves the World.
 * Nyarlathotep is the main antagonist in the story Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute.
 * Alan Moore's Neonomicon utilises Nyarlathotep in the form of Johnny Carcosa, a masked drug dealer who frequents Cthulhu-themed clubs and occult shops. His manner of converting new followers is to place them in a vegetative state, subsceptible to "Aklo" - words related to Lovecraft's work, which alter the consciousness of those who listen to them. In Moore's story, he serves the allegorical role of the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation, informing the protagonist that she has been impregnated and will soon give birth to Cthulhu.
 * Fake Kashihara becomes Nyarlathotep, the final boss in Persona 2: Innocent Sin.
 * Leland Gaunt, the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel Needful Things, is hinted to be an avatar of Nyarlathotep.
 * Likewise, Randall Flagg is also greatly hinted to be an avatar, and was even called by the name Nyarlathotep at one point. Despite the simalarities, the Dark Tower series reveals at one point Flagg was once a mortal human.

Trivia

 * The name of this deity is noted for its Egyptian suffix -hotep, which gives its name an Egyptian tone.