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Chapter Text

But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence. The least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.

-Lord Byron

Names & Epithets

The Prince of Hope, The Emperor, the Aquatic, The White, the White Philosopher, the Wrathful, One Who Leads to Rivers of Self-Knowledge, He Who is Evening and Morning, The Stormcrow, The Prince Who Sits Beside Worshipful Kings, Bearer of the Staff, The Thrice-formed Prince, the Adversary.

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Prince of Hope, written instead of his name, is ♒, the sign of Aquarius.

The Sigil of Hope is a set of six stylized wings.

The colors associated with the Prince of Hope are gold and white, and his sacred color is violet.

Other symbols associated with the Prince of Hope are a white staff or wand, a harpoon, a field of stars, and fire.

Appearance/Portrayal:

The Prince of Hope is seen as a slender man with violet eyes and jagged horns. A pair of fins fold back from his cheeks. He wears spectacles and is often portrayed with a streak of purple hair. In some religious art, a purple streak is all that is shown to symbolically represent the Prince’s presence.

The Prince of Hope is usually seen wearing flamboyant and even gaudy clothing, rarely in his plain godhood, and is often bedecked with gold jewelry. Sometimes, the sigil of hope is reduced to subtle embroidery or a ring, symbolic of how the Prince manifests against Hope and not alongside it.

The Prince is almost always seen in the possession of a white staff or wand, sometimes said to be a gun or rifle. Such imagery predates the widespread usage of firearms in human civilization.

Domain/Associations:

The Prince of Hope is generally associated with Truth, Science, and Critique. He is seen both as one who legitimizes power and authority (in the form of truth and righteousness), and as one who speaks truth to power and tears it down (in the form of criticism).

The Prince of Hope is an antagonistic power in most concepts of the pantheon, setting himself against the other gods simply for the sake of doing so. ‘Playing the Prince’ is thus a term for taking an unpopular stance as though it is correct.

However, at the same time, the Prince of Hope defends that which is true above that which may feel good, seem good, or is popularly accepted as good. Honesty, with oneself and with others, is the cardinal virtue of the Prince. He is thought of as rational.

The Prince of Hope is associated with the contrasting emotions of humility and self-righteousness, and is portrayed as the one who judges whether the wicked should be destroyed, or given a chance for redemption. He is a purifying god, though it is often emphasized that he will purify only those who he judges worthy, and that the holy cleansing is not necessarily a pleasant experience.

Major Holiday(s): 

Truth Day is the only holiday commonly associated with the Prince of Hope, taking place on the 7th of Aquarius. This holiday is a day of thoughtfulness and introspection, and a day to ‘clean up’ and ‘purify’ one’s thoughts and behavior. Some traditions use the opportunity to do physical cleaning of one’s living space as well.

As with the majority of holidays, Truth Day activities take place in the evening and night. Traditionally, a fire is set, whether in a fireplace or an outdoor firepit. Followers write down their inner lies and deceptions on scraps of paper, anything that they suppress or repress about themselves and their relationship to the wider world. They then burn the scraps, either privately or publicly, symbolically committing to rid the lie from their thoughts. Some traditions encourage followers to read what they wrote aloud, while others allow for more privacy.

In the modern day, a commercial aspect to the holiday has arisen, with ‘packs’ of prefabricated, generalized lies being sold in stores, from which followers can choose whichever best apply to them. This is often a convenient timesaver. However, some followers say that this standardization of an intensely personal event completely misses the point of the holiday.

Churches and Cults:

In the Church of the Zodiac, the Prince of Hope is a counterbalancing force in the pantheon, one who pushes back against the other gods' plans, and as a critic who points out the flaws in their works.

While the Prince’s role in the Zodiac is relatively minor, he is the figurehead of one of the largest, if not the largest, single-deity congregations, the Order of Angels. Known to most of the public by their children’s and youth organization, the Angel Scouts, the Order of Angels is committed to truth both within themselves and in the wider world. Teachers, scientists, and journalists make up a significant fraction of the Order, and spreading truth and information are considered of paramount importance. Angels take pledges (though not in the Blood sense) of complete and radical honesty, and swear to uncover all lies and falsehoods. They also bake and sell cookies.

All Angels wear the sigil of Hope as their own, and the symbol of the Order is a Caduceus with the sigil at its tip.

In addition to the Order of Angels, a large contingent of journalists worship the Prince of Hope independently, and spread the ideal of truth through the White Papers, underground publications dedicated to uncovering the lies told by society at large. Individual White Paper distributors are sometimes co-opted by radicalism, but in a surprising number of cases they serve as the best source of accurate information. White Papers (and in the modern day, virtual Whitesites) have no centralized authority, forcing readers to remain critical, and to sift the wheat from the chaff. It is widely believed amongst aficionados of the White Papers that the Prince would approve of such media savvy.

Prayer and Worship:

The Prince of Hope rarely answers prayers. Rather, he is said to come to people when they want him least, but need him most. He answers questions that went unasked and tears down the illusions that protect the ego, doing both with a vengeance. He will leave you cleansed, but often hurting badly. The pain is thought of as the passage to becoming a more righteous person.

Worship of the Prince is generally an exercise in self-reflection and self-improvement. For his followers, honesty starts from within themselves. Prince-focused worship is generally done on Amporday.

Lore:

According to Book of the Zodiac, the Prince of Hope is the oldest of the gods, existing before the world and being the cause of not only their creation but also his own. In an act of paradox he birthed himself through his own death, as he slit his throat and was born (somehow for the first time) from the blood that was spilled. How this happened is a source of theological debate.

In terms of his relationship to other gods, the Prince of Hope is seen as an instigator of conflict, of upset, of turning over the status quo. It is believed that he is generally disliked by the other gods for this reason. In some parables, the Prince is portrayed as being in the right, but more often (in human myth at least) he is seen as being ultimately wrong by some technicality, or sometimes a mixture of the two. Similarly, while his overall role is to punish, and by punishing correct, the willfully ignorant, he is sometimes seen as being punished himself.

The Prince has certain similarities to other deities. Just as the Seer of Mind governs Justice, so the Prince governs Truth, and both are needed for civilization to thrive. In times of peace, these two deities are said to be working together harmoniously, but in times of political strife they are said to be at odds.

The Prince, as a patron of sciences, is often compared and contrasted with the Mage of Doom. Both are said to hold knowledge in high regard, though the Prince is often shown as more exacting and meticulous than the Mage, and less curious and experimental.

Just as all the gods are said to hate and love in the same heartbeat, so with the Prince. He was thought of historically as a partner to the Knight of Blood, with the Prince’s Angels assisting the Fellowship in every step of the way. Just as often, however, they are seen as sworn enemies.

The Prince of Hope and the Witch of Life are also associated, and connections are often drawn from their similar appearances, as they are the only gods seen to possess fins. However, just what this relationship entails is shrouded in mystery and conflicting accounts.

Public Relations:

In the modern era, the earthly abode of the Prince of Hope is not known to any but the highest ranking Angels, as the god is said to value his privacy. He rarely makes public appearances, though the Order of Angels derives its authority from him and claims to speak with his voice.

Political leaders will often pay lip service to the Prince and make donations in his name to the Angels or to research foundations. This often draws attention away from the fact that few politicians were Angel Scouts as youths, and none in recorded history have ever actually been active members of the Order of Angels.

Chapter Text

“In nature, there is less death and destruction than death and transmutation.“

- Edwin Way Teale

Names and Epithets

The Witch of Life; The Culler; Mother Sea; the Witch of the Salt; She Who Mixed the Waters and Bore Them All; She Who Wears the Skirt of Snakes; She Who Dwells in the Deep; Mother Whose Children Are Like Fish; the Bitch of Life (derogatory)

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Witch of Life, written instead of her name, is ♓, the sign of Pisces.

The Sigil of Life is a pair of green vines or tentacles, rearing back in an expression of movement.

The colors associated with the Witch of Life are green and brown, earthy colors, and her sacred color is tyrian purple.

Other symbols associated with the Witch of Life are a trident (more ominously a “culling fork”), a crown, the waves of the sea, fish (especially predatory fish or schools of fish), and the conch.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Witch of Life is portrayed as a woman, often rounded and curvaceous in silhouette, with long, wavy hair, fuchsia eyes, and fins. Her horns curve back gently from her head.

The portrayal of the Witch is dualistic. She is sometimes shown wearing gossamer silks, her stomach swollen in pregnancy, and surrounded by peaceful beasts of the field and sea. Other times, she is depicted as lean and hungry, dressed in rags or nothing at all, clutching or even gnawing a bone. These contradictory portrayals signify the ambiguity of nature’s relationship to civilization.

The Witch is said to wear brighter colors mixed with the earth tones of her godhood, and to be frequently accompanied by animals of various sorts.

Domain/Associations

The Witch of Life is said to be a goddess of nature, adaptation, and natural cycles. She presides over her namesake in all its manifestations. She is a god of love, in a way, but not a god of mercy.

Though she loves the deer as she would her own child, the wolf which tears at its flesh is her child as well. Smallpox was her child, and the furor with which humankind fought and destroyed it was a part of the natural world as well, and she smiled upon the both of them and pronounced it all good.

It is not uncommon for people to believe that the Witch is concerned with individual lives. It is what people want to believe. Her concern, however, is with life itself. It is the way of things for the weak to be consumed, by predation or disaster or illness, and for the old to die in their manner and give way to the young. It is the process of life with which she is concerned.

As such, the Witch of Life is a key figure in evolution. It is believed by many that she can take any creature and warp it into something wholly new, either over the course of generations or in a single moment. Determining which changes in the fossil record are due to the Witch’s intervention and which are spontaneous, as well as whether or not that is even a meaningful distinction, is a common cause of paleontological headache.

Major Holidays

The most important holiday on the Witch’s calendar takes place in the month of Pisces, when the Northern Hemisphere’s winter is just barely beginning to give way to spring. Thanksgiving, also known as Eucharist, is a celebration of survival, but its expression is significantly different in different parts of the world.

In warm climates, where the ground has thawed by late Pisces, Thanksgiving is a joyful holiday, a celebration of spring and the planting of crops, the birth of animals, and otherwise renewing of life. It is generally a communal holiday, where large groups get together and contribute to a stew with whatever is left of their winter stores. The folktale of “Stone Soup” is associated with Thanksgiving.

In colder climates, where Pisces is too early for snowmelt, observance of Thanksgiving is more somber, a time of gratitude for having survived the winter. In the far north, late winter and early spring is the starvation time, and though food is still shared, it is rarely a feast. Instead, a loaf of bread, or any other staple food, is split and shared within the members of a household. Generosity to those in need is also encouraged, for those who have food to spare. Taking in a needy stranger is often considered a virtue by the Witch’s followers.

Since the ground thawing is also the time when burials can be performed, the Witch is also associated with death and funerary rights, though not so much as the Maid of Time. At the end of Pisces, in some parts of the world, a single large funeral service is held for all those who died over winter.

This ritual differs from other funeral traditions in its prayers, which make many references to the powers of nature and the joys of living, not usual subjects for a funerary service.

Churches and Cults

In the Church of the Zodiac, the Witch of Life is the one who, after the creation of the universe, found it stillborn. Unsatisfied with an infinite expanse of rock and light, the Witch created water, and spread it, and used it to infuse the dead minerals of the stars with a spark of life. She has since patrolled the universe, ensuring that life continues to spread.

There is no single large Church that worships the Witch alone. However, there are many small, minor churches devoted to her, as well as some that focus on the Witch along with other gods. Many of these are the so-called Life’s Return, or “Paleo” cults (the latter a somewhat derogatory term, but one that is being reclaimed), which advocate a retreat from the modern world and technology, in favor of a more ‘pure’ or ‘true’ lifestyle that is closer to the idealized existence first created by the Witch.

In a less extreme expression, these cults are associated with environmental activism and environmentally-motivated civil disobedience.

