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Shining trapezohedron

This subject contains information from the "Lovecraft Circle" Myth Cycles, and while guided by HPL are not based on his work alone. The Shining Trapezohedron is a fictional artefact appearing in H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The Haunter of the Dark" and Robert Bloch's sequel, "The Shadow from the Steeple." The Trapezohedron serves as a window on all of space and time. By gazing into it, its wielder would summon Nyarlathotep in his avatar as the eponymous Haunter of the Dark, as well as (possibly) the other Outer Gods. In exchange for horrible sacrifices, the Haunter of the Dark would reveal other worlds and arcane knowledge. It has been theorized that the stone offers a glimpse into the mind of Yog-Sothoth.

The Shining Trapezohedron was a "crazy angled stone" created on the planet Yuggoth and brought to Earth by the Old Ones before the emergence of the human race. It was formed by the Mi-go (EXP: Call of Cthulhu). It was held by the Elder Things, then the serpent-men of Valusia, and eventually the first humans on Lemuria. Later it came to Atlantis and the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, specifically Nephren-Ka. Occultist and archaeologist Enoch Bowen discovered it within a box of alien construction while exploring the ruins of the tomb of Nephren-Ka in 1843. Bowen returned to his home in Providence, Rhode Island with the Trapezohedron and its box the following year, where he founded the Church of Starry Wisdom.

The Shining Trapezohedron was researched by Robert Blake, who deciphered a number of ancient texts concerning the stone. He attempted to summon Yog-Sothoth with the stone, and saw him re-creating universes, but failed to do so. Following Blake's death, the stone was removed from the Starry Wisdom cult's sanctuary and thrown into Narragansett Bay by Dr. Ambrose Dexter. Unknown to Dexter, however, the constant darkness at the bottom of the bay ensured the Haunter of the Dark's perpetual freedom. For his trouble, Dexter was possessed by the Haunter, and eventually became one of the foremost nuclear scientists in the world, in charge of investigation of atomic energy for wartime purposes.

Popular Culture[]

  • NecronomiCon's Robert Bloch Award trophy is based on the Shining Trapezohedron.
  • The Shining Trapezohedron appears in the game Sundered, where it acts as a multipurpose weapon and a communication device with Nyarlathotep
  • In the game Darkest Dungeon there is a Puzzling Trapezohedron, obtainable as a loot, described as "The colors shift and change with the light...". The gem is as valuable as it is hard to get.
  • In Conan Exiles, one of the items needed to beat the game and have the player character leave the Exiled Lands is the Shining Trapezohedron item, held by the leader of the Serpent Men.
  • The roguelike game Infra Arcana has the Shining Trapezohedron as its MacGuffin.
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