#BYTHOS

[drondskaath]

Bythos | Chthonic Gates Unveiled | 2024

Finnish Black Metal

[onlyhurtforaminute]

BYTHOS-BLACK LABYRINTH

[comicwaren]

From Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #004, “Shape and Nothing More”

Art by Tradd Moore and Heather Moore

Written by Tradd Moore

[barbelofurb]

✨Meet Bythos✨

This is Bythos! She is a magic 8 ball furby 🎱 she’s a 2000 FNL (fresh new look) furby and she would be my second FNL I own. She has been a dream Furby of mine for a while (I hope to own every possible variant of Witches black cat furby) and I was lucky enough to find her from another collector. 🧡

She’s awesome to have and I’m super excited about owning this special furb! We’ll have to see how Barbelo feels about the new family member 🌱

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[electric-hydrangea]

Istaroth is Paimon (ft Venti & Mona's Master)

disclaimer: the amount of comments i've gotten on reddit saying "Istaroth isn't paimon, she's a branch of istaroth!!" that is literally what i'm saying

Who Is Istaroth?

Istaroth is a God who can control time & wind, a shade of Phanes (Primordial One). She was known in Mondstadt and Enkanomiya, but the people of Mondstadt gradually forgot about her. When Enkanomiya sank, she continued to be worshiped because she was the only shade who responded to them. The worship stopped when Orobashi arrived and banned Sun & Moon (a book all about Phanes, Enkanomiya, and Istaroth.)

The statue in Inazuma is Istaroth. I also believe that the Battle Pass Icon is her. The article itself ties connections between her and the Welkin Moon girl. Ignoring how their appearances are identical, they also have connections with the moon. Istaroth is associated with the moon through “Sun and Moon”. Additionally, “Astaroth” (goetic demon) is the personification of the moon and can control it.

Istaroth’s aliases are “The Thousand Winds”, “Tokoyo Ookami”, and “Kairos”.

The Theory:

It’s better if I compile this more into a list. Starting with the smaller stuff…

The Paimon menu allows you to control time. I honestly feel like this is the best evidence.

Paimon is in all of the marketing, emails, she’s the one who delivers us messages outside of the game itself, but no one in the game knows who she is. When people see her, they think she’s a balloon, a fairy, or a pet.

Paimon jokes about being the God of Protection

Paimon’s outfit has the same details as a fully-leveled Statue of the Seven. Her crown has the same design as the golden bar on the statue. Her boot also looks like the nails sent down by Celestia. 

Canotila the Melusine described Paimon as a balloon floating in the air with her string extending upward above the sky itself.

Phanes created Istaroth; she is a being of Teyvat. Since she is affected by the Irminsul tree, it would explain why Paimon is affected by the tree.

Astaroth is depicted as having a crown, which Paimon has. 

Astaroth and King Paimon both specifically teach sciences and answer any question asked of them.

In Gnosticism, which is where Genshin gets a lot of its inspiration from, Barbelo is a part of Bythos, and Barbelo is both male and female.

In Genshin, Istaroth is Barbelo, and Phanes is Bythos, having created her as a shade. Paimon and Venti are parts of her.

In Ars Goetia, King Paimon is aware of all past and future events, anything that has happened or will happen. This includes “secret things”. 

In Genshin, Istaroth has similar powers; control over time and the whole thing that happened with Makoto and Ei (more on that later).

In Venti’s Character Demo, it says that he is “born from the branches of time.” 

In “Sun and Moon”, they say that Istaroth, “Was the measure of a thousand winds and the sun and the moon”, with Venti associated with the wind and Paimon associated with the moon.

In Gnosticism, Barbelo is one of the most important figures of Gnosticism. She is known as the “triple androgynous name”, or as the “three times spirit”, having three parts of herself. Barbelo/Asherah is another name for Ishtar, who is one of the parts of Istaroth’s name. Barbelo is depicted as a figure that looks similar to the Welkin Moon girl. 

Two paragraphs ago I said that Istaroth is referred to as a thousand winds, a sun, and a moon; Venti is the wind, Paimon is the moon. So who is the sun?

There’s a character in Genshin named Barbeloth, Mona’s master. I believe it’s possible she could be the sun. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why she has the name of this important figure connected to Istaroth. Genshin has a theme of “three”, and Mona’s master renamed herself to be “Astromancer Barbeloth Trimegistus”, which could also tie into the three identities of Istaroth. 

In Venti’s Character Story 3, it says that he was a “single thread of the thousand winds that roared through the northern lands.” Notably, Istaroth goes by “the thousand winds”.

In the quest “Time and Wind”, you’ll hear a voice saying “An ancient tale comes whisked away in the wind.. In time it will grow and sprout again.” Which could be referring to the samsara cycles and how Istaroth (Paimon/Venti/Possibly others) will continue the story. Additionally, the sundials are actually more likely to be moondials.

In 2023’s Lantern Rite, Venti shows up introducing himself with the saying connected to Istaroth. Paimon completes the saying, and then remarks “Did Paimon just unconsciously complete that saying?”

The statue of Istaroth in Inazuma wears a necklace with an Eye of the Storm on it, which is most prominent in Mondstadt. It’s also noted that this statue and Venti’s statue are 6666 meters apart from each other. Additionally, this statue is called “Statue of the Omnipresent God”. This perception of Istaroth is supported in the Ars Goetia as well as in Genshin; Paimon is everywhere. The statue’s moniker is “Thousand Armed, Hundred Eyed”, which is a reference to real-life Guanyin, but I take note of the “thousand”, a theme with Istaroth. 

