#he who rises as gold (ra)

[nyaskitten]

Apprentice Arin outfit idea...

[sol-ulfr]

Merytmwtheryt -> Sölulfr

For reasons that I will be keeping personal for the most part, I will be leaving the Kemetic Pagan path and moving to a more Norse-centered one. This means I won't be posting Kemetic-related things anymore. I'm very sorry if that's what you primarily follow me for! But for me it's time to move on to something else.

I will be adding all of my Kemetic tags to this post so you can see things about specific Kemetic deities or topics if you would like to.

Thank you to everyone who has joined me on my journey so far! It's been a pleasure, and I hope you stick around 💕

[brucewaynehater101]

Hear me out for something. So we agree that Tim definitely took a bunch of Ras ninjas when he blew up the place right? And they're *super* loyal to him and also very, very competent.

What if when Tim brings Bruce back from the Time Stream, once Bruce is healed up, he insists on taking over WE from Tim. Not because Tim is bad at it, but because he doesn't want to sit around doing nothing while he physically heals and isn't allowed to be Batman.

So Tim decides to use the money he made to revive Drake Industries. He'll need a bunch of very loyal workers who know how math works to fill out upper management to make sure there isn't any corruption and wouldn't you know it. He has a couple hundred of exactly what he needs stolen from ras who are getting antsy about not having anything to do.

It only takes a year, maybe two at the most, for Drake Industries to raise to rivaling Wayne Enterprises and Lex Corp like it used to before Tim's parents died. There are rumors though, that it's impossible to rise beyond a certain point in the company as all those positions are filled already and if a new one opens, it's given to someone that no one has ever heard of before (more defectors from Ras). All the people on the board are weirdly young (is that Olympic Gold Winner Cissie King Jones???) And one of them just had a big scandal go public about being Lex Luthor's illegitimate son that he kicked out for being gay?? This is not at all what happened with Kon, and Lex has been trying to calm the rumor mill around it but the gossip collums have taken this and ran with it.

You would think that with a board of directors so young and a company so new that's so big, corporate espionage on them would be *easy* but that's to the fact that every single member of upper management would die for Tim, none of it happens. His company is massive and air tight. People who try to bribe his workers into selling secrets often end up in strange accidents. After all, you can take the person out of the Ninja Death Cult, but you can't take the Ninja Death Cult out of the person.

Yes! There is a series not quite like this, but dear to me. "Where Bats and Birds Roost" by Mouse_in_this_house has BAMF Tim Drake with ex-LoA agent spy network that he hides via the Neon Knights initiative.

However, I love that your AU had Tim make it from the corpse of his parents' company. Instead of using Bruce's resources, Tim used the ones that only belong to him. I also like his rehabilitation plans for all the defectors and their loyalty to him because of it.

Tim should go around snatching up people from his enemies because he has better benefits, way less chance of the job killing its employees, and charisma. Maybe Bruce gets a little annoyed cause WE employees also prefer to work at Drake Industries (probably not, but it would be funny).

Also, YJ working for DI? Brilliant ^^

This type of chaos and the BAMF Tim are spices I need more of. Let Tim use his whacky ability to befriend his enemies for his benefit!

[scionshtola]

FFXIVWrite2024 Prompt 2 - Horizon

character: Miyu Iteya (Raen Au Ra non-WoL oc) rating: G | word count: 308 words notes: mentions some Stormblood characters and locations. Miyu is my non-WoL oc who joined the resistance!

There are no karakul for Miyu to tend to in Rhalgr’s Reach. No little sisters to ready for the day, no table to set for breakfast, no bread left rising for her to check on. No parents’ kisses to accept with feigned reluctance on her way out. 

Even so, she still rises with the sun.

She hikes to the top of the cliffs that overlook the camp, settling down on the ground with crossed legs. The sun has not quite cleared the horizon, casting a brilliant orange across the peaked land. When she closes her eyes, she can still see that same sun rising between the mountains of Othard, gold splashed against the rolling valleys below. 

When the sun rose there, her father would rise with it to tend the flock. He would take the oldest of her sisters with him, who’d promised Miyu she didn’t mind taking over in her absence. She can see her, too—her skirts as colorful as the sunrise, her long brown hair a shade darker than Miyu’s own hanging in a neat braid down her back, the crooked edge of her scarred horn, walking amidst the flock with Miyu's old staff in hand.

Her chest aches. She allows it, for the moment. Do they think of her when they see the sun clear the horizon each morning? When they set the table, or eat the bread she used to bake? Do they wish she hadn’t gone? Do they understand why she did?

Far below her, the resistance camp begins to stir. M’naago will be looking for her soon, with breakfast in hand and Miyu’s newest assignment to deliver. Her morning tasks might be different here, but she still had them all the same.

She rises to her feet and, with one last look to the horizon, descends into camp to start her day. 

[the-chronicle-of-holy-days]

Day 3

Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli

Adumbratio Kabbalae Aegyptiorum sub figurâ VII

IV

1. I am like a maiden bathing in a clear pool of fresh water.

2. O my God! I see Thee dark and desirable, rising through the water as a golden smoke.

3. Thou art altogether golden, the hair and the eyebrows and the brilliant face; even into the finger-tips and toe-tips Thou art one rosy dream of gold.

4. Deep into Thine eyes that are golden my soul leaps, like an archangel menacing the sun.

5. My sword passes through and through Thee; crystalline moons ooze out of Thy beautiful body that is hidden behind the ovals of Thine eyes.

6. Deeper, ever deeper. I fall, even as the whole Universe falls down the abyss of Years.

7. For Eternity calls; the Overworld calls; the world of the Word is awaiting us.

8. Be done with speech, O God! Fasten the fangs of the hound Eternity in this my throat!

9. I am like a wounded bird flapping in circles.

10. Who knows where I shall fall?

11. O blesséd One! O God! O my devourer!

12. Let me fall, fall down, fall away, afar, alone!

13. Let me fall!

14. Nor is there any rest, Sweet Heart, save in the cradle of royal Bacchus, the thigh of the most Holy One.

15. There rest, under the canopy of night.

16. Uranus chid Eros; Marsyas chid Olympas; I chid my beautiful lover with his sunray mane; shall I not sing?

17. Shall not mine incantations bring around me the wonderful company of the wood-gods, their bodies glistening with the ointment of moonlight and honey and myrrh?

18. Worshipful are ye, O my lovers; let us forward to the dimmest hollow!

19. There we will feast upon mandrake and upon moly!

20. There the lovely One shall spread us His holy banquet. In the brown cakes of corn we shall taste the food of the world, and be strong.

21. In the ruddy and awful cup of death we shall drink the blood of the world, and be drunken!

22. Ohe! the song to Iao, the song to Iao!

23. Come, let us sing to thee, Iacchus invisible, Iacchus triumphant, Iacchus indicible!

24. Iacchus, O Iacchus, O Iacchus, be near us!

25. Then was the countenance of all time darkened, and the true light shone forth.

26. There was also a certain cry in an unknown tongue, whose stridency troubled the still waters of my soul, so that my mind and my body were healed of their disease, self-knowledge.

27. Yea, an angel troubled the waters.

28. This was the cry of Him: IIIOOShBTh-IO-IIIIAMAMThIBI-II.

29. Nor did I sing this for a thousand times a night for a thousand nights before Thou camest, O my flaming God, and pierced me with Thy spear. Thy scarlet robe unfolded the whole heavens, so that the Gods said: All is burning: it is the end.