Other forms of Witch-worship find expression in the militaries of the world, where the idea of killing to survive finds an eager audience. These cults are often underground and not explicitly supported by military institutions, but persist regardless.

Another congregation of note is the Temple of Overflowing Life, a dual-deity church that links the vitality of the Witch with the physicality of the Knight of Blood. This church displays some of the more extreme worship practices, and its legality is controversial, but its numbers are growing.

Prayer and Worship

A common theme in worship of the Witch is the idea of the life cycle, that the living inevitably die, but that death also feeds into life. “You to death, me to life” is a typical refrain.

The Witch is said by some to answer the prayers of those who want to live so badly that they will do anything to not die, though most also agree she will not help the utterly helpless. She is a goddess who helps those who first help themselves.

Cannibalism has been well-represented in Witch worship through the years. When the winter brought death by starvation it was considered sacrilege by the Witch’s most dedicated followers to let the dead rot and be wasted. Those who died were meant to give strength to those who still lived. In addition, eating the flesh of warriors fallen in battle was once a common Witch-related practice in parts of premodern Mesoamerica.

It was believed that doing so was respectful to the fallen, turning their death into one’s own life, and/or that by doing so a soldier could absorb the powers of their enemy. Today, this practice is illegal, but finds expression in the military-based Witch cults worldwide. Here, dog-tags and other items, even personal effects, are often taken from fallen enemy soldiers. Interestingly, the espoused motivation is not to keep these as trophies, but rather as symbols of remembrance and respect.

The Temple of Overflowing Life takes reenaction of the myth “The Eaters of the Witch” (see “Further Reading” below) quite literally, and traditionally performed ritualistic communal bloodletting and drinking of blood, in a dual-god ritual that is believed both to bind the congregation to each other and to share vitality. Traditionally, a single cup of commingled blood is passed around, from which everyone takes a sip. Usually, sickly people are given a greater share of the communal blood, and are not expected to donate. With modern medical tests, this practice is safer than it once was, but is still cautioned against by most health officials.

A far more common practice in worship of the Witch is to bathe. Bathhouses, often made largely of colored and transparent glass, are built alongside natural springs and dedicated to the Witch. Often, in such Houses of Dew and Glass, nudity is acceptable and expected, even in the presence of the opposite sex. In the House, everyone is rendered as shameless and clean of modesty as an animal. Even in the modern day, most Houses are given religious exemptions to public decency laws, though the potential for abuses in the Houses (such as age limits) are more strictly regulated.

Witch-focused worship is generally conducted on Piexday.

Lore

Some say, in the time before time, before the foundations of the world had been set, the Witch of Life called the Mage of Doom to her bed. The latter answered, but promptly smashed in the Witch’s skull. It was not blood which issued out, but rather water, both fresh and salt. The story tells how all life is begotten of death, and how the two may not be separated from each other.

All the gods have stories told about their deaths, and some are said to have died often. Stories of the Witch’s death and resurrection are more common than most, and how she, and other gods, continue to live despite dying is a matter of theological debate.

Some of the minor temples that hold to afterlife theory often say that those who die in defense of their children are held forever in the care of the Witch. The Zodiac Church rejects this idea.

The Witch is usually thought of as being on good terms with the rest of the pantheon. She is often mentioned as a consort of the Mage of Doom, though as with all gods, the precise manifestation of this relationship differs from one telling to another.

The Witch is sometimes contrasted with the Page of Breath, as they are both nature gods. However, while the Page emphasizes the freedom and innocence of nature, the Witch emphasizes its creative, transformative, and destructive properties.

The nature of the Witch’s relationship to the Prince of Hope, whose appearance is similar to hers in that they are the only two gods seen with fins, is contentious and unclear.

Public Relations

The Witch of Life spends much of her time off-world, generally out of the public eye. When she does come to Earth, it is often to one of several “Gardens,” which are usually islands but occasionally other isolated habitats both above and below water. The Gardens are holy places where she does her work, shaping life on a small scale. The Witch’s followers maintain that she is not limited to the Gardens by any outside force, but rather that she keeps to these areas out of a desire to not harm the rest of the Earth’s creatures.

Occasionally, a novel life form traced to the Gardens is found living and breeding in the wider environment. Whether these releases/escapes are planned or accidental is usually a matter of rumor.

Chapter Text

“Time is the very lens through which ye see—small and clear, as men see through the wrong end of a telescope—something that would otherwise be too big for ye to see at all. That thing is Freedom: the gift whereby ye least resemble your Makers and least of all the Maid… For every attempt to see the shape of eternity except through the lens of Time destroys your knowledge of Freedom.”

- C. S. Lewis.  

Names and Epithets

The Maid of Time; The Clockwork Witch; She of the Thousand Deaths; The Destroyer; The Knocker at the Door; The Lady Before the Gate; The Lady of the Six Prayers ; The White Sister; The First and the Last; The Queen of the Art of Dancing

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Maid of Time, written instead of her name, is ♈, the sign of Aries.

The Sigil of Time is a gear. It symbolizes the nature of time, which proceeds without and despite interference.

The color associated with the Maid of Time is red. Her sacred color is burgundy.

Other symbols associated with the Maid of Time are an hourglass, a whip, a skull (especially that of a ram or boar), a wheel, and rust, which represents the passing of time and decay.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Maid of Time is a woman. She is usually depicted as thin, even gaunt, almost a corpse herself. In some cases she really is a corpse, or else is portrayed as an automaton of interlocking gears. Often the gears are coated in rust. Her horns are large and spiraling, and she may wear a ram’s skull over her head, doubling the amount of horns. Other times, her head may be a skull (again, usually that of a ram or a boar).

She is frequently depicted in art as bearing a scroll in one hand. It is almost always unfurled and there is no end to the kinds of statements which may be on it. While some artists choose to include excerpts of larger writings, most opt for shorter scriptures, such as “I am become Time, destroyer of worlds” or “This, too, shall pass.”

In her other hand she may hold a head or skull, a flute, or a mace, depending on tradition. In South America she is portrayed with feathers woven into her long, curly hair, especially those of a corvid. In Central Asia she wears red feathers, and is called the Scarlet Messenger. A snake or frog may be wrapped around her wrist or waist or be gripped in her hand.

Her face is painted. Her eyelids are white, but her eyes are encircled by black, and black lines cross her lips from cheek to cheek like a modern Glasgow smile. The shape of a spade is painted over her nose (or where her nose should be), to give the impression of a skull's socket. The Maid is a red goddess, but in artwork she is usually depicted surrounded by blue, shining as the only eternal thing in a sea of decay. Even when her face is depicted as an actual skull, which is especially common in sculptures, it is usually painted over in order to give a hyper-realistic exaggeration to its features (for example, by applying white paint over the skull).

Domain/Association

The Maid of Time rules over all things that have a beginning. Which is to say, that she rules over all things that must surely pass away, or all things in the universe but the gods themselves. It is she who puts an end to the fields and forests of the Witch of Life, to the affairs of the Rogue of Heart and the games of the Thief of Light. She has observed all things that have passed, and all events which have not yet occurred.

To be clear, the Maid of Time is not usually thought of as a cause of death and destruction as such, but more their companion, a witness to the ceaseless passing of time and its eventual end. In ancient times, before the laws of physics were understood, the Maid was believed to bring aging and decay only to the things that exist in the world, but not the world itself nor its firmament. Even today, when it is understood that all matter and energy is subject to entropy, it is difficult to know precisely what form of destruction will end the universe. The Maid herself has never said.

She is a goddess of foreknowledge, for she has seen all that will come to pass, and she is a goddess of fate, for she works to bring it to pass. The Maid of Time is not exempt from the powerlessness which all are subjected to in the face of time. Far from it; she is the most powerless of all beings, for she alone knows exactly how things must, and therefore will, play out.

Major Holidays

Funerals are often held in the month of Aries, especially in northern regions where the ground was previously too cold and hard to dig out graves for those who had starved, and when the living could not spare the energy needed to bury them.

The purpose of the Day of the Dead, a holiday held early in Aries, is to reflect upon one’s own mortality as well as to remember those who have already passed, and to celebrate both their lives and one’s own. The holiday keeps one's ancestors' memories alive through the years and generations. On this night the living put out small lights on the water, candles or paper lanterns, and set them out into the distance. Each light represents one of the dead, and their names are spoken as the flames are lit.

Stones are laid out for the dead, often on and around cardboard skeletons. Tissue-thin paper banners are strung through houses and between buildings. Many families, before they go to send off their lanterns, go to the graveyard to tend to their loved ones’ plots. There is almost always music, and in some towns there are parades led by a 'Mock Maid,' a person standing in for the Maid of Time. This person may wear the Maid’s face paint or a large mask.

In areas influenced by the Band of the Endless Snake, a now-dead cult which blended elements of Maid and Bard worship, performers dressed as skeletons follow behind the Mock Maid and dance. In addition, the Mock Maid is no single person in these areas but a number of people together. The costume that they wear is long and serpentine, and at the front is a mask which is large enough to cover the whole body.

Churches and Cults

The Maid of Time wears a facemask of white and black paints, but she does not apply it herself. Every morning, she sits before the Migrant Ascetic, who applies it for her. The Migrant Ascetic is the high priest (or priestess) of a singular, small cult, which is dedicated to serving the Ascetic as the Ascetic serves the Maid of Time. They move from place to place each day, often without knowing why but always under the direction of the Maid of Time.

The Blanched Bone Church, a politically active cult from South Africa, calls her White Sister, and the Prince of Hope they call White Brother. Together, the church believes, those two gods created the universe and the other gods. The Hearers of the Unspeakable Name, a gnostic cult dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe, believe that the Lady of the Gods is in truth a being beyond being. The Maid of Time, it is believed, sees across time and walks through it like a river because her true self is beyond time and space as we know it. What mortals see to be the Maid of Time is merely an incarnation, made for this present moment and discarded as soon as the occasion is over, like a suit of flesh and bone.

Several churches and myriad cults call her The First and The Last. They believe that she alone was present in the time before time (though opinions differ on whether she created the other gods) and that she will be the one to destroy it, after all other things have passed away and she is once again alone. Some say this has happened many times before; others say it has not.

The Maid stands apart from the other gods in the Zodiac Church’s cosmology. She watches and observes, and when she acts she does so in order to ensure the coming to pass of that which she has already observed. The Maid is believed to be well-respected by the other gods, for alone of all the gods she witnesses, every day, the truth that how things are is the way that they must be, and it is the Blessing of Blessings which she has granted to mortals and gods alike, that they do not see the workings of time as she does.

Prayer and Worship

The Maid of Time is also called The Lady of the Six Prayers. Only one of these is meant to supplicate the Maid. The others are a means of cultivating the inner self and focusing desires. For example, the first of the prayers begins:

“Let it be so that I shall seek peace in my world. Let it be so that I shall seek peace in myself. Let it be so that I shall seek peace, so that I may be the way of giving peace to every sentient being.”

While the number and nature of the prayers generally remains constant, the exact language used varies between cultures and traditions. Some forms of the Third Prayer mention hells and heavens and other afterlives, and express an unwillingness to accept peace for oneself until even the fieriest of hells has been quenched, and the coldest of them been warmed. Others completely deny the existence of life after death and instead talk about peace in this life.

These prayers are spoken to particular sets of music. In many churches beautiful music boxes are crafted for this purpose. Each one plays a particular song, so that six boxes make a complete set. While many people buy mass-produced music boxes, the rich and some of the especially devout commission unique sets.

Music boxes may also be left at the bedsides of the dying. Their purpose here is to soothe the soon-to-be-departed and to inspire a good mood of the Maid of Time when she comes. There are many competing theories on her tastes in music, and it is for this reason that the Maid is called Queen of the Art of Dancing, and why she is often depicted as holding a flute.

The Carving of the Coffins is a funerary tradition, held upon the death of a loved one. On this day people buy or make caskets for the dead, and reflect on mortality. Morticians are associated with the Maid of Time in no small part due to this practice.