The Sacred Sakura was planted with the help of Istaroth. When Makoto died, Ei went into the Realm of Consciousness  and said goodbye to her sister. When she came back, the tree was there, and all the people acted like it had been there forever. The Realm of Consciousness is also a domain (not the one we’re used to for battle), where time flows differently. Another example of a domain would be the Eternal Oasis.

The ancient Near Eastern goddess Astarte (Istaroth), she works closely with Baal. I thought that detail was cute considering the story quest.

In Raiden’s 2nd Story Quest, Rifthounds attack the Sacred Sakura’s roots which cause it to ooze glowing blue stuff, and Paimon asks what it is, but there was never an answer. 

This might be a stretch, but it could have something to do with what I call Celestial filth. For example, the Lumenspar is Celestial filth. Like the Abyssal goop, it’s invasive to the Chasm and spreads quickly. The description of it is “A sky-blue crystal that glitters so brightly that it brings forth echoes of the heavens above.” Having your Lumenstone equipped causes the Abyssal text to fade away. The Celestial filth comes from the nails sent down from Celestia, but the fact that the tree goop is blue and glows reminds me of the Lumenspar.

When Yae takes us through the Realm of Consciousness, we see Inazuma being built, and the memories are all of Inazuma, except for these Cecilias. Cecilias only grow in Mondstadt, on the Starsnatch Cliff “where harsh winds blow.” Cecilias are tied to Venti.

You could also say that Raiden storing the visions on the statue is symbolic, considering that visions are tied to both Celestia and the Archons.

Also, when it comes to Paimon’s design, she has a cape-thing with the galaxy on it, and in the Paimon menu, when she floats, she leaves behind a constellation trail. I also tie this with Istaroth’s theme of the moon, but it also reminds me of the general concept of otherworldliness. 

There's a Mesopotamian symbol named the Star of Ishtar (Istaroth), which looks similar to the Deshret symbol and the Khaenri’ah star and it's also closely tied to the crescent moon.

Why doesn’t Paimon remember she’s Istaroth?

The answer could be Samsara cycles. With every samsara cycle, the same roles are always present, but it’s new people playing them. Something happened to Istaroth, and we don’t know what it was, but she’s disappeared and now we’re stuck with the twerp Paimon. I’m not sure how to answer this question. Maybe it’s like the Sumeru archons.

Something To Note

In the beginning of Genshin, we start the game at Starfell Lake. It’s never said where we fish Paimon out, but we could imply that it was at this lake. The lake, which isn’t too far away from the Nameless Island associated with Istaroth. People have pointed out that the background of the Paimon-fishing-out-CG is actually Guyun Stone Forest. In the beginning cutscene, we can see the nameless island in the distance. Paimon says nothing about where we fished her, so who knows. It’s our first time being in Liyue, but she knows that the statues look different because we’re in Liyue, so personally it doesn’t make sense that we got her in Guyun Stone Forest.

More About Welkin Moon Girl

This part is at the end because it’s me just playing with an idea. So it’s called “Blessing of the Welkin Moon". Welkin means “the sky” or “heaven.” She’s blessing us with primogems. Primogems are… From the Primordial One? 

They’re described as “beyond the mundane world” and have the same chinese lettering as the phrase Primordial One and Allogene. Considering that the Gnoses are made from the 3rd descender's remains, would it be out of reach to say that Primogems could be created by/from the Primordial One?

Anyway, you could read it as Istaroth blessing us with pieces of Phanes (or, by association, herself). 

The Welkin Girl’s cauldron has the triquetra on it, a symbol of Phanes and his shades, the same symbol on Paimon’s tummy. The Genshin Impact logo itself has Paimon’s crown, the circlet, above it. Genshin meaning allogenes, and thus tied to Phanes. 

reposted from my reddit & hoyolab

[myth-lord]

ALl greek myth characters I love

Achelous (Triton) Achilles Achlys Acmon (Dactyl) Actaeon (Stag) Adephagia Aeacus (Daemon Judge) Aello (Harpy) Aeolus Aergia Aethon (Caucausian Eagle) Agamemnon Aglaope (Siren) Agrius (Bearman) Aigle (Hesperid) Akheilos Alastor Alecto (Erinyes) Amethyste (Oread) Amphisbaena Amphitrite Antaeus Anteros Antiphates (Laestrygonian) Apate Aphrodite Apollo Arachne Ares Argus Panoptes Aristaeus (God of insects) Artemis Asclepius (Medicine/Healing) Askalaphos (owl) Atalanta Athena Atlas Atropos Attis Autolycus (Master Thief)

Basilisk Bellerophon Boreas (Anemoi) Briareus (hekantoncheirus) Brontes (Cyclops)

Cacus Cadmus Calliope (Muse, Poetry) Callisto Calydonian Boar Calypso (Nereid) Cassandra Cassiopeia Castor & Pollux Catoblepas Celedones (two) Cerambus (Beetle) Cerberus Cercopes (Passalus & Aclemon) Ceryneian Hind Ceto Cetus Chalcon (Telchine) Chaos Charon Charybdis Chimera Chione Chiron (Centaur) Chloris (Dryad) Chrysaor Chrysomallos Circe Clio (Muse, Art) Clotho Coronis (Maenad) Corvus (Raven) Cretan Bull Crocotta Cronus