30. Also Thou didst set Thy lips to the wound and suck out a million eggs. And Thy mother sat upon them, and lo! stars and stars and ultimate Things whereof stars are the atoms.

31. Then I perceived Thee, O my God, sitting like a white cat upon the trellis-work of the arbour; and the hum of the spinning worlds was but Thy pleasure.

32. O white cat, the sparks fly from Thy fur! Thou dost crackle with splitting the worlds.

33. I have seen more of Thee in the white cat than I saw in the Vision of Æons.

34. In the boat of Ra did I travel, but I never found upon the visible Universe any being like unto Thee!

35. Thou wast like a winged white horse, and I raced Thee through eternity against the Lord of the Gods.

36. So still we race!

37. Thou wast like a flake of snow falling in the pine-clad woods.

38. In a moment Thou wast lost in a wilderness of the like and the unlike.

39. But I beheld the beautiful God at the back of the blizzard — and Thou wast He!

40. Also I read in a great Book.

41. On ancient skin was written in letters of gold: Verbum fit Verbum.

42. Also Vitriol and the hierophant’s name

V.V.V.V.V.

43. All this wheeled in fire, in star-fire, rare and far and utterly lonely — even as Thou and I, O desolate soul my God!

44. Yea, and the writing

It is well.

This is the voice which shook the earth.

45. Eight times he cried aloud, and by eight and by eight shall I count Thy favours, Oh Thou Elevenfold God 418!

46. Yea, and by many more; by the ten in the twenty-two directions; even as the perpendicular of the Pyramid — so shall Thy favours be.

47. If I number them, they are One.

48. Excellent is Thy love, Oh Lord! Thou art revealed by the darkness, and he who gropeth in the horror of the groves shall haply catch Thee, even as a snake that seizeth on a little singing-bird.

49. I have caught Thee, O my soft thrush; I am like a hawk of mother-of-emerald; I catch Thee by instinct, though my eyes fail from Thy glory.

50. Yet they are but foolish folk yonder. I see them on the yellow sand, all clad in Tyrian purple.

51. They draw their shining God unto the land in nets; they build a fire to the Lord of Fire, and cry unhallowed words, even the dreadful curse Amri maratza, maratza, atman deona lastadza maratza maritza — marán!

52. Then do they cook the shining god, and gulp him whole.

53. These are evil folk, O beautiful boy! let us pass on to the Otherworld.

54. Let us make ourselves into a pleasant bait, into a seductive shape!

55. I will be like a splendid naked woman with ivory breasts and golden nipples; my whole body shall be like the milk of the stars. I will be lustrous and Greek, a courtesan of Delos, of the unstable Isle.

56. Thou shalt be like a little red worm on a hook.

57. But thou and I will catch our fish alike.

58. Then wilt thou be a shining fish with golden back and silver belly: I will be like a violent beautiful man, stronger than two score bulls, a man of the West bearing a great sack of precious jewels upon a staff that is greater than the axis of the all.

59. And the fish shall be sacrificed to Thee and the strong man crucified for Me, and Thou and I will kiss, and atone for the wrong of the Beginning; yea, for the wrong of the beginning

Oh holy day we’re really in it now✨ favorite of the year is with bold letters

[deinemuddalutscht]

The Crossword hymn to Mut

Great of Sunlight, Who illumines the entire land with Her rays. She is His Eye, Who causes the land to prosper, the glorious Eye of Harakhty, the Queen of what exists, the Great and Powerful Queen, Life being in Her possession.

Great of Might, Her Eye has illumined the Horizon. As to the Ennead, Their hearts are glad because of Her, the Queen of Their joy in this Her name of Sky, for the spirits go forth within it because of Her.

The Two Lands and the Netherworld thereof are light because of Her, when She has appeared in the sky. When She goes forth, all good plants are born. She Who rises early, existing in a multitude of forms, enduring as the Nurse.

Ra sees Her Might just as She sees by means of Him, since He knows Her Majesty’s beauty. The Goddesses shout for Her: food and provisions for Her, the Goddess in Uaset-Thebes.

The Greatness of Ra shines in the land for Her spirit every day. Furthermore, Her father Ra is in the mighty ‘Ipet-sut’ with the Great One Who breathes there (Amun).

There are not many who desert Her (Mut’s) Majesty, She is a Noble One. When She shines, the land possesses love of Her, the Queen of the Horizon at Her beautiful rising at dawn. She has received the insignia of Ra, Lord of the Thrones. He receives rejoicing as He traverses the land, and the praises and adorations of the high-ranking and of mankind.

They follow Her likeness, She being like Him (Ra) Who crosses the sky, His manifestation indeed, Who shines within. She grants what He wishes, Mut has received these gifts. All animals rejoice at Her. She rests between His brows, while everyone worships Him. The people and all mankind are joyful of heart.

Ra, Who travels the Lakes of Fire for His great daughter, Queen of the Gods, this Goddess Who is upon His breast. The God (Ra) gives rejoicing to Her Who is with Him, He Who came into existence by Himself, She Who is beneficial to the Mighty One, Who adores the manifestation, happy of lifetime. All the people worship Her, when Her form is seen. She has caused to flourish.

He (the King) is great, flourishing because of the Great One, He Who is on the Throne which She loves. Ra is righteous. It is a happy day, She having appeared in ‘Uaset’-Thebes, when She has protected this land for Her son. She gives victory to the Mighty One, She Who possesses what He loves, His years being happy of events. There is rejoicing from Heaven to the Netherworld, the Gods are satisfied.

All lands give Her their divine property in Her name, and their standards of their places. They rejoice for Her and Her beauty which belongs to Her. Everyone comes into existence through Her when he is created, say the Living in this Temple.

Who opens and causes them to live, She Who is young rises behind, High of Crown, She shines as gold, the Sole One when She placed plants on the entire land, the apes chatter to Her because of Her kindly face, the Beloved One, Who has been exalted since primeval times in Heaven. Her Ancestors are endless, She is the Noble Uraeus.”

hymn from the “Crossword Stela” of Paser, circa 1150 BCE, found in the sacred Precinct of Mut

[canmom]

Animation Night 162: Nimona

I'm back~

Hey everyone. Last week Animation Night had its second week off in just over three years. A shameful lapse; the perpetrators have been... dealt with, and you can trust it won't happen again.

So tonight! I figured we'd watch Nimona, since it just came out and all. This is actually sorta related to Annecy ('Annecy related stuff' will be a theme for a good few weeks), insofar as it premiered there. But I didn't see that premiere, so instead I gotta talk about some other stuff...

(please forgive the big ugly stickers, this is the only high-res version of the cover I could find)

So. We're in the era where the people who were big in webcomics back in the 2010s are now making animated films. A few months ago we talked Lackadaisy; now it's Nimona's turn.

If you're old by Tumblr standards, you might well remember that time ten years ago when Nate Stevenson was one of us poor sods drawing pictures on Tumblr as gingerhaze (he just came back in fact!), and Nimona was a popular webcomic. But not one you can find online anymore; Nimona came out on paper, and this in turn launched Stevenson's gradual rise through comics and into animation. Perhaps you are more likely to know of his work from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. More on that shortly...

Nimona follows a shapeshifting girl in a fantasy world and her friendship with one Ballister Blackheart, a 'villain' in the roles of this setting but very much one with a heart of gold, at odds with the 'Institute' and his counterpart/rival/secret boyfriend Ambrosious Goldenloin. In contrast with the uptight Blackheart, Nimona is a kind of prickly traumagirl chaos agent, an archetype that we would meet again in She-Ra's Catra; the story involves many sciencefictional turns but her tumultous relationship with Blackheart is at its heart - along with the question of what sort of person Nimona is when you get down to it, which even she struggles to decide...

