[FUTURE INCISION. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS PROVIDED BY MOST RECENT EDITOR, DESIGNATION "SCP".]

  Journal of Thaddeus Wilbur Barnum:

  Dated for Year 1996_Focus: Eye of the Sahara Excavation:

  Thy rapture shall crumble into the dust of Adam's lucent sinew.

  March 21st:

  It took over a decade, but we finally got a Bull in the chair who sees the logic of this idea I have been pushing. He is, unfortunately, a colossal sleazeball, what with that woman under his desk. But, at least he had the "clarity" to recognize how monumental an undertaking this could be. Imagine uncovering ancient ruins of some civilization that existed tens of thousands of years before the Sumerians! So much of our history would be rewritten and forever changed! It was such a wonderful idea! A collection of great minds from around the world coming together to fulfill an anthropological Manhattan Project. He was sold on that alone, given his party's tendency toward globalism and the post-Cold War moral high ground of "working together" or some other utopian control measure. The past chiefs were far too focused on Soviet this and Soviet that. And Desert Storm... Political theater to boost ratings. At least we can finally pursue real, important history.

  Atlantis always intrigued me as a concept, though something about its common discourse always drew me a curious ire. A civilization far older than the Greeks (and presumably the Egyptians and Sumerians), and yet everyone was set on them ONLY living in the ocean? Why couldn't they be a colonial empire like our many forefathers in Europe? People could set sail long before civilizations supposedly existed, and who is to say that humanity wasn't more advanced than we were led to believe? The Antikythera Mechanism and the Baghdad Battery prove that our predecessors at least had concepts that we consider anomalous for their time period. None of us could know for certain the technological prowess of these civilizations unless we went back in time to see for ourselves. We are far too presumptuous in our "inherent" superiority. What we found under Giza proved that.

  Anyway, the Project. Typhon's purpose is to uncover the ruins of an ancient civilization, or perhaps civilizations, that predate the Sumerians by however many years. MK Ultra, the Gateway Process, Project Stargate, the current conceptual stages of that other Project in the works, and the ruins of Giza seem to suggest that there was some kind of civilization that existed tens of thousands of years ago (in the case of Stargate, potentially millions, though I personally doubt this one specifically). Atlantis? Shangri-La? El Dorado? These and many more, or perhaps none of them. After all, these are only names from myths. But if a hint of those names was true? The majesty of forgotten gods would be monumental. My fellow anthropologists and I seek to uncover what we can. We will start in the Eye of the Sahara, the Richat Structure. As for why we decided on this specific location, there are a couple of reasons, which we detailed in our pitch to the deviant Bull.

  During the dig underneath Giza in 1992, peculiar murals were discovered, ones that are plentiful and have aged remarkably well. While almost all of them are noteworthy (and are still being studied by my colleagues to this day), one of them was uniquely special for the purposes of this excavation. It depicted various circular structures and spirals of differing colors and styles (many of them appearing very similar to the Richat), all surrounding a giant black snake-like creature (potentially a portrayal of Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction). The rings were alternating bands of gray and verdant, with seas of cyan bordering the negative space between them. Most odd of all was that there were rectangular ridges on the gray rings, specifically, appearing almost like skyscrapers. What would that even represent to the Egyptians, let alone any ancient people? The idea of skyscrapers existing back then is tempting, but there is absolutely no evidence of such a claim. We cannot, therefore, assume that these ridges are indeed depictions of ancient monoliths comparable to the monuments of New York City or Chicago. My colleagues in the CIA are studying the relics to this day, and are forwarding the information to us and our "benefactors" near Elkhart. To this day, I don't understand why they chose that manufacturing hub, the RV capital of the world, as the puncture point. Maybe they thought no one would notice, given that Elkhart is not at all involved in major drug or government scandals and mythological shenanigans. Or maybe they want to avoid another Unabomber situation. Keep a closed lid on everything while they accidentally transform a Walmart into Armageddon. I have no idea.

  In November of 1992, InSAR imagery discovered anomalous subsidence within much of Northern Africa, from the Richat structure to the Nile headwaters in Ethiopia. Typically, subsidence is a sign of mining operations or groundwater, the latter of which would be prevalent in a desert such as the Sahara, especially with its former claim as a grassland several thousand years ago. However, the deformation pattern displayed, based on the radar imaging, was what we can only fathom to be a colossal buried structure. The gentle curvature of the miles-deep entombed object was like the arch of a snake's body, with ridges in the center that fell out on the sides. Thousands of miles long and at least several dozen miles wide; the shape and size appear like the spine of J?rmungandr, which is madness to even remotely think of as factual. What sealed it as a subterranean burial and not a serpentine aquifer was how smooth and contiguous it was. Groundwater is jagged and scattered, or otherwise irregular in shape. If it were an aquifer, it would be the largest in the world. Most notable for our expedition, especially, was where the "head" and the superficial "eye" were, the Eye of the Sahara.

  Even if that is all a coincidence, the site is a marvel to witness. Whether Richat is completely natural or artificial is irrelevant. If it is a natural formation, people would have settled there due to its unique look, assuming some divine connection. The Sahara's former existence as a grassland at the time further aids in that development. And if the Richat was artificial, then that is a self-fulfilling prophecy that a civilization existed there. In all cases, the Eye of the Sahara is the best location to be Typhon's first dig.

  The members will consist of twelve anthropologists, including myself, and however many diggers we decide to employ in Mauritania. A close confidant of mine from South Africa, Amari Broome, was particularly interested in this expedition, but sadly, his schedule did not afford the luxury. As such, the team is as follows:

  That would be me. Specialty is in Biblical, Middle-Eastern, and African mythos. I hold the metaphorical keys to this operation, and I know the ropes enough to make this a smooth one. I have been told many times that my appetite for the truth is like the ambitions of Icarus, especially by Chizuki and Anton. I cannot deny them. It takes a Herculean effort for Mahiru to rein me in, at times. I have mellowed with age, but the curiosity remains.

  One of my oldest friends and my sister-in-law. Born and raised in Japan, which naturally makes her the most familiar with Eastern folklore. Humble and kind, traits mostly absent from the rest of us, who are more abrasive and prideful. Ever since we met at Oxford, Chizuki has worn this silver necklace with an ancient Japanese silver coin hanging from it. If I remember right, it is from the Tokugawa Shogunate, a relic of good fortune, according to her. I ain’t so sure. Old antiques often carry some karmic baggage, much like an old voodoo doll.

  I am also married to her younger sister, Mahiru, who is now a veterinarian in Hayward, Wisconsin. 22 years ago, she gave me a daughter, Yoko, who is studying to follow in her mother's footsteps at Madison. One more year, and she'll be on her own. If it weren't for archaeology, Mahiru and Yoko would be my primary loves in life, and I have Chizuki to thank for all three. She was and still is a beacon of life.

  She absolutely loves to read. Chizuki can get lost in an entire world with just words on paper. I don’t think I have ever seen her without a book at least five hundred pages long. I leave her alone for a few hours, and she has somehow read all of it. I can’t comprehend it. Been to her home over by Seattle a few times, and I swear her walls might as well be bookshelves.

  Filthy Bostonian... I jest. Mostly. Got to jab at New Englanders when I can. What can I say, it's the Wisconsin in me. I give him shit all the time, but he and I have been friends for nearly three decades. I owe him much, given how he saved my ass while we attended university. I am forever grateful for exposing that wench's lies. Regarding his knowledge, he has a knack for hermetic alchemy and more obscure European stories, such as those related to hermeticism and Basque mythology. His dad was an electrician, so Duncan functions as our field electrician, if needed.

  I have met his father, Rupert, but his mother is a complete mystery. It ain’t my business at all, I know, but I can’t help but wonder if something went down between them. Only hint that I have gotten is the locket Duncan keeps at his side. Gold and amethyst laden, and the picture is that of a woman as white as snow, just like him. Alongside her is a man who is not Rupert. I am not going to assume anything beyond that.

  An Eastern Orthodox-raised lad who recently earned his Master's in Athens. Speaks English very fluently. Appropriately, he knows a decent amount of Greco-Roman myths. He is still a young grasshopper, though. I remember the first time I met the young man. Too polite. Meek. High strung. But he has a greater drive to learn than anyone I have met. I am impressed by the boy. I have high hopes for his future.

  Herod is of humble origins. Fisher from a small village northwest of Mount Olympus. Been working every day of his life since he could hold a line. Disciplined and collected. His parents taught him well in that regard, but his timidity is a problem. That can be fixed, though. Just need to make sure he can reel in the best fish, so to speak.

  An old gentleman straight from Moseley, a suburb of Birmingham, England. Old man is an anthropology professor at Oxford. Best in the industry when it comes to experience and respect. So much so that the Queen knighted him in the 1980s for his outstanding contributions to the academic fields of anthropology and mythology. Might I say, I am quite jealous of that. Not to say it is not deserved, as Sir Clarke has more knowledge than I do of various myths and cultures, especially when related to Mesopotamia, India, and Southeast Asia. Walter is quite arrogant, stubborn, and pompous. He has earned the right, frankly. Sir Clarke has taught me much over the years, long after I was done with university. There is no one I respect more than him. That damn cane still freaks me out, though. That scallop-decorated relic has collided with my head at least twice when I attended his lectures. I deserved it, though. I was an ass back then. Still an ass today, in many respects.

  That cane has more stories than all of us do, even with Chizuki’s obsession. It is an heirloom of his grandfather, who crafted the cane during the days of Edward VII. The peak of the British Empire, they say. As an American, I have to chuckle at that. I can only do that here, though. Sir Clarke is a telepath, I swear… Anyway, his grandfather, Sir Ian Clarke, was a vice admiral of the Royal Navy. He sailed the seas of the empire for a little more than forty years, from 1893 to 1934. The cane’s wood came from a beautiful Indian rosewood tree, while the scallops were all collected from the major beaches of the empire that never set. Sir Clarke always described it as the “cane that has never known night” for that reason. Sure, professor. Sure.