Daedalus Deimos (Machai) Delphin Demeter Diomedes Dionysus

Echidna Echo (Oread) Empusa Epiales (Pet of PHobetor) Erato (Muse, Literature) Eris (Mania) Eros Erymanthian Boar Eurus (Anemoi) Euryale (Gorgon) Eurynomos Eurytion (Centaur) Euterpe (Muse, music) Evenor (Atlantis King)

Gaia Galatea Gegenees Geras Geryon Graeae (Deino, Enyo & Pemphredo) Griffon

Hades Harmonia Hecate Helen of Troy Helios Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hermes Hestia Hippocampus Hippolyta Hybris Hygieia Hypnos

Icarus Ichthyes (Aphros & Bythos) Indus Worm Iris Ismenian Drakon Ixion (Daemon)

Jason

Kampe Karkinos Keres Khalkotauroi (Colchis Bull) Kholkikos Drakon Kobaloi Kratos

Ladon Laelaps Lakhesis Lamia Leonidas Lernaean Hydra Limos Lotus (Lotus-Eaters) Lycaon

Manticore Marsyas (Satyr) Medea Medusa (Gorgon) Megaera (Erinyes) Melaina (Thriae) Meleager Melinoe Melpomene (Muse, Tragedy) Menoetes (Daemon) Midas Minos (Daemon Judge) Minotaur Mneme (Muse, Memory) Morbus (Nosoi) Mormo Moros (DooM) Morpheus (Oneiroi)

Narcissus Nemean Lion Nemesis Nephele (Aurai) Nerites Nessus (Centaur) Nike Notus (Anemoi) Nyx

Odontotyrannus Odysseus Oedipus Orion Orpheus Orphne Orthrus

Pan Pandora Panotti Paris of Troy Pegasus Peisinoe (Siren) Peitho (Persuasion) Peleus (Myrmidon) Peloros (Spartoi) Penthus (Mourning) Periphetes Persephone Perseus Phaea (Crommyonian Sow) Pharmacea (Nereid, Poison) Philyra (Odor, Parfum) Phobetor (Oneiroi) Phobos (Machai) Phoenix Phorcys Phthisis (Nosoi) Plutus (Wealth / Chrysus) Polyhymnia (Muse, Silence) Polyphemus (Cyclops) Poseidon Prometheus Proteus (Triton) Psyche Pygmalion Pyrausta Pyrois (Sun Horse) Pythia (oracle of Delphi) Python

Rhadamanthus (Daemon Judge)

Sciron (Cercyon) Scironian Turtle Scorpios Scylla Selene Sisyphus (Daemon) Skolopendra Sphinx Stheno (Gorgon) Stymphalian Birds Sybaris Symplegades (Planctae)

Talos (Automaton) Tantalus (Daemon) Tartarus Terpsichore (Muse, Dance) Teumessian Fox Thalia (Muse, Comedy) Thanatos Theia (Sight, gems) Thelxiepeia (Siren) Theseus Tiresias (Shade) Tisiphone (Erinyes) Typhon

Urania (Muse, Astronomy)

Xanthus (Mare of Diomedes)

Zelos Zephyrus (Anemoi) Zeus

Shades / Myrmekes / Gadfly /

[talonabraxas]

I greet thee, thou that fillest the whole structure of the air, spirit that stretchest from heaven to earth... and to the confines of the abyss... spirit that also penetratest myself and leavest me again. Thou, the servant of the rays of the sun, that enlightenest the world... a great circular mysterious form of the universe, heavenly spirit, ethereal spirit, earthy, fiery, windy, light... dark spirit, that shinest like a star... Lord, god of the Aions... Ruler of everything.

'Zurvan Akarana' Talon Abraxas

ON ZURVAN AND SORCERY from my forthcoming book on the Black Mass.

Magic and Sorcery are two different knowledge traditions, where Sorcery by definition implies black magic, or perhaps even more red magic. It is the magic of fire, eroticism and blood, directly linked to what India is referred to as tantra and kundalini yoga. The word has etymological connections to "blood" and the color red, but is derived from the Latin sors, "fate", and is the knowledge to free oneself from the web of Fate and learn to rule over the cosmic web.

The goal of the LHP has its roots in the Persian Zurvan religion in part. Zurvan is a First Principle, the primordial creator deity who put the principles of good and evil, the twins, and Angra Mainyu and Ahura Mazda, also known as Ormudz and Ahriman (who has little to do with Rudolf Steiner's concept of Ahriman). By putting these principles in place, Mankind could choose to do good or harm. This is the manifestation of Karma, or Cosmic Law. Ordinary people are either connecting to good or evil. This is not pretending to be good, but doing good in actions. Zurvan is beyond time and space, beyond good and evil. Zurvan is the "one", the "alone, the Singularity with all multifold inside. The name Zurvan derives from the Middle Persian name derives from Avestan zruvan-, "time". Zurvan is Time but also because of that not under the control of Time. Zurvan is like Kali, or the gnostic Aeon and Abraxas, it is Sorath, also spelt Zurath, The Deity whose number is 666. When reaching the aura of Zurvan you become a True Sorcerer that is not trapped by the Web of Fate, but becomes The Spider. This is in the Draconian Tradition known as the mysterious NOXXON: Zurvan is The Ultimate Twin, but with the dualism united, and thus a form of both Thaumiel and Thagirion.

While white Magicians work with the circles of nature, the Sorcerer goes beyond black and white, into the Royal Color of Atlantis, the color Red that transcend beyond the dualism of our common world. The Sorcerer is on a a journey to the Existence free from the influence of The Zodiac, The Zodiac keep us in chains, but can be used by The Sorcerer. Red is also synonym to Gold,and this is an Golden Alchemical Art. Both the name Zurvan and Sorcery derive from words with connotations “time”, “fate” and “red” although perhaps from different etymological sources. To emphasize the connection Dragon Rouge sometime spell it Zorcery.

