| “ | The tale goes that Nephren-Ka, on the throne, renounced all religion save that of Nyarlathotep. He sought the power of prophecy, and built temples to the Blind Apes of Truth. His utterly atrocious sacrifices at last provoked a revolt, and it is said that the infamous Pharaoh was at last dethroned. | „ |
| ~ Robert Bloch, Fane of the Black Pharaoh |
Nephren-Ka, also known as Nophru-Ka or the Black Pharaoh, is a recurring villain in the Cthulhu Mythos. He was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who worshipped the being Nyarlathotep, and after he died was merged with his god and became one of his avatars.
Biography[]
Nephren-Ka was the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty of Egypt. For reasons unknown, he attracted the interest of the cosmic being Nyarlathotep, and the god offered him a deal. If Nephren-Ka sacrificed enough people in his name, he would be granted the gift of prophecy. Nephren-Ka sacrificed thousands of victims to Nyarlathotep and completely outlawed any religion other than Nyarlathotep worship. It is also possible that he may have founded the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. These sacrifices eventually brought revolution to the country and the pharaoh was overturned. The next pharaoh immediately drove out all the priests of Nyarlathotep and demolished all his temples, before amending the Book of the Dead to remove all mentions of Nephren-Ka.
Nephren-Ka fled to what is now the city of Cairo, planning for him and his followers to flee to Britain. His enemies heard of the plot and surrounded him, forcing him to flee underground to a tomb he constructed. There, he caused himself and his followers to be buried alive, along with all his secrets.
Trapped in the tomb, Nephren-Ka summoned Nyarlathotep one final time by sacrificing his remaining followers. Nyarlathotep granted him the gift of prophecy, and he inscribed upon the walls the secrets of the future. Upon his seeming death (though in fact he survived and simply went into an eternal sleep), Nyarlathotep created one of his avatars in the pharaoh's image.
Nephren-Ka's tomb is guarded by the Brotherhood of the Beast, who often lure unsuspecting Westerners into the tomb and kill them to fulfil his prophecies. Nephren-Ka himself is also capable of awakening from his eternal sleep and taking the form of intruders into his tomb in order to kill them.
