Nyarlathotep

Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a fictional character. He is one of the cosmic Outer Gods in the fictional Cthulhu Mythos based on the writing of H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth and others, but differs from the other beings in a number of ways. Most of them are exiled to stars, like Yog-Sothoth and Hastur, or sleeping and dreaming like Cthulhu; Nyarlathotep, on the other hand, is active and constantly walking the Earth in the guise of a human being, usually a tall, slim, joyous man. Most of them have their own cults serving them, while Nyarlathotep seems to serve them and take care of their affairs in their absence. Most of them use strange alien languages, while Nyarlathotep uses human languages and can be mistaken for a human being. Finally most of them are powerful, while Nyarlathotep seems to be using deception, manipulation and even propaganda to achieve his goals. At that he is probably the most human-like among them.

Nyarlathotep enacts the will of the Outer Gods, and is their messenger, heart and soul; he is also a servant of Azathoth, whose wishes he immediately fulfills. Unlike is the case with other Outer Gods, causing madness is more important and enjoyable than death and destruction to Nyarlathotep.

"And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt. Who he was, none could tell, but he was of the old native blood and looked like a Pharaoh. The fellahin knelt when they saw him, yet could not say why. He said he had risen up out of the blackness of twenty-seven centuries, and that he had heard messages from places not on this planet. Into the lands of civilisation came Nyarlathotep, swarthy, slender, and sinister, always buying strange instruments of glass and metal and combining them into instruments yet stranger. He spoke much of the sciences – of electricity and psychology – and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless, yet which swelled his fame to exceeding magnitude. Men advised one another to see Nyarlathotep, and shuddered. And where Nyarlathotep went, rest vanished; for the small hours were rent with the screams of a nightmare." -- H.P. Lovecraft, Nyarlathotep

"What his fate would be, he did not know; but he felt that he was held for the coming of that frightful soul and messenger of infinity’s Other Gods, the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep." -- H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

"There was the immemorial figure of the deputy or messenger of hidden and terrible powers – the ‘Black Man’ of the witch cult, and the ‘Nyarlathotep’ of the Necronomicon." -- H.P. Lovecraft, The Dreams in the Witch House

"There are references to a Haunter of the Dark awaked by gazing into the Shining Trapezohedron, and insane conjectures about the black gulfs from which it was called. The being is spoken of as holding all knowledge, and demanding monstrous sacrifices." -- H.P. Lovecraft, The Haunter of the Dark