It's tricky to know how to characterise Nimona, 10 years on. At the time I was certainly into it; looking back I feel like it's definitely a first longform work sort of thing, where sometimes the plotting feels a bit haphazard - but regardless, it's absolutely a solid read. And for a Tumblr craving that #representation it was exactly what the doctor ordered. The great success of this comic led to more comics, primarily the Lumberjanes series about a group of girl scouts having various wacky supernatural escapades; all this comic work in turn got Stevenson an in at Disney, working on Craig McCracken's series Wander over Yonder as a writer, before finally getting a chance to run his own show...

That show was the 2018 Netflix reboot of the 80s cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power, animated at Dreamworks. (At about the same time, Stevenson married Molly Ostertag, author of Strong Female Protagonist and writer for The Owl House). This one was very popular with the lesbians on here, odds are pretty good that you've seen it, I actually ended up watching it as it came out with housemates... but let's talk a little about it, why not.

So. Princesses is the original She-Ra by way of Avatar: The Last Airbender, taking a lot of AtlA's general approach to pacing, humour and drama alike - the first season finds it hard to step out of Avatar's shadow, but gradually it figured out a bit more of its own identity.

She-Ra is ostensibly the story of Adora, who has defected from the evil empire and gained the power to transform into magical girl supersoldier 'She-Ra', along with her two friends Glimmer and Bo from the good two shoes kingdom. These protagonists have their conflicts - Adora trying to fill the big shoes of She-Ra, Glimmer's tense relationship with her royal mother - but it is absolutely far more interested in antagonist Catra, who is the Nimona/Zuko figure of this story, as well as Adora's long-term will they or won't they love interest. Catra consistently steals the show, and most of its big drama comes from the question of whether Catra will follow Adora in defecting from the 'Horde' - or rather, why she does not, and continues to make all the worst choices possible. The intermediate season finales with their time travel and fantasy worlds are honestly pretty solid sci-fi melodrama - the final season, which really rushes to tie everything up neatly, sadly drops that ball.

Besides AtlA, it's a show that will wear its anime influences on its sleeve (with some really overt Utena nods). The animation is in an odd place where it is clearly leaning on anime drawing styles but with an American Toonboom-era inflection, where everything is pushed into simple shapes just a little too much; it has its moments (the 'Fright Zone' backgrounds are rather good, and there are some charming moments of character interaction) but struggles with space and perspective in a way that's not great for an action-driven show.

But whatever I might have to say about its flaws, She-Ra was a hit, successful enough for Netflix to fund it for four seasons - making a much larger splash than Powerhouse's concurrent He-Man series which took a much more traditional approach. And I suppose that led them to look at what other ND Stevenson related properties they might be able to sell...

As all this was happening, the Nimona film was brewing. It had a rather troubled production; in 2015 Fox bought the rights, planning to make it at Blue Sky (best known for Ice Age). The project got cancelled when Disney digested Fox, with Disney feeling a little nervy about all the gay/trans shit in this movie. (Not that that stopped them having a float at London Pride yesterday lmao. Cunts.)

But that wasn't the end of the story, and Netflix and Annapurna swooped in, pulling in directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane who had been at Blue Sky before its demise and worked on the previous version of the film. The animation ended up being finished at the visual effects company DNEG and premiered at Annecy a couple of weeks ago - I could have met Stevenson and got a signed copy of the comic lol. Now at last it's here for streaming.

So after that messy story what sort of film is it? The story takes a similar premise to the comic, and keeps the core character relationships pretty much as they were: Blackheart is a good man unjustly framed as a villain, Nimona is a shapeshifter who pushes him to escalate, Goldenloin as the official pursuing Blackheart, and his boyfriend before the shit went down. But the plot looks like it will end up diverging quite a bit. Visually, it's CG with a 2D celshading inflection - most likely unrelated to Spiderverse given the timeline, but it's definitely belonging within that new flavour of CG film. It's a style that really pushes and exaggerates the expressions, and I can't really say how well it will work - but let's find out! The critics seem pretty excited.

I think I said that Animation Night would start at a reasonable time today. Well, my best laid plans ganged aglee, but there is time I think to check out Nimona - so if you'd like to join me, I'll be live shortly at twitch.tv/canmom and I hope to see you there ^^

[madamlaydebug]

Alchemy is both a physical and spiritual science, according to the Philosophers, the physical is a "shadow" of the spiritual. Physical Alchemy is considered to be a true science and a paragon which leads to the true Light of Nature. Here Mr.Kuhn sheds some light on the spiritual allegory as it relates to ancient Scriptures.....his work is highly recommended for a return to the understanding of the cryptic meaning of Ancient myths and texts:

"Armed with this unquenchable fire which is intellect, we are sent on earth to inhabit a body which is described as a watery and miry swamp. The body is nearly eighty percent water! It is the duty of the fiery spark to enlighten the whole dark realm of mortal life, to transmute by its alchemical power the baser dross of animal propensity into the finer motivation of love and brotherhood. This life is a purgation--Purgatory--because it is a process of burning and tempering crude animal elements into the pure gold of spiritual light. In Egyptian scriptures the twelve sons of Ra (the twelve sons of Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel) were called the 'twelve saviors of the treasure of light.' An Egyptian text reads: 'This is the sun within us, the seminal source of light. Do not dim its luster or cause it to suffer eclipse.' And another runs: 'Give ye glory as to the sun; he is the chief, the only one coming from the body, the head of those who belong to the race of the sun.'

With this force of fire we must uplift the lower man and transmute his nature into the spiritual glow of love and intelligence. With it we must turn the water of the lower nature into the wine of spiritual force. Around it we must aggregate the refined material which we shall build into that temple of the soul, that body of the resurrection, the great garment of solar light, in which we shall rise out of the tomb of the physical corpus and ascend with the angels. This is the radiant Augoeides of the Greeks, the Sahu of the Egyptians, in which the soul wings its flight aloft like the phoenix, after rending the veil of the temple of the body. It is our garment of immortality, the seamless robe of glory, in prospect of which we groan and travail, says St. Paul, as we earnestly desire to be clothed upon with the garment of incorruption. As flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of heaven, we must fashion for our tenancy there this body of solar glory, in whose self-generated light we may live eternally, having overcome the realms of darkness, or spiritualized the body. Jesus prays the Father to grant unto him that glory that he had with him before the world was, and his prayer is fulfilled in the formation of the spirit body out of the elements of the sun."

-Alvin Boyd Kuhn

[aimee-maroux]

It's #NationalBirdDay so I want to talk about birds in mythology. There are many stories from ancient Greece about mythological birds and half-bird creatures.

Birds of Ares

The Birds of Ares (Ornithes Areioi in ancient Greek) were a flock of arrow-feathered birds which the god had set to guard his sacred shrine on the Black Sea island of Dia, also called Ares' Island. It had been built by the Amazons, his daughters. The birds were encountered by the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. The heroes raised their shields as a defence against the birds' deadly volleys of arrows and with a clash of shield and spear scared them away.

The Birds of Ares were sometimes identified with the Stymphalian Birds driven off by Herakles (see below).

Griffins

The Griphoi or Griffins is a hybrid creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. They guard a treasure of gold by the border to Hyperborea. Griffins were popular decorations in ancient Greek art, for example the helm of the statue of Athena Piraeus:

Source: Athens, Archaeological Museum of Piraeus © 2014. Photo: Ilya Shurygin.