In the mysteries of Hellas Zurvan is associated with Saturn and Pluto, and to some extent Chronos , He lives in primordial Chaos, in Bythos ("depth or profundity", Greek βυθός), Proarkhe ("before the beginning", Greek προαρχή), the Arkhe ("the beginning", Greek ἀρχή), "Sophia" (wisdom). Another name for him is Zoe, which means “life” itself. Zurvan is the pure “Existence”, “Vital Force”, what is known as Kundalini by the Indians and the same as Vril and Odic Force. Zurvan is however not an abstract principle, but one of the most advanced, powerful Intelligences in Existence, far beyond anything we humans normally can grasp. A famous picture of Zuravn/Aeon/Abaxas is Leontocephaline, The Winged Lion-Serpent Son, the being that rules Thagirion, The Black Sun.

When I was in my twenties I woke up one night and as a physical manifestation Zurvan, or Abraxas as I knew the name, was rising above me. The wings were raised and the serpent around him was black and red and coiling around him looking at me. The serpent wound around the body seven turns and was radiating with the colors of the seven planets and chakras. The lower one was connected to wrought iron, which shows Zurvan's role as a figure who gives man knowledge and tools, like the Fallen Angels. At his feet I saw a rod of Caduceus shining with the light of the kundalini. He carried a staff and two keys, behind him he had a stone tablet that I could not read. The face was surrounded by a blinding strong light and I heard a weird sound as it came from the depth of the Universe and beyond. Zurvan spoke straight into my consciousness:

“You've seen me before, I have chosen you, but you do not remember our first meeting. You have entered my hall in the Black Sun with its 12 rays and 1001 gates. Take my staff, my keys and the stone tablet. In time, you will know how to use it.”

“The Fire that I am, burns all the debts and mistakes of Mankind, all guilt and all the burdens of Time. I am Fire! I only serve The Red Dragon, no one else. I am the key bearer and The Angel and Beast in one, and my number is 666. My appearance you know from ancient statues and drawings, but I am the Primal Picture, The Winged Lion-Serpent Son. That is the riddle to know me.”

“People must gather to fulfill the Prophecies, otherwise Mankind will end itself without my help. Then they are devoured by Angra Mainyu and lost in a Hell that is forever pain. Do good! Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you! Never forget The Golden Rule.

“Free yourself from both good and evil, from my angels Angra Mainyu and Ahura Mazda. Be free. Do good. Be a warrior. And I will show you how to use these keys and open the Door of Knowledge and the Door of Life. Go forward into The NIght and gather the lost and scattered people and help them find their True Self. Direct the path to the Black Sun and The Daemon with this staff. And follow the Sacred Law. It is The Law written by Lucifer.”

I was surrounded by a cloud of light in all colors and Zurvans words were absorbed right into my heart. I proclaimed: This is a Path with a Heart”

Zurvan was gone and the rest of the night I was in a state of half-sleep and lucid dreams about the objects Survan had handled over to me.

[paperanddice]

The most powerful of the known inevitables, the lhaksharut is a massive, looming figure. A humanoid upper body made of stone, with six arms and metal wings, rises from a collecting of interconnected, spinning metal rings. These wings aren't the source of the lhaksharut's flight, instead stabilizing and bolstering its agility. Very few of these immense extraplanar constructs exist, as the factories that produce inevitables must spend many, many cycles on a lhaksharut, time that could produce dozens of lesser inevitables, so they are built sparingly. They are also expensive to equip, typically carrying three to four powerful magical weapons with which they fulfill their duties. Four of the lhaksharut's arms are usually armed, while the last two (the lowest) carry metal spheres that crackle with energy that it uses to launch bursts of energy.

What are these duties? As with all other inevitables, lhaksharut are built with a detailed list of rules for a specific factor of existence and police the status quo as outlined by their creators, and for the lhaksharut it's the stability and separation of different planes. Travel between the planes is of no concern, but perpetual gates, or attempting to rip a portion of one plane to another must be addressed wherever it is found, and the lhaksharut's method of dealing with such issues is very simple and straightforward. It will smash and destroy any person or object involved in such an issue without a concern over the specifics. The reasons for the infractions do not matter, but rarely they can be negotiated with. They are dogmatic and strict, but not completely mindless, and if presented with a greater threat that may require a temporary open gate, it can defer momentarily to resolve the greater planar threat. In such a rare situation, it will find a compromise in standing guard over the gate, prepared to destroy it as soon as the larger situation is resolved.

Lhaksharut typically work alone, like other inevitables, though they will have some kind of information network to update them on major planar issues. These kinds of threats are rare, either well hidden or coming into existence under extreme confluences, so much of a lhaksharut's time is spent in wait. Some create strongholds, others just find a deep void and meditate within it, but all are ready to spring into action the moment they are made aware of a planar breach of any kind.

Inspired by the Pathfinder 1e Bestiary 2. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

With the aeons bringing about their Convergence, the inevitables have been on a downturn. The aeons oversee the sorts of caretaking that inevitables were created for, and so their presence is no longer required. They're not being retired directly, but their numbers are shrinking over time, and the creation of new ones seems to be grinding to a halt. Lhaksharut in particular are fading, as they were already uncommon and they're being replaced within the structures of Axis by bythos aeons.