Maid-centered worship is usually performed on Megiday.

Lore

In most traditions, whether they or not they believe in the existence of an afterlife, the Maid is accepted as the Psychopomp for the entire universe. Many theologians have attempted to calculate how much time the Maid has spent (or will spend, because these distinctions are meaningless when speaking of the Maid) with the dying. Even if she were to spend only one minute with each person, there have been 107 billion people on Earth since modern humans arose, so to spend that time with every human would require over 2 million years, while doing nothing else. And in order to perform her duty on the billions of inhabited planets in the galaxy, and the billions of galaxies in the universe, the Maid of Time must be hundreds of trillions of years old. In these swaths of time, the Maid is as ancient to the other gods as the gods are ancient to mortals.

It is said by some that the Witch of Life fashioned humankind, but that she did it at the request of the Maid of Time. The same also say that civilization arose at the feet of the Migrant Ascetics, to serve their needs as they served the Maid of Time, and that all the arts of civilization were derived from what she had taught the Migrant Ascetics.

There is a persistent line of thought that states that the first of these sayings is a lie, and that the second more true than anyone could believe. This teaching states that the Migrant Ascetics are the oldest office of humankind. It suggests that The Maid has sat before the Migrant Ascetics before there was a humankind, and that she will continue to sit before them even after humankind has passed away.

To be “eaten by the Maid” or “in the teeth of the Maid” is to die. The latter can also mean that you are close to dying. A few traditions, such as those had by the Norse, had or have erotic connotations, and speak of “entering the Maid’s bed.” Even today it is believed by many that this is no idle turn of phrase, but that she engages in trysts with those who are about to die and have caught her fancy.

The Maid is often compared to the Seer of Mind, the inevitability of time and death set beside the inevitability of the Seer’s justice, but in truth the Maid seems to care little for such things as justice and law. All die, and she cares for the king as well as she does the beggar, no matter what they may have done in life.

As all the gods love and hate, so does the Maid, and over the ages she has been many things to all the gods. It is said, for example, that the Thief of Light has often been her lover. And yet it is also said that they have killed each other more than once in petty feuds, each death being more gruesome than the last.

Most of all, however, she is many things to herself. She is her own best friend, her own hated enemy, the only one who can keep solely to her own counsel and yet take her counsel from another. For as the Maid of Time moves back and forth across the skein of history, she often encounters her own self.

Public Relations

Before a person dies, the Maid of Time appears to that person. She answers questions, makes conversation, and puts at ease any worries which the soon-to-be-deceased may have. Those who have caught her favor may be able to make small requests of her. Many dedicate themselves to her service in exchange for the assurance that they will be able to die without regrets.

All these things are said to occur “behind the veil,” but it is commonly recognized that this is merely poetry. The Maid of Time does not work invisibly or behind the scenes. Rather, she works between the scenes, freezing the flow of one moment into the next as she desires, just as she skips from one stone in the river of time to another, as she pleases.

Besides the Migrant Ascetics, the Maid is not known to appear to the members or leaders of any other temple, not even the leaders of the Zodiac Church. Or rather, she appears to all of them, but no more often than she appears to anyone else. For in the end, everyone meets the Maid of Time.

Further Reading: 

The Parable of Wheat and Millstone

Chapter Text

“There is freedom waiting for you, / On the breezes of the sky, / And you ask "What if I fall?" / Oh but my darling, / What if you fly?”

-Erin Hanson

Names & Epithets

The Page of Breath, The Keeper of the Small, He Who Tames Wild Beasts, the Skylark, the Lad Eternal, the God of the Wounded, the Holder of Keys.

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Page of Breath, written instead of his name, is ♉, the sign of Taurus.

The Sigil of Breath is two rippling lines, curved like a cresting wave.

The color associated with the Page is blue, and his sacred color is Bronze.

Other symbols associated with the Page are a bull, a feather, clouds, a lance, a broken chain, an open window, and sand.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Page of Breath, alone amongst the gods, is usually reported not to look like an adult, but rather like a child, usually estimated as being between eight and twelve years of age. His eyes are bronze, his upward-curving horns disproportionately large and heavy, and his hair usually cropped to only a strip down the center of his head. He may wear a feathered cap or carry a lance, and is often portrayed in flight, or engaging in play with children or with animals.

In art, the Page is sometimes shown wearing his godhood, but more usually he wears whichever clothing is worn by children at the time, and often that worn by poor children. This connects the Page with the ‘peasant class’ and ‘commoners’ for whom the Page is often a favorite deity.

It is very unusual for the Page to be portrayed as an adult. Interestingly, when he is, he is often also reported as a cripple. The tradition of Page-as-cripple has persisted through time, though it has never quite become the convention. Unlike most myths of its kind the Page is considered truly disabled, not simply disguising himself as such. How this can be, when the Page is also seen as an able-bodied child, is a point of division in the religious community.

Domain/Associations:

The Page of Breath is primarily a god of freedom, associated with the sky, wind, air, and travel. In his able-bodied incarnation, the Page is said to exult in movement, and is sometimes seen as a patron of sport and athletics. The Page is also considered a nature god, being closely tied to animals in most myths.

The Page is the breaker of chains and the opener of doors, relieving his followers of their burdens and obstacles. However, though the Page will open the door, he will not usher you through. His gift is the first step to liberty, but not the whole journey. To curry the favor of the Page is to accept that you are responsible for finding your own freedom.

The Page is a protector of the young, the destitute, the sick, and the injured. He is a kindhearted god, a god who is humble and undemanding to even the most wretched beggar. However, to the tyrant he shows himself as a storm, as a breaker of all bonds and one who rends apart the institutions of corruption.

The Page is almost never seen without the presence of animals. Beasts of all kinds flock to him and obey his commands, as though sensing that he means them no harm. As a result, he is associated with the freedom and unfettered nature of the beasts of the field, the fish of the sea, and the birds of the sky. He is generally not associated with livestock or domesticated animals, though several classic fables describe him loosing animals from their pens and making them wild again.

Major Holiday(s):

The holiday most associated with the Page is Passover, an occasion that commemorates the emancipation of slaves. The most notable aspect of Passover is that it is celebrated widely in many cultures, both human and extraterrestrial, with each culture claiming that the people freed in the story were their own ancestors. Whether this event has occurred many times in many places, or whether the story originated on one world and then spread to others, is yet another mystery of the divine.

Observation of Passover involves a full recitation of the fable, and a feast of ritual foods eaten in a specific order. Variations on the components of the feast are common, but almost always go from the bitterest foods to the sweetest. As an example, the feast may begin with a barley porridge (a simple peasant’s food, which also looks like the mortar worked by slaves), eaten with an extremely salty and bitter pickled vegetable (to represent the harsh bitterness of slavery). The meal can then progress to blood pudding, a commonly-used dish for which the symbolism has been lost, and then bread dipped in black vinegar, to portray the violence of the beast of darkness. Finally, honeyed and brandied fruits may be eaten, to represent the joys of liberation.

Another, minor holiday that takes place in Taurus is Spring Cleaning (though of course Taurus is not spring in the Southern Hemisphere). This is a time to clean both physically and mentally, though the exact emphasis of this observance varies by culture. Spring Cleaning can be a time to unburden, to throw away unneeded possessions, to forgive debts and wrongs, to end harmful habits, and of course simply to clean one’s house.

Churches and Cults:

In the Zodiac cosmology, the Page is the eternal child who brought wonder and joy into the universe. One of the most famous passages of the Book of the Zodiac is a verse that describes the Page’s first flight, and lyrically portrays all the happiness in creation flowing from his exhilarated laughter.

There are few organized churches that worship the Page alone, though he is a secondary god in many traditions, protecting children and the homeless. Most social charities use the Sigil of Breath. That said, almost all transient or ‘hobo’ cultures hold the Page as a primary deity. Simple, jury-rigged shrines to the Page are common in areas with a high homeless population. Even more abundant are small, handmade amulets, usually in the form of a Sigil or a miniature cage with broken bars, which serve as portable shrines.

Some of the most alternative theological takes on the Page can be found in India, where ancient scriptures are held up by minor traditions as indicating that the Page is not a god at all. Rather, he is variably a servant, messenger, herald, or envoy of another deity, one who is called “Breath,” but is stated to lack an actual name. Breath is formless and invisible, sometimes said to be a king of gods, or a creator of gods, and the Page is Breath’s physical connection and ambassador to the pantheon. In this sense, the Page is said to have no will of his own, and is merely the puppet of a larger force beyond even the gods’ realms. At some points in the past, and in rare cults today, this tradition has led to monotheism. Naturally, this is considered heresy by the Zodiac Church.

Prayer and Worship:

Prayer to the Page is traditionally done outdoors, under the open sky. Some traditions believe that prayers spoken into a howling wind are those that are most likely to be answered, a line of logic that can lead individuals to brave hurricane-force gales for the sake of prayer. The Zodiac Church frowns on such extreme methods of worship, and maintains that the movement of air caused merely by breathing is enough.

When wind is blowing, throwing dust or sand over one’s shoulder is an accepted method of prayer, one that does not even require words or speech. The grit thrown in such silent supplications is said to scour away the burdens from one’s soul and carry them off, leaving the worshipper lighter and freer than before.

Lore:

The Page of Breath is thought of as playful, more so than any other god, a concept tied to his youthful appearance. He is generally a calming force in the Zodiac cosmology, often making peace during confrontations between other gods. It is often said that the Page is soft-spoken and slow to anger, but when roused to battle can cause titanic devastation.

The sound of the Page’s wings beating is said to usher in the era of freedom for all people.

The Page is often compared with the Witch, as they are both nature-oriented, but though he is often associated with animals, and is certainly ‘untamed,’ he is rarely called ‘savage’ as the Witch might be. There are hundreds of conflicting accounts of the Page’s relationship with animals. Sometimes the Page is seen as an incarnation of the child’s view of nature: a peaceable kingdom. Other times the Page runs with the beasts, or tames them, or speaks to them, or frees them, or commands them.

The Page, in his relation to freedom, is also compared with the Bard, but the unlike the Bard, the Page frees his followers from outside influences, not from their own thoughts.

In his adult incarnation, the Page is almost always said to be a consort of the Thief of Light, whether rival or lover. There are some obscure myths that say that the Page became the god of freedom only after escaping slavery at the hands of the Thief, though after he fled, the Rogue snatched half of his heart away and gave it back to the Thief, and this part of him remains captive to this day.

Public Relations:

The Page of Breath is a constant traveler, and though he makes appearances on Earth on occasion, he spends most of his time abroad. The Page’s return to Earth is often celebrated by disciples of Breath, and is marked by the Zodiac Church, but these occasions are hardly ever planned or known ahead of time. The Page flies far and wide, and far be it from anyone to know on which winds he soars.

Chapter Text

 “Thus it is necessary to commence from an inexplicable duality: the finite is not the infinite." 

- Hans Urs von Balthasar

Names & Epithets: 

The Twofold God; The Temperant God; The Fiery-Eyed One, The God of Small Irritations, Secret of Secrets, The Line Walker, He Who Holds the Keys to Before and Beyond, The Door Frame, The Grand Scribe of the Universe, The CEO (colloquial)

Symbolism: 

The Symbol of the Mage of Doom, written instead of his name, is ♊, the sign of Gemini.

The Sigil of Doom is a stylized skull with large eye sockets and five small horns. The lower jaw is missing.

The colors associated with the Mage of Doom are black and dark green, and his sacred color is yellow. Often, red and blue are associated with the Mage as well.

Other symbols associated with the Mage of Doom are beehives, lightning, fire, and the brain. In addition, any two, paired, inversely symmetrical objects are considered symbolic and evocative of the Mage.

Appearance/Portrayal:

The Mage of Doom is a thin, wiry man, sometimes appearing wizened and old, other times young and lean. He is unique in that he has four horns instead of two; all relatively short, pointed, and upcurved. His eyes are rarely seen, but most report that one is pure red, and the other pure blue, neither with a pupil and both glowing as if lit from within. There is no consensus about which eye is which color. Rarely, the Mage is portrayed with one or both eyes black and empty. Regardless of their actual color, the Mage nearly always wears red and blue tinted glasses that obscure his eyes.