Harpies

The Harpyiai or Harpies were depicted as winged women, sometimes with ugly faces, or with the lower bodies of birds. They were the spirits of sudden, dangerous gusts of wind and were sent by the gods to snatch up people and things from the dark earth. A missing person was said to have been snatched by the Harpies.

Hippalektryon

The Hippalektryon, literally "horse-cock" or "horse-rooster" (hippos = horse, alektryôn = cock) is a hybrid creature with the head and sometimes forelegs of a horse and the wings, tail and back-legs of a male chicken. @sigeel drew them most beautifully, tended to by Demeter and Persephone.

Phoenix

This bird is still well-known today through the saying "rising like a Phoenix from the ashes". It was said to resemble an eagle, with feathers partly red and partly golden. The Phoenix flies from Arabia to the Temple of the Sun (Ra) in Heliopolis in Egypt every 500 years to bury its father encased in myrrh. And there only is a father because the Phoenix begets itself. The tale of the Phoenix actually rising from its own ashes is related in a 4th century CE Roman text called "The Phoenix":

...the pyre conceives the new life; Nature takes care that the deathless bird perish not, and calls upon the sun, mindful of his promise, to restore its immortal glory to the world. Straightway the life spirit surges through his scattered limbs; the renovated blood floods his veins. The ashes show signs of life; they begin to move though there is none to move them, and feathers clothe the mass of cinders. He who was but now the sire comes forth from the pyre the son and successor; between life and life lay but that brief space wherein the pyre burned. His first delight is to consecrate his father's spirit by the banks of the Nile and to carry to the land of Aegyptus (Egypt) the burned mass from which he was born.

Sirens

The Seirenes or Sirens were depicted as birds with either the heads or entire upper bodies of women. They are well-known from the Odyssey for their enchanting song.

Lovely Terpsichore, one of the Muses, had borne them [the Sirens] to Akheloos, and at one time they had been handmaids to Demeter's gallant Daughter [Persephone], before she was married, and sung to her in chorus. But now, half human and half bird in form, they spent their time watching for ships from a height that overlooked their excellent harbour; and many a traveller, reduced by them to skin and bones, had forfeited the happiness of reaching home. Apollonios Rhodios, Argonautika 4.892

The shape of the Sirens, a bird with a woman's head, was popular as a vessel for perfumes and cosmetics.

Stymphalian Birds

The Stymphalian Birds were a flock of man-eating birds of prey which lived around Lake Stymphalis in Arkadia on the Peloponnese. Herakles had to deal with them for the sixth of his twelve labours:

Herakles was stumped by the problem of driving the birds out of the woods, but Athena got some bronze noise-makers from Hephaistos and gave them to him, and by shaking these from a mountain adjacent to the lake frightened the birds. Not enduring the racket, they flew up in fear, and in this manner Herakles reached them with his arrows. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2.92

The Stymphalian Birds were sometimes identified with the arrow-shooting Birds of Ares that were encountered by the Argonauts (see above).

According to Pausanias' Description of Greece there was also an old sanctuary of Stymphalian Artemis in Stymphalos and near the roof of her temple the Stymphalian birds had been carved.

Which is your favourite birb story from mythology?

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Delivers Us From Slavery

Exodus 12:31 He called for Moshe and Aharon by night, and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Yisra'el; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said! 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!" 33 The Mitzrim were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, "We are all dead men." 34 The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 The children of Yisra'el did according to the word of Moshe; and they asked of the Mitzrim jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing. 36 The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Mitzrim, so that they let them have what they asked. They despoiled the Mitzrim. 37 The children of Yisra'el journeyed from Ra`meses to Sukkot, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children. 38 A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much cattle.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all we who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua were immersed into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through immersion to death, that just like Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 But if we died with Messiah, we believe that we will also live with him; 9 knowing that Messiah, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! 10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. 11 Thus also consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Messiah Yeshua our Lord. 12 Therefore don't let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace. — Exodus 12:31-38 and Romans 6:1-14 | Hebrew Names Version (HNV) The Hebrew Names Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 4:7; Genesis 15:14; Genesis 24:53; Genesis 39:21; Genesis 47:11; Exodus 3:20; Exodus 6:1; Exodus 10:9; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 13:33; Matthew 28:19; Luke 20:16; John 1:14; John 11:40; Acts 2:24; Romans 3:5; Romans 6:16; Romans 7:4; Romans 7:14; 2 Corinthians 4:10; 2 Corinthians 13:4

[ardenssolis]

drabble meme; no longer accepting || @nvrcmplt

[ MORNING ]: sender wakes receiver up with sex. [ STRADDLE ]: sender sits in receivers lap to tease them. //Zateros

     THE SUN ROSE SLOWLY as it always did – light trickling into bedchambers, chasing away the brilliant stars and the beauty of the night sky little by little. Normally during this time, Ramses would have awaken to meet with it; eyes trained outside the window as dark blue began to fade away into something that much brighter and vibrant, but this time he slept soundly.

The night previous had been one filled with passion, the echoes of it ringing throughout the room as skin met skin and heavy breaths a symphony of pleasure. Zateros always knew how to ignite his excitement and make him hunger for the feel of heated skin against his own without effort – her eyes, her very presence, beckoning to him and drowning all else until the only thing he could see, the only thing he cared about, was her and what she could offer to make his heart race. He had been thoroughly sated that night, as she had been from how quickly she had slept when it was all said and done. Thus, was it of little wonder that it was he who was pulled from Sleep’s embrace by her rather than Ra’s rising light.

     ❝You still have this much energy…?❞ His hands rested upon her thighs as she straddled him, teasing as hips moved, lower lips teasing against his growing erection. If he had been half-asleep, he certainly wasn’t now. What grogginess had dulled his senses was now gone in an instant, his lips curled into a lazy smirk. His hands tightened upon her, forcing Zateros to stay still so that he may offer his own teases; hips rising just a little – just enough for her to further feel his desire. ❝Everyone will hear you, you know,❞ he cooed, fingers digging into supple flesh of thighs. ❝I wonder if even Ra himself will hear your cries from this distance.❞ Though he could feel her shudder, could feel her try to move, he refused to allow it. ❝Good. I want the entirety of the kingdom to know that you are mine, Zateros.❞ That it was he who left her sated. That it was he who had her breathless, unable to move while she tried to come down from that euphoric high.

     Without giving her a moment, he turned them both upon the bed until her back was pressed against it and his body hovered over hers. Fingers moved against his lover, teasingly brushing against Zatero’s clit, yet only enough to offer something before he carefully slipped his fingers into her, curling index and middle and moving slowly. As excited as they both were, he did not wish to hurt her due to recklessly moving forward. Fingers pushing down to the knuckles, he listened to her voice, pleased by the moans that were already beginning to slip past her lips. There wouldn’t need to be much preparation it seemed. Her body was ready for him if the wetness was anything to go by, such making him wonder if she had already seen to this before waking him. ❝Beautiful,❞ he mumbled, his eyes taking in her features – the pupils blown wide, the parted lips, and hooded gaze…

     So beautiful.

     Pulling his hand away, he slowly licked away what was on his fingers before reaching over to his stand to grab the oil that had been used the night before. Despite Zateros’ protestations and goading to continue, he ignored her. ❝Patience.❞ There was no rush. They had the entirety of this morning to themselves, and so he would make the most of it. After applying a generous amount of the liquid to his erection, he placed it back upon the stand, hands soon grasping Zateros’ thighs and tugging her closer so that the head of his erection rested right against her – so close, so ready to easily slip within. Parting her legs just a little more for him, his eyes narrowed – something akin to mischief and want present within that brilliant gold. ❝Sing as you did the night before, My Love.❞ He need not say this, for he knew that she would. She would sing and sing until the birds themselves greeted her in song.

