Nyarlathotep

Nyarlathotep

(Deity)

Titles

The Crawling Chaos,
the Faceless Sphinx^FS,
the Haunter of the Dark^HD,
the Black Pharaoh^BP

Realm

Kadath, Leng

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Areas of Concern

Conspiracies
Dangerous secrets
Forbidden magic

Worshipers

Old Cults

Edicts

Sow discord among allies, misuse positions of authority by steering events toward apocalyptic ends

Anathema

None

Cleric Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, Magic; Trickery^BP; Air^FS; Darkness^HD

Subdomains (1E)

Arcane, Divine, Memory, Thought; Deception^BP, Thievery^BP; Cloud^FS; Wind^FS; Loss^HD, Night^HD

Cleric Alignments (2E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (2E)

Knowledge, Magic, Nightmares, Trickery;
Darkness,^HD Knowledge,^HD Nightmares,^HD Trickery^HD

Favored Weapon

Quarterstaff^BP
Punching dagger^FS
Dagger^HD

Symbol

Inverted ankh^BP
Featureless face^FS
Circle with winglike arms^HD

Sacred Animal

Panther^BP
Bat^HD

Sacred Colors

Black, red^BP
Black, gold^HD

Source: In Search of Sanity, pg(s). 70 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 130f. (2E)

This article might have further canon details available on StarfinderWiki.

Nyarlathotep is one of the Outer Gods of the Dark Tapestry who takes on thousands of forms, each having its own cult, unholy symbol, and favoured weapon. Unlike the other Outer Gods, Nyarlathotep seems to enjoy manipulating mortals and driving them to madness. It is believed that he is has prepared for the apocalyptic return of Great Old Ones on countless planets.

Appearance

The god's most notorious forms on Golarion are:

• The Black Pharaoh^BP, a humanoid form
• The Faceless Sphinx^FS, a faceless elephantine sphinx
• The Haunter of the Dark^HD, a bat-like entity with a tri-lobed burning eye

Realm

Nyarlathotep is the guardian and alleged caretaker of the strange gods of the Dreamlands, who dwell in Kadath, the impossible castle at the northern tip of the Plateau of Leng. Rumour also has it that he serves as the door ward to Azathoth. Few dare approach Kadath, and fewer return after meeting Nyarlathotep.

The Church

Worshippers of Nyarlathotep believe he is the Outer God who ties together the worship of the Great Old Ones. They also believe he will open the doors to the uncaring light of the stars. Common worshippers are assassins, poisoners, and demagogues to bring about the deaths of kings and reformers, moving the world towards chaos.

On Golarion

Nyarlathotep is particularly interested in Osirion, where his influence is clearly visible: the Black Pharaoh is linked to many witch cults and has appeared to many pharaohs, including (allegedly) the incumbent Khemet III. It is believed that he was responsible for the Armies of Exploration that ultimately led to Taldor's decline, and the invention of firearms by the dwarves of Dongun Hold.

In his Faceless Sphinx mask, Nyarlathotep was worshipped in Thassilon and had a vague influence. Currently, the Faceless Sphinx's cult is infiltrating the drow houses of Zirnakaynin, where his worshippers hide in plain sight among their kin who still worship the demon lords, and seek to convert the leaders of Sothis as well in order to hasten the return of the Outer Gods.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.