#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

[dravidious]

After beating Trauma Team I was kinda disappointed with Twisted Rosalia because like that's it? That's the final boss? I beat it first try, no problem! Come on, give me a final boss like savato!

I just got to Aletheia in Under the Knife 2 and uh. Wish granted. This thing kicked my ass

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

God, I way prefer the design of the Aeon over the Modron. It goes way better with them being embodiments of universal order to be something that isn’t necessarily organic or have organic features. They also don’t look like, as a few have said before me concerning Modron, like rejected animated film mascots.

Yes! The aeons do have one that can take an organic form, as you'll see in like an hour, but it's just a for communication/manipulating things. And while many are mechanical, many aren't! Other books we aren't covering this tournament, there's also the the bythos who guard the laws of space and time

or the Theletos who balance the dichotomy of fate and free will.

[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

[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.

[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

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than skulls

You're more amazing than a 2-for-1 special

[noughtlux]

Bythos Digital art 2023 (Lic.: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

[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