     He would make sure of it.

[justcaytlin]

Oh yeah, one good thing about moving back to Tumblr is I can chronicle my FFXIV D&D group much easier!

I'm DMing a campaign where I run my friends through the ARR story (and eventually the rest of MSQ, but one bite at a time, eh?) and we've just started.

Prior to the campaign, I put together a 123-page PDF player's guide for them, as they are unfamiliar with Final Fantasy in general and also to convert lore into D&D mechanics. Rather than taking the homebrew route of creating all the jobs/classes from whole cloth, we converted existing D&D classes into FFXIV flavor.

The PDF also contains custom backgrounds, "This Is Your Life" from Xanathar's Guide but Eorzea-ized, and of course races (tweaked from someone else's homebrew, which is linked in the document).

Of course the PDF is already out of date because that's how these things go, but it's still, like, 99% good.

June was a feverish month of creation LOL

Anyway, here's our intrepid party:

Maeda Matsu (Matsu is her given name) is our Au Ra White Mage (Druid of Stars 2/Cleric of Life X, a Hydaelyn cleric). Barry Spalding (Barius) is our Garlean Gunbreaker (Artificer Armorer). And Sayonji Himemiya is our Red Mage (Wizard Bladesinger).

The First Rising

The first two sessions, I wanted to introduce them to the setting, its characters, its story, etc, and also help them kind of get a feel for their party dynamic. So I set it during the very first annual Rising Festival after the Calamity. For funsies, I decided it would be held at the Gold Saucer, because of course Godbert would hold the first Rising Festival in an attempt to reunify people and bring joy to those who were hurting.

I played the ARR trailer video up until the end of the Calamity, narrating over it and what was happening so they could get the emotional enormity of what had happened.

Then I spent time with each character, doing some story RP with them that explained their normal circumstances and how they got to the festival. Matsu's flighty, flaky mom wanted to take her to the cool new festival. Matsu's a Sharlayan Scholar, and Krile is her mentor, so I had Krile give her a Twilight Sparkle-esque assignment: go have fun and make some friends.

Barry was tagging along to his brother's friend's bachelor party, which was a dumbass stunt of "tee hee let's sneak into savage Eorzea in disguise and have our party at their casino!" They basically brought Barry along because he's sorta always the hanger-on, and his brother Nero thought it would be hilarious to get his baby brother drunk as a skunk in Eorzea. Shortly after arriving, they basically abandoned him to go have fun themselves.

Sayonji is a neglected lil baby whose mother was one of the Company of Heroes, but vanished when he was a child. His father then vanished with the other Warriors of Light during the Calamity. He puts on airs of arrogance and being full of himself to hide his hurt. A traveling bard, Temur Himemiya, came to his town of Summerford to talk about the Rising Festival. Sayonji fell *instantly* in love (hence, taking on the bard's last name) and declared right then and there he'd be an adventurer too. He went to the festival riding high on being ~in love~.

He was 15.

How It Went

They met and had a blast doing a bunch of party games. They competed against Yda and Papalymo in the obstacle course up Mount Corel, doing the limit break mechanic to launch Sayonji to the finish line.

They had an astrologian read their fortunes using the Tarokka deck (especially since my husband had already coded up a really cool tarokka reading table). Barry is 100% sure it's fluff and nonsense because lol being in the middle of a corrupt regime??? what lol??? He's a soft baby boy.

Sayonji started to cotton on that Barry might be a Garlean. Most especially because he was weirdly neurotic about keeping his dumb pirate bandanna on over his forehead.

They made contact with a pair of extremely arrogant 11 year old Sharlayan twins whom Matsu had seen around the Studium.

Suddenly, a *tower of light* appeared in Event Square and Godbert made a big show of it, like, OH NO, HEROES, WHAT DO WE DOOOOO, GATHER IN PARTIES OF NO MORE OR LESS THAN FIVE PEOPLE PLEASE THANK YOU

They nabbed Alphinaud and Alisaie as their fourth and fifth (the twins had been arguing with Godbert that they should be allowed to run the tower on their own because they were PRODIGIES) and entered.

The whole tower was an exercise in getting to know your party:

A philosophical discussion with a couple of moogles about what to do if you find a Garlean baby in a camp after you've killed all the soldiers. (Party was solidly in the Don't Kill the Baby camp) The only goal here was to come to a party consensus.

A room where a freaky candy was created to represent each person's deepest fears. You had to eat someone else's candy and be in their shoes for a little Echo scene. Note, they had to attune to a crystal, and Barry could not. He was trying and panicking, and Godbert basically was like "Oh oops it must be on the fritz :D" and had it generate an appropriate chocolate. Matsu learned that Barry is a Garlean, and both Matsu and Sayonji came to the conclusion that he is a soft sweet boy and not a spy, and also he has a shitty family.

A room where you had to speak out loud your worst flaw, and someone else had to talk about how they'd be able to compensate for that flaw. Heroes should be able to lift each other up! Speaking your flaw would summon a platform that would help build a bridge across a chasm, and having it compensated for would stabilize it enough to be able to stand on it.

At this point, both Alisaie and Sayonji were commiserating on "WHAT IS THIS UNAGREED UPON GROUP THERAPY BULLSHIT"

Final room was a fight against Mama Moogle (fat moogle) and her moogley minions. Lots of goofy combat, and they knocked Mama Moogle so hard she quit early.

They got lil plastic medals that, when pressed, would do the tinny victory theme. They say "I survived the Tower of Light at the first annual Rising Festival!" on them. Super gaudy.

Everyone parted ways a bit sadly, assuming they'd never see each other again. Matsu gave Barry a lil kiss in hopes of impressing his jackass brother and friends.

And Then The Call

Last session, I had another round of "here's what you've been doing ever since that day." Matsu had realized her mother was a flake when her mom casually dropped that Matsu was a foundling and didn't seem to get that this was Big News to her. Sayonji had been adventuring, and by adventuring, I mean being a gal friday for Bentbranch. Barry was busy trying to experiment on solidifying the gunblade and the art of gunbreaking.

Matsu was in the middle of discussing with her father and Krile about trying to become a cleric of Hydaelyn, and then breaking the news that she knew about her birth, when her vision blurred and she blacked out.

Sayonji ran into Temur again, was horribly embarrassed that he hadn't done hardly enough, Temur composed a little ditty on the spot about him helping little old ladies, and Sayonji blacked out.

Barry was walking through Ala Mhigo with his brother when Nero got into a spat with a little girl and her mother, and when the girl attacked him, Nero reacted without thinking and went to rifle-butt-smack her in the face. Barry intervened and blacked out.

They all had a joint vision of themselves in a floating void -- the others were glowing light figures, like the Warriors of Light -- and they got to see themselves as max level as a lil glowing light did the Hear, Feel, Think shtick.

Then they saw the glowing orb start to bleed black mist and shrivel, and an Ascian appeared, picked up the orb, and crumpled it in his fist. Then he shot away, and the three of them were able to give chase and limit break him into non-existence.