The Mage has short-cropped hair and is most often seen in his plain godhood, with no further ornamentation. However, he is never seen without being in the possession of at least two portable computers, most commonly with four or more. It is widely agreed-upon that the Mage carried such devices long before they were invented on Earth, and that they were simply thought of as magical in nature until humans invented circuits.

Domain/Associations:

The Mage is a god of boundaries and rules, a realm that extends to categories and the traits that separate one thing from another. He is a god of concepts, knowledge, and reason, and moreover a god of binary decisions and irrefutable facts: yes and no, true and false.

The Mage of Doom is a very practical god, associated with matters of everyday life. Sometimes called the God of Small Irritations, the Mage is often invoked when the details of life block one’s goals.

The Mage of Doom is associated with curiosity and continual progress. He is a god in constant motion. At the same time, he is said to be a god of hard limits, deadlines, and cut-off points. His domain is one that balances between two states of being, or by some traditions see-saws between them, a god who grows within bounds. Sometimes, he is compared to a man tied to a pole by one leg, moving as much as he can and stretching as far as possible, but never able to free his leg.

Major Holiday(s):

The Solstice Festival (or “Doomsday”) is a major holiday that is associated with the Mage, though it takes place over two days. The first day is Festivus, while the second is Bonfire Night, and though they both take place at the end of Gemini, the two days could not be more different in their traditions.

Festivus, unlike almost any other gods’ holiday, is considered a time of work. The interpretation of ‘work’ is different in different cultures. It can be a day to do ‘catch up work’ on tasks one has neglected, a time to ‘work out,’ or to test and challenge oneself (usually mentally but sometimes physically), or a time to do ‘good works’ and charity. It is a time to be selfless, a time to toil and strive and plan for the future, but not to receive. It is a day of delayed gratification. Ideally, the experience of working on Festivus should be completely engrossing. Families observing Festivus often erect a plain metal pole prominently in or near their home.

The second day of the Solstice Festival is treated completely differently. During the day of Bonfire Night, observers rest and relax. At sunset, the festivities begin. True to the name, huge bonfires are set in the name of the Fiery-Eyed God, fireworks are set off, the former Festivus pole is decorated with streamers and wreaths of flowers, and food and drink are shared liberally. The most traditional food is deep-fried brains, though deep-fried anything is considered close enough.

The theology behind these holidays is somewhat obscure, but the most repeated story is that the dualistic nature of the Solstice Festival is meant to reflect the tensions inherent in life itself. Festivus is a day to set aside time for the sake of the future, to deny current happiness in expectation of a future reward. But of course, the only thing that is certain about the future is death, and so on Bonfire Night, caution is thrown to the wind, and the revelers behave as though they will die the very next day.

A more whimsical, folkloric take on Bonfire night is that the revelry is an offering of sorts to the Mage, as the noise and lights of the celebration drown out the visions of death that this god is said to be plagued with.

Churches and Cults:

The Mage, in the Zodiac cosmology, is said to be the god who takes the measure of the universe. He does not alter it, but records the edges of every being and every object for all eternity, and by measuring their edges knows their contents. He is the great census-taker of reality, inscribing what he learns in his “Doomsday Book.” He takes even the measure of the other gods, and lays out, or perhaps discovers, what they can or can’t accomplish.

Most traditions depict the Mage as a young god compared with the others, and one who had less of an active hand in creating the universe but a greater hand in organizing it afterward. A major exception to this view are the Singular Devotees of the Profound Form, a reasonably large faith that extends through much of eastern Asia. The Singular Devotees believe that the Mage in fact created, or at least designed the blueprint for, the universe. He is said to have written or drawn the boundaries of reality so thoroughly that it, having been measured and fully understood, sprang into being, as a living drawing of sorts, or, by some more modern interpretations, as a sort of code. In this tradition, the Mage as mortals perceive him is not the god himself at all, but rather an ‘avatar’ of sorts written into the fabric of the universe, controlled by a much vaster, more distant being. Whether all the gods are such, and whether the Mage created them as well, is left more vague.

The Mage of Doom is a favorite god of both blue- and white-collar workers in modern society, though there is no organized church around him in that field.

Prayer and Worship:

The greatest act of devotion to the Mage is to work. It is said that the Mage never rests, and his disciples attempt, to the extent of their abilities, to emulate his example. It almost does not matter what sort of work is being done, only that progress is being made.

Worship sessions in extremely devout circles are sometimes called “Laborathons,” wherein the faithful work at a task (often a communal one, and usually one that needs to be done anyway) without break or rest for long periods of time. The purpose of a Laborathon is to push one’s own boundaries to the very limit, though individuals do not always take the task on to the same level of extremity. Some may simply work for a period of time at all hours, unless they are eating or sleeping. Others, however, may go without food and sleep for as long as they can. Rarely, people have died of dehydration while at Laborathon, and most official Zodiac events are now attended by trained medics.

It is said that the truly faithful are rewarded by the Mage, in that they are permitted to ask him a question and receive a completely accurate answer. So long as the answer is within the realm of fact, the Mage will be able to answer it. However, whether he gets back to you promptly depends on his other priorities.

Lore:

According to the Book of the Zodiac, the Mage once had a twin brother, who he murdered in his sleep. The Mage then devoured his twin’s brain, and absorbed both his knowledge and his power. However, in doing so he incurred a terrible curse on himself, to always have one foot in the grave. It is said that his red eye sees the world of the living, his blue one the world of the dead. What this actually means varies by tradition. The Zodiac Church writes that his blue eye is dead itself, blind and seeing nothing. However, others insist that he sees the afterlife, or the wandering spirits of the restless dead.

The Mage is generally thought of as being on fair terms with most of the gods, though there are of course many stories from various cultures of rivalries and romances within the pantheon. He is sometimes said to be a confidant of the Maid, knowing as they both do the limits of all possibilities. He is also associated with the Witch of Life, both as her lover and her murderer.

According to several cults, but not the Church of the Zodiac, the Mage was responsible for the invention of written language. This ur-script, though it was able to perfectly describe the universe and convey meaning without ambiguity, was too difficult for mortals to understand and they were forced to adapt it. All modern written languages, so the tale goes, are descended from the language which the Mage wrote. Some of the cults go on to say that this language was mathematics, or similar to programming code, or something stranger yet.

Public Relations: 

In some ways the Mage of Doom has the most public persona of the gods. While he may not usually be there, everyone knows that he owns a large manor in Upstate New York. He was, in fact, there before the first European settlers; the settlement of Fort Yellow was literally built around his home. While the Prince of Hope may have the Order of Angels and other gods have their own personal cults, only the Mage of Doom is the CEO of a transnational corporation. He occasionally appears at company dinners and tech expos, even if he doesn’t say much (or anything at all, depending on his mood).

Still, nobody is allowed through the gates of his home without a prior appointment, and most of the time he stays in his offices at SkaiaCorp's headquarters. He restricts himself to simply directing the company’s activities in most cases and on those rare occasions that he does intervene personally it is usually with regard to some odd project that is never going to make much money anyway.

Chapter Text

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."

Unknown

Names & Epithets

He Who Binds; The Sworn; Uncle; The Eye of the Sylph; The God on the Moon; Teacher of the People; Rising Fire Sparks God; The Exalted One; He Who Covers; The Kitchen God; He of the Oil Jar; Father Blood; Uncle Crab (slightly derogatory, colloquial)

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Knight of Blood, written instead of his name, is ♋, the sign of Cancer.

The Sigil of Blood is a diagonal line (or wound) with three drops of blood running down from it.

The colors associated with the Knight of Blood are brown and red, and his sacred color is red.

Other symbols associated with the Knight of Blood are the sickle, the crab, fire, mist (or fog, or smoke), and the moon, particularly the crescent moon.

Appearance/Portrayal:

The Knight of Blood is a short, thickset man, described to have intense, fiery red eyes, and often portrayed with a scowl on his face. His horns are small and rounded, and his hair is unkept.

He is sometimes described as wearing a cloak over his godhood, often of nondescript grey, but just as often is said to be without it. Sometimes, he is said to wear red armor inscribed with his sigil. The Knight is often seen holding a sickle as an instrument of both war and peace, or otherwise to be empty-handed, usually with both arms extended and with blood dripping from cuts on his palms.

Domain/Associations:

In the Zodiac cosmology, The Knight of Blood’s domain is the force that binds the universe as one, that keeps planets and moons in their orbits, that pulls the organs of the body, the cells, the atoms, close to each other. The Knight also presides over the invisible and intangible connections that bind one person to another, that hold society and civilization together, and that bring order from chaos.

The Knight is a physical god, a god of the body and the needs of everyday life. Even households which are otherwise dedicated solely to another god will usually still have a small shrine for the Knight.

Those who seek shelter, security, and protection often turn to the Knight. They may simply pray to him, or they may join or otherwise support an appropriate Blood Fellowship. He is a god of communities of all kind, and a god of networking, who smiles on the forging of new relationships, especially friendships. Because of this, he is also regarded as a god of cooking, because of how food can bring people together as a village. This idea may be most strongly displayed in the observation of Midsummer’s Bleed (see below).

The concept of leadership is often associated with the Knight. In some cultures, far more commonly in the past, it was tradition for a ruler to anoint his or her most loyal vassals with a dot of his or her own blood, figuratively binding them to the ruler’s will, as surely as limbs of the same body are bound to work as one.

Major Holiday(s):

Midsummer’s Bleed is a period of communal gathering and sharing that is held in the month of Cancer. There are many different traditions and activities which can be associated with the festival, the purpose of which is almost always to give up something of one’s own to strengthen the community as a whole. The most famous and widespread is, of course, related to food: all but the most impoverished are expected to bring a dish to the event so that a potluck dinner can be held.

This holiday may be celebrated among families, especially those which are otherwise geographically separated from each other. For many centuries now it has been the custom for non-essential industries to relieve their employees for two days before and two days after the festival in order to give them time to reach a central gathering point for their families; this time has shrunk for many people as transportation methods have grown faster.

Midsummer’s Bleed is also widely-celebrated among groups at many different scales. Towns, organizations, and neighborhoods frequently hold Midsummer’s Bleeds, and even some businesses are known to do it. The Midsummer’s Bleed feast is commonly dedicated to a particular deceased individual (or small group of individuals) who are significant in some way to those attending: this may be an ancestor, a town founder, a folk hero, or someone else.

Churches and Cults:

The most prominent organization (though it would be a stretch to call it a church) dedicated to the Knight is the Blood Fellowship. This group is a general collection of all the various people who have made Blood Oaths with the Knight (see below). Coming from all walks of society and every social stratum, the Blood Fellows are well known for their active philanthropy, religious dedication, and organizational efficiency.

The Blood Fellowship is a tightly-knit and secretive association, but certain aspects of the organization are widely known. Their shared habits and symbolism transcend time, culture, language, and even planet, and members often claim that they were drawn to one another, as though by invisible thread. Blood Fellows often reach such a level of devotion that they forsake their previous lives to support one another, and, similar to some unrelated Bard cults, they often refer to each other as “brother” or “sister” (“fellow” is the gender-neutral term), and refer to the Knight as “Father Blood.” They are well known for the practice of greeting one another by mingling blood, and in general regard each other with great intimacy and intensity. Only extremely rarely do they have children of their own.

As detailed below, there are several cults which refer to the Moon as the Knight’s Eye. The Folk of the Sunrise take this a step further and identify the Moon and the Knight together. According to them, the Moon is the Knight, and all other appearances of the Knight are merely earthly avatars of his presence. In his true nature as the Moon he is, in these cults, referred to as the Sylph’s Eye more than as the Knight of Blood: Just as the Knight is a projection of a divine celestial object, so too is that object a projection of a greater one: the Sylph of Space, Mother Sun.

