Over the centuries, the shining crystal fell into the possession of winged creatures with many limbs that could travel through the abyss of night. They brought the shining crystal to a place on Earth where they had built a mighty empire with the help of powerful yet formless slaves. There the winged creatures placed the crystal in a specially crafted box that could contain and focus its powers. This box also protected the crystal from any force that could be used against it.
When the empire of the winged creatures crumbled to ruins, as all empires do with the passage of time, the Eye of Yuggoth and its box were found by a traveling squadron of the serpent-people who held sway in a land known as Valusia. And so the crystal continued to move through the centuries, from one owner to the next … from Lemuria to Atlantis to the land of Khem.
The Eye of Yuggoth held great power over its many owners. The reason for this, Tsoth learned, was because the crystal was the portal to a place of absolute darkness, where dwelled the Living Shroud, an ancient daemon that demanded blasphemous sacrifices from its worshippers.
At this point in Tsoth’s narrative, Mnekh said, “While studying the sacred parchments of the Brotherhood, I have come across references to this evil presence, the Living Shroud.”
“What did the parchments have to say?” Tsoth asked.
“They say that the Living Shroud is an ancient god who has appeared to men and women in many different forms,” Mnekh said. “To some, He appears as an insane, faceless blasphemy that howls blindly to the piping of idiot musicians. For others, He wears the robes of royalty and calls Himself Nyarlathotep. When He comes to people as the Living Shroud, He becomes a monstrous destroyer with the wings of a bat and the tentacles of an octopus … a grotesque being that cannot withstand the light of the sun.”
“What you say explains much,” Tsoth said. “I would like to study these parchments. They may provide knowledge that would prove helpful if Nephren-Ka is ever to be stopped.”
Tsoth then continued to tell of what he had learned in the City of Night. Upon obtaining the Eye of Yuggoth, Nephren-Ka had made the necessary sacrifices with unbridled glee. The Living Shroud, in return, gave him tremendous power over those whose minds were confused and beshadowed. Before long, Nephren-Ka was the commander of an abundance of followers, as well as many slaves, and he saw fit to declare himself the Black Pharaoh.
Guided by the boundless knowledge of the Living Shroud, the Black Pharaoh commanded the slaves to build the City of Night, as well as a temple cloaked in absolute darkness and safe from assault. Sacrifices to the Living Shroud needed to be performed in the absence of light, and the entity’s need for offerings was ever-growing. The daemon also gave Nephren-Ka the power to hide the city in a vile illusion of mists, decay and ruins.
Slaves built the temple for the Eye of Yuggoth in a wide pit behind a great dam. On the other side of the dam, soil and rock were cleared away to bring in the waters of the Nile. When the temple was completed, the dam was broken and the waters poured into the pit, covering the temple. Entrance to the building could only be gained through a long tunnel and its gateway, which was located on a nearby hillside.
The waters surrounding the temple teemed with fish and crocodiles – and something more. In the depths of the Nile lived a race of hideous reptile-people that worshipped Sebek, the crocodile god. The Sebekites were scaly, man-like creatures, long of limb, with webbed fingers, slender snouts and blazing, reddish-gold eyes. They walked upright with ease, so Nephren-Ka recruited them as his foot soldiers, and provided them with thick armor to protect their soft underbellies. He also provided them with bronze swords resembling long, tapering crocodile tails. It took two hands to swing them, even for the strong Sebekites. It amused Nephren-Ka to give these swords to his Nile warriors, since their own tails were short and blunt.
That temple became a center of lurid orgies and abominable rituals and sacrifices. Nephren-Ka also offered vile offerings to Anubis and the other funerary gods. Tsoth once attended one of these rituals and though the sacrifice was performed in complete darkness, the horror of what he heard made him run screaming.
He fled through the long tunnel leading back to the outside world. He was able to cast a spell of invisibility upon himself with his talisman, for without that, he would surely have been hunted down and destroyed by the Sebekites and other creatures that guarded the City of Night. At one point, his robes were torn and he received deep scratches while stumbling through thorn bushes outside of the city, but he managed to escape without sustaining any further injuries.
