iv.

"wholly devoid of either hair or beard, and wearing as his only garment a shapeless robe of some heavy black fabric. His feet were indistinguishable because of the table and bench, but he must have been shod, since there was a clicking whenever he changed position. The man did not speak, and bore no trace of expression on his small, regular features. He merely pointed to a book of prodigious size which lay open on the table....."

xdescriptionxNyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is the sadistic eldritch deity and manipulative messenger of the Outer Gods. He is one of three children born of the primordial Azathoth. He has numerous avatars that he may assume when walking among other races, including a lean, sinister Egyptian man who operates as a traveling showman, exhibiting his strange abilities. Like Cthulhu, he can manifest himself in the dreams of Humans, provoking nightmares.Nyarlathotep differs from the other deities in the Mythos in a number of ways. Most of the Outer Gods are exiled to the stars, like Yog-Sothoth and Azathoth, and most of the Great Old Ones are sleeping and dreaming like Cthulhu; Nyarlathotep, however, is active and frequently walks the Earth in the guise of a human being, usually a tall, slim, joyous man. He has "a thousand" other forms and manifestations, many reputed to be quite horrific and sanity-blasting.Most of the Outer Gods have their own cults serving them; Nyarlathotep seems to serve as He serves several cults and takes care of their affairs in the other Outer Gods' absence. Most Outer Gods use strange alien languages, while Nyarlathotep uses human languages and can easily pass for a human being if he chooses to do so. Finally, most of them are all-powerful yet evidently without clear purpose or agenda, yet Nyarlathotep seems to be deliberately deceptive and manipulative, and even uses propaganda to achieve his goals. In this regard, he is probably the most human-like among the Outer Gods.Nyarlathotep enacts the will of the Outer Gods, and is their "messenger, heart and soul", "the immemorial figure of the deputy or messenger of hidden and terrible powers" He is also the servant of Azathoth, whose fitful, spastic wishes he immediately fulfills. Unlike the other Outer Gods, spreading madness is more important and enjoyable than death and destruction to Nyarlathotep. It is suggested by some that he will destroy the human race and possibly the earth as well.xabout outer godx"The other gods! The other gods! The gods of the outer hells that guard the feeble gods of earth!"
― Barzai the WiseThe Outer Gods, a.k.a. the Other Gods from Outside or simply the Other Gods, are a species of primordial cosmic entities which move between and beyond dimensions, being often invisible and unreachable by Human senses. Chief among them is Azathoth, lord of all creation. Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos, is their messenger. Although they can be found in both the Waking World and the Dreamlands, their ultimate dwelling place is the center of all infinity, referred to as "the central void".The Outer Gods are gigantic, blind, voiceless, tenebrous and mindless. They are the ultimate gods, which dwarf in size and power the ordinary gods of Earth. Compared to them, the earthly gods are weak, and rely on the Outer Gods for protection. The Great Old Ones are the Outer God's progeny. The Elder Gods their age-old enemies.