Lhaksharut Creature 20 Rare, Huge, Aeon, Inevitable, Monitor Perception +36; darkvision, truesight Languages Cthonian, Common, Diabolic, Draconic, Empyrean, Utopian; truespeech Skills Arcana +32, Athletics +35, Intimidation +34, Occultism +32, Religion +32 Str +9, Dex +3, Con +8, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +5 Items +3 greater striking longspear, +2 greater striking longsword, +2 greater striking morningstar AC 43; Fort +36, Ref +29, Will +34; +2 status to all saves vs. magic HP 350 (regeneration 20 (deactivated by spirit)); Immunities death effects, disease, emotion, poison, unconscious; Weaknesses spirit 20 Multiple Reactions The lhaksharut gains 5 extra reactions each round that it can use only to make Reactive Strikes. It can't use more than one on the same triggering action. Reactive Strike [reaction] Speed fly 60 feet Melee wounding longspear +38 (magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d8+19 piercing plus 1d6 spirit and 1d6 persistent bleed Melee wounding longsword +37 (magical, reach 10 feet, versatile P), Damage 2d8+19 slashing plus 1d6 spirit and 1d6 persistent bleed Melee wounding morningstar +37 (magical, reach 10 feet, versatile P), Damage 2d6+19 bludgeoning plus 1d6 spirit and 1d6 persistent bleed Melee fist +35 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d6+15 bludgeoning plus 1d6 spirit Ranged energy bolt +31 (magical, range 100 feet), Damage 10d6 acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage (lhaksharut's choice) Divine Innate Spells DC 42, attack +34 ; 9th banishment, detonate magic, divine decree; 8th disintegrate (×3), pinpoint; 7th interplanar teleport (×3), planar seal (×3); 6th scrying (×3), wall of force (×3); 5th banishment (×3), dispel magic (at will), locate (at will), sending (at will); 4th clairvoyance (at will), planar tether (at will) translocate (at will); Constant truesight, truespeech Energy Pulse [2 actions] The lhaksharut makes two energy bolt Strikes, each against a different target. These attacks count toward the lhaksharut's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after all the attacks. Multiweapon Mastery [2 actions] The lhaksharut makes a Strike with up to four arms, each against a different target, and using a fist or weapon as appropriate. These attacks count toward the lhaksharut's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after all the attacks.

13th Age

In the Dragon Empire, lhaksharut police the bounds of the Overworld and oppose any attempts to create a permanent bridge between the two, whether physical or magical.

Lhaksharut Huge 12th level blocker [construct] Initiative: +16 Wounding Weapons +17 vs. AC (3 attacks; can target nearby enemies) – 75 damage. Natural Even Hit: 30 ongoing damage. Miss: 35 damage. R: Energy Bolts +17 vs. PD (2 attacks, each against a nearby or far away enemy) – 120 acid, cold, fire, or lightning damage (lhaksharut’s choice). Miss: 30 damage of the chosen type. R: Dismissal +17 vs. MD (one nearby or far away enemy) – The target is banished (save ends). While banished, it’s removed from the battlemap, and cannot be targeted or harmed by any attack or ability from another creature or vice-versa. Any ongoing conditions continue while it’s banished, and it can take actions that affect only itself on its turns. When the banished target saves, it reappears in the same spot it vanished (or the closest available spot if that spot is occupied). Limited Use: 2/battle, as a quick action (1/turn) when the escalation die is even. Mechanical Reconstruction 90: When the lhaksharut has been damaged, its mechanical body self-repairs 90 hit points at the start of the lhaksharut’s turn. It can repair 5 times per battle. If it heals to its maximum hit points, then that use of mechanical reconstruction doesn’t count against the five-use limit. When the lhaksharut is hit by an attack that deals lightning damage and overcomes its lighting resistance, it loses one use of its mechanical reconstruction and it can’t regenerate during its next turn. Dropping the lhaksharut to 0 hp doesn’t kill it if it has any uses of mechanical reconstruction left. Perpetual Flyer: The lhaksharut is always flying, even when skimming the ground. It doesn’t ever walk anywhere. Reaching Interceptor: The lhaksharut can attempt to intercept an enemy while engaged with other enemies. When an enemy moves nearby, it can roll a normal save to attempt to intercept. On a success, the lhaksharut engages the enemy without disengaging from any enemies it’s currently engaged with, and the enemy takes 30 damage. Teleport Anchor: As an interrupt when a nearby or far away enemy attempts to teleport, the lhaksharut can force that enemy to make a hard save (16+); on a failure, the teleport fails. Resist acid, cold, fire, lightning 13+. AC 27 PD 25 MD 25 HP 920

[drondskaath]

Night Shall Drape Us | Lunatic Choir | 2024

Finnish Black Metal

Artwork by War AArtworks

Featuring members of Behexen, Darvaza, Bythos, Chamber of Unlight

[onlyhurtforaminute]

BYTHOS-WOLVES OF HADES

[comicwaren]

From Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #003, "Within the Body My Body Is Not"

Art by Tradd Moore and Heather Moore

Written by Tradd Moore

[33-108]