- - -
Mnekh allowed Tsoth access to the sacred parchments. While the old man studied this information, the leader of the Brotherhood knelt before the altar of Horus.
Mnekh prayed to Horus to provide him with strength and guidance. Now that he knew of the City of Night, it was clear that something needed to be done. The Black Pharaoh would not be content, limiting his wicked acts to the hidden city. In time, he would strive to conquer the entire Nile valley, and in time, the lands beyond. If Nephren-Ka was to be stopped, it would be better to do so as soon as possible, before his wicked empire grew even larger.
“Give me weaponry to defeat our enemies,” Mnekh cried, “for I am but a priest, not a soldier, and have no sword, shield or armor. Give me the strength and wisdom needed to lead an army. Guide me in the battle to come, so that your people can be spared the evil of Nephren-Ka and his demon legions.”
At that moment, a golden light appeared, floating over the altar of Horus. The light began to grow and swirl, darkening and taking on substance as its size increased, until at last it appeared as the very image of Horus.
Mnekh stared in awe at the falcon-headed figure standing upon the altar. On its head, it wore the red and white pschent – the revered symbol of kingship. A luxurious golden robe covered its body. “I have heard your prayers, my son,” said the figure in a deep, commanding voice, “and have brought you the weapons you need to lead your people to victory.”
Before that time, Horus had only appeared to Mnekh in dreams and visions – never as a solid physical presence. The figure gestured toward the floor, where suddenly appeared three magnificent gifts that took the High Priest’s breath away.
Before him, he saw a large bronze sword shaped like a falcon’s feather; a sturdy leather tunic reinforced with bronze plates; and a large bronze shield, cunningly designed to resemble the shell of a tortoise. “Mighty Horus, your magnificent generosity fills my heart with joy,” Mnekh said.
“Assemble your soldiers and ride forth in three days,” Horus said. “Until then, do not show anyone these gifts. Enfold them in hides and do not remove them from these wrappings until the moment you are about to enter battle. At that crucial moment, their shining splendor will inspire your soldiers to conquer your foe.”
Mnekh did not question the wisdom of his god. “I will do as you say,” he said. He bowed his head in respect. When he looked up, the figure of Horus was gone.
- - -
The next morning, Mnekh told Tsoth about the visitation from Horus, and about the fine gifts that the god had provided.
“These are excellent tidings,” Tsoth said. “I wish I could see your wondrous gifts, but of course, we must obey the will of Horus. You will be pleased to know, our attack on the City of Night will benefit greatly from the protective spells I found while examining the sacred parchments. Certainly we will need all the powers we can muster to fight the dark forces of Nephren-Ka.”
“We must find a way to enter the city,” Mnekh said. “You were able to see through the illusions that hide the City of Night, but how can the rest of us do the same? Do you have a spell that can achieve that?”
The old man smiled. “No, but a solution is at hand. I will teach you the magic I used to create my talisman, and together, we will find a way to broaden the scope of that magic to encompass an entire army.”
The priests of Horus went out to assemble an army to fight Nephren-Ka and the City of Night. The Brotherh
ood was highly respected, so many hundreds of men agreed to join their crusade.
The priests also talked with many of the wealthiest merchants, to see if they would help in providing the necessary horses, donkeys, weapons and food supplies. This the merchants did gladly, since they wished to keep the City of Horus safe.
Mnekh and Tsoth worked to discover a form of magic that would allow their soldiers to see through the mists hiding the City of Night. After hours of experimentation, they developed a philtre that sharpened one’s wits and opened the mind’s eye, so that one could not be deceived by illusions. They produced a brimming cauldron of the potion, enough for all who would accompany them into battle.
At last came the day when Mnekh and his followers would ride forth to fight Nephren-Ka. As the troops assembled, Tsoth performed the spells he had learned from the sacred parchments. These spells were formulated to bless and protect from harm the Brotherhood and the fighters they had recruited. Mnekh distributed many wineskins filled with the philtre and instructed all to drink.