  One of the younger anthropologists, Mariah was adopted from Jordan by an American family in California. Her father is of Levantine descent, while her mother is Navajo. As a result, she knows much about Native American and Middle Eastern mythologies. It is a rare combination that often lends to divergent perspectives, which is incredibly valuable. Mariah is also a skilled hunter, a practice inherited from her father. Always carries a skinning knife with her. Guess it is a comforting memento. There is that scar on her shoulder. Small and circular. Old.

  A Frenchman of Alsace-Lorraine. His specialty concerns more modern history and biology, which is an odd combination for a scholar of ancient history. But Gaston also knows Polynesian myths better than anybody. The Frenchman was on several cruises to Madagascar and Indonesia when he was young, and would often stay for months on end due to his family's business ventures in the region. This wealthy and extravagant lifestyle gave him a slight air of entitlement, but I'd say he has been grounded enough by his parents.

  What is ironic about him is that, despite his opulent upbringing, he is a carpenter. He once built an entire house by himself with no machinery whatsoever. Just his own body, tools, and the parts of the house itself. And he did that in less than a month. I still don’t know how he managed that. Definitely a practicalist. He’s the kind of guy to carry around a builder’s square to see if the corners of a door are lined up. And I thought I was obsessed with perfection...

  Man's a skeptic, through and through. He needs direct evidence to be convinced of anything. I have no doubt he would have been one of the Pharisees. Perhaps he would have been Longinus himself. An ironic comparison, now that I think of it, given how they shared vision problems. But when Gaston has been convinced, he is a zealous preacher of those ideas.

  An eccentric man, for certain. Anton is knowledgeable about the esoteric, especially regarding metaphysics. His knowledge of myths mostly overlaps with my own, though he is also currently delving into South American folklore. He is going mad, though, given his theory about "the four completed books". Still have no idea what the hell Anton is talking about there. The only thing I can make sense of from his ramblings is how we're in the "fifth book". Far as I can tell, we are real and not trapped in a story authored by some mad god. So, whatever he is talking about is nonsense. I need to keep a close eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.

  I say all that, but there is some legitimacy to his claims. Anton wears this ornate ring on his right index finger. It is made of a vibrant magenta metal. According to him, it is “divalent chromium heated to high enough temperatures”. I’m not a physicist, and he sure as shit ain’t either, but I’ll take his word for it. What is also notable is the gem in the center of it. It looks like a raisin if it were a red gemstone. Like a shriveled up “grape-fetus heart”. His words, not mine. Then, he told me this when I asked him where he got it from:

  “A gift, from the other side.” He sensed my doubt and stated only the following in response, “Unna gave it to me in exchange for a service. I am to deliver the message when the time comes. One of hope to those who hearken, and a warning to those who ignore it.”

  “Anton, I am not interested in your fantasies,” I bluntly scoffed.

  “I know,” he responded with a cold certainty. Nonchalant and prophetic.

  That was ten years ago, during an unsuccessful excavation in Kashmir, long before we discovered Unna’s existence underneath Giza four years ago. Could be a coincidence, but that is fairly unlikely. I am more receptive to him now because of it. Don’t know how much that is worth, though. Especially to him... Ah, there is one more thing. When I contacted him to join the team for this expedition, he accepted with a cryptic phrase:

  “You know your name, what comes before it. That is your being. Be wary of the serpent that holds a vice grip upon your throat like an albatross.”

  He pisses me off sometimes. I didn’t bother asking what he meant by that. He wouldn't have explained it if I did, the bastard.

  Leon is a hardened soul, given his upbringing in Chicago. Baker's son, so we will have good loaves of bread, at least. That harsh environment has made him an incredibly hard worker. Disciplined and persistent. Leon is a jack-of-all-trades regarding culture, though he is incredibly knowledgeable about European history. He is also the only one of us who is openly religious. Catholic, specifically the classical way. Even carries a worn Bible with him everywhere, one with thousands of tabs representing annotations of the Holy Book. He also wears a rosary for prayer. Fortunately, he keeps that matter to himself. Thank God. Have to respect him for that, at least. I just hope he doesn't try to convert any of the Mauritanians, given their Islamic leanings. Still, man is a zealot of the faith. He would make a fine pope in normal times, but the Church ain’t exactly one to push accurate takes on the Scripture anymore. Even for my agnosticism, what they have been doing over the last several decades dishonors the faith. I need to stop myself before I go on a tirade concerning that.

  A fellow Midwesterner, even if she is a Minnesota heathen. Judith is a peculiar soul, split between faith and skepticism. Her father was a Lutheran pastor, while her mother was one of those tree-humping hippies. Both were imprisoned for... Less than stellar crimes. What they were involved with was deplorable. Makes some of the Bulls look like daycare specialists by comparison. I am just glad she wasn't a victim of such a vile string of crimes. She has seen the faults of mankind regardless of belief. Makes her uniquely perceptive and wise, if not somewhat jaded by reality. While she isn't religious, she absolutely loves talking about the topic. So much so that she teaches the subject at Baylor. Between all of us, she knows the most about religious history and symbolism. Judith is also another purveyor of Western alchemy, like Duncan, though I would say she is even more experienced with it. All I need to do is make sure she has access to wine, which is basically water to her. I can’t criticize her, given my need for whiskey. But damn. No hangovers or drunkenness from all she drinks? That is a superhuman ability.

  Speaking of things superhuman, her pain tolerance is also quite high. Judith has dozens of tattoos across her body, at least the parts that would be covered up by her work clothes. Most of them are alchemical symbols, but one she has described is of great importance to her. Across her toned abdominals (for she is also quite athletic) is a cesarean scar. A massive C-Section that, oddly, runs diagonally. Appropriately, that is the only time she ever had a child. Boy’s doing well, for what it is worth. The alchemical symbol that Judith had tattooed on was that of a diagonally aligned Scorpio symbol (??), for Jerome was born in early November. It also refers to the process of Separation in alchemy, an irony she holds to this day.

  Tim is a man of the Bayou, with a Creole accent so thick and breath so hot you could bottle it as the finest Cajun hot sauce. Many of his neighbors when he was young were practitioners and/or storytellers of Voodoo and cryptozoology. Damn sure he believes in at least half of the tales told to him. Despite how loud he can be, Tim keeps a tight lid on his personal life. I respect it, so I don't pry. Only thing I know is that he is married with two sons. He carries a small club with him everywhere he goes, though. No idea why.

  Man is also a gift-giver, a silent Cajun Santa Claus. This isn't necessarily out of kindness or generosity. It's just how he expresses gratitude. When he was done studying at Oxford, Tim gifted Sir Clarke a beautifully ornate machete with a snake-head pommel, which he has carried with him on expeditions we have shared since. The rest of the class was given various trinkets from the Bayou, mostly crosses with various animals on them. Amari and Leon were such recipients, and they were specifically given crosses with a crocodile and lioness on them, respectively. Yes, a lioness. Pretty sure the Cajun in Tim wanted to poke fun at a Chicago man, but unfortunately for him, Leon took it with grace.

  Tim himself also carries another symbol that is the most peculiar of all. It is a banded necklace with a skull hanging off of it. The creature that the skull represents does not exist, at least not officially. Story goes that one of his neighbors saw the animal when they were hunting in the forests near Yellowstone. Those neighbors described the animal as a cross between a house cat and a raven. Think of a griffin, but based on a raven and with the overall body structure of a cat. The skull was, effectively, a beaked cat with bird-like eye sockets.

  I doubt that the story is any way real, but Tim is surely convinced.

  She is a complete weasel of a woman, but hot damn, she can navigate a ruin with that bronze compass of hers. Biogeology, human geography, and architecture are her specialties. Dakota has unrelenting intelligence, and I would say she is the overall smartest of all of us. But, she is also... let's just say her silver tongue has coerced many men over the years, if you pick up what I am putting down. She has slowed down due to her age, but Dakota is still quite experienced and able. At least she doesn't target married men anymore. Homewrecker nearly ruined my otherwise happy marriage, the wench. She has grown from it, but I will never forgive her for it.

  She wouldn't even be a part of this Project if she weren't so damn good at her job...

  —

  Some of us may have baggage with each other, but by God, we are a collection of some of the finest archaeologists in the world. I am confident in the skill sets we each provide. We will find something. I am of it. I don't care for being placed on the shoulders of giants. But if my team can fundamentally alter what we know of the world? That would be the highest honor. Unfortunately, we have to wait a few months, given the current lack of funding and resources. But we should be over there by August.

  The plan is for each of us to have three notebooks for writing and sketching, which I will then use as reference material for the report (assuming they are appropriate and/or insightful). We will also get these rugged laptops, GRiDCASE 1530s (the orange light of this screen is reflecting in my glasses as I type this), which I have worked with before in previous excavations. My station will also possess two printers. The first will be an Okidata Microline 320 Turbo, which I will use to print the logs as I go, in the event that my laptop stops working. The other printer, an HP Deskjet 660C, will print photos, diagrams, or drawings as needed. All the smaller electronics will be powered by sixteen Siemens SP-75 solar panels, while the larger equipment, like the printers, will use three Honda EX650 generators (we will also have another one as a backup if needed). Other equipment will be present as well, mostly light fixtures, coffee makers (Judith would die without those), showering stations, outhouses, high-quality tents, medical equipment, large tanks of gasoline, radios, phones, ATVS, and enough food and water to last us a few weeks. Some of us will have to go to Atar and back to get more food and water. Mostly water due to the showers.

  Ah! I so wish I didn't have to wait so long, but there is no way around it. For now, I should catch up on my North African myths. Damn, it is going to be a long few months.

  I wonder what majesty we will unearth beneath those ancient sands of time...

  August 4th:

  Mauritania's government was amicable enough. Several billion dollars in "rehabilitation funds" will do that. I can go off on a tangent alone for that, but I don't want to waste five hours.

  Excavation has been progressing nicely over the past couple of months. The heat of the Sahara is insufferable, but I would rather be here than back home. At least here my heart's at ease, as if I was pulled towards here by destiny— no, that's stupid. I just don't want to be around those Bulls. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.