While many churches agree that the Knight of Blood played an essential role in the creation of the universe, a small cult calling themselves the Ambrosians believe that he played the only role there was. In the time before time, it is said in their scripture, the Knight of Blood was alone. Out of a desire for company he created the eleven gods, but they were not well-suited to the empty void in which they dwelt, and so he created a universe for them to inhabit.

Prayer and Worship:

The Knight is a “household god,” commonly referred to and given worship in the regular course of events. He is often evoked in common vernacular whenever something broken needs fixing, and his sigil decorates many a domestic shrine. Most prayers to the Knight are given at night, under the moon. In some traditions, crescent-shaped baked goods are offered, especially during festivals or in times of need.

In the Zodiac Church, Knight services generally involve meditation to pungent incense and slow, steady drumming, sometimes kept up for extended periods of time. It’s not unusual for services to incorporate line and circle dancing as well, in which the congregation dances in scripted patterns, coordinating their footsteps and making each movement in unity.

One tradition, originating in Africa but becoming popular in other parts of the world, is to gather in ‘smoke houses’ to pray to the Knight. Inside a smoke house, herbs, incense, and fragrant wood are burned to generate a thick haze, or else water is boiled to create a steamy sauna. There, devotees meditate, turning their focus inward with the goal of achieving enough self-control to manipulate otherwise-involuntary systems such as heart rate or even small changes in body temperature. Some physical discomfort is usually expected in the smoke house, due to the heavy smoke or the extreme humidity, and this is considered a distraction that must be overcome to master meditation. As a result, the most devoted smoke house worshipers have a reputation for being exceptionally steadfast and hardy.

Some obscure cults emphasize the ‘overcoming suffering’ aspect of Knight-worship, intentionally pushing their bodies to the edge of endurance during smoke house prayer. Participants in these rituals are sometimes called “Sufferers.”

In the modern day, some new traditions have emerged that burn psychoactive drugs in smoke houses, but more traditionalist churches condemn these as “new age hedonistic poppycock.” [citation needed]

One of the most important concepts in worshiping the Knight is that of the Blood Oath. Blood Oaths are promises consecrated by the Knight, and made using his full title and sacred name. Also called Blood Swearing, making a Blood Oath is no light matter, and in most societies using the Knight’s name in vain is even more taboo than the names of the other gods.

Blood Oaths are not promises made to another person, but rather a pact made between the oathbound and the Knight. As a general rule, Blood Oaths are not promises that can be finished and done with. They are not quests that have an end. Rather, Blood Oaths are states of being, ways of living, and tasks that continue for the rest of the oathbound’s life, bar highly unusual circumstances. During Swearing, the oath-maker invokes the name and title of the Knight, and outlines the promise and the penalty that would be unleashed for breaking it. To prove their sincerity, the oath-maker sheds a drop of their own blood. The Knight then decides whether or not to accept the oath, a decision that the oathbound claim they are aware of instantly. If he does accept, the oathmaker becomes oathbound.

An important note is that Blood Oaths and their penalties do not stop with the death of the oathbound, but rather continue down their bloodline, inherited both by any children, and by any who consider the oathbound their ancestor or progenitor. If the oathbound ancestor is forgotten, disowned, or otherwise rejected from the family, then the Blood Oath dies out.

Blood Oaths are well known for having the side effect of attracting oathbound mortals together, forming a Blood Fellowship, united in their service to the Knight. This service is not abstract, but very real, as all oathbound must serve the Knight should he call on them. In effect, they become a standing reserve, a sleeping army waiting for the clarion call of the Father Blood. Throughout history, very few have witnessed this occurring, but these few speak of the oathbound becoming nearly inhuman in their mannerisms, ignoring anything that could distract them from their task.

The Lodges, or “Houses of the Knight” kept by the Blood Fellowship, are very rarely entered by outsiders, and details on the services that go on within them are fragmentary. Often, drumming is heard emitting from within the Lodges’ walls.

Lore:

Often spoken of in the same breath as the Sylph of Space, the Knight is said to be her servant, bodyguard, or champion. Sometimes, he is rumored to be her lover, but reputable sources disagree.

What is agreed upon by almost all traditions is that the Knight aided the Sylph in birthing the cosmos, perhaps in the manner of a ‘midwife,’ perhaps guarding the Sylph as she labored, or perhaps simply as a herald of its birth. Some obscure interpretations describe the Knight as literally cleaning up the blood of birth and spinning it into a rope that allowed the gods to climb into the living universe.

It is held by many minor traditions that the Knight of Blood lives on the Moon, which has been poetically referred to as the Knight’s Eye. Even the Zodiac Church holds that it has a special significance for him. While only the most fringe believers hold that the Moon is a physical incarnation or part of the Knight, it is said that the Knight watches over all the deeds of humankind from his post on the Moon and reports back to the Sylph on what he has seen. He delivers his reports once a month, traditionally during the New Moon (it was once believed that the Moon disappeared because it was not being used).

A common pattern in folktales about the Knight are humorous anecdotes about him walking amongst mortals, becoming involved with a local problem, and suddenly revealing himself (either purposefully or accidentally) at the least opportune moment.

Public Relations:

The Knight is said to often walk amongst the mortal people of many worlds, disguised as a traveller in a plain cloak that hides his unusually small horns. In such a disguise, he learns about what his followers need, and what they lack

When the Knight appears publicly, which is comparatively frequently, he invariably draws a tremendous crowd. The passion, verbosity, complexity, and volume of his addresses are held up as an ideal for public speakers everywhere. He is recorded as remarking, amongst various other disparaging comments, that he enjoys public speaking.

The Knight is a wanderer by nature, but he is quick to take up any offer of shelter from a follower during his travels. As a result, more people claim to have had personal encounters with the Knight than with any other god.

Chapter Text

"I hate and love. And why, perhaps you'll ask. I don't know: but I feel, and I'm tormented."

-Catullus

Names & Epithets

Lady Heartbreak; The Queen of the Bow; the Opener of the Womb; The Soothing Herb; Goddess of Poisoned Sweetmint; She who is of Heaven and Earth; She Who Forgives Sins; She Who Sends Messages of Desire; Lady of Ecstasy; The Fair Lady

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Rogue of Heart, written instead of her name, is ♌, the sign of Leo.

The Sigil of Heart is is a stylized heart divided in two, with one side hollowed out.

The colors associated with the Rogue of Heart are magenta and pink, and her sacred color is olive green.

Other symbols associated with the Rogue of Heart are the rose (especially red and black jade varieties), the suits of playing cards and the tarot (or rather they are associated with her), felines of any kind, paint, and anthropomorphic animals.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Rogue usually appears as a curvaceous woman in the prime of life, with short, curly hair and large green eyes. Her thick, conical horns stick straight up from her head. She has prominent fangs, and is described as having a cleft lip. Uniquely amongst the gods, she is sometimes seen with a long, furred tail, similar to that of a cat. The length of her claws is greatly exaggerated in most portrayals. She often wears her godhood adorned with symbols of the tarot or the poker suite, along with her sigil. She may also wear furs.

In some minor traditions, the Rogue is seen carrying a bow and arrows, but hardly ever actually drawing or shooting it. Some parables mention this bow as shooting the arrows that strike the heart upon losing a beloved companion. She sometimes clutches a dripping paintbrush, or in some traditions a stylized rose, in her hands or teeth. The paint is either red or black, and some claim the red paint is supposed to be blood.

Domain/Associations

Ask most devotees, and they will say that the Rogue of Heart is a goddess of love. However, the true domain of the Rogue is both broader and more complex than that. She governs emotions both positive and negative, and, more deeply, all experiences of being. All subjective experience falls under her purview, and in this way so does all feeling and all sense. When looking at the many feats that the Rogue has accomplished, most theologians can only conclude that she dallies mainly with romance simply because she finds that the most interesting.

The Rogue is a trickster and a meddler, one who takes delight in the workings of the mortal world but also enjoys interfering with it. The Rogue is a playful goddess, and her favorite playthings are the lives and emotions of mortals. She can make you feel the emotions of another, change your life, or open your heart to fill or empty it as she pleases.

The Rogue is associated with diplomacy, with empathy, and with making peace. If the mood strikes her, she can truly allow one to walk a mile in another’s shoes, and turn conflicts into compromise.

Due to her association with the heart as the core of one’s being, the Rogue is considered a patron of those who desire to take on the aspects of another being, and as such is linked to forms of dysphoria and to otherkin.

The Rogue is also loosely connected to divination and card games, usually those that involve more skill than chance. She is also associated with the “Leonine” school of art, specializing in realism, chaotic and complex designs, organic patterns, and muted, naturalistic colors.

Major Holiday(s):

The most widely-celebrated holiday honoring the Rogue is the Day of Hearts, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Leo. On this day, lovers exchange pieces of meat with each other, especially hearts. In modern times it can be celebrated by the exchange of chocolate (but still anatomically correct) hearts. This alternative practice was begun by vegetarians not more than a century ago but has steadily gained in popularity among those who would prefer chocolate to meat. Some (mostly those in the butchery profession) claim that the Rogue disapproves of the change, but it continues all the same.

Both romantic love and romantic rivalry are celebrated at this time (though it is widely acknowledged that the latter is rare in humans). Engagements are made and weddings performed on the Day of Hearts, which is said to be “the day when the beasts are betrothed.” Over the course of history lovers have observed the holiday by gathering flowers (various traditions have their own flower languages), played cards, and divined the future (especially of their relationships) through the reading of entrails.

While not as popular, the fourteenth day of other months are also dedicated to the Rogue in some manner, usually in a way which connects it to the patron deity of that month. These fortnight days are described briefly below:

The Day of Memoriam, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Aries, celebrates the love one holds in one’s heart for those who have departed from one’s life.

The Day of Spring Awakening, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Taurus, celebrates first love.

The Day of Satisfaction, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Gemini, celebrates one’s labors of love, the works that one is proud to have completed.

The Day of Binding, celebrated on the Fourteenth of Cancer, celebrates the ties which connect individuals together, especially ties of family.

The Day of Passions, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Virgo, celebrates the aspects of life that spur the heart to joy.

The Day of Benevolence, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Libra, celebrates the all-encompassing love for the world as a whole.

The Day of Partnership, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Scorpio, celebrates those who are fortunate enough to have found their soulmate, and who have maintained their relationship for many years.

The Day of Serenity, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Sagittarius, celebrates finding love and acceptance within oneself.

The Day of Lust, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Capricorn, celebrates fleeting love and attraction. It is characterized by bacchanals.

The Day of Heart-Bearing, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Aquarius, encourages the lovelorn to confess their feelings to the objects of their affections.

The Day of Consummation, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Pisces, celebrates fecundity and fertility.

Churches and Cults:

In the Zodiac cosmology, the Rogue of Heart is often seen as a trickster and instigator, often interfering with the other gods’ plans with little apparent motivation. However, despite all her foibles, she is honored and worshipped as the one who breathes meaning into life with the gift of emotion.

Many of the Rogue’s minor cults, such as the Lunar Candle and the Church of the Rose Mandate, originate in Eastern Asia. A great many, regardless of the place of their origin, are shamanic or revolve around transformation motifs. Cults like the Constant Celebrants of the Melody pray to the Rogue of Heart to take away their souls for a time and bequeath them to animals. Meditation and psychedelics are two of the tools used to supplement this process.

Most cults which ascribe a preeminent creative role to one of the gods select the Knight of Blood, the Sylph of Space, or the Witch of Life. The Gathering of Ayaka, however, worships the Rogue of Heart as She Who Begets All, a supreme creatrix goddess who formed the universe by falling in love with it, and came to love it by assigning names to all of its parts (while they were as-yet unformed, presumably). They, as well as many other cults, refer to her as the Goddess of Goddesses, and hold that she rules over the other gods as their mother and queen.