Many donkeys were loaded with food and other supplies that would be needed. Finally, the wondrous gifts of Horus, carefully wrapped in hides, were loaded onto a donkey that would follow Mnekh’s steed. Once these preparations were completed, the army began their long trek.
- - -
As Mnekh and his followers progressed toward the City of Night, they saw many strange creatures flying overhead toward the same destination. Any other traveler who had not taken the philtre would have seen falcons and other common birds. The soldiers, whose eyes could now see beyond illusions, saw instead huge, batwinged horrors, each with a thin, flailing tentacle where one would expect a curved beak.
At the edge of the City of Night, other travelers would have seen swirling mists and the ruins of tombs, stained with foetid slime. The soldiers, however, saw high walls of black stone, edged with gold along the top. The bronze gates of the city were secured with black chains and a curious locking device so that none might enter.
Mnekh ordered his followers to stop. He then dismounted and removed a large, hide-wrapped bundle from the cargo carried by the donkey. The soldiers watched intently as he unfolded the hides from around the gifts of Horus. All were eager to see the magnificent weaponry that the mighty god had provided. Tsoth came down from his horse and walked to Mnekh’s side.
The leader of the Brotherhood of Horus gasped as the contents of the bundle were revealed. Instead of a bronze sword, he saw a long, twisted length of dried bone. Instead of a leather tunic strengthened with metal plates, he found before him a large, rotted piece of filthy cow-hide. The gleaming bronze shield was now nothing more than a flattened segment of decayed bark from a palm tree, crawling with insects.
“What sort of deception is this?” roared one of the soldiers, a barrel-chested farmer with a long, black beard. “I had been told that Mnekh had received magical weapons from mighty Horus. Surely this filth cannot be a gift from a god!”
“Nephren-Ka draws his power from a daemon known as the Living Shroud,” Mnekh said. “This vision must be a new deception summoned by that evil being … a vision too strong to be dispelled by our own magic.” So saying, he garbed himself in the mouldering leather, then took up the sword of bone and shield of rotted wood. The soldiers stared at him in disbelief. Even Tsoth shook his head in sorrow.
Adorned with absurd detritus, the high-priest marched up to the gates of the City of Night and struck at the locking mechanism. The metal device broke into its many smaller components. He lashed out at the chains and soon, severed bits of black links fell to the ground. When he beat the gates with his shield, they flew wide open. “See?” he shouted to his men. “My weapons are invincible. The powers of darkness dare not defy me!”
Their confidence renewed, the soldiers raised their weapons and cheered. Mnekh then returned to his steed and led the army into the city. “Onward, my friends!” he cried. “Destroy the creatures that inhabit this nest of sin!”
The soldiers rode into the city and soon found themselves in a large courtyard. Around them they saw streets and buildings of dull black stone, but no people, no monsters, no daemons. They appeared to be the only ones in the City of Night.
In the center of the courtyard stood a statue, also made from black stone, which depicted a tall, broad-shouldered man in the robes and headdress of a pharaoh. The man’s face was handsome, with a firm jaw, wide cheekbones and piercing eyes crafted from green gems.
Suddenly, with a fierce clanging, the bronze gates of the City of Night swung shut. Mnekh watched as the broken links cascaded up the gates and formed chains once again. The locking mechanism followed the links and reassembled, sealing the army inside.
Mnekh turned to his men – only to find that they were no longer men at all. All had fallen to the ground, and each was becoming a ghastly abomination. Some grew writhing tentacles, while others sprouted hideous batwings and needle-sharp claws. The flesh of others erupted into bright green scales as they turned into the dreaded Sebekites. The army of Horus was quickly becoming a legion of the most vile fiends imaginable.
Only one soldier remained on his feet, and that was Tsoth. The old man raised his hand, then swept it downward. By the time his hand had finished its descent, he had transformed into a human version of the black statue in the center of the courtyard.
“You are not Tsoth…” Mnekh whispered. “You are the Black Pharaoh.”