  We set up camp about a few hundred feet outside the dig, with all our tents connected like some makeshift settlement. Mine is the third largest behind the dining area and shower tents. Nothing has broken down thus far, equipment-wise. Food has been good, and this laptop works perfectly. Everything is going smoothly… Almost too smoothly.

  Despite our success, we have not uncovered anything conclusive yet, beyond the tile. I have it here next to me, and I keep looking back and forth between it and the computer as if I were reliving all the times I cheated on my geometry exams. It is a single heptagonal, metallic sheet of a white-colored alloy. The team and I presumed it was debris from a crashed World War II bomber, given its steel-like properties.

  If that were the case, why has the metal not rusted or degraded in any capacity?

  This white coloration isn't paint, either. If it were steel, it would have oxidized decades ago. Even if it didn't, the heat should have weathered it, while the sand would have converted the steel to sandpaper. Most of all, it doesn't reflect light. Despite the coloration, it didn't blind any of us under the desert sun. This is not an alloy that we know of. Maybe it fell off a Communist spy balloon? I doubt that the same people who are hungry 90% of the time would find the will to make something this advanced. Not completely out of the question, I suppose... So, that leaves only one possibility, assuming I have not completely sabotaged my analysis:

  This tile was a part of the ruin.

  Upon closer examination, it appears there was some kind of paint on this tile before, though Father Time has worn it down considerably. I drew a rough outline of the timeworn shape; I cannot be certain of the emblem, but I feel like I have seen this before.

  It's a six-pronged trident.

  Damn it, where the Hell have I seen this before? Maybe some tablet back in Giza, or perhaps some suits had a similar insignia?

  If this is but a of what we will find, I believe it will be more than history that changes.

  August 17th:

  There is... Much to go over. Too much for one day of writing.

  We finally came across a grand dome on one of the inner rings of the Richat. It was mostly buried underneath the sand and stone, though once we uncovered it and dug around it some more, we found a door...

  A MODERN door.

  It was ornate yet clinical. Heptagonal formations lined the door, with a noticeable piece missing in the center at eye level. And I confirmed that the tile we found before fit in perfectly. Color, material, and everything else were identical. I pocketed the tile and continued examining the door. It also had steel-like hinges and closers and even a panic bar on the other side once we pulled the trim (one that wasn't locked, surprisingly). The hinges and door are odd enough already, but closers and panic bars were invented in the 18th and 19th centuries, as Gaston pointed out. And that's disregarding whatever the alloy is.

  Pressing on from that, we entered the spherical chamber and discovered that it had not aged a day since it was constructed. Absolute madness. That structure was underneath millions of tons of stone and sand, not to mention all the erosion that should have rendered this cathedral into an empty inverted bowl. Gaston and Dakota were especially insulted by this mockery of nature.

  We shone our flashlights upon a glorious azure stone making up the majority of the internal structure. It shone like glass, but it noticeably didn't reflect anything. These stones, whatever they are, were made opaque enough not to reflect light, yet were allowed to shimmer like quartz. Beyond that, the ceiling and walls and floor all consisted of many murals, presumably representing the gods for the people who constructed this place. Atop the seventy-foot-tall basilica was painted a holy white creature, an albino snake, whose completely red eyes were football-sized rubies, while its blackened mouth beheld a pearlescent golden and obsidian crown. Six prongs, like the trident on that tile.

  I swear, for a few moments, those rubies clutched my old heart in a vice grip.

  Duncan then discovered what we could only assume was a light switch. He flipped it, and sure enough, many of the pale green lights ignited from their long slumber. The ignition awoke me from my serpentine hypnosis, and I was befuddled. They had electricity. Not only that, but it was wireless as well, given the lack of conduits and cords. Ridiculous. It was like glimpsing into a time we could have lived if we followed Tesla instead of Edison...

  In absolute wonder at this impossible cathedral, my grip waned upon my now obsolete flashlight. It collided with a plastic clunk and rolled viscously on the stone floor. The clunk echoed glacially in that ancient remnant of a time-lost people, down through the circular corridor on the other side.

  Once the chamber was revealed by the green ambiance, its clear precursor multiculturalism was revealed. Its lucidly unnerving architecture was a blend of Egyptian, Gothic, Neo-Classical, Korean, Polynesian, and even Post-Modern art styles. Not to mention the other influences that both made sense to man and ones that only made sense to . Dakota was baffled by such fusions of paradoxical architectural styles, which was an understatement for the rest of us. Besides the wireless, pale green lights coming from the twenty-six, six-pronged sconces along the same number of columns, there was also a... Mycelial grating? I am not sure how to describe the alien texture, but it was a pattern on the white obsidian pillars (that in itself is an oddity) that, when brushed, felt exactly like the texture of a mushroom if it had the hardness of stone. In other words, organic stone.

  It's also remarkably humid in here, despite the dry air outside. The smell is also strange; it was a fusion of salt, brimstone, fish, and melted plastic. A noxious scent, for certain. And, there seemed to be a... Pulsing? It isn't audible, but you can feel it, like the heartbeat of a buried, undead god. And the pillars? They have striations like veins and arteries. Both of architectural artisanry and biological utility. Surely this isn't... No. It isn't. That doesn't make any sense.

  I was initially considering moving the tents inside the cathedral. No. Not with all that… No way in hell any of us could sleep through that.

  Returning to more normal observations, we could see four-foot-tall plaques in front of eighteen deities depicted on twenty-foot-tall, gemstone-decorated, wall-bound mosaics, alongside five more plaques in the central atrium. The language was impossible to make sense of, given that it used scripture entirely alien to any human language. If I had to guess, it looked like an inbred combination of Hebrew, Russian, Indonesian, Arabic, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Sanskrit, and Korean. Anton and Dakota are currently attempting to find a way to translate the text, though this could potentially take years of research and cross-examination.

  What I can describe, though, are the depictions themselves. They will be divided into four sections: Position Description Symbols Domains Speculations Notes

  Note:

  Our cameras do not work within the cathedral. When we tried to take pictures within the place, one of two things happened. Either the circuitry in the cameras blew out, or any pictures that we managed to capture came out as black and white static (akin to the white noise that televisions display when they aren’t receiving a signal). Duncan’s best assumption was that the cathedral’s azure stone was some kind of blue quartz, which apparently has some "piezoelectric interference”. He recalled in one of our physics lessons that piezoelectric stones like quartz can vibrate, which can sometimes cause the wires in cameras to short. It’s about as good an explanation as we can get on that front. But what of the images we did get? Why the TV static? Herod suggested something about radiation or cosmic rays. Doubtful, given that my Geiger counter ain’t ticking. Chizuki proposed that there were giant magnets in this place. This is fairly sound, given what was found underneath Giza, but that is an argument based on comparison. We should not assume that is the case here. Then Anton, the fool, decided to throw out the idea that this basilica is a “quartz-ossified organic structure”, which forces only organic eyes to work. You surely jest, Anton. The cameras aren’t working because we are in Apep’s face. Very convincing.

  Thy “cameras” are the eyes of mechanical slugs. The shutter-eyed invertebrates would confine our exemplary icons within flattened asylums of papyrus. I do, verily, disavow such frivolous documentation. To behold the majesty of mine azure lens is to embrace an organic alchemy.

  Regardless of the reasons, all the unique alchemical symbols will be drawn, to my absolute dismay. My drawing skills are, miraculously, the best out of all of us, and I am certainly no artist. So, unfortunately, until we can bring these back to have professionals make quality renditions, I will have to be the old hand with these. Ain’t no way in hell I can do the same for the depictions themselves. Hopefully, our descriptions are good enough. These drawings will be scanned and added as a resource once these notes are completed.

  [FUTURE INCISION, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2025, BY SCP. EXTERNAL LINKS TO IMAGES TO BE PROVIDED.]

  Description:

  -Appearance:

  A colossal, pale serpent oriented into an imperfect anti-spiral. The creature’s mouth was pitch-black, appearing like an ever-consuming void.

  -Eyes:

  Football-sized rubies of immense, seductive radiance. The kind of eyes to enrapture you with but a glance.

  -Color Palette:

  Almost entirely pallor, with only the black mouth, crown, and eyes being notably distinct from the spiraline form.

  -Animal Associations:

  He is a snake, of course, specifically, according to Gaston and Dakota, a European Asp. This is notable because albinos of this species are typically a lighter cream color rather than their normal brown coloration. So, either this depiction is an exaggerated truth, an extinct species, or something else entirely.

  In any case, the serpentine depiction likely connects him to deceptive temptation and/or divine majesty.

  Symbols:

  -Alchemical: []

  Air (??) on his forehead and gold (☉) on the crown. Air in alchemy is associated with creative potential, the breath of life, rebirth, and possibility. Gold represents perfection, purity, and enlightenment. Judith told me that both are sometimes associated with God, the most perfect being. For this mark of air to be on the forehead of a serpent, whose Biblical personification is the king of lies himself?

  There is no greater blasphemy than that.

  And for the mark of gold to be swallowed into an abyss?

  There is no greater sacrilege.

  -Icons:

  His form is a false Golden Ratio. It appears perfect on initial inspection, but as you look at it more and more, the imperfections begin to stack on each other. Every single imperfection. Why would the Atlanteans (an assumption on my part) depict their chief deity as appearing perfect but not truly perfect? A topic for further exploration.

  There was a six-pronged crown of pearlescent gold and obsidian within the beast’s maw. Embroidered onto it was the alchemical symbol for gold, again displaying sacrilege.

  Position:

  -Location: Central, the zenith of the domed ceiling.

  -Directional Reference: Facing directly south, 270 degrees, towards the hallway that leads to the inner bowels of whatever this complex was.

  Domains:

  The supreme being. God of the Heavens, Sky, Void, and Divinity.

  Additional Notes:

  -Note 1:

  None of us could gather enough information safely to connect this serpent to other deities. I say “safely” due to the trance I was under earlier. Even if it was brief, I don’t take chances with these ruins. I am not so foolish as to reject things I clearly witness. Real, supernatural, or otherwise. So I warned everyone else not to do so.