"The Black Cube of Bythos holds profound significance within Gnosticism, symbolizing the primordial void from which all creation emerges. In Gnostic cosmology, Bythos represents the ineffable and transcendent realm of the Pleroma, the fullness or totality of divine emanations. The Black Cube, as a symbol of this primal void, encapsulates both the potential for creation and the ultimate mystery of existence. It serves as a nexus point connecting the material world with the divine realms of the Pleroma, bridging the gap between the finite and the infinite. Within the context of the Gateway Experience, the Cube served as a symbolic gateway to altered states of consciousness and expanded awareness, along with binary brain waves one was asked to visualize a box. Individuals such as Indigo Swann and Robert A. Monroe, pioneers in consciousness exploration, used the symbolism of the Black Cube as they sought to transcend the limitations of the material world and explore the depths of consciousness. Through practices such as meditation, remote viewing, and astral projection, we may journey inward, drawing closer to the ineffable mysteries of the Pleroma and unlocking deeper levels of spiritual insight and understanding." - Mike Berserker

[donnernn]

the sophia :) sorry for the quality crunch.

i have conflicting feelings about her i think. her passion created ialdaboth, but her desires are so much like ours. a desire to know the unknowable, to reach gnosis with bythos like we do with Him.

without her, would we have anything? definitely not. some see her as a mother, others see her akin to Eve and her original sin. im not sure where I sit on that line yet, really.

i think she's beautiful though :) ꙋ

[malewifeoctavio]

@bythograeidae calling bytho out for actively drawing Gabriel's great big badonkadonking hooting smoking hot HIGH POLY fucking manTITS

[talonabraxas]

Esoterically, Karkata (Cancer) stands for the interaction of time and space on the involutionary path of the soul. It is related to the Hiranyagarbha of the Hindus and the Bythos of the Greeks. Karkata (Cancer) is feminine, watery and movable. Water is adaptable and can assume any shape depending upon the vessel in which it is kept. Water is formless, colorless, and odorless, but it is also the sustaining energy of all life. Cancer provides sustenance: the differentiation of cosmic ideation in space and time is an expression of this life-sustaining force. Being feminine in nature, Karkata (Cancer) is very productive provided it is met by the right kind of unity force. Karkata (Cancer) never feels at ease with inaction; it desires to be engaged in some kind of movement — even mere displacement, or movement without much significance.

Chandra (Moon) owns this sign, showing its great expansive capacity. Guru (Jupiter) is exalted here, which reveals the protective quality of the sign. Mangala (Mars) is debilitated, signifying inaction as the most trying experience for Karkata (Cancer).

Karkata "Celestial Crab" Talon Abraxas

[schizografia]

Il fango e le stelle

Tutti ricordano l’aneddoto, narrato da Socrate nel Teeteto, della servetta trace, «arguta e graziosa», che ride osservando Talete che, tenendo fisso lo sguardo verso il cielo e le stelle, non vede quel che gli sta sotto i pedi e cade in un pozzo. In un appunto del Quaderno genovese, Montale rivendica in qualche modo il gesto del filosofo, scrivendo: «Chi trascina i piedi nel fango e gli occhi nelle stelle; quello è il solo eroe, quello è il sol vivente». Che il poeta ventunenne compendi e anticipi in questo appunto l’essenza della sua futura poetica, non è sfuggito ai critici; ma altrettanto importante è che questa poetica, come ogni vera poetica, implichi per così dire una teologia, sia pure negativa, che uno studioso attento ha drasticamente riepilogato nella formula «teologia della briciola» («Solo il divino è totale nel sorso e nella briciola» – si legge in Rebecca, «Solo la morte lo vince se chiede l’intera porzione»).

La teologia che è qui in questione, com’è evidente già nel dualismo «fango/stelle» dell’appunto giovanile e nelle «buie forze di Arimane» evocate in un intervento del 1944, è certamente gnostica. Come in ogni gnosi, i principi – o gli dei – sono due, uno buono e uno malvagio, uno assolutamente estraneo al mondo e un demiurgo che lo ha invece creato e lo governa. Nelle correnti gnostiche più radicali, il dio buono è così estraneo al mondo, che nemmeno si può dire che esista: secondo i Valentiniani, egli non è esistente, ma pre-esistente (proon), non è principio , ma pre-principio (proarche), non padre, ma pre-padre (propator). E come è estraneo al mondo, è anche estraneo al linguaggio, paragonabile a un abisso (bythos) intimamente congiunto al silenzio (sige): «Il silenzio, madre di tutto ciò che è emesso dall’abisso, in quanto non poteva dire nulla dell’ineffabile, tacque; in quanto comprendeva, lo chiamò incomprensibile». La teologia negativa o apofatica, così cara a Montale già a partire dagli Ossi («Codesto solo oggi possiamo dirti / ciò che non siamo, ciò che non vogliamo») non è, in questo senso, che l’ altra faccia della gnosi. Il dio preesistente nomina, infatti secondo ogni evidenza, lo stadio anteriore alla rivelazione e all’evento del linguaggio che definisce la condizione umana (l’antropogenesi). Il cristianesimo cerca di venire a capo del dualismo gnostico identificando il dio buono, il Padre, col creatore, ma, per fare i conti con l’elemento maligno rimosso, deve poi supporre l’incarnazione in un figlio, che, come Cristo, cioè Messia, ha il compito di salvare e redimere il mondo.