Often seen as a patron of the dysphoric, the Rogue is commonly invoked by members of the trans community in explaining how their hearts rest in the wrong body. While some direct supplication to the Rogue for salvation, others hold that the Sylph of Space is more likely to be generous in the domain of metamorphosis than the Rogue with her powers of transposition. This form of worship is currently only loosely organized, but is growing more prominent in the public eye.

Prayer and Worship:

In the Zodiac Church and elsewhere, rituals practiced in the name of the Rogue are nearly always accompanied by infused drinks. In modern times the most common drink is tea, but maté, tisane, and certain styles of coffee have been and still are in vogue around the world. Tea drinking is associated with the Rogue even when not incorporated into a ritual, and in general holds romantic and sacred connotations. These tea ceremonies are said to be symbolic of how the Rogue ‘infuses’ life and gives it flavor with the joys and pains of emotion.

Tea ceremonies are held regularly in many societies across the world. These ceremonies are full of precise etiquette, though the details vary from culture to culture. One unifying feature, however, is that there is always a place set out for the Rogue, a cup and a place to sit and so on. Before the ceremony begins, she is invited with the invocation of her title, and until the affair has concluded her title will continue to be repeated, sometimes with purpose and sometimes solely for the sake of uttering it. In this way her attention is repeatedly called to the ceremony, and it is believed that, even if she is not physically present, she is still there in spirit. When tempers may flare but cool heads are desperately needed (during diplomatic negotiations, for example), this ceremony makes it more likely that all parties involved will bite their tongues.

On rare occasions during these ceremonies, the Rogue makes a personal appearance. This is why it is of the utmost importance that there actually be a place set out for her; there are several notorious stories about the wrath has been poured out when she has discovered that someone has invoked her title in vain.

An older method of honoring the Rogue is echoed in many hunter-gatherer traditions, including Australian aboriginal and indigenous American peoples. This is the shamanic tradition of soul questing, whereby a long, complex, and often exhausting ritual is performed with the purpose of calling the Rogue, or sometimes symbolically taking on aspects of the Rogue, so as to take in, accept, and become one with the hearts of animals or other people (sometimes members of another tribe, sometimes mythological figures or ancestors). Wearing furs, eating raw meat, painting the body, and dressing as the animals or beings to be merged with are all part of these rituals. Some use this soul-sharing as a way of gaining greater knowledge or of traversing the invisible realm of spirits. Others are attempting to extend the blessings of the human mind to their animal kin, or the inverse. In a few obscure traditions, such soul quests were performed only by the betrothed before marriage, in order to make their two lives into one.

Although rarely practiced today in their full form, soul questing has found expression in modern culture, often as a part of smaller denominations. Dressing and acting like respected or beloved animals or characters, especially during pageants, parties, or parades, is growing in popularity, and becoming more respectable even in the Zodiac Church.

Lore:

Most theologians agree that the Rogue is well-named. Alternately kind-hearted and cold, she is said to be capable of fulfilling her worshippers' wildest fantasies, as well as shattering their lives and stripping them of everything they ever cared about. She is fickle, curious, and powerful, much like the felines she holds sacred. It is said that when a mortal is struck by sudden infatuation, they are “In Her Claws,” and any human who finds a deep dark place in their heart, and inside it the black thrill of lusting after an enemy, is said to be one of her special chosen.

Many conflicts great and small have been sparked by the Rogue’s dalliances with mortals, which have been numerous. Some have killed at her orders, and others in order to draw her attentions. As much as she is known for filling the hearts of mortals with love, she has also been responsible for filling them with sharpened steel.

It is sometimes said that the Rogue, though she can satisfy other’s hearts or ruin them, can never fill her own. Some even theorize that, despite the many romantic entanglements she engages in and creates for mortal and divinity alike, the Rogue is actually the loneliest of the gods.

Public Relations:

The Rogue of Heart is a highly polarizing goddess, an object of fear for some and desire for others. However, most everyone pays her great respect.

Her public appearances are erratic, and she is known to stay near the same place for long periods of time, for months or even years, then vanish from the face of the planet, appearing somewhere else months or years later. She gives no warning and does not appear to have any pattern to her appearances, but neither does she shy away from the public eye. Many report that she even seems to enjoy attention, and she often attracts a crowd.

Chapter Text

The major element of creation is love, and the major action of love is Art. 

-Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Names & Epithets

The Auxiliatrix; The Godmother; Mother Sun; The Lady Grim, Bloody Mary / Bloody Maryam (derogatory); The Center of Creation; She Who Unfurls; The Speaker at the Beginning of Days; The Midwife to All Living; The Queen of All Countries; The Jade Woman; The Rainbow Drinker, the Bromeliad.

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Sylph of Space, written instead of her name, is ♍, the sign of Virgo. 

The Sigil of Space is a six-armed spiral. 

The colors associated with the Sylph of Space are black and white, and her sacred color is jade green. 

Other symbols associated with the Sylph of Space are fangs, frogs (which she may be carrying or seated on), moths and butterflies, locks, needles and thread, prisms, rosaries, scrolls, stars, and the sun

Appearance/Portrayal

The Sylph of Space is seen as a young or middle-aged woman, with jade eyes. Her skin may be gray, like the other gods, or luminous with the most brilliant white. Her right horn curves straight back, and the left folds forward to form a sharp hook. 

Like the Witch of Life, the Sylph may be depicted in art as pregnant, but this is rare: for all that she has a world-creative role, she is rarely portrayed as the “genitive element,” in that sense. She may appear symbolically with four or six arms, especially where her worship is conflated with the Thief of Light. 

She is always seen wearing the most fashionable clothing, whatever that may mean in any given place and time, and there is such cultural variation in depictions of her garb that images of the Sylph are reliable aids in dating ancient artwork. That said, she more often wears bright colors than dull.

Domain/Associations

The Sylph of Space is generally associated with transformation, light, art (especially fashion), and motherhood. She is one who enables creation, who forms the nurturing environment in which grows culture and civilization itself. She is a supportive goddess, kind when she can be and firm when she must. 

Through her association with light and the sun, the Sylph of Space illuminates the dark, spreading warmth and forging connections between those who are isolated and alone, whether they are individuals, towns, or whole planets. Her role in this is sometimes entirely literal.

The Sylph of Space is a well-known patron of midwives all over the universe, a calm and healing hand in the creation of new life. She is just as well-known as a patron of art and artists, enabling creation of a different sort.

The nature of the Sylph’s connection to transformation is more mysterious, but most scholars agree that she has both gone through great transformations and allows others to do so. She is thus associated with butterflies or with amphibians, most often frogs, which must go through transformation to become their true selves. Sometimes she is depicted as creating, protecting, or even being a frog-pond. This is usually understood less literally than some of her other roles.

Major Holiday(s)

In the modern holiday calendar, Croakmas may be the most important day of the year. It is certainly the most commercialized. Whatever particular version of the creation myth you subscribe to, Croakmas is the celebration of that creation, the reputed anniversary of the universe’s birth in most cultures.

To celebrate the Sylph’s role in the act of creation, celebrants catch frogs and then release them. Oceans, or at least very large lakes, of ink have been spilled in fighting the debate over whether toads are an acceptable substitute. There are also, of course, various conservation rules which must be observed (e.g. if the frog is one which looks after its young, like the African Bullfrog, then it cannot be caught while it is protecting them). In large cities, one can mark the season by noting all the small businesses that pop up in late summer selling caged frogs.

Following frog releases, some cultures give frog-themed gifts, while others throw feasts, throw parties, or just throw gobs of brightly-colored paint. This is an especially common celebratory practice in Sweden and regions of the United States with Swedish immigrants, and may have inspired the secular game of paintball.

There are technically twelve days of Croakmas, but the twelfth is the most important. You can often judge a person’s religious fervor by noting how many Croakmas days they observe, but sometimes people just like the festivities.

Croakmas is one of the most popular days of the year to get married, outside of the holidays celebrating the Rogue of Heart. 

Churches and Cults

Outside of the Zodiac Church, the most popular religious institution worldwide is undoubtedly the Birthlight United Congregation, which focuses on worship of the Sylph and the Knight. In their sacred texts, they identify the Sylph as the generative mother of the universe, not midwife as is canonical to the Zodiac Church. In these depictions, it is the Knight who ‘midwives’ the birth of the universe, and, together with the Sylph, generates the other gods from the universal placenta, turning the blood into light and passing it through a prism.

It is sometimes said that worship of the Sylph is the oldest worship of all, even though archaeological evidence to this effect is debatable. Nevertheless, “Neo-Sylphism” and “Reconstructed Mono-Sylphism,” to name a few variants, are a growing religio-philosophical system all around the world. At this point, it can sometimes be rather difficult to classify any particular manifestation, given how the Neos and Reconstructeds and so forth have all cross-pollinated each other so thoroughly. 

Some cults connect the luminance of the Sylph with the domain of the Thief, and claim that they are sisters, or lovers, or even the same being entirely. This is considered heresy by the Zodiac Church.

In the early part of the Twentieth Century, painter and mountaineer Edward Crowley published a series of (what he claimed were) dialogues between himself and the Sylph of Space. To prove their authenticity, he offered up a letter which had been allegedly written by the Sylph; a few people who are known to have been familiar with the Sylph were able to view the letter and vouched for it, but the letter was later lost in a fire and modern handwriting experts and theologians are divided on whether it was merely a good forgery. L. Ron Hubbard, who is more famous for his naval career, was also a high priest in the Order of the Jade Dawn, one of many offshoot religions that Crowley’s writings inspired. 

Prayer and Worship

People pray to the Sylph for safe childbirth, and for healthy children, but not for fertility. She does not generate; she facilitates. The Sylph is also prayed to for inspiration, for healing of the body and mind, and for internal change.

Prayer to the Sylph almost always takes place under well-lit conditions, sunlight if possible. It is common for churches focusing on the Sylph to maintain community gardens along their southern wall, where the sun is brightest, a place both for prayer and meditative cultivation. Others set up frog ponds, for similar purposes. It is a common aspect of folklore that if one sees a frog while praying, then the Sylph is paying particular attention to you.

Lore

It is occasionally said that, if the gods created the universe, it is the Sylph who created the universe most of all. Sometimes she gives birth to it, but more often she midwives its birth, pulling it wailing, damp, warm and new from wherever it came from. This ‘wherever’ varies by tradition. The Zodiac Church claims the universe’s providence is an egg, other groups claim that it was pulled from a deep pool of water, or from an earthen jug, or from a damp cave, or from the stomach of a huge dead beast.

The Sylph is usually understood as a moderating force in the pantheon, keeping peace between factions. She is a force of reconciliation, and is slow to anger. Just as well known, however, is the ferocity of her wrath, on the occasions that her anger is elicited. Enemies of the Sylph rarely get the chance to cross her a second time.

The nature of the Sylph’s transformative aspects are, as previously stated, somewhat controversial. It is well-recorded that she can change color from grey to white, and can emit light from every inch of her body. However, why only she amongst the gods is capable of this is unknown. Some claim that this is a sign of ‘rebirth,’ a self-cleansing metamorphosis that is somehow more pure than that undergone by other gods. One heretical claim is that she herself once had the form of a frog, or toad, or other unsightly creature, and transformed into her current shape through the power inherent in creating the universe.

Public Relations

The Sylph is one of the most outgoing of the gods. She is a patron of the arts and makes frequent public appearances, but the Sylph’s involvement in art is more than simply donations of wealth or influence. She maintains two well-known, highly-selective ‘artist colonies,’ one in China and one in New Zealand, and though they are mostly run by her disciples, artists who have lived and worked there claim to see her in person relatively frequently.

The Sylph is entirely responsible for faster-than-light travel: wherever the Sylph goes, space is bent slightly, and if she traverses the same route many, many times then space there will be warped severely enough that mortal travelers find their progress greatly hastened. When it is time for a “mature” civilization to join the intergalactic community as a full member, as Earth hopes to do in the next couple of centuries, the Sylph goes back and forth, faster than the eye can track, until a new route is added to the network. 