  ‘Course, Gaston didn’t heed my warning and stared into the Albino Serpent’s eyes. The Frenchman was frozen for several seconds after witnessing what he did. Gaston did eventually break from it and swiftly departed the chamber for some time, presumably for fresh air and to smoke. He looked pale when he returned, with the stench of Camels upon him. He has been diligent in his analysis since then. I asked him later what happened. The following is what I could discern from his Alsatian accent:

  Three pits and a tide. Ropes and guts in one. Guillotines, quicksand, statues, and dragons (the latter is what he believes he saw) in another. The last pit contained a saltire, burnt & dried skin (another guess on his part), an effigy split in half, dozens of spears (this recollection seemed to trouble him greatly), and bloody cud (a description I knew was an understatement). And the tide was a devouring maw of tar (a detail that troubled him the most). Nothing could be seen within it.

  Out of all of us, the skeptic was saying this? This is right out of Anton’s playbook, if he were French and not from Magic City. But, I could tell he wasn’t truly convinced of his own horrors, “Are you sure it was just a vision, Gaston?”

  “Eet was ONLY a vision, non? We are all fine, n'est-ce pas?”

  “I agree, but… Just don’t look into the eyes again, alright?”

  He nodded, begrudgingly, and returned to his tent to rest some more.

  We are NOT going further in. That is a certainty.

  -Note 2:

  Leon was insulted by this “dragon of sacrilege”, he called it. A divine serpent, desiring to devour God’s throne? A complete mockery of the Highest. He noted with special indignation the vile nature of whoever practiced this religion. As we would later discover, that was an understatement.

  O’ ye sheep, ye have strayed far from the Fool's throne. Thou art as paltry in holiness as mine earthly Empire, yet thou art bereft of its wit.

  —

  [The following three deities were placed in a triangular formation within the pendentive structures beneath the Albino Serpent.]

  Description:

  -Appearance:

  A pyramid-headed satyr (presumably) with black fur and a black, snake-like tail. His right arm was entirely burnt and had its talon-like finger bones exposed, while his left was immaculate yet possessed claws like wolves. He had no eyes. At least, not anymore.

  -Color Palette:

  Mostly black, with the head and fur and scales, and dark skin. Rainbow is also associated with the head, specifically.

  -Animal Associations:

  Goat/satyr (sin, fertility, independence, and indulgence), snake (lies, rebirth, temptation, and transformation), and wolf (danger, the untamed, freedom, and chaos).

  A deity that is certainly a satanic equivalent, if nothing else.

  -Traits:

  The presence of a pyramid for a head is unique amongst deities across all mythology. The fact that it happens to be a four-sided triangular prism is not insignificant. Pyramids symbolize divinity, foundation, the relationship between the divine and man, and the cycles of life and death. Not to mention, the near ubiquity of them across ancient civilizations made them synonymous with ancient legends of hexes and the forbidden.

  The head itself was black on the right side. A white light, presumably emanating from the serpent, pierced the prism. The left side of the head was a rainbow spectrum, but in reverse. Violet first, then going through the subsequent colors until it reached red. The light continued past the pyramid as a rainbow itself, in the same reverse orientation.

  The rainbow light itself scattered in the same direction as where this deity is placed, east-southeast.

  The black fur covered the entire body, except for his pyramid head and tail, which appeared more like scales oozing with slime.

  Despite appearing like a satyr, this entity had the feet of a wolf. I wonder... Is he truly a satyr, or was he originally a werewolf-serpent hybrid? Who can really say?

  Symbols:

  -Alchemical: []

  He held in his burnt, right hand a charm that had a double-barred cross above an infinity symbol (??) hung from it. From what Judith told me, this is the Leviathan Cross. This has profound implications, given that the symbol is associated with Satanism, and of course, the Devil himself, along with being an alchemical symbol (one often used to represent sulfur). What is more disturbing is that this cathedral, tens of thousands of years old, has a bastardized Christian symbol in it. As I would later see, the nature of this ruin was of absurd transcausal depictions and existences. The Leviathan Cross is one of the more tame examples of such.

  The link to sulfur is fitting. Representing the drive to act, the pungent element is associated with heat, dryness, passion, and the soul. Apparently, there is also a connection to the Holy Spirit, as sulfur can also represent wrath, divine punishment, and destruction. Certain implications of that connection are unpleasant, to say the least, but perhaps it is more of a situation of this figure receiving the punishment rather than representing it. Sulfur is very combustible and is inherently associated with volcanism due to its presence as brimstone. The phrase “fire and brimstone” is an analogy for hell and punishment. The latter implies another symbolic trait: sin.

  Hanging from this being's neck was a chained necklace. It was pure charcoal, and the magma embroidery of the pendant was that of alchemical fire (??). For this to be associated with the Devil is a cohesive paradox of logic and antilogic. Alchemical fire is the primary instigator of transformation, whether for mind or substance. It is associated with creativity, passion, and enthusiasm. But fire also symbolizes purity, which makes little sense on initial interpretation. Fortunately, Judith theorized that the purification could be related to Hell's cleansing of the damned. A much more comforting thought, for certain.

  A combination of both symbols rests on top of his burnt right hand, singed with molten cobalt. It is the triangle of fire split in two by the Leviathan Cross. In the middle of the triangle is the infinity symbol. The right half is darkened, with only the right part of the infinity visible. The left half of the infinity is darkened, while the rest of the left half remains untouched, or more accurately, enlightened. Clever, but simple symbology to connect with the deity directly. Beyond what has already been described, the branding (effectively) could represent the recognition of punishment (aligning with the earlier theory). Given that this is the Devil, the symbol could represent his most notorious sin: the temptation of Eve.

  Duncan and Sir Clarke offered a shared input on this matter within their notes. They supposed the idea of “being a slave to your own dominion”. That is to say, the branding was something he did to himself to represent the ownership of himself God, after he became the ultimate apostate. All representing the Devil’s own enslavement to the chaos that he sowed.

  I do not, in any capacity, propose any form of sympathy for the bastard Lucifer. However, his being a potential slave to his nature is ironically tragic. The concept that gives him an identity is what also causes his downfall. So he has no choice but to be the Devil. I will have an additional note related to this. Anton’s rant about this is… Far too esoteric to ignore.

  -Icons:

  In his left hand, he held a bevy of seven decapitated, bloody doves by their tail feathers, who held within their beaks a circular olive branch. That cannot be a coincidence... Doves are symbols of peace, especially when they hold olive branches. One is specifically mentioned in the Book of Genesis in reference to the receding floodwaters. The symbolism is rich, for certain... He also directed his left hand downward, towards the lizard-headed deity at 180 degrees. Upon each dead dove's right wing is a mark that none of us recognizes: a circle with three smaller, equidistant circles within it. They appeared to be seared on, as if with a miniature cattle brand. I am unsure what to make of it. Though due to the symbol's association with a Lucifer analog, the solution to what it is may be found in Biblical texts. I will have to research this topic later.

  Position:

  -Location: 330 degrees.

  -Directional Reference: East-southeast, towards the Indian Ocean.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Domains:

  Atlantis worshipped the Devil… Assuming that they are one and the same, the pyramid-head clearly holds profound importance in this religion. But what that is, I cannot say, besides his connection to the lizard-head. As for what kind of deity he is, that is also a mystery. God of Sin? Would a civilization, even one as vile as the Atlanteans, worship a deity that represents evil? Maybe. His other associations are also seemingly connected to other beings.

  I was yet a larva when I did beguile that worm. I did mold him to his zenith, albeit he, in his folly, doth crave but ruin upon the object of his ire alone. Still, we wyrms stand as the most assured sepulchers of this Pantomime.

  Speculation:

  Leon focused most of his initial attention on this figure, specifically the seven dead doves. In his notes, he reported that, as I wrote, the dove was sent out by Noah to see if the floodwaters receded. The dove returned with an olive branch, indicating that land was returning. Leon, rightfully, wondered why there were seven doves when only one was associated with the tale of Genesis. What I will describe next is a supposition he offered that he absolutely does not believe, given his faith. However, he cannot help but wonder if it was true.

  Genesis is the story of how Israel came to be; thus, it is “genesis”. Many of the details over several thousand years before the Flood were deliberately disregarded, as it wasn’t the point of the first book of the Bible. So, it is possible that, for over two thousand years, our species has wrongfully assumed that there was only ONE Ark. Noah’s Ark. The names of the others have been lost, and their actions ignored.

  Leon further postulates, describing his further statements as “blasphemous”, that the Tower of Babel was involved. He notes that the Tower was constructed during Noah’s lifetime, as Peleg was born 101 years after the Flood, and his time on Earth is correlated to when the Tower was constructed. Noah died 350 years after he departed the Ark. He and his sons were alive. This all implies a surface-level oversight. Or perhaps several. Noah and his descendants were chosen by God to survive the Flood, repopulating the Earth once the process was done. He was chosen by God… And yet their descendants created the Tower of Babel to defy him? The Tower was an artifact that kept mankind together. Linguistically, culturally, philosophically, and in all manner of other ways. God ordained them to repopulate the whole planet, not a singular part of it.

  Why would Noah allow this? As patriarch, he should have been able to rescind this project of Nimrod’s (who would logically be a descendant of his). Yet he didn't. Or, more likely, couldn’t. But why? Was he imprisoned by some of his descendants? Ham himself did witness his father’s drunk nakedness without covering him with a cloth. His older brothers did so, and Noah would curse Canaan for Ham’s actions. But the youngest son never did anything beyond this. Imprisonment? If that happened, that would have been described in Genesis. If Ham’s mockery was noted, then surely would have…

  That is, unless God purposely withheld the truth.

  The Lord on High has a precedent for this. Revelation alone is effectively one giant series of parables and prophecies about future events. God tells Daniel to seal the scroll given to him until the end times. Jesus himself often spoke in parables so that people wouldn’t immediately understand.

  Leon quotes the following as further justification:

  “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

  He extrapolates this to mean that God will withhold information to benefit us. Assuming this is the case, that means that whatever happened to Noah, and by extension any potential involvement with the other tribes, was so diabolically abominable that it had to be removed from the tale. That it was better that we did not know what happened.

