VII Cults ‘‘ Flight: The cultists of the Howler gain the Shadow Pharaoh’s cult in the hopes of disrupting a ability to fly as the spell They can this for corrupt social order or to bring about a the dawn of a the entirety of his howling, and his form drips new age Over time, however, they sink into madness a hideous sap from his chest which can be and hatred, and their original goals are subsumed in collected and stored for later use When a user’s the devastation his worship unleashes body is covered by the sap (this typically takes a liter or more), they can fly until the substance dries out, which typically takes 1d3 hours ‘‘ Summoning: When the Howler appears, normally The Shadow Pharaoh typically provides these benefits to his followers: ‘‘ Contagious Madness: With a ceremony, the Shadow Pharaoh can infect his cultists and one or more of Nyarlathotep’s monstrous minions an audience with a type of frenzied lust for arrive with him These typically remain behind destruction This effect creates a dangerous mob after the Howler departs, and the cult can call that contaminates other people as they draw upon their services for an extended period of time near, spreading their insanity and vandalism The Dark Demon The Dark Demon is rarely worshiped directly, and usually manifests only as an adjunct to another Crawling Chaos cult Occasionally, a person who seeks contact with Nyarlathotep may summon the Dark Demon by accident, not realizing the true horror of the Dark Demon’s possession until it is too late A person transformed by the Dark Demon’s effect (see page 264) is sometimes revered as one touched by their god, and is sometimes mocked and reviled as a fool The Shadow Pharaoh wide Entire cities can be destroyed in the process This particular result of the Shadow Pharaoh’s cult requires a sort of critical mass, as well as the Shadow Pharaoh’s physical presence during the frantic demolition process When the Pharaoh leaves, those who were once his militant foes come to their senses, usually horrified by what they have wrought Inevitably, some few among them exult in secret and find themselves hoping for more of the same These the cult seeks out to refresh its numbers ‘‘ One-time adjunct spells: By signing his dread contract, the Pharaoh’s most loyal cultists gain The Shadow Pharaoh is worshiped by the underside a spell (regardless of any spellcasting ability of society, typically in large cities or nations His or lack thereof) which they can use one time cultists operate in secret; they are inspired by his will to only to serve his ends (whether intentionally overthrow the current political or social order They or not) Cultists so blessed must summon the not replace the forces of authority they overthrow but Shadow Pharaoh again and his bidding instead they substitute the existing social order for the before they can receive another spell horror and anarchy of the Crawling Chaos The Shadow Pharaoh’s clandestine forces operate ‘‘ Secret knowledge: The Shadow Pharaoh knows the weaknesses and dark hidden things of those in effect like an organized crime family focused whom his forces would wish to destroy With on fomenting nihilism and destruction Some this knowledge, they can expose the failings of disenfranchised individuals may begin by joining the 175