Masks of Nyarlathotep 20

Sunday 15th March

We are at Al Wasta, having spoken to the old woman and her son. The stone that they had with hieroglyphics probably came from the Red Pyramid, but the expedition went into the Bent Pyramid.

So we are probably going to Darshur to have a look at both pyramids and see what we can find there.

What I know about the Bent Pyramid is that it has two entrances, which don’t connect up. So we’ll need to figure out which entrance we need to use. One leads to the funerary chamber for Sneferfu, but I don’t recall which. Fortunately we remembered to get permits to allow us to explore the pyramids whilst we were in Cairo.

On arrival at Dahshur, where we are met by locals offering camels for hire to go to the Red Pyramid. There don’t seem to be any guards around this one, but there are plenty of locals who want to show us around.

The entrance is about 50ft up the side of the pyramid, and we are led up towards it. Upon reaching the entrance, we see a passageway heading into the structure. It’s only about a metre or so high and wide, going about thirty degrees down into darkness. It’s a bit slippy heading down, and I mess up my boots.

We get into a large chamber about 12m tall, and a corridor off to a second chamber. There is then a third chamber which is reached via a rickety ladder. The third chamber looks like it has been dug up by countless previous expeditions.

We don’t find anything unusual inside the pyramid, and then realise that the chunk of stone probably came from the outside of the pyramid. Outside there is the cap stone, and it looks like our chunk of rock possibly came from the covering around the cap stone.

Climbing to the top of the pyramid, we find that amongst the graffiti is written in English “RC 9th June 1919”. Probably written by Roger Carlyle whilst he was up here. The cap stone was put together from shattered pieces about three years ago. Possibly Carlyle and his team were responsible for breaking it off the top of the Pyramid. So what were they looking for? The stone we have probably came from the rubble that was broken loose at this point.

I remember what Dr Kafoor told us, which was that at the end of the 3rd dynasty the sorcerer Nephren-Ka summoned the Black Pharaoh. Nephren-Ka and the Black Pharaoh become confused as one in later tellings of the myth. Snefru and Isis slew Nephren-Ka, and it was Snefru who built the pyramid at Mydum to contain Nephren-Ka’s body. The pyramid at Mydum collapsed, and a second pyramid was repurposed. This was said to be the Bent Pyramid.

The Red Pyramid was to guard against the return of Nephren-Ka. So possibly part of the cap stone was to help ward against Nephren-Ka?

The Bent Pyramid is guarded by Egyptian soldiers, though they are only at the northern entrance. The western entrance is all boarded up. Rather than trying to sneak inside, we go and talk to the soldiers, who tell us that boarding up one entrance means that they only need to guard the other one. Apparently tourists kept on having mysterious accidents, so they want to keep people away.

However, we wave our permits and offer to pay, and so the soldiers lead us into the northern entrance. The stones here don’t look as well aligned as the ones in the Red Pyramid. The latter was built after this one (third time’s the charm, since the first Pyramid is called the Collapsed Pyramid for a rather obvious reason). The rooms seem cruder in construction as well.

We talk to the soldiers about exploring the other entrance tomorrow, and agree to bring them a ‘picnic’ so that they have something to do whilst they ignore our activities.

We find a place to stay for the night with the locals, which includes getting a spicy roasted goat. Monty and Clayton also sample some of the local Hashish.

Monday 16th March

Morning, and we find that Clayton is missing. Whilst the rest of us have breakfast, a group of locals head off to find him. Apparently he wandered off with a camel during the night, but is brought back safely a short while later. He seems still rather ‘under the influence’ however.

We head back to the Bent Pyramid, and provide the soldiers with their picnic. They are grateful, and turn a blind eye to us forcing our way through the boarded up entrance.

A long sloping passage leads down to a chamber, roughly at the centre of the pyramid. There are two white alabaster columns in the chamber, but it is otherwise empty. Carefully examining the pillars, one of them seems to have a door in it. There are three inverted ankhs around a depression. Clayton sticks his finger in it, there is a click, and the door swings open.

We jam the door open, and head up a series of corbeled ramps into the interior. The corbeling becomes more asymmetric as it goes up. Finally we come to an arch, which is completely out of place for Egyptian architecture. Beyond is a dias, and on it a throne and a bas relief with wall carvings. There are six pillars each topped with a large gem.

The bas reliefs to the left of the throne are star charts. It shows stars and planetary positions that equate with the next solar eclipse in about a year. On the right side of the throne is a distorted map showing maps of Australia, Eurasia, Africa and the Western Pacific. Three uncut rubies form a triangle, marking:

East China Sea
Western Australia
Central Kenya

I’m slightly concerned by the inclusion of a map of Australia in an Egyptian pyramid. They very definitely didn’t have knowledge of Australia at this time.

Looking at all of this, I am reminded of a passage in the book Life as a God, which describes a dark throne and maps of stars and rebirth. It also mentions lights which will signal the arrival of the Black Pharaoh when the ‘words are spoken’. We must not speak any words, or light any lights.

There is an inscription, in Enochian, which says THE OLD ONES SHALL COME HENCE. ALL SHALL TREMBLE BEFORE THEIR AWFUL MIGHT.

There are also inscriptions behind the throne, which I try to read but they are unintelligable to me. Lefty is trying to get photos, but the lighting is not good enough.

Then the gems on top of the pillars begin to light. I recommend that we leave, now, and start heading towards the door. However, before we can leave, the doorway closes.

Turning, there is a fellow sitting on the throne. I seriously consider shooting him.

Then the lights went out.

I’m not sure what happened next. There was an English voice coming from somewhere, asking as to serve him. He says other things as well, but my head is full of wool. As my vision returns, I see an English gentleman where the Black Pharaoh used to be. Filled with fear and rage, I shoot him. There is the sound of other gunfire and the shattering of gems.

I’m sure that I hit him in the face, but his form simply flickers. Behind the form he projects is something of raw terror and evil. Strange beasts appear next to him.

He asks whether we still want to fight. There is more gunfire, one of the head of one of the horrors explodes.

I shoot again, his form shifts into something terrible. He and the beast vanishes, and a voice echoes around the chamber:

All doors are closed to you. All your dreams are doomed. All your struggles are futile.

I flee.

I don’t remember much of what happened next.