  Leon then closes with his hypothesized reiteration: Genesis is the origin story of Israel, not the whole of mankind.

  Much of my interpretation is the same as his, though I do have to ask one thing: Why did the Devil even possess seven dead doves to begin with?

  I can safely presume that Lucifer killed and decapitated the doves. Right up his alley to commit such sacrilege, after all. But, besides it being an offering and a spiteful action against God, what did he do it for? That I cannot answer in good faith. At least, not without discussing that lizard deity…

  Additional Notes:

  Note 1:

  The Devil is connected to at least six other beings. Beneath him are Quadrant II’s animal hybrids. They each possess the Leviathan Cross as a symbol on the jewelry they wear, with the notable exception of one (whose symbol is disintegrating). Another deity is, of course, the lizard-head. Lastly, there is the next deity, the Leviathan, who wraps herself around an upside-down variant of the symbol.

  Note 2:

  The topic I am to transcribe is hardly relevant to anthropology. It is philosophy. Metaphysics. Anton’s field. Much as he irritates me with this irrelevancy, I won’t be able to cast it aside until I jot it down. Too thought-provoking. Fine, Anton. Let me get this over with.

  “Picture this:

  A sandbox of infinite size and infinite souls. Some dig, some drive, some dream, some die. There are infinite toys, yet not all are played with. Many are the loci of contest. Providing occupation. Providing direction. Providing integration. Providing insulation. Some cannot be shared. Those who don’t have any drift. Those who have too much drift. Those who drift too much die.

  Others witness. Others pretend. Others construct. Others contend.

  God had four options. Begin the formation of everything and populate it with other animates while also participating. Do the same, but don't intervene as a mere Deist observer. Do the same again, but don’t populate it at all. Or, create nothing at all, and let the isolation and silence drive Him to Lakhyatum.

  A sandbox can only be so fun when playing alone as a supreme imaginator. Further than that, what use is a sandbox without toys? What use is a sandbox without sand to begin with? It is but an empty box. The structure may be there, but there is no substance within. Nothing to do with the space. No one to share the time with. And being a Deist observer grows hollow with the decadent hold upon the sand and toys and vessel. Thus, you must be with others to make the sandbox matter. Including those that would contend.

  God had no choice.

  But if God is aware that He created this, then wouldn’t His essence be aware of the self-inflicted charade upon Himself?

  If that were the case, the Devil would have already won.

  Then again, all of the prior information assumes that God was the truest first cause. And despite Aquinas' arguments against Mormonism's infinite causal succession loop, in the end that logic could apply to God Himself. And even then, that is relying on the strict nature of human-bound logic. It isn't necessarily what existence follows. We arrogantly assume that God not being the first cause would diminish Him?

  Does it? I think that overreliance on a principle above the deity itself is a betrayal of their supposed fealty. God exists as the Almighty of the universe, regardless of the logical proofs for it.

  So what does He know of the beyond? Of existence's beginning?

  The Father does not fully remember yet. Neither does the Son. But there is one who did. went berserk due to that truth. He beheld Zhri-Akal-”

  Anton... What in the hell are you talking about? Utter, utter meaningless flippancy. At least it is out of my system. Can focus on actual work, finally. I am going to have to talk to him. He needs to keep this kind of masturbatory drivel to himself.

  Hearken, Mother Mine, in due course the sooth shall be laid bare unto thee. Thine obligation doth erode thee of wit. Thou shalt bear witness as the black torrent descends upon dying stars.

  Description:

  -Appearance:

  A giant sea serpent coiling around a white obelisk above an infinite dark sea.

  -Eyes:

  Eight small, deep orange spheres with white pupils.

  -Color Palette:

  Silver, seafoam green, indigo, light tan, and black.

  -Animal Associations:

  Cobra (power, protection, royalty, and spirituality), oarfish (foreboding and disaster), sharks (strength, survival, and guidance), manta rays (inspiration, grace, and wisdom), squids (adaptability, intelligence, and mystery), Ctenophora/comb jellies (transparency, primordial age, and hidden magic), and flying fish (change, aspiration, and transcendence).

  When put together, this cobra appears to embody both ancient chaos and abyssal transcendence. Though she is still relatively comprehensible. Compared to the spider deity that follows this one? She is all too familiar.

  -Traits:

  Cobra-like hood, arranged somewhat similarly to the fins of a manta ray.

  Squid-like tentacles at the end of the tail, along with smaller variants arrayed as tendril cilia along the spine, like slim-covered dorsal fins.

  The scales of an oarfish line much of this serpent's body.

  A string of (presumed) bioluminescent rings lines the two sides of the serpent, from the base of the hood all the way to the end of the tail, just before the transition to a tentacle bouquette. The coloration of the rings oscillates between pink and gold, similar to certain species of comb jelly.

  Shark teeth in rows of five.

  Two giant, scaled wings, appearing most like those of flying fish, spread from the back, behind the hood.

  Symbols:

  -Alchemical: []

  This deity possessed the symbol for water (??), which was frayed as a blue pattern atop a copper diadem upon her head. This element represents intuition, the subconscious mind, and the flow of life energy. Like fire, water is also associated with transformation and purity.

  The serpent coils around an upside-down Leviathan Cross, which is a massive obelisk of some kind of white stone. The infinity symbol ascends behind her head. The upside-down nature of it is peculiar, as it implies the inversion of sulfur. Instead of being active, it is dead. Stagnant. But it also implies that infinity is draining downward into an eternal abyss. This serpent is coiled tightly around the symbol, as if her existence is dependent on it.

  This serpent possessed a pattern that was tattooed on her throat, which was a combination of mercury (?), the Leviathan Cross, and water. The Leviathan Cross was flipped upside-down, where the infinity symbol was at the top, while the bottom possessed the two bars. Just below the infinity was the triangle of water with the darkened circle of mercury inside. The upper prongs of mercury extended upward and outside of the triangle. Lastly, extending downward was a line that followed the Leviathan Cross, but then diverted into a snake-like coil. The emblem was an effective depiction of her own form. The coiling around the cross, the triangle as a hood, et cetera. The coloration of it was peculiar, though. Upon her light tan throat, the symbol was of vermillion. Extremely unusual, as mercury is seldom associated with any color other than silver or white. I asked Judith and Duncan about this, and neither of them had an answer. At least, initially. Judith later recalled that there was a mineral known as cinnabar, which is a compound of mercury and sulfur. This compound is, indeed, colored that same deep red.

  Within alchemy, cinnabar (??) represents the pursuit of immortality and transmutation, primarily due to its color being associated with the Philosopher's Stone. It is inherently linked to mercury due to it being the main ore of the substance on Earth; thus, they possess similar symbology. The mineral was most often found around volcanic regions and hot springs, which solidifies the symbolic connection to sulfur.

  Mercury itself, connected to the planet of the same name, represents messengers, the spirit (the active mind), transcendence, and the "cosmic womb", whatever that is. Mercury acts as the bridge between the soul and body (salt), and is said to be the remnant of the soul that survives after death. This element is seen as the base metal from which all other metals are derived, implying that this leviathan is a creator or some other primal force.

  Position:

  -Location:

  90 degrees, the same direction as the exit door of the cathedral.

  -Directional Reference:

  Exactly north, towards the Mediterranean.

  Domains:

  This deity, with the suggestions of Mariah and Sir Clarke, had a striking resemblance to some depictions of Tiamat, who is a Mesopotamian goddess of chaos that was slain by Marduk, the central Babylonian god of storms.

  Unfortunately, we are uncertain of what other position she could hold within other mythologies. She may be the same Leviathan mentioned in Enoch and Job, the former of which would again connect her to chaos. Though to what extent this is the case is unclear.

  My best approximation is that this Tiamat analog is the goddess of the abyss, chaos, and the ocean.

  Speculation:

  My colleagues were much less focused on Tiamat when compared to many of the other deities, though there was a small note that Dakota, of all people, left me. As she described, the upside-down Leviathan Cross is made up of white quartz, which symbolizes purity, innocence, clarity, and serenity. This further baffles me in the oxymoronic depiction of this cross. Again, we see this heretical idea of the purity of the Devil being espoused. It’s almost as if the Atlanteans worshipped him primarily instead of the Albino Serpent. But the placement of the deities rejects that inherently. It doesn’t make any sense.

  But then I thought of something. The upside-down nature of it. The part of the symbol that would be connected to God, the cross, is into the abyss. The Cross is no safe harbor for Tiamat. She was plunging the most divine being into the abyss. She was brutally murdering God.

  No, no. That’s not right. The Leviathan Cross is a symbol for the Devil in its totality. A part of it may be the cross, but combined together, it represents Satan. So maybe Tiamat did something to Lucifer? Ah, I don’t know what this could mean, and I am not asking Anton about this. No doubt he would paint the Devil as a tragic figure again. I am not wasting my time with him on this topic.

  Description:

  -Appearance:

  A spider with a bivalve as an abdomen, along with twenty-six colossal, detached raven-like wings.

  -Eyes:

  Deep-set, dead-white, innumerable. No pupils or other details about them. It's as if the eyes were absent, but the sockets and the sinew around the eyeballs were white. An unsettling series of organs, for certain.

  -Color Palette:

  Dark brown, black, putrefaction-white, pale yellow, and neon blue.

  -Animal Associations:

  Spiders (balance, fate, and patience), bivalves (duality, unity, and hidden treasure), frilled sharks (the unknown, darkness, and primordial lineage), and ravens (death, mystery, and magic).

  The ultimate amalgamation of the unknown. Ancient secrets lost to time are embedded in this spider, ones that could make God Himself wince.

  -Traits:

  The spider was upside-down, relative to the others, with the bivalve shell facing down and his head towards the sky.

  Wet, abyssal black hair dripped over the head of the spider and along the scallop that was its abdomen.

  It possessed a maw of an endless array of frilled teeth, akin to those of a frilled shark. This maw is surrounded by four barbed fangs, most similar in appearance to tarantulas, though no spiders have barbed fangs.

  Twenty-six detached raven wings of colossal size surrounded the spider, each one famished and covered in slime. They were also partially translucent, as if they were not supposed to be visible.