It is an unfortunate fact that these routes must be maintained, and the Sylph does not spend all her time knitting galactic civilization together, so the Sylph doesn’t draw a direct path between every set of two worlds. It is enough for each world to have a direct path to several other worlds, and indirect paths to all the others. 

Some scientists believe that there are other methods of faster-than-light travel, but the gods are united in their position that Earth will undertake no research in such a direction until it is mature, and the reason is clear enough: even a very basic understanding of how secular FTL could work is sufficient to show that FTL travel is dangerous. With that understanding, it is forbidden by the gods that any being from Earth move permanently off-planet. Some fortunate chosen of the Sylph of Space have seen the worlds of distant galaxies, but none are permitted to stay there.

Chapter Text

Compassion is no substitute for justice.

-Rush Limbaugh

Names & Epithets

The Calibrator of Gallows; The Blind Goddess; Lady Justice; She Who Measures The Rope (or simply She Who Measures); Lady of the Hanged; She With Garnet Eyes; She Who is Without Father or Mother, She Who Gazes Into Fire; Her Honor; Lady Dead-Eyes (derogatory).

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Seer of Mind, written instead of her name, is ♎️, the sign of Libra.

The Sigil of Mind is a filled disc, with three evenly-spaced, curved hooks emerging from its rim, pointing in a direction that suggests rotation.

The colors associated with the Seer of Mind are green and turquoise, and her sacred color is teal.

Red is also closely associated with the Seer.

Other symbols associated with the Seer of Mind are glasses (particularly opaque ones), balancing scales, walking sticks and canes, nests, mouths and noses, dragons or dinosaurs, the hangman's noose and rope in general, the guillotine, and coins.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Seer appears as a slender, middle-aged woman with short hair and relatively short, spikelike horns. Her fangs do not protrude, but she is often reported as sporting a wide smile that seems to show off every tooth. She wears sunglasses with opaque red glass in the lenses, and her own sightless eyes are reported as being entirely clouded-over red, though she only rarely reveals them.

The Seer is well-known for sniffing and licking objects, and for flipping and catching coins almost continuously. In art, individuals meant to represent the presence or will of the Seer are often portrayed with emphasized, prominent noses or tongues, or holding coins.

When not in her godhood, the Seer has been seen wearing well-tailored business suits, though usually in clashing bright colors. She may be portrayed holding a long, slender cane, sometimes referred to as a 'switch,' a set of scales, or a noose. The image of the Seer, wearing a blindfold and holding the scales and a switch, is common enough to be iconographic.

Domain/Associations

The Seer of Mind is a goddess associated with justice. She is a patron of every office of the law, from the police, colloquially the "Hounds of the Seer" (or just 'Hounds'), to the attorneys and judges of the highest courts in the land. Her laws are not considered overly merciful, and only on rare occasions will she show clemency to those who have done wrong (see Major Holidays). She is invariably correct in her judgements, and her punishments are absolute.

Further, the Seer is a goddess of wisdom, especially wisdom of strategy in war. She is appealed to when one needs to outsmart or outmaneuver one's foes, or use an enemy's own forces against them. She is a rational goddess, ruthlessly efficient (some say even cold), and a patron of those who share these qualities.

The 'dragons' with whom the Seer is often associated were long thought of as beings of pure myth, until the scientific acknowledgement that large fossil bones belonged to giant prehistoric reptiles. Though today called dinosaurs, these 'dragons' of eons past are often considered sacred to the Seer. (see Lore).

Major Holiday(s)

There are no annual holidays associated with the Seer of Mind, but there is an extended event that takes place every 413 weeks, the Jubilee Week, wherein debts are forgiven, borrowed property is returned, and indentured servants are freed. This is in recognition of the fact that, though the law is absolute, mercy and forgiveness are also possible, even from the Seer.

Churches and Cults

The Church of the Zodiac does not place the Seer in a place of primacy amongst the gods, but most sects agree that she holds a position of great power and respect in the pantheon. Her wisdom, as written down in the Book of the Zodiac, is considered absolute. As such, she is given a degree of respect and honor that surpasses even household gods such as the Knight.

In some societies, the highest courts of law have been called Red Courts, and doubled as temples to the Seer. This same concept persists in many countries today, where supreme justices, called Cardinal Justices, wear red robes to curry favor with the Seer. Regardless, nearly every office of law in the world, use the scales of Libra or the dragon as a symbol or seal. Some incorporate both.

One way Seer worship finds expression is through the establishment of Attorney-Monasteries, centers of learning that focus on the analysis of law in its purest forms. Disciples are dispassionate, logical, and devoted to the pursuit of order in the world. They often fund private educational establishments.

In east Asia, many churches appoint a high priest of the Seer known as the Lord High Executioner, a role that may be entirely symbolic or very much hands-on. This member of the clergy is in charge, whether nominally or literally, of carrying out and enforcing the sentences decreed by the courts. These Executions of the Law may or may not be capital, but are always dedicated to the Seer.

Prayer and Worship

Much of the worship of the Seer involves meditation, especially walking or moving meditations. These meditative states usually involve the quieting of conscious thoughts, and they are viewed as a kind of gift to the Seer, a single moment of quiet in the continual rain of thought that deluges her mental landscape. Perhaps she hardly notices, the faithful will admit, but it shows her that you care, and are grateful for her gift of law.

The Seer is most commonly invoked to dispense the law with complete righteousness and objectivity. Opening prayers in courts of law can be surprisingly peaceful, as the assembled calm their thoughts and center themselves. When the defendant is found innocent in criminal court, closing prayers are structured similarly, but when the defendant is found guilty, the closing prayers are usually kept very short, so that the sentence can be meted out summarily.

Although the Seer is not a goddess of chance, she is often invoked in the professional poker circuit, by those who wish to see through the bluffs of their opponents.

Blood sacrifice to the Seer is rare in the modern day, mostly replaced by the symbolic offering of other red things. However, in the past, it was common to offer to her the scent of blood and death, which she is said to find pleasing.

Lore

There is a good reason for the faith that many institutions hold in the Seer: she knows everything about everyone. Although it is widely understood that she cannot predict the outcome of pure chance, nor can she see the future precisely, she is capable of predicting the future through her instant and thorough knowledge of the actions and internal decisions made by every conscious being. The Seer knows of every thought, every memory, every choice, every expression of will from every sentient creature in the universe, and her mind is capable of containing all of them. Those who have spoken with her report that she seemed to know them better than they knew themselves.

Despite being blind, the Seer is said to possess an insight that can 'see' past all attempts at deception. Indeed, she does not seem to be inconvenienced by her blindness whatsoever, and it is well-accepted that she can perceive text and color through means no other mortal or divine being can match. Despite her divine colors residing in the green and blue parts of the spectrum, the Seer seems to especially favor the color red.

There is a rumor that the Seer favors those who can surprise her, but there are exceptionally few credible accounts of this actually happening.

Today, many congregations (though not the Zodiac Church) hold the Seer to have been the creator of the dinosaurs, and thus to have been the first god to settle on Earth. But the dinosaurs performed some terrible deed, too sinful to even conceive of today, in response to which the Seer executed them with a great flood, burying their bones. Though this act was just, destroying her own creations caused the Seer sorrow, and she took them as a symbol in order to always remember the Earth's first children.

Public Relations

The Seer spends much of her time away from Earth. However, when the need is great and the cause is just, she appears to give her wisdom. It is rare that she becomes involved in conflicts directly, preferring to advise global leaders and give aid from afar. However, the few historical records that mention the Seer taking up the sword herself speak of her might in battle with awe and fear, and describe the reek of the battlefield lingering for weeks. Such lands are generally abandoned as blighted.

The Seer rarely interferes with day-to-day matters of law in the nations of the world, though her writings are often used as their base. She does sometimes write a response to high court rulings, normally to point out logical inconsistencies or sloppy reasoning, and such divine court opinions have been the ruin of many justices' careers. Interestingly, although the Seer takes umbrage with poor reasoning, she does not seem to stick to a particular ideological stance.

Chapter Text

For a change, lady luck seemed to be smiling on me. Then again, maybe the fickle wench was just lulling me into a false sense of security while she reached for a rock.

-Timothy Zahn

Names & Epithets

She Who Tightens the Throat; Our Lady of Victory; The Good Woman, Lady Luck, The Lady Eightfold, The Scorpion Queen, Empress in Gold, Spider Bitch (derogatory, not recommended).

Symbolism

The Symbol of the Thief of Light, written instead of her name, is ♏, the sign of Scorpio. 

The Sigil of Light is a stylized sun emitting rays of light. 

The colors associated with the Thief of Light are orange and yellow, and her sacred color is cerulean . 

Other symbols associated with the Thief of Light are spiders and their webs, maps, dice, pool balls, the Jolly Roger, treasure and valuable objects, scorpions, and the number eight in any context.

Appearance/Portrayal

The Thief of Light appears as a muscular woman with long, wavy hair and asymmetrical horns, one ending in a hook, the other in two prongs, which are said to represent the wicked sting and vicious claw of the scorpion. Her fangs show prominently, and she often wears clear glasses. Uniquely, her left eye contains seven pupils, one in the center with the six other, smaller apertures encircling it.

The Thief is very rarely seen or portrayed in her godhood. More commonly, she wears dark attire in shades of blue and black, often with only accents of her sigil’s gold. Her clothing is often intricate and of fine-quality, but cut for practicality. However, she is just as often associated with the lower, even criminal classes, and can appear with the accouterments of the world’s most downtrodden.

In art, the Thief is sometimes depicted with many arms and eyes, or else missing some number of eyes and arms, reflecting her prowess, her resilience, and her redemptive qualities. 

The number eight is sacred to the Thief, and she can be evoked in art simply by showing eight of something.

Domain/Associations

It is a common misconception, when hearing the titles of the Thief of Light, to assume she is a goddess of good fortune, who bestows it upon her followers. In fact, the very opposite is true.  The Thief is a goddess of bad luck, her divine self acting as a magnet for all things good and life-giving in the world, and leaving in her path the bereft and destroyed. Her touch is poison, her words venom. She is a force of destruction, and the more she destroys, the more powerful she grows. By the darkness she spreads, she glows ever brighter. She is loved and she is feared.

The Thief of Light is victorious in all things. She is thus associated with victory in battle, in games, in social maneuvering, business endeavors, or anything else. It is understood that she achieves these victories in large part because her nature destroys all opposition. She cannot be defeated. She is the patron of the zero-sum game, of winners and losers, of eternal glory and of dismal defeat.

The Thief is associated with both high and low social strata, and with the ambitious in both. She is associated with money, luxury, and games of chance, and favors those who are willing to risk everything for their goals. High risk, high reward maneuvers are most likely to catch her attention. However, she may also test the mettle of her favorites by striking them with bad luck. If they persist through all hardship regardless, she may give them the boon of striking down their enemies.

Major Holiday(s): 

The Thief of Light does not have her own global holiday, but her influence is seen in other events of the year. Gambling on one’s birthday is often said to bring the favor of the Thief, particularly games using eight-sided dice or eight-sided teetotums. This is true even for losers, and larger bets are more likely to catch her notice. Gambling on New Year’s Eve in honor of the Thief is also popular.

Churches and Cults: 

In the writings of the Church of the Zodiac, the Thief of Light is often cast as a troublemaker, an upsetter of order. However, she does not bring the end as the Prince might, to destroy that which is built on poor foundations, or as the Bard might, riddling with holes that which is rotten at its center. More than sheer destruction, the Thief is a catalyst for change, causing a redistribution of power and a new suite of possibilities. When life gets too boring, too predictable, the Thief comes to change it and make it more interesting. These changes often put the goddess herself in the center of the storm, and in the perfect position to benefit from it.

The Thief is also the patron goddess of those who have nowhere else to turn. When you’re on your last rope, when your back is against the wall, the Thief is the last goddess to turn to, the one who will hear your final, desperate prayer. But when she comes, it is not guaranteed that she will change your fortune for the better.

