The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

[Savage_ScreenMonkey]

Recently I have been reading Lovecraft's dream stories from the Del Rey anthology:The Dream Cycle of H.P.Lovecraft-Dreams of Terror and Death.

I just finished the afore mentioned dream quest story and Im a little confused...

Spoiler:

In the end does Carter actually get to his golden dream city or what? Was Nyarlathotep just messing with Carter and tried to trick him into his own Doom?

I find Lovecraft's prose a little tricky so if anyone could shed a little light on the subject that would be great!

[Andrew Turner]

What a great story!

A quick summation--

Spoiler:

Carter's dream-city is revealed by Nyarlathotep as an amalgam of the very beauties of Randolph's own world--the things about Beacon Hill he loves and cherishes the most. He aided Carter in having the dreams, knowing the beautiful unknowable world was only a reflection of Carter's own idea of Paradise. Nyarlathotep knew Carter's imagination would tempt the gods (not the Old Ones, but the mythological gods) to abandon Earth in favor of the shining city.

While Carter is almost captured in dream to the realm of Azathoth, this was never Ny's desire, and Carter forces himself to wake at the last moment. Regardless, Nyarlathotep has succeeded in permanently (it is suggested) capturing the gods to Kadath, which was his plan all along.

This means--

Carter's Golden Dream City was only his transposition of Beacon Hill--nostalgia both real and imagined, remembrance of the best times of his life, the brightest spots of New England, all amalgamated, conglomerated, warped and woven into a tapestry of Carter's idea of Paradise. When he realizes this at the very end, he wakes and is saved, himself happy but seemingly oblivious of the cosmic consequences of his lucid dreaming.

The beauty of Lovecraft, nihilist that he was-- Nyarlathotep has really won, and Carter's epiphany is rather hollow. The gods of Earth are imprisoned in Kadath, leaving the Earth alone and dark in the cosmos.

[Charles Evans 25]

I'm not acquainted with the Call of Cthulhu RPG (beyond the name, and a few hints here and there, that I have picked up on these boards), so I'm not certain as to what other evidence there may be for the previous poster's interpretation.
However:

Spoiler:

As far as I can tell, both Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath and the subsequent The Silver Key are about 'going home'. Randolph Carter rediscovers the love for the place where he grew up, in Dream- Quest, and goes back to his childhood home in Silver Key.
I do not know what information is available in the Call of Cthulhu RPG, but my impression of the events at the end of Dream Quest are that 'earth's gods' always lived in Kadath in Earth's dreamlands, (hence the fact that so many of their descendents from dalliances with other Dreamlands inhabitants live in the closest 'inhabited' areas) but it being a somewhat dreary place, once Carter drew their attention to the city he had dreamed up, they went off there 'on holiday' and shut him out. Nyarlathotep, full of spite and malice, hating seeing them enjoying themselves so much, wanted them thrown out of Carter's city, and dragged back to their dull and dreary responsibilities in Kadath.
I am unclear on whether or not Nodens is one of 'earth's gods' or not; his intervention certainly saves Carter from the shantaks.

[Savage_ScreenMonkey]

It was indeed a good story and I have enjoyed the other stories in the book as well.

Spoiler:

'earth's gods' always lived in Kadath in Earth's dreamlands, (hence the fact that so many of their descendents from dalliances with other Dreamlands inhabitants live in the closest 'inhabited' areas) but it being a somewhat dreary place, once Carter drew their attention to the city he had dreamed up, they went off there 'on holiday' and shut him out. Nyarlathotep, full of spite and malice, hating seeing them enjoying themselves so much, wanted them thrown out of Carter's city, and dragged back to their dull and dreary responsibilities in Kadath.

I kinda get this part, tho I didnt seem to read that Carter had managed to actually reach his dream city nor did he boot the Earth gods out of it.

I have the Chaosium Dreamlands RPG sourcebook as well so once Ive finished the stories I will read that as well.