Il grande tema gnostico, nella misura in cui ancora certamente ci riguarda, mostra che nell’uomo convivono un elemento estraneo al mondo e uno mondano, un principio buono e uno malvagio e che la vita umana è pertanto dal principio alla fine determinata dal conflitto e dalla possibile conciliazione di questi due opposti elementi. Si tratta di un compito arduo e gravoso, perché i due principi – il fango e le stelle – sono nell’esistenza terrena così intimamente ingarbugliati che districarli è praticamente impossibile. Secondo la teologia gnostica, che il cristianesimo eredita almeno in parte senza il beneficio d’inventario, il mondo è il frutto di una deiezione o di un getto (katabolé o probolé) dalla sfera celeste superiore in quella materiale e inferiore. Origene, riprendendo tradizioni gnostiche, precisa che «in greco katabolé significa piuttosto gettare (deicere), cioè buttar fuori». Le anime contro la loro volontà sono state gettate dalla sfera superiore in quella inferiore e «rivestite in corpi più spessi e duri (crassioribus et solidioribus)» e per questo «ogni creatura nutre la speranza di essere liberata dalla corruzione» (il rimando è a Rom.8,20: «la creatura è stata sottomessa alla vanità senza volerlo»... e aspetta, in gemiti e speranza, di essere liberata dalla corruzione); ma per lo gnostico liberarsi può solo significare raccogliere pazientemente le scintille e le parcelle di luce divina che sono state confuse nelle tenebre, separarle una a una dal fango e ricondurle nella loro patria celeste.

Che la cultura moderna, di cui la gnosi montaliana è qui solo un caso esemplare, sia percorsa e intessuta da motivi gnostici è evidente nel fatto tutt’altro che scontato che anche il capolavoro della filosofia del novecento definisca la condizione umana col termine Geworfenheit (essere gettato), che secondo ogni evidenza non è che una traduzione della katabolé origeniana e della probolé dei Valentiniani. Ma un motivo gnostico era presente in qualche modo anche nella filosofia platonica, non solo nell’immagine dei due diversi cavalli che rendono disagevole e penosa la guida della biga dell’anima nel Fedro, ma anche nell’aneddoto del Teeteto da cui abbiamo esordito e nel mito della caverna nella Repubblica. Il problema è ogni volta per l’uomo di riuscire a conciliare in qualche modo elementi incompatibili, il nero e il bianco, il fango e le stelle, l’oscurità della caverna e lo splendore del sole. Il bene è, infatti, sempre intrecciato col male e può darsi solo come una parcella, un interstizio o una briciola di luce confusa nella tenebra: come un’iride nel fango, secondo la perspicua immagine di una delle poesie supreme di Montale, L’anguilla. Non soltanto, come l’anguilla (che è, del resto, un’anagramma perfetto di «la lingua»), la «scintilla» o «l’iride breve» del bene esiste solo «filtrando / fra gorielli di melma», fra «l’arsura e la desolazione», ma il rischio è qui che lo gnostico, che deve separare le scintille di luce rimaste imprigionate nella melma, finisca suo malgrado per trasformare in idolo la tenebra da cui doveva fuggire.

Il fatto è che, dati originariamente insieme il dualismo di bene e male e la loro confusione, nessuno dei due principi è in grado di venire a capo dell’altro. La scintilla di luce si è così impaniata nel fango che non può separarsene del tutto, né il fango sa disgiungersi integralmente dall’iride che tanto affettuosamente lo circonda. Nel paradigma gnostico essi formano, come si dice, un sistema e l’incauto che s’ingegna di restituirli alla loro supposta originaria separazione non può che restare a mani vuote. Così il poeta con i piedi nel fango, che cerca eroicamente di tenere i suoi occhi fissi nelle stelle, non riesce più a sceverarle dalla melma, di cui sono appunto solo un’iride o un barlume. Egli non è più capace di tirarsi fuori dal pozzo in cui, come Talete, è scivolato. A ragione Zanzotto ha potuto definire l’universo di Montale, scrivendo che per lui «il destino umano è l’“interrarsi”, il ridursi a sedimento, a “meno di quanto / t’ha rapito la gora che s’interra”, è scoprirsi come vischiosa e dolorante inerzia… nella spaventosa matrice di una verità che è tutta e soltanto terrestre. Anzi, è da dire “terrosa”, come terroso è l’uomo di Montale, fatto di un fango quasi casualmente germinante nella vita, ma tendente sempre a ricadere in se stesso». L’angelo che dovrebbe riscattare questa vita interrata è ora soltanto, come nella poesia eponima del 1968, un «angelo nero», «non celestiale né umano», «di cenere e fumo» o, come in una poesia più tarda, solo un «inespungibile refuso». Ed è significativo che la motivazione del Nobel assegnato nel 1975 al poeta menzioni espressamente «una visione della vita priva di illusioni» – l’illusione in questione essendo che le stelle possano mai essere separate dal limo. Forse, rovesciando il motto giovanile, sarebbe stato meglio per il poeta – come per ogni uomo – tenere i piedi nelle stelle e gli occhi nel fango.

L’evocazione del «povero / Nestoriano smarrito» in Iride, la poesia che apre la sezione Silvae della Bufera, permette di precisare la natura particolare della «gnosi» montaliana, che qui ci interessa definire con maggior precisione. I seguaci di Nestore, patriarca di Costantinopoli dal 428 al 432 e condannato come eretico nel Concilio di Efeso (431), affermavano la presenza in Cristo di due nature, la divina e l’umana, ma negavano che esse fossero unite ipostaticamente, cioè ontologicamente in un’unica persona (o ypostasis). A differenza dei monofisiti, che riconoscevano in Cristo solo la natura divina, Nestorio affermava, come il suo avversario Cirillo, patriarca di Alessandria, il difisismo, ma non intendeva l’unione delle due nature, secondo il modello che Cirillo riuscì a imporre a Roma, kath’ypostasin, cioè ontologicamente in una sola essenza, ma soltanto in un senso per così dire morale, attraverso la persona (prosopon) di Cristo, distinta dall’ypostasis. La dualità, in qualche modo, primeggia così sull’unità, che, affidata solo alla persona morale di Cristo, è in qualche modo indebolita; ed è per questo che i nestoriani furono accusati, a torto, di professare in Cristo due persone.