When they woke up, they all basically got lil scenes that got them to a boat. Barry asked his brother to cover for him while he went "field testing" and Nero took this to mean he wanted to basically do Garlean Rumspringa and also probably do some casual murdering of Eorzean soldiers, which is a-okay in his book. Nero gave him the thumbsup. Krile was excited about the vision, and Matsu's dad was worried. They urged her to start adventuring, and Krile offered to put in an appointment with Baderon at the Adventurer's Guild in Limsa. Sayonji told Temur about his vision and got a lil ditty in compensation.

It's worth noting right about now that I've been making quest plates for them, so they can keep track of the long-term questions.

Anyway, they all got on their boats. Sayonji and Barry had about a month on the boat together to catch up (Barry was a stowaway). They met Matsu in the Cieldalaes, where Limsa customs is presently, since the Yellowjackets are buttoning up everything in response to a spate of kidnappings.

They met Brennan, the friendly peddler, who chatted with them and asked them why they were adventuring and whatnot.

THEN PIRATES ATTACKED, and we stopped for the day.

Whew

Most of these writeups won't be this long, since they won't encompass THREE SESSIONS plus setup, but at least I have something I can point to now lol

[freebiblestudies]

Plagues in the Bible Lesson 03: The Ten Plagues of Egypt

When you think of plagues in the Bible, probably the first thing that comes to mind are the ten plagues of Egypt.  Was the purpose of these plagues merely physical destruction to scare the Egyptians?  Or is there a spiritual lesson we can learn from the ten plagues of Egypt?  Let’s find out together in today’s lesson.

Let’s read together Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40; Exodus 20:1-4 ; and Deuteronomy 29:16-18.

At the time of Moses, the Israelites had been living in Egypt for over four hundred years.  They had been exposed to idolatry by the worship of Egypt’s vast pantheon of gods.  God had to establish Himself as the one true God to both the peoples of Israel and Egypt.  Let’s examine the ten plagues of Egypt with this in mind.

Let’s read together Exodus 7:14-25.  

Hapi was the Egyptian god of the Nile.  He was considered by the Egyptians to be the personification of the annual flooding of the Nile, bringing water, food, creatures, and fertility to the land.  In the first plague, the waters of the river Nile turned to blood.  The fish in the river died and the water stank.

Let’s read together Exodus 8:1-15.

Heqet was the Egyptian goddess of birth and fertility.  She was often depicted as having the head of a frog.  In the second plague, frogs covered the land.  The frogs were so numerous that they invaded people’s homes.

Let’s read together Exodus 8:16-19.

Geb was the Egyptian god of the earth.  In the third plague, lice filled the land, bothering animals and people.

Let’s read together Exodus 8:20-32.

Khepri was the Egyptian god of the rising morning sun.  He was often depicted as having the head of a scarab beetle.  In the fourth plague, flies swarmed the land.  However, the flies did not go to Goshen, where Israelites dwelt.  

Let’s read together Exodus 9:1-7.

Hathor was the Egyptian goddess of love, sexuality, fertility, and music.  She was often depicted as having the head of a cow.  In the fifth plague, the Egyptian livestock were afflicted with a severe pestilence.  However, the livestock of the Israelites were not afflicted.

Let’s read together Exodus 9:8-12.

Sekhmet was the Egyptian goddess of war and healing.  In the sixth plague, boils broke out on all the Egyptians and the beasts that belonged to them.

Let’s read together Exodus 9:13-35.

Nut was the Egyptian goddess of the sky.  In the seventh plague, fiery hail ravaged the fields of Egypt, killing all the livestock that were outside.  The hail did not fall upon Goshen.  The Egyptians who feared God brought their livestock into their houses when they heard Moses’ warning.

Let’s read together Exodus 10:1-20

Min was the Egyptian god of the harvest.  In the eighth plague, locusts devoured all the vegetation in Egypt.

Let’s read together Exodus 10:21-29.

Ra was the Egyptian god of the sun.  He was considered to be the lord of all the other Egyptian gods and the most powerful.  In the ninth plague, thick darkness covered the land of Egypt for three days.  However, the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

Let’s read together Exodus 11:1-9 and Exodus 12:1-30.

Note that Pharaoh himself was worshiped as a god.  In the tenth plague, all the firstborn in all the households of Egypt were slain.  Not even Pharaoh’s firstborn was spared.  The only ones spared were houses with the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and lintel.

Let’s read together 14 Chronicles 16:25-27; Jeremiah 10:1-10; Jeremiah 14:22 and Ephesians 6:12.

The ten plagues of Egypt not only showed God’s power in general, but His power over the gods of Egypt.  God was engaged in spiritual warfare to establish His supremacy as God.  He clearly demonstrated the gods of Egypt were nothing more than worthless idols made of wood, stone, silver, or gold.

While the gods of Egypt are no longer worshiped today, other false gods have taken their place in the hearts of people.  Many of these idols now take the form of technological advances, which in of themselves are not bad, but can divert people’s attention from God.

Friend, will you turn away from false gods and acknowledge God as the one true God?

[antinous-posts]

Raising Antinoos

By Ptahmassu Nofra-Uaa

Hear my words O you who follow

in my tread, for I shall speak of the beloved

of the eternal Gods, whose name Antinoös

has risen as a star in the eastern vault

of the sky; from its rays the heavens draw

nigh his light, to forever shine upon the world.

Hear my words O you sibyls,

who have caused the ages to speak again

even after the past has gone to its grave.

Hear my words O you Gods in the company

of Hermes Trismegistus,

for I am pure of speech and have come

clad in the vestments of the newly born sun;

I have become Helios in his chariot, from

whose radiance the worlds flowers,

and the body of the earth is revivified.

Listen, O you Gods of the Holy River,

for favored is my countenance

with the coming of the dawn;

my approach heralds the victory of

those long dead and beloved,

who shall live again when the living

draw breath to speak their venerated

names.

In the east rose the star of Bithynia,

whose youth found Apollôn blushing

in admiration.

Proopsios saw how far-reaching

would be the brilliance of this star;

its light to fall upon the world ever after

its body had been sent to rest.

How far this star of Antinoös had

claimed heaven’s graces when gathered

by the eyes of Hadrianus Augustus;

this heaven installed within the sanctuary

no woman had yet entered, where footsteps

like Epikourios advanced softly to cure the

heart of all its ills.

Come Akesios in the name of Antinoös,

for what dazzling light may enter the

lonely heart at midnight;

the heart finds such a time clad in the beauty

of stellar courses, running through the

dusky veil like a sword.

His countenance shines as Apollôn when he

appears in his rosy-gold mantle;

men know him as Hekatos when they are

smitten fast by his beauty.

Come Antinoös, who like Apollôn possesses

the darts of the sun from which the earth

awakens; you are the Lord of Light whose

face pierces midnight, whose rays strike

a heart in darkness as the faces of stars

chase the shadows.

Your eyes are twilight, from which trees

swoon and men become docile.

To take their rest in you, men become

as dreamers, and you as Thearios,

appearing like a sacred vision.

Come Erôs, Himeros, Anteros,

best beloved of all the Erôtes!

Erôs has whispered your name upon

his pillow; he has furnished the bedchamber

with a lamp filled with oil, gleaming as

you gleam, diffusing light to intoxicate

the eyes.

O Antinoös who glistens like Apollôn

in yonder eastern vault, approach me

with such light that I may be enveloped

in it; requited by your divine kiss when

my heart is ensnared by sorrow.