“Indeed,” said the ruler of the City of Night. “Of course, there never was a Tsoth. That was only a persona I took on for your amusement. I am also the image of Horus that appeared to you. I do think I was quite generous with my gifts.”
Mnekh looked down at his sword and shield. Both turned to dust in his hands, while his tunic fell to rotting bits. The creatures that were once his friends rose to their feet and surrounded him.
“All of this was a trick!” Mnekh said. “I have been such a fool.”
“But a useful fool!” Nephren-Ka said with a smile. “You see, the Living Shroud recently demanded a very large sacrifice: all of the residents of my City of Night. He has done so much for me, how could I deny His request? The only ones who eluded the sacrifice were some flying creatures, who were off tending to errands for me. I believe you saw some of them as we approached the city. That major sacrifice left my beautiful city nearly empty, so I needed to replenish my army. That task is now complete, and all that remains is to deal with you. But do not fear. Your death is not part of my plans. Follow me, my friend.”
“I will follow, but I am not your friend,” Mnekh said.
The Black Pharaoh began to walk and the nightmare horde parted to make a path for him. Mnekh caught up with him and walked by his side.
“You say you are not my friend,” observed Nephren-Ka, “but even now, you are walking next to me. Were we not friends when you knew me as Tsoth? I know we had many enjoyable conversations. If I am to conquer all lands under the sun and moon, I will need someone to oversee my armies while I contemplate other important matters. If you were to join me in my ambitions, you would be able to travel with me to realms in the night sky where dwell great creatures of unthinkable power. Being a scholar, I am sure that possibility must hold some appeal for you.”
“I was not born to enslave good people and exchange pleasantries with devils,” said Mnekh. “Let me ask you this: With so much power, would it not be better for you to help others to live in freedom? Then you would be remembered by all as a great benefactor.”
“‘Remembered’? Are you suggesting that someday I will be gone? A mere memory from the past? I shall be alive forever, my friend, and my power will grow with each passing year.” The two were now walking on a path beside a great lake. They approached a hill with a gate of black metal built into its side.
“Beyond that gate,” said the Black Pharaoh, “is the tunnel entrance to the temple at the bottom of the lake. That is where I am taking you. There, in a chamber of total darkness, you will meet the Living Shroud.”
/> Mnekh stopped walking. “What if I do not wish to go on?”
“I think you know the answer. You would die, torn about by my new minions. But please, let us stop wasting time. We both know you are not going to turn down an audience with the Living Shroud. I imagine you will try to appeal to His good intentions, His tender emotions!” Nephren-Ka laughed so hard that tears came to his blazing green eyes. “Certainly you are welcome to try! Now come along!”
They walked up to the gates. The Black Pharaoh waved a hand and they glided open. In the entryway of the tunnel, he lit two torches, using a small metal instrument of a type Mnekh had never seen before. He handed a torch to Mnekh as they descended a long stairway leading down to the temple in the lake.
“What was that device you used to light the torches?” Mnekh asked.
“Through the Eye of Yuggoth, I am able to see into other realms and times,” Nephren-Ka said. “Once, while gazing into the future, I noticed a man using a small tool used to make fire. I drew him through the passages of time and took it from him. I have a chamber filled with a wide array of marvelous items that I have found and taken. In the far future, I have seen sorcerers in robes of white use formulas to heal and prolong the lives of others. I have used their philtres, along with my own magic, to increase my own life-span. It may surprise you to know that I have been alive for twelve generations … and as I mentioned, I see no reason for my life to ever end.”
The stairs ended in an enormous chamber filled with statues of strange beings that Mnekh had never seen before. One depicted a flabby, batwinged creature with claws and a beard of tentacles. Next to it stood what appeared to be a nightmarish composite of bubbles, eyes of various sizes and oddly shaped limbs. Another statue had a head like a starfish, a barrel-shaped body, bony wings and legs like thick yet flexible vines.
The Abominations Of Nephren-Ka & Three More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos Page 5