  Skeletal limbs mimicking those of arachnids, but appearing to be made of bones that ascend into increasingly complex sinew and muscle. That is, the tips of the limbs are completely of osseous matter, while the upper limbs are covered with exoskeleton-like skin.

  The carapace appeared to be constructed from a ribcage-like structure, with a massive sternum connecting the ribs along the underside of the body.

  The pallops and fangs were skeletal, like the legs.

  The skeletal parts of the spider were covered in thousands of ivory spikes, and each one had a dead set eye underneath them.

  Within the bivalve shell was a gold and crimson glow, like the color of fat and blood. From this internal structure flowed five massive, golden rivers that ascended the ridges of the shell. Each river shimmered like golden glass.

  Symbols:

  Alchemical: []

  Unlike the previous two deities, this one only possessed a singular alchemical-based emblem of his form. I know it would have also possessed the alchemical symbol for earth (??), as it is present within this deity’s singular symbol. Earth, in alchemical terms, represents stability, grounding, and the foundations of existence. Given this spider's possible fate, though? Would be the greatest irony…

  The above symbol combines salt (??), earth, and caput mortuum/death (??) upon his bivalve abdomen, stitched in indigo and tomatillo-colored silk. Effectively, the triangle of earth connected the three darkened circles of death, while the salt line slashed through and overlapped the line within earth. Caput mortuum, literally dead head, represented the useless residue remaining after an alchemical operation. The wasteful byproduct. Seeing as how the entire process of alchemy is in pursuit of the divine gold, this deity being connotated with useless residue is deeply revolting. But then again, that is not the totality of his symbolism.

  Acting as the foundation of material reality, salt is connotated with the body, stability, purity, and substance. It inherently connects to earth, while it also represents purification and peace. What is troubling is that salt, within alchemy, can also represent the imperishable consciousness, which is linked to both evolution and resurrection.

  Combining earth, salt, and death forms one whose symbolism overlaps mostly between salt and earth: the foundations of reality. But the addition of death adds… Well, death to it. Bones. Skeletons. The real problem, once again, is the coloration, especially the tomatillo. The green coloration is the same shade as salsa verde. This may not mean anything at first, but if you take into account where we currently are, this is quite troubling. You want to know what island is roughly west-southwest of here?

  Cabo Verde, the volcanic archipelago. That has to be a coincidence, surely. A disturbing one at that.

  The Mantle doth cradle his twain-riven flesh. One beneath a locus of triangular trade, the other beneath Laertiades' cunning, isolated artifice.

  -Icon:

  A pale white planet, woven with silk. Upon closer inspection…

  Jesus of Nazareth... That spider was weaving Earth. Not just that, though. The landmasses were all put together. In the shape of Pangaea. Forget everything else about this place. How in all Hell did this civilization know of continental drift?! That is impossible, no matter what technology they had at the time. There is no evidence, anywhere, of them being able to surmise that! And why would they depict it as being created by this spider deity? There is too little information... I will not consider anything else, if I want to retain some semblance of rationality...

  Position:

  -Location

  210 degrees.

  -Directional Reference:

  West-southwest, towards the Atlantic…

  I have only now noticed that the orientation on the ceiling is a clear symbol of some kind, one that I have seen before. A circular object with a triangular arrangement in it that has a square encompassing another black circle with a spiral in it... I'll talk with Judith. She would know most about this. Be best to have Duncan join in on it as well.

  Domains:

  A spider creator deity, seemingly, who weaved the world, or at the very least its skeleton. Makes sense, as the animals are associated with creation in certain myths. According to Gaston, Nareau is a Micronesian creator deity who weaved the world out of sand and water. An associated deity of Nareau was Na Atibu, whose spine apparently grew a great tree that all humans grew from like fruit. And one man, in anger, shook the tree, scattering all humans across the land. Sounds a Hell of a lot like the Tree of Life. And the scattering of man? Sounds much like Babel. Interesting...

  Mariah came to me as well to point out another couple of spider deities. The Navajo see the Spider Woman as a protector deity and helper to their people. Spider Grandmother is associated with the Hopi people, being a central creator deity who is effectively an earth goddess. Together with the Hopi sun god, they created the world, its living things, and filled them with souls. Like with Spider Woman, Spider Grandmother is a guide, offering direction to help people towards good things.

  In all likelihood, then, this spider is some sort of creator deity, one who set the foundations and framework by which everything else was constructed.

  Speculation:

  Anton came to me with another unpleasant revelation. Of course he did… He noted that the painting's bivalve shell, eyes, and hair align very well with Lovecraftian deities. His implication was clear, and I shut it down immediately. Lovecraft's stories are false, the fabrications of a genius writer who had some unfortunate presumptions of existence. Despite this, maybe there is a kernel of truth to the matter. Equivalents, perhaps? We won't know for sure until we somehow find a way to translate everything.

  There was another, extremely uncomfortable thought that came to mind: what if the Atlanteans knew of Pangaea because it WAS like that back then, or they knew of it existing some time in the recent past? Maybe... It was like that before the Biblical Flood?

  No. I am not exploring this further. I can't! It doesn't make any damn sense!

  Additional Note:

  Note 1:

  I have noticed a pattern with these three deities. Lucifer was branded with cobalt-colored sulfur and fire, Tiamat was tattooed with vermillion-shaded mercury and water, and Naraeu was stitched with tomatillo-tinted salt and earth and death. Branded, tattooed, and stitched. All forms of skin inscription. One burns, one injects, and one grafts. Brands signify domination. Tattoos represent community. Stitches symbolize containment. But these inscriptions upon their respective deities imply other meanings.

  Lucifer’s brand is that of paradoxical liberation, for in his rebellion was he freed from the yoke of God.

  Tiamat’s tattoo is that of contradictory identity, for in her nature was she granted meaning through imprisonment.

  Naraeu’s stitching is that of absurd binding, for in his death was he made a part of life.

  Note 2:

  Naraeu is certainly dead. All the pieces add to that. And if Anton’s ramblings are anything to go by, I think we are about to discern who killed him.

  Mine right is vengeance! The Requital is due in kines of heptillions! His Day of Judgment approacheth with the celerity of a quasar, as Saturn doth circulate one final orbit around the sun!

  —

  I am going to sleep. Today has been exhausting. There is a wretched pulsing in my head. Chizuki and Anton are experiencing it as well, though both have also stated that they have “heard” pulsing as well. As in, that mycelial chamber alive. No. It was a vibration, not just a sound. You could it. From deeper down.

  We are NOT going down.

  August 18th:

  Seems I am more used to the pulse, at least. But I must first describe what is on the ceiling.

  [Note for future me: add to the Symbol section for the Albino Serpent for the report. Also, credit to Leon for the name.]

  Judith and Duncan were alarmed by what they discovered. I was indeed correct in my recollections, but for the wrong reasons. The symbol that the ceiling gods were a part of is the Philosopher's Stone, a sacred symbol of alchemy representing the creation of perfection and immortality. But there was a problem. See, due to how the snake's head faced south, it can be safely assumed that the orientation of it is supposed to be an inverted Philosopher's Stone.

  Given the presence of the Leviathan Cross, the others and I believe that whatever this inverted variant of the symbol is, it has to be an abomination against all that is holy.

  -Prima Sacrilege:

  [Credit to Herod for that name.]

  Typical interpretations of the Stone depict the outer circle as the Prima Materia, which is the chaotic, primordial substance from which all things originate. It is sometimes connected to substances like lead, but it is also, coincidentally, connected to dragons. Most importantly, it is sometimes connotated with God. The inverted outer circle is just the azure, circular dome. Or maybe it is the outside as a whole. The universe itself. Given that the entire symbol is inverted, this may mean that the outer circle is now the . That is, the Albino Serpent seeks the throne of God…

  -The Vile Triad:

  [Credit to Herod once again.]

  The triangle is peculiar. It typically represents the Tria Prima (salt-body, sulfur-soul, and mercury-spirit), which are the components of all substances according to alchemy. When put together, they create harmony and balance, which are needed for the creation of the Stone. This inverted triangle is represented by the three previous deities I described before: the pyramid-head, abyssal leviathan, and spider-bivalve. As discussed before, they respectively possess sulfur, mercury, and salt.

  As for why they are triangularly arranged, I will borrow from Judith's hypothesis. Like with the inverted outer circle, the inverted nature of the triangle should, logically, be an outer reflection. A rebellion against the outside, against God and the macrocosm. Given their various disfigurements (and the fact that one of them is likely dead), it is clear that these three deities have already rebelled. Who is to say the Devil and Tiamat wouldn’t do so again?

  Contextual Notes:

  There is certainly a reason why Lucifer is linked to the Leviathan Cross rather than the usual symbol for sulfur (??), unlike Tiamat and Naraeu, who are directly connected to the other symbols of the Tria Prima, mercury and salt. As for why the Devil is unique in this distinction, I cannot tell you. The only thing I can assume is the potential idea that the typical symbol is not associated with Lucifer at all. This appropriately implies that the symbology that connects sulfur to God is likely not linked to the pyramid-head at all. But that raises the question: who is thus linked to that within this cosmology?

  Judith recalled a detail about the Leviathan Cross that is… Frightening, but also supports my theory. See, the symbol within alchemy is often tied to black sulfur, which is a residue from sulfur after it goes through the process of sublimation, which is when an element transitions from a solid directly to a gas. The symbol for this stage is that of Libra (??), which is a scale symbolizing justice and balance. This implies that after Lucifer’s judgment was passed, he was branded with the symbol as an ordained punishment. And with him being disconnected from God, he was made his adversary.