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the star of Bithynia

which shines from the east!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the face that caused

Roma to shine with divine favors!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the heart which grants

boons from the Gods of love!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the graces of the Erôtes,

whose swift wings bring with them

the cool kiss of love’s joys!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the lotus of the Nile,

which rises again and again in its

fertile season!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon from your loins the

eternal sun from which new life

springs!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon a torch in the Underworld

of the Gods, where traverse the

Spirits who converse with immortality!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the life you bestow to

your beloved!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the heart you restored

as Ausir-Osiris, which made the

Holy Nile to rise and the Two Lands

to flourish!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the dawn which

possesses the two horizons as Ra!

Come Antinoös, come light;

I summon the One whom Harakhty

has beheld with His two almighty eyes!

Come Antinoös, come light;

he who has become the Lord of the Two Banks,

rising in his season to grant life to all the world!

Come Antinoös, come light;

for you are the light of love crowning

the two horizons, whom the Gods have

showered with their favors!

Come Antinoös, come light;

you are the Lord of Life, making his appearance

as Ausir-Osiris, causing the world to rise again,

causing the dead to live again.

In your glory of life you cause hearts to live

again; and I summon you, O Antinoös,

O Ausir-Osiris, to make the world live again,

to make me live again, to make my heart live again!

Antinoös, Ausir-Osiris, having been embraced

by the Goddess Auset-Isis, has come forth

in glory to shine as Orion;

he has received the power of Isis-Sothis,

which grants the eternal cycle of heaven

to the body of Osiris.

Come Antinoös, appearing as gold in the east,

bearing myrtle upon your youthful brow;

Aphrodite has provided this boon for you,

which clothes the hearts of men with love,

which flourishes evergreen, which stands

firm like the sacred oak.

And I saw the star of Bithynia rise again

as the Nile in its season, the fragile dawn

sky awakening with a song of joy upon

her lips.

Antinoös the beloved of the Gods has risen;

the sky has risen!

Antinoös the star of Bithynia has risen;

the constellations have risen!

Antinoös the face of Apollôn has risen;

the sun has risen!

Antinoös the torch of the world has risen;

the God Ra has risen!

Antinoös the water of life has risen;

the Holy Nile has risen!

Antinoös the Lord of the East has risen;

Orion has risen!

Antinoös who appears with Isis has risen;

Sothis has risen!

Antinoös who grants the boon of immortality

has risen;

the dead have risen!

Antinoös the light of the world has risen;

the earth has risen, and all that was once

in darkness has risen to behold the coming

of the triumphant day!

We come with the Erôtes to dance and strike

the lyre for Antinoös;

Himeros who sports with Erôs to make life

from love, wherever death’s unforgiving

hand has reached.

We live through Antinoös when we live

through love, thus all the immortal Gods

come to pay him homage with their song.

Hear my words O you who follow

in my tread, for I shall speak of the beloved

of the eternal Gods, whose name Antinoös

has risen as a star in the eastern vault

of the sky; from its rays the heavens draw

nigh his light, to forever shine upon the world.

All text copyright © 2015 Ptahmassu Nofra-Uaa

[helpmeimblorboing]

A little part of my stories. Part 1

u/Irisofdreams

2 days ago

The Lay Of Empyrea. Any advice?

In dreams are forged The light of stars

A star was born in Kel-nu-ras

Born to none, Alone, scared

The beasts before him, their fangs bared

On the streets alone, before homes of gold

He faced the darkness of human souls

But then like a flame that lights up the night

That faces the wrong and makes it right

Appeared before him, a man in red

With a red cap upon his shining head

His eyes aflame, his claws were bared

To protect against all who dared

To threaten those for whom he cared

He cradled the boy within his arms

And swore to protect him from all harm

He took him home, to his mountain abode

Where he bore a far greater load

The Phoenix, Celestial, mightiest of all

By whose mighty words, all are enthralled

The Lord of Flame, Protector of Man

The darkling door he sundered and

Beneath his feet flowers grew

Where he the mighty Leven slew

Then arising from his slumber, the boy did cry

"I'm sorry, O Lord, I wish not to die!"

Then gently as a flake on winter morn

With the warmth of sun behind his gaze

With a hug, he abated the worldly scorn

And the downcast eyes did raise

The boy, cried out ," Would you take me ? One so worthless as I!"

The lord, then frowning now, warmly replied,

" No man who upon this realm has laid

His feet, can ever be worthless named

For worth unnamed lies in each

In those who the stars did reach

And give them name and face and skill

A thoughtful mind and mighty will."

Then the fire rose, the birds did cry

The trees let out a mournful sigh

"O Empyrea, O Flame King

'To this child, I fortune bring

Thy successor, thy future he shall be

And his worth the world shall see."

The Empyrea grew joyous and shouting cried

"Is this true!" and so the wind replied

"So it shall be

And Empyrea, he shall be worthier than thee"

The Empyrea cried," I am content

That for this realm, I must not lament"

For there is one who shall love it still

Rise, boy, I name you Kern-i-bil."

The boy did rise, on his hair, black as jet

A crown of flame there was set

The Empyrea loved, The Empyrea tried

The Empyrea tried to be those who had died

A father, a mother,

A master, a brother

The child grew strong, the child grew bold

The father weak, he grew old

Then one day, the child he sat beside his father's bed

And there the old man, dying, to the child he said

"Thy destiny is for thine to make, O Motherless Flame

And in thy glory, the world shall know thy name"

The child he mourned, the child he cried

It seemed as if the Sun had died

On that green hill, a stone was set.

The name upon it laid in jet

The light of dawn upon it lay

And, seeing it, all did say

Here lay a father, one who gave

His life and love to the child he saved

The child, he grew old with time

The songs of yore, he learnt ev'ry rhyme

The lives of those who before him were laid

Were his duty, or so he said.

Then one day he saw in the corner

A little girl crying, a black-dressed mourner

He asked her what worries her so

She replied that her parents had had to go

Beyond the veil , to land of Svelt

Hearing this, his heart did melt

He raised the girl in mighty arms

And swore to protect her from all harm

Then came doom, like a rolling storm

The thunders roared, the jaws of Gorm

The hoary frost, the settled gloom

The winds they sounded the horn of Doom

The Corruption came and the Gods fell

From mountains tall to the Gates of Hell.

The Phoenix before the gate did stand

Clad in armour, spear in hand

And faced Carad the Destroying Hate

To defend those he loved, to defend their fate

The fires burned, the spears clashed

The Hounds of Hell their teeth gnashed

The roar arose, the wind moaned

The Delver shuddered in his hall of stone

The light arose, a blinding ray

And the mighty Phoenix fell that day

His wings were torn, his feet were tied

Kel-nu-ras' hope had died

But then a roar arose, like a lion proud

The humans cheered as they heard the sound

The inferno surged, bringing doom

The fiery light, dispelling gloom

Carad the Terrible fell that day

To the jaws of Fate, or so they say

When the fire cleared, a single feather

Unbattered by wind, undisturbed by weather

Like the hope of life that never dies

Fell before a young girl, with tear-filled eyes

This is a lay dedicated to the Phoenix , the God of Fire. Born a mortal in the fortress city of Kel-nu-Ras, the Hope of Man. He was a poor orphan, spat on and scorned, until he met Narn-I-ker, the First Empyrea, a kind and caring God. The god took him to Mount Taixuan, his mountain fortress, which he conquered from the dark god Leven. There he was raised as the god’s successor, which he eventually became.

He then adopted a young girl who had been orphaned in the Emergence of Corruption. The Corruption is a hostile race of virus-like organisms that hate all inhabitants of Earth. They are led by Carad the Terrible. The hound of Hell Gorm howled as the other gods fought and fell to Carad. Finally, before the gates of Kel-nu-Ras, he faced the Phoenix, and killed him. As he lay dying, the Phoenix released a burst of energy that killed Carad once and for all, and a single feather, mark of the Phoenix, floated before his daughter, marking her as his succesor

[6rim6race6oats]

Brave: The Elementals

We see a cathedral black and tall growing ever sharper as it rises to the black oblivion, as vain as it is unholy, this is the house of the "one true god."