Si comprende allora perché Montale fosse affascinato dal «povero Nestoriano»: l’unione tra l’umano e il divino, il fango e le stelle, non è mai compiuta una volta per tutte, ma solo, istantanea e imperfetta, «nel sorso e nella briciola». Nell’Intervista immaginaria del 1946, Montale lo afferma senza reticenze, al momento di commentare la figura femminile in Iride, «continuatrice e simbolo dell’eterno sacrificio cristiano»: «Chi la conosce è il Nestoriano, l’uomo che meglio conosce le affinità che legano Dio alle creature incarnate, non già lo sciocco spiritualista o il rigido o astratto monofisita». L’affinità non è un’unione ipostatica, per essenza e natura, ma una difficile e mai definitiva affinità «nella notte del mondo», «perché – conclude la poesia, definita nell’intervista “in chiave, terribilmente in chiave” - l’opera Sua (che nella tua / si trasforma) dev’esser continuata». La redenzione, il riconoscimento e la riconduzione all’origine delle scintille di luce mischiate nel fango non ha mai fine, deve essere incessantemente ripresa. Almeno fino a quando, da Satura in poi, il poeta abbandona la sua teologia gnostica e si confessa apertamente scettico, se non disperato. Se un Dio c’è, è un Dio «che non porta a salvezza perché non sa / nulla di noi e ovviamente / nulla di sé».

Per questo i teologi rimandano accortamente, ma non senza una buona dose di ipocrisia, il loro definitivo distacco al paradiso a venire, quando il corpo risorto, divenuto spirituale, mostrerà la sua gloria e l’iride non sarà più che un’aureola intorno a quello che era un tempo il limo della carne. Non si tratta qui di una mancanza di fede, rispetto alla quale gli uomini sono sempre in difetto. Se fede è, appunto, secondo l’apostolo, «l’esistenza di cose sperate», il poeta, come forse ogni uomo, non crede abbastanza nelle cose che sembrano non esistere e sono invece più reali di quelle che sembrano esistere e, come suggeriscono i teologi, deve differire le cose sperate in un altro mondo.

Contro questa impossibilità della gnosi di venire a capo del proprio irriducibile dualismo occorre levare innanzitutto un’obiezione politica. E se la strategia dev’essere politica, una prima mossa tattica sarà di spostare qui e ora tutto quello che i teologi rimandano al paradiso futuro. Se il corpo glorioso esibirà in paradiso tutti i suoi organi, compresi quelli della riproduzione e della defecazione, allora converrà strappare al futuro questa ipotetica gloria per riportarla nell’unico suo possibile luogo: il nostro corpo, qui e ora. Il corpo glorioso non è un altro corpo, è lo stesso corpo, liberato dal sortilegio che lo separa da se stesso, scindendo il fango dalle stelle, la luce dal buio. Tutto, come insegnano gli Chassidim, può essere una favilla della divinità e, come suggerisce il crudo, beffardo linguaggio del Talmud, «tre cose anticipano il tempo a venire, il sole, il sabato e il tashmish», una parola che significa tanto l’unione sessuale che la defecazione.

Se il bene è commisto al male, se l’iride non può essere separata dal fango, ciò non significa che essi esistano soltanto negativamente. Al contrario, l’iride e il fango sono entrambi modi o modificazioni di Dio, che ne esprimono ciascuno – diversamente, ma allo stesso titolo – la sostanza. Il dualismo gnostico rovina e si annulla nella formula Deus sive natura, in cui il sive non cancella la differenza, ma la trasforma in un compito per così dire politico. Sive è etimologicamente connesso alla congiunzione sic, che significa «così» (di qui l’italiano «sì» come espressione dell’assenso). I modi sono il «così» della sostanza divina, il suo semplice darsi, il suo con-sentire a se stessa. Ma il luogo di questo sive, di questo«così» e di questo assenso, è in ciascun uomo, il quale soltanto può conferire esistenza qui e ora alle cose sperate. Dio è la natura, le stelle sono il fango non per via di un’assurda, impossibile identità, ma perché l’uomo offre ad essi il luogo del loro reciproco consenso, del loro arduo, ma semplice convenire. Le tenebre – com’è stato suggerito da un altro poeta – sono l’opera della luce e nulla di quanto avviene nel mondo può fare a meno della loro collaborazione, di cui ciascuno uomo è ospite e mezzano. Occorre rileggere in questo senso il prezioso Piccolo testamento che conclude La bufera e contiene forse la testimonianza meno elusiva, anche se contraddittoria, del credo politico montaliano. Se l’iride è qui la «testimonianza / d’una fede che fu combattuta, / d’una speranza che bruciò più lenta / di un duro ceppo nel focolare», allora non può essere vero, come il poeta pure sembra subito suggerire, che «una storia non dura che nella cenere / e persistenza è solo l’estinzione». Nei versi che concludono il testamento, Montale trova infatti, per la prima e forse ultima volta, il nerbo di un’asserzione esplicitamente politica: «Ognuno riconosce i suoi: l’orgoglio / non era fuga, l’umiltà non era / vile, il tenue bagliore strofinato / laggiù non era quello di una fiammifero».

29 gennaio 2024

Giorgio Agamben