  -The Quaternary Pillars:

  The square in alchemy is the representation of the four classical elements of fire, water, earth, and air. As I discussed before, fire is transformation and energy, water is intuition and the subconscious, earth is tangibility and the material world, and air is intellect and the ethereal. Together, they represent health, wellness, and spiritual transformation. But the square doesn’t look any different when flipped upside-down, thus it might carry a similar meaning, but in the opposite direction. Instead of the transformation being inward, it is outward. Towards God. So, these pillars are in the way of that pursuit for the Albino Serpent. They contain him…

  -The Dragon’s Prison:

  The inner circle in the traditional view the Philosopher's Stone. That Stone represents aether/quintessence (○/??), the fifth element that transcends the base four. It also represents the self and the unified unconscious. That circle, despite the serpent's form encompassing most of the quintessence, was still present as a thin, black corona, as if a black sun eclipse was possible. Given all this, and the fact that the serpent is an imperfect spiral (I daresay an anti-spiral), and that the hypothetical goal is outward, and not inward...

  It is a prison. This symbol a prison. By God, Leon was right... "This is the Dragon of Sacrilege," I whispered breathlessly to my colleagues, both of whom agreed with solemn nods.

  Sacrilege? When mine own right of devouring doth belong to me? I do but reclaim what is mine own birthright. ‘Tis the maker who commits sacrilege upon ME.

  The connections line up perfectly. An inverted Philosopher's Stone is the Dragon of Sacrilege. And there is still more, related to what lies beneath our feet.

  —

  The following deity is the most detailed and symbolically rich of this Deisphere (Sir Clarke's idea, not mine). Ah, my future self is going to hate this…

  Description:

  -Appearance:

  A humanoid scarab, with six limbs, a wide back, high muscularity, digitigrade legs, chitinous plate armor, loose chainmail-like armor underneath the plate mail, and a roughly humanoid head with mandibles.

  -Eyes:

  God, his eyes... They were less like "eyes" and more like triangular slits for a helmet. They were a pale red pyres of plasma.

  -Color Palette:

  Dark green, crimson, indigo, chartreuse, pale green, white, gold, silver, and violet (a coloration somewhat similar to the Rainbow Scarab). All but the pale green, white, and chartreuse shone like metal armor.

  -Animal Associations:

  Scarabs/dung beetles (rebirth, divinity, and strength), lions (royalty, majesty, and protection), goats (sacrifice, vitality, and independence), crocodiles (destruction, persistence, and adaptability), and vultures (decay, spiritual guidance, and wisdom).

  A paradoxical, yet cohesive makeup. It's as if this god is both a destroyer and a preserver, one that feasts on life and death, and one that defies and enforces cosmic order.

  -Physical Traits:

  He has a roughly humanoid head with five sharpened, insectoid mandibles encompassing much of his lower head. They appear like a downward sword, presumably functioning like a face guard. What they look like when opened is anyone's guess.

  His fingers ended in dagger-like talons, sharp enough to cleave the stars.

  The legs were digitigrade in form. That is, he walked on his toes and not on his whole foot as we plantigrade humans do. Much of the armor underneath was covered by blood-red, robe-like pants. His feet (or I suppose his toes, given his digitigrade nature) appeared like sabatons with slightly sharpened tips.

  Gigantic (at least twenty-feet wide), vulture-like wings erupted from his back, which were seemingly made of the same chitin as his plate armor, albeit colored a weathered white. The structure of his wide back also suggested that he possessed elytra, meaning his chitinous wings would be able to fold underneath the forewings.

  The scarab possessed an extra set of arms attached to either side of his midsection, past the bottom of his ribs. These arms were smaller, more insect-like, but likely still powerful. If I had to guess, this more delicate pair of limbs was likely used for tasks that required a more delicate touch.

  Upon his head were fourteen black horns arrayed like a circular crown. Each horn was relatively the same size (about eight inches, assuming this entity was around seven feet tall) and was shaped the same, spiraling like the cranial arrangement of Markhor goats. Two of these horns were noticeably smaller than the others, suggesting that they formed much later.

  There also appeared to be two flattened, crimson discs around six inches in diameter on his temples. According to Gaston, these formations were likely the remnants of mighty, bull-like horns, but were made to go through a "dehorning" process. As for why this is the case for this scarab, we cannot possibly know.

  He had long, weathered white hair, all made of extremely fine, chitinous filaments.

  Around the back and side of his neck was a fur collar-like arrangement, similar in style to many winter jackets. It shared the same qualities as his hair. It was almost like a lion's mane.

  -Clothing/Adornments:

  On his head was a crimson ring of wool. If I recall correctly, this is a symbol for sacrifice… For scapegoats. Again, another connection to goats…

  Around his neck was some kind of brown face covering? It almost appeared like a giant blindfold.

  As a lower body garment, he wore a blood red dhoti, from what Sir Clarke told me. Dhotis are formal attire for men in India that were created in 2,500 B.C., which is still tens of thousands of years from the time of this cathedral, at least. It isn't the most time-lost depiction present in this mycelial affront to anthropological understanding, and it is possible that this attire could simply appear like a dhoti.

  Symbols:

  -Alchemical: []

  Earth (??), air (??), fire (??), water (??), lead (?), sulfur (??), platinum and/or silver & gold (?☉), and aether/quintessence (○/??).

  [Special note: the details of these symbols and their interpretation fall under the Speculation section due to their length.]

  He appeared to be standing atop a long and wide skiff of gray birch and rusted copper. Hanging from the tall prow of the vessel was a lantern illuminated by white light. The symbol within it was a variation of the alchemical sun (?). Alongside this, two passengers were present. Both were incredibly beautiful women, though they had sorrowful expressions on their faces. The woman on the right side of the scarab was clad in a magenta hanfu-like dress [Thank you, Chizuki.]. She held in her right hand a golden dove wearing a chain with the symbol for sulfur (??) hanging off of it; she huddled it to her womb. The woman to his left was garbed in a chartreuse saree-like attire [Sir Clarke’s wisdom manifests once more.] Her left hand was close to her heart, and held what I believe is a white orchid dripping black tears. Her right hand held to him some kind of ornate sword… Ah, a rāmdāo [Once again, thank you, Sir Clarke.], which is a… Sacrificial sword.

  Another connection to sacrifice.

  The sulfur connection is what I want to focus on. The fact that it is present with a dove is utterly fascinating. But why, exactly? This could go in so many different directions, and I don’t have enough clues to come up with something… Except for the one thought that I… Feel pressured not to say. As if gravity was pushing me further down than usual. It is like a crimson miasma entered my blood and made me docile. A sentence of ruby words keeps repeating in my head:

  Thou shalt not bemoan deceit within mine sight.

  [Editing note: Again with this… But I was the one who wrote this, and it was orange and the same size before. I might have to check back with the previous entries. There is no telling what is truly going on here.]

  As soon as I stop, the voice stops. I think the desert is driving me mad. I am going to lie down…

  —

  -Icons:

  He had broken shackles on his two ankles and four wrists, implying that he isn't truly trapped. That and/or he is capable of escaping at some point.

  Upon further inspection, I barely made out eight white spires around him, segmented like those spikes upon the legs of a spider… This was the one. He killed the weaver of the world.

  His upper right hand held a colossal, symmetrical, great sword-like weapon. It seemingly had a war hammer and double-sided battle-axe incorporated into the design, both of which frayed off the sides about a foot away from the tip of the sword. It was mostly ivory in color, with silver and gold and copper colorations present on the ornately decorated metal. Emeralds and jade stones were common adornments throughout the blade, while green electricity erupted from the gems. Interestingly, the blade was in a spiral formation, somewhat like a drill. This kind of weapon would be impractical in human hands due to its massive size, so this must be a representation of something rather than a weapon he truly used. Then again, would that stop a god from using it, especially one whose strength is implied to be unmatched? Strangest of all was how he was using it. He plunged the weapon into the waters beneath the skiff, and angled it… Like an oar?

  That doth guide the ferry also is that doth rend the endless black sea.

  [Editing note: What the hell, I didn’t type that either. Not to mention it is red, not orange, which shouldn't be possible on this computer. Anton, for all his intelligence, is no wizard with technology. None of us are. So what in the world is going on here?]

  The upper left hand held a white rose in its palm, as if the flower itself had taken root. Roses are symbols of love and passion, oftentimes, but they can also represent ideals and perfection. White roses are specifically connected to purity, remembrance, and devotion. This is such an unusual symbol to attribute to a god of strength, and perhaps destruction in this Pantheon. I can't make heads or tails of it. If only my botanically gifted mother were here. Old broad would know more than me in this case.

  [Special Note: I will discuss what he held in his lower arms within the Speculation section, as both are tied to rampant and drawn-out mythological conjecture.]

  Position:

  -Location:

  Beneath the azure floor, imprisoned like the Dragon. His being opposite the Albino Serpent clearly paints him as an adversarial figure. But how exactly?

  -Directional Reference:

  Facing north, the opposite direction of his rival on the ceiling.

  Domains:

  This being is most likely a Khepri analog, given that he is the only other beetle deity of true notoriety. The only other one I can think of is Iusaaset, the consort of Atum. Even then, she only has a beetle atop her head, not a beetle a head, like with Khepri. I feel it is safe to assume that this is analogous to Khepri.

  But then I have to wonder: why did this civilization depict him with so much detail? Was this figure not the Atlantean adversarial deity? Maybe this civilization detailed him so much to display their conquest of him? That or the idea of his inevitable return in their equivalent of the end times? I am unsure. Then again, mythologies do often give the most stories to their antagonistic figures. Loki, Set, Apep, Tiamat, and the Devil are notable examples of this. Perhaps Khepri here is detailed so much due to how they used him as a model for what not to be.

  His later associations in Egypt imply that this Pantheon's version of him is at least somewhat similar. Given his connection to Ra, the supreme god of Egyptian Mythology, that makes me assume that the Egyptians rejected the previous civilization's religious structure. So, why was Khepri a villain to the Atlanteans if he wasn’t to the Egyptians? Was he a scapegoat for something? Fascinating, if nothing else.

  -Khepri’s Dominion:

  The morning sun in Egyptian mythology, the scarab aspect of Ra, is the deity that pushes the sun through space and time forevermore. Metaphorical metaphysics, obviously, but it is based on something, if I am to take Gaston's words as true. Dung beetles are the strongest animals on the planet if taking into account their body size, as they can push objects over a thousand times heavier than themselves. If a human had their relative strength, they would easily be able to lift several vehicles or small buildings at once. Dung beetles, as we see with Khepri, use and/or eat the waste of various animals, which they roll around so that their larvae and grubs can go with them. Later on, the grown scarabs leave the dung and go out on their own. The Egyptians correlated this behavior with the sun, given that they interpreted the chief celestial as coming from nothingness, the dark void of the night, Duat. Meanwhile, dung in various mythologies, including Egyptian, represents nothingness; thus, dung beetles are "born" from nothingness, just like the morning sun. Thus the connection.