Around its base where a grave yard should be instead lay a garden of statues, animals of all races and ages some are sitting some standing all in various degrees of rage, sorrow and bargaining.

Standing in this garden is a dog with red fur.. Fe/Iron "Rusty" to his friends. He is holding vials of glowing fluid. He slowly pours the contents of one of these vials onto a statue taking care not to miss a drop of it. The liquid seaps into the statue and it begins to soften and break reanimating the stoned animal. Soon the vials are empty and you are awoken.

After you come too Rusty warns them "not to be found and to find the goats of grim grace in the forest nearby they will provide protection. Before they can leave they are found by Father Protactinium and the angel Argon who upon remarking that they are "escaped heretics" proceeds to fuse into rusty. Contorting his friendly dog smile into a wet hungry maw roll Initiative for you face Fear: the Wolf of blood

Assuming they escape they are able to find the home of GGG who quickly accept them into the house

[They kicked fears ass gotta buff him up for next t I me.]

They find au and Ra who invite them in and give them the run down on their classes

They eat and rest and head to sleep

We see from the fire place smoke sink down and into the house

Player make con saves

Mixed success

--------------------------------

Ended session midway through fight

CO knocked Ba and Fr down 22 hp gaining 44

(Make sure they take death saves)

-----------

Li Na Ba are able to defeat CO. Li blasting C out the window leaving O on the floor unconscious

When CO is defeated they split C escapes while O is captured by the team

Carabiner chalk

She admits to being coerced to attack them

by Father Protactinium all she wants is to find out what happened to Helium

Sr tells the players about the abuse he suffered under father Protactinium

And warns against being hasty against the church they outnumber us by quite a lot

Last time on Brave: The Elementals- Heretics released from vengeful captors, escape with their lives from a corrupted Rusty and find refuge with the goats, grim grace. Though that same night you were besieged by a skeletal creature wrapped in a cloak of black mist whose poison prevents Magnesium and Francium from awakening. Lithium blasting this creature apart sends gray aurad carbon out the second story window and into the cold winter night escaping capture, and at your feet unconscious on the floor is an Antelope, Ra identifies as Oxygen. Fearing for your safety you made plans to leave in the morning borrowing a trailer modified into being pullable from Gold and Radium. You slept through the night and made your way out of the cold misty forest and westward to the city and beyond,to the dark purple mountains dominating the horizon the visible crator on the northern end of the range speaks of calamities long past. As you enter into the city proper you find it abandoned and desolate. Coming upon an outdoor supply store Lithium Barium and Sodium gather supplies for the future coming ever so surely.

Magnesium Francium you You are walking you must have been walking for hours you haven't seen a Hill yet though you're sure they exist. all you have is the brown Earth the blue sky and the black road stretching into oblivion. You follow the road. roll perception check

1-9You see between two Yellow lines a magpie its entirety mashed into the road

10-15 you saw it from further away when a gust of wind lifted part of a wing making It stand out from the other lumps along the road

16-20 oh those other lumps on the road are more road kill

You continue walking forever grasping at the horizon. But it seams that with each mile The quantity and size of the animals on and around the road increases from what once was birds and squirrels and rodents turned to cats and small dogs Coyotes with their guts spilt around them chest cages partially collapsed under weights unfathomable at speeds too great to comprehend you walk down this road further and further the Sun not moving but getting hotter every moment the smell starts to sink in as bloated deer Pass your view You see stains of blood that stretch hundreds of feet the as though we're dragged along for untold seconds and you can't help but feel your stomach drop.

Are you on the road? Make a dexterity saving throw

Can you feel it? The thing that's approaching. That drastic rise and fall of air pressure that sends a tingle up your spine the wind of movement too fast and constant to be alive The dread future calls sharp and loud its eyes seem brighter than the sun why didn't you see it earlier? Your a deer in the headlights and the dread futures already killed you. Your gone before you hear the thud

You both jolt awake turning to the side you see the many dead eyes of a doe staring at you a fly sitting on an eye

Last time on Brave: The Elementals. Dreamers wake from CO morbid state

To seek the origins in craters wake

Urgent whispers or shouted baits

heard from Magandi and Squatchi traits

Now as snow threatens its fall

Saul surveyor of nature

Spake of Adam at the peak so tall

Though warned him a fragile failure

Whose hands may still recall

The wet of blood, The Sinful Savior

Answers to one and all

In the morning air toward your mountain faced

Clouds surround the city, the sky an iris make

Sol rises perfectly its eye cries its golden sake

A single truth I give to you Brave souls here to take

A frozen path forward yet the sinners debate

But together you rise

and together you fall

Only together will you finally stand above all

And so here now we begin now

set off on track here placed

You find a garden of lithic splendor so red and snowed in late

Agency is yours dear friends now if you'd please take your fate.

You are warm now in your tent now please begin to wake.

From your maps you can tell that there are two ways up the mountain The road or the trail if you take the road you can bring your cart but the road may be slippery and un guarded and youd have to bring it back down which may be even more difficult with the slope. With the trail you could leave the cart at the head and hike up the mountain but may face more wildlife

Either way they go they will find Carbon waiting for them who will attempt to fuse with one of the heretics and then attempt to trigger an avalanche splitting the party further

Barium gets caught in the avalanche you're so cold ... it feels like your skin is on fire [go to bariums flashback] it is those same paws that pull you from your frozen grave and it is that same shoulder on which you wake. Beryllium the polar bear that found and raised you is taking you back down the mountain

HAD HIM/ADAM/HYDROGEN ATOM

Well thats a long story...

In the beginning was the end

Humanities final line was crossed and they destroyed themselves and damn near everything else. In the cataclysm we emerged from the ashes transformed and born anew.

We awoke to a world ripping itself apart. There were human survivors of the cataclysm. I was even friends with some of them I knew they weren't all bad. our differences while not superficial shouldn't have stopped us from being allies but they were still scared of us. And even worse some of them started to change. We were lost and afraid fighting for survival everyone was starving every option turned foul...until... "HeH" found us, Helium together with Hydrogen discovered the ability for Elementals to fuse together. HeH united us against an uncaring world and showed us how we could be stronger together how we could do more be more, together. Heh was a guiding light when everyone thought we were doomed to suffer forever for the sins of humanity. He made us warm we were happy at least for a little while. As the communities reliance on HeH grew so did the ambitions of certain members of the community like Protactinium, who began to assert that HeH was The One true god and hailed him as the son of suns and soul of sol. And though all HeH ever was was a person, the expectations of servitude far exceeded what HeH actually deserved. And protactinium made steep punishments for those who stepped out of line as you well know. But one day Protactinium called for the extermination of the human survivors encampment he said it would be a mercy to put them out of their misery. I wish I could say that Protactinium and Helium tricked Hydrogen into taking part of the slaughter but he went willingly. Afterwords Hydrogen left the church and hasn't been back since. And if you say now that He is dead then Pa truly is a threat. You've experienced first hand what Protactinium is capable of alone but if he has everyone thinking he talks to god he might as well be a diety himself.

Magandigos: a group of humanoid creature with pale white skin that is somehow both dry and cracked but also moist and wrinkled. They almost look like they could be people but their blood lust is never sated often eating whatever catches their movement first