The Crawling Chaos
-
Nyarlathotep is the messenger and soul of the Outer Gods and serves as an intermediary between the deities of the pantheon and their cults. He is the only Outer God to have a true personality, though he tends to possess a malevolent intellect and reveals in mocking contempt for his masters. Regardless, when Azathoth pipes his music and the blind gods dance, Nyarlathotep must fulfill their purposes- for he is their messenger.
It is within his power to take whatever shape and form he desires, thus he is known as the God of a Thousand Forms. While he resides in the void between dimensions he differs from most of the other Outer Gods. Most of them are exiled to the stars (like Yog-Sothoth and Hastur) or sleeping and dreaming (like Cthulhu), Nyarlathotep is active and frequently walks among the earth in guise of a man (a form which he appropriated in ancient Egypt). The original soul was consumed and the old god took up the shell of flesh to use as his own- having taken many others over the years when he saw fit. While these shells can be destroyed, they are made deathless through his alchemy- rendering the decay of time ineffective.
It is not fully known why he takes the shape of a man, but it may be to have better dealings with humankind- whatever dealings those may be. He is known by his worshipers as the Myriad-Formed Messenger, but to his detractors he is known as the Crawling Chaos. Men are to him as playthings to a child- to be taken up for a time, then abruptly cast away into the earth. Though like all, he may occasionally find favor with a select few in particular, taking them as thralls.