Few widespread churches and cults honor the Thief in a position of primacy amongst the gods, but individual favoritism towards and worship of the Thief is common. Naturally, the Thief is a favorite goddess for those people whose way of life involves great risk to life and well-being. Stuntmen and daredevils of all sorts are known to carry a sigil of Light or an eight-sided die while performing more dangerous acts, hoping for the Thief to pass over them with mercy.

The Thief is a favorite goddess amongst athletes, as there is a common belief that the goddess will interfere to tip the odds towards her favorites when two teams are closely matched. There is little evidence of the Thief doing this on a large scale, but there are enough incidents to feed this faith.

Criminals, too, worship the Thief in the hope that they will not be caught, and organized crime networks regularly develop esoteric, Thief-centric cults. Although the Thief is rarely thought of as a savior figure, for those living on the edge she is the best bet they have.

One of the more subtle schisms between the various faiths that honor the Thief is whether she is more appropriately symbolized by the Scorpion, as one would assume based on her constellation, or by the Spider, a favorite motif of the goddess. The Thief herself has not come out with any consistent opinion on the matter, and some consider the arguments to be meaningless. The Zodiac Church holds that the Scorpion is the proper symbol of the Thief but allows that other arachnids may evoke her as well.

Prayer and Worship

Most prayers to the Thief are meant to ward her away. Asking the Thief to pass oneself or one’s community and find another is a way to honor her power without bringing down her chaos on one’s own home.

The Thief is believed to be interested in material things, so monetary offerings are common. Sometimes, cash is burnt as an offering to her, or simply left on the ground as an open-air “street offering” for a random, lucky person to find.

In the criminal underworld, ritual tattoos often honor the Thief, and crime mobs often develop coded languages, holy thief’s cants, in which to pray to her and discuss their business. Of interest is that thief’s cants usually involve an altered numerical system, utilizing octal or base-8, as opposed to the global base-10.

Another act of worship is to court danger in the Thief’s name. Scorpion Handling, sometimes colloquially called Arachnid Roulette, is not traditionally done with deadly species, but not all worshippers are so restrained. In criminal churches this practice is used to determine judgment, guilt, and punishment — spheres that are more typically credited to the Seer.

Lore

Because the Thief is often associated with the lowly and downtrodden and oppressed, she is often contrasted with the Page. Though the Page is welcomed as a savior and the Thief is feared, their actions are often eerily similar.

The Thief is also commonly contrasted with the Seer, as agents of law and lawlessness, order and chaos. They are sometimes seen as sworn enemies. Other times, they are allied, each upholding the other in an uneasy truce, or in acknowledgement that each makes the other’s blade sharper.

Because the Thief tears down those in power, she is commonly invoked alongside the Prince as well, though the two gods are held to have very different priorities and motivations.

The connection between the Thief of Light and the story of Passover is debatable, but most theologians agree that there is a connection between her and the Passover story’s “Beast of Darkness” that ended the reign of the oppressor race. Some allege that the Beast is a particularly vengeful incarnation of the Thief herself, while others attest that she simply empowered or created the Beast. Through space and time, there are enough variations of the Passover story that the truth is obscured. The Zodiac Church maintains that the Beast is a creation of the Page, but many other sects disagree.

Public Relations: 

The occasions when the Thief chooses to interact with humanity often pass into rumor and legend. They rarely end well for people, but occasionally a mortal “strikes it rich” by using an appropriate combination of skill and flattery. It’s common for the Thief to put people into situations where they must play a game or contest with high stakes. She inevitably will win such contests, but if she wins before losing interest, due to the skill and moxie of the mortal she plays against, she may grant a boon. If she loses interest in the game, however, they may pay dearly.

Gambling-houses and casinos are almost always dedicated to the Thief, and hold that the money the house wins belongs to her and they merely steward it. This is a way to keep her from visiting them to play, but there are records that she sometimes comes to collect. There are also persistent tales that sometimes she plays regardless, even losing on occasion in order to “deposit” her wealth. In offerings to her, it is common for casinos to carve a scorpion or a Light sigil on the doorposts, or even to pin a dried scorpion there.

The Thief has always been associated with maps, and to honor this, maps traditionally are printed with a spider web surrounding the compass rose, or a spider gripping the legend.

Colloquially, to be “in the Arachnid’s Grip” is to be suffering from a string of misfortunes.

However, those who defy the odds, who continue to struggle and try and survive despite the odds stacked against them, often attract her attention. The Thief is known to cause such situations herself to test the mettle of mortals. Rare is the one who escapes from this grip, but they are said to be richly rewarded for their efforts.

Chapter Text

One of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’

- Apocryphal

Names & Epithets

Symbolism

Appearance/Portrayal

Domain/Associations

Major Holiday(s)

Churches and Cults

Prayer and Worship 

Lore

Public Relations

Chapter Text

"Good people sometimes wish bad things.

Good people try bad things, don't you?

Good people even do bad things,

Once in a while, we do.”

- Fred Rogers

Names & Epithets:

The Mirthful One; The Bard of Many Colors; Lord of the Carnival, Our Lord of Detroit, The Ringmaster, He Who Looses the Wolf, The Laughing Messiah, The Old Goat (often but not always derogatory)

Symbolism:

The Symbol of the Bard of Rage, written instead of his name, is ♑, the sign of Capricorn. 

The Sigil of Rage is a stylized face with exaggerated eyebrows. 

The colors associated with the Bard of Rage are pink and purple, and his sacred color is indigo.

Other symbols associated with the Bard of Rage are circus tents, graffiti, sugary bubbling drinks (which are referred to as “Faygo” in this context regardless of brand), the masks of comedy and tragedy, mind-altering substances of all sorts, and above all, clowns.

Appearance/Portrayal:

The Bard of Rage is an inhumanly tall and lanky man, crowned with a wild mass of long hair and two long, twisting horns. He always paints his face, black outlining his eyes and mouth against a white background. He generally is said to keep a calm and laid-back, even lazy demeanor. In anger, the scleras of his eyes are said to turn orange, which is often depicted in art.

The Bard almost always wears his godhood or a variant thereof in purples, pinks, and blacks. His godhood is unique in that it includes a prominent codpiece, or sacred phallus, a symbol of both procreative power and of the wild Id.

Domain/Associations

The Bard is associated with many concepts, but all lead back to the idea of want . It is common to question how a god whose domain is dubbed Rage came to be more concerned with Desire, but this is because the Bard, like the Prince, sets himself against the Aspect of his domain, rather than aligning with it. In the Zodiac Cosmology, Rage is considered a form of inhibition, emotions repressed and bile bitten back, and the Bard’s role is to unleash it.

The Bard’s influence lies at the base of the spine and the seat of the brainstem, breaking down the higher, outer shell of the self and releasing whatever pains or pleasures lie within. The Bard sings to the dark recesses of the soul, and the soul answers.

The Bard is, naturally, a god of drama and theater, and stylized depictions of his smiling and frowning faces are mounted above stages large and small, worldwide. The earliest dramas of ancient history were said to be plays of catharsis, whereby the deepest desires of the audience were played out in a safe, controlled manner. This is a subtle influence of the Bard.

The Bard is a patron of addicts of all kinds, soothing pain under clouds of impulsive behaviors and mind-altering substances. He is the last resort of the ruined, the final salve of those with nowhere else to turn. 

The Bard is also associated with virility. This is self-explanatory and does not require elaboration.

Major Holiday(s): 

There are two main holidays associated with the Bard of Rage. Hallowhonk is the more widespread, celebrated throughout the world on the last day of Capricorn. On this holiday, children dress up as what they want to become or as what they wish to defeat (usually symbolically), then accost their adult neighbors for sweet treats. Refusing to give treats or decorate with intricately-carved and lit vegetables is often grounds for mild vandalism. In the upper midwest of North America, and in other Juggalist enclaves, Hallowhonk can even become violent, as children are allowed free rein to steal from and fight each other for treats, masked in anonymity. Rule of law is temporarily paused on these occasions. In some cultures, this same approach is extended to adults on Hallowhonk, though such practices are rare and becoming rarer, especially after the publication of exposé documentaries such as The Purge .

Another holiday is the Festival of Fools, primarily celebrated on the 4th of Capricorn in Ireland and in Irish-American communities. On this day, the “King of Fools” - usually a member of the lowest social class - is elected and crowned with a jester’s cockscomb. The city’s upper echelons (usually a mayor or governor, or the like) act for the day as the King’s servant. The King then makes decrees, and these decrees are, for the duration of the day, as law. This upending of the social order comes alongside much feasting and drinking and games.

Churches and Cults: 

The Congregation of the Dark Carnival - often referred to amongst layfolk as the Clown Church, or Clurch - is the central structure for Bard-focused worship throughout the known universe. Little in the Dark Carnival is standardized, except for the central tenet of radical and complete freedom. In many Carnivals, this shakes out in practice into a rule of “might makes right” that repulses some and attracts others. However, this is not universally the case. In particular, Carnivals that the Bard himself visits frequently become less dictatorial and adhere more closely to the ecstatic and hedonistic atmosphere that the Bard reportedly enjoys. Only the most devout usually stay in these Carnivals for more than a day or two.

Devotees of the Dark Carnival, often loosely defined as those who visit more than once, are called “Juggalos.” Proselytizers for the Dark Carnival, and those who spread its Mirthful word, are given the additional title of “Ninja.”

Earth’s permanent installation of the Dark Carnival proper is located in Detroit, and has, over time, metastasized over much of the city, but there are also smaller, traveling Carnivals that visit different cities for a period of days or weeks, then pack up and move on.

In many countries the Dark Carnival has a political tent called the Insane Clown Party. It is a notable third party in the United States, especially in the state of Michigan, where many members of the ICP have been elected to city- and state-level government, including several governors. On the national level, however, the ICP has not come close to major success since 1992, when Murderbitch Pierrot earned nearly 22% of the popular vote and won the state of Michigan. 

Prayer and Worship: 

When one prays to the Bard, it is traditional to do so in a tent, or at least a pitched blanket. It is commonly reported that one can gain a small favor from Bard with a novel joke, gift, song, or other form of entertainment, but there is little he has not yet seen.

Partaking of mind-altering substances is a sacred act of worshiping the Bard, and protected entheogens exist in most cultures. Faygo-branded drinks, referred to as “wicked elixir” by the Juggalos, are treated as a sacrament with or without psychoactive additions. 

Interestingly, cursing the Bard during prayer is not generally considered an insult to him.

Lore: 

The Bard is well known as one of the most wildly irregular of the gods, leading to the coining of the term “Capricious,” after his star sign. He can be friendly, even familiar, with his congregants, and generous with blessings and gifts. But he is also known to fly into terrible rages and monstrous fits of violence. It is reportedly very difficult to tell what offenses may provoke the Bard’s temper, and which he may simply shrug off. However, many agree that the worst thing one can be, in his eyes, is unfunny.

In the Zodiac cosmology, the Bard is a destroyer and an upsetter of plans, a wild card who may turn on his allies at the drop of a hat, but who also can turn the tide of a battle with a sweep of his arm.

It has not gone unnoticed that the Bard and the Maid are the only two of the gods to paint their faces in all public appearances, but the reasons behind this are unknown. Some stories portray them as friends, allies, or even lovers, but the nature of their relationship is unclear.

Just as many stories link the Bard and the Knight, positing that many of the Bard’s excesses are in fact attempts to tempt the Knight into releasing his bonds, but whether this is done out of an enmity towards the Knight or out of a genuine wish to see the Knight relax is unknown.

Public Relations: 

The Bard is a very public god, and unlike many of the gods, the Bard spends almost all his time on Earth. The reasons why are unknown. He is nearly always to be found at some Dark Carnival event, if not in Detroit itself then in one of the traveling Carnivals. He interacts with his Congregation in regular showings, accepting offerings, giving gifts, and eroding the inhibitions of every soul for miles around.