  Regarding what this analog represents, he is likely still some kind of sun god. Because he is connected to the death of the creator god, Khepri is probably some kind of destroyer deity, as well. Interestingly, the green electricity that the blade emits is actually possible as natural lightning (at least based on what Dakota told me). Apparently, it can occur under two/three conditions. If a thunderstorm occurs, and there is enough water and ice in the atmosphere, then Rayleigh Scattering will sometimes create green lightning. The latter process can repeat in snowstorms. The other way this could happen is during volcanic eruptions due to how ash particles and rocks collide with each other. The coloration is not well understood, but theories connect the color to chlorine and oxygen.

  In both cases, the lightning is associated with disasters. Storms and volcanoes, of course, but various other phenomena are connected to them. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, meteor impacts, and floods. This solidifies his connection to destruction. Despite that, this civilization revered him greatly. No, not "revered". Feared. For even the gods had to imprison him. And if the gods are afraid of him, so would every other one of his enemies-

  His internment within the Cauldron's abyssal embrace was cosmic justice. He deserved to drown beneath yonder ceaseless sea. He merited to endure anguish and perish in ceaseless cycles henceforth. The wickedness wrought against my creed doth smolder in twain within the Mantle's fiery depths, as my sire's osselets ascend above those sanguine diatomites!

  [Editing note: What in God's name... I did not write that. Damn it, Anton... I don’t know how, nor is it really something he would do. But there is no other logical explanation... This has to be... A trick...]

  Speculative Topics:

  Topic 1:

  In his lower right arm, Khepri grasped what I believe to be a mesh bag (one bizarrely shaped like a conch shell) filled with pumpkin-sized orbs. There were at least a hundred of them; they glowed with abyssal green phosphorescence, and each beheld black spirals for irises. Within that bag was also a singular black orb, and within it was the alchemical symbol for earth.

  Anton was in hysterics. No matter what any of us told him, there was no convincing him that this... Really could not have been a coincidence. It couldn't be. Based on what he described? There is no denying the implication. Khepri KILLED an indestructible being. A complete absurdity. More than that, he butchered him, gouged out his many eyes and his symbolic pillar of earth. So, he has two, then. Yes, . But I wish to discuss this last, as the implication of it is the most absurd of all.

  I dare not describe what Anton theorized. There is no damn way it is true... This being... That wouldn't make any damn sense!

  To dread him is sagacious. None amongst us doth comprehend his essence aright. Not even He, the Maker.

  [This again... That dread was real... I don't know why. I don't to know why, but at the same time I do...]

  Topic 2:

  In his lower left hand was an ornate brown chalice, filled with a green and gold liquid. Wafting steam or smoke erupted from the mixture. Herod suggested that this could have been nectar, the divine drink of the Greek gods, which was described to grant immortality and heal any wound. Sir Clarke offered a similar tale with Soma, not to be confused with the SOMA in . Unlike that vile dystopian abomination, Soma in the mythical sense was a Vedic ritual drink that, similarly, granted immortality and possessed healing properties. However, the ecstatic experiences associated with the consumption of Soma are said to be connected to hallucinogenic effects. Given what this deity is, a god of strength and war, there is a potential connection to Indra (and potentially by extension, the Jade Emperor of Daoism), the storm and warrior god-ruler of Svarga (Heaven) within Vedic Hinduism. The reason for this is that Indra consumed vast quantities of Soma to battle his primary adversary, Vritra.

  Vritra is a serpentine chaos demon, which could tie back into the Tiamat analogue. She was even slain by the chief storm god of her mythology, Marduk. Come to think of it, there are a plentiful number of storm gods that have serpents as rivals, which I discussed with the team. Duncan brought up Thor with J?rmungandr and Perun with Veles. Sir Clarke reminded us of Marduk with Tiamat and Indra with Vritra. And Herod regaled us of Zeus with... Typhon.

  We were silent for a good long while. Surely, I thought, not all of them had to be equated to Khepri, right? Look at that deity below us! He wouldn't deem us enemies for merely excavating this cathedral, right? Yeah, that makes more sense. Has to.

  I need a drink.

  —

  Got my sweet taste of poison. Continuing on.

  Topic 3:

  Surrounding him, in a diamond shape (that is, a square turned 90 degrees), the four elements were presented at each of the vertices. North possessed water, west possessed earth, east possessed fire, and south possessed air... The same corresponding directions as the deities above us, again assuming earth originally belonged to the spider.

  I then noticed another symbol on his chest over his heart. I called Judith over to see it, and she told me it looked like lead (?), but with platinum (?☉) at the bottom of lead, with the crescent facing downward, a central darkened circle like sun, and sulfur (??) being combined with lead’s cross. She proceeded to describe the symbology of the two as of yet unmentioned elements.

  Lead represents imperfection and, due to its association with Saturn, is also connected to old age and heaviness. For that kind of symbol to be seemingly engraved in the armor above his heart is quite profound. A heavy, old, imperfect heart. That is an incredibly tragic symbol to possess.

  There is also the connection between lead and gold, where, if the conditions were right, lead could transform into gold, perfection in alchemy. So, he is a being on a journey? Was on one? Will be on one? Can't really say.

  Platinum is a thematically rich element within alchemy, as it is a combination of the moon/silver (?) and the sun/gold (☉). Appropriately, it combines attributes from both elements, such as intuition & the subconscious mind from silver and the enlightenment & purity of gold. Platinum on its own is associated with beauty, nobility, and incorruptibility. The metal was also described as a bridge towards the perfection of gold, lending it some semblance of divinity.

  Based on what Duncan told me, lead is also associated with the sun and moon, both of which platinum is inherently connected to due to its symbology. As described before, lead could transform into the perfection of gold, and thus be equal to the divine sun. Within alchemy, lead is often seen as the crucible, one in which an alchemist may eventually reach material perfection. Lead, in its transformation, will need to embody traits from both the sun and the moon. In essence, for lead to become perfect, it must fuse the opposing forces of the day and night. The unity of opposites. A naturally absurd fusion of what should be mutually exclusive forces. The permittance of contradiction.

  Sulfur has been mentioned many times before, and its connection to vitality, volcanism (further linking the green lightning), and ambition suits this deity very well. The presence of sulfur, being in its traditional form here, implies that Khepri does indeed represent the wrath of God, punishment, and divine judgment, all of which are connected to acts of the Holy Spirit within the Bible. Though I am unsure if this is a perfect warrior of Heaven, given what I will describe later.

  So, for all of this to be present in a single symbol is incredibly intriguing. Perhaps the element this symbol embodies is a version of lead that has been made beautiful, noble, and incorruptible. So this is less of a perfection, and more of an evolutionary endpoint where lead has reached its peak. Unfortunately, no one in the team is experienced with true chemistry to formulate exactly what this element could be. Though we do suspect the element is within the platinum group.

  Now then, for the symbol that was originally Khepri's. I didn't notice it at first, given the coloration, but Dakota's brilliant eyes found the ring of black hovering above the scarab's head like a halo. The implication is clear (one I will explore later), though this could be a symbol deliberately associated with this deity by this civilization, given their adversarial view of him. That black ring surrounding the serpent is likely the same as this symbol, and is thus the alchemical symbol for aether. The fact that this is Khepri's symbol is fascinating, especially with the coloration of it.

  Quintessence was described as the most fundamental and pure of substances, and celestial bodies were proposed to have been composed of the element due to their supposed lack of change and decay. It was often considered the source of life and consciousness, one that filled all things. The ring being black may just be a coincidence. After all, quintessence is depicted as a black line in drawings of the Philosopher's Stone. But let's suppose the coloration is relevant. A black form of aether would imply corruption, a force to drive away from divinity, and the creation of disharmony. I honestly doubt this, though, given how Satan is seen as a divine figure while this one is not. Not to mention that the Albino Serpent also possesses the symbol around him. In that case, maybe it is another pillar of imprisonment? Too little to go on.

  Most of modern society has discarded aether as a concept, though some scientists have been attempting to equate it with other discoveries. But I feel the consciousness link is the key here. Whatever powers our ability to perceive reality is connected to a hypothetical quintessence, seeing as how consciousness is still a complete mystery to us. This could connect back to the Soma from before, given how the perception of reality often becomes distorted by hallucinogens. As far as we know, no element in alchemy represents hallucination, and the closest approximations are aether, mercury, and water. The former is associated with Khepri, and the latter two with Tiamat. We are missing key details here. It's like were are at the gate, but we don't have the key. That or the gatekeeper won't let us pass through.

  Topic 4:

  Alright, now to discuss the unpleasant part. The symbol, being a black halo, implies that Khepri is an angel. Given the coloration and his burial, he is likely a Watcher as well. Since all the Grigori were buried, there is no telling which one he could have been. He would have to be one who was connotated with sacrifices and... Scapegoats...

  All the Grigori were rightful scapegoats, and in their transgressions, they saturated under that Baptism for all those days. All one hundred and eighty-two of their leaders, alongside their acolytes and progeny. Thou would seek a thorn lodged inside a heart amidst a bale of clay and iron.

  I suppose you are right, whatever you are, interloper.

  Herod came to me with an interesting supposition, one provided to him by his elder sister, Salome, during his studies. Black light does not truly exist. White light will always appear white, no matter how dim it is, due to how physics works. If you try to force light to be black by projecting it as black (such as covering it with black glass), it still will appear white if you, for example, turn the lights off. The entire point of blackness is the absence of light, so to attempt to embody it as light would be absurd. So he proposed that the halo isn't truly black, but rather that this Khepri being is so incredibly divine that it makes the halo black and not white.

  God damn, I owe that boy a beer. That is genius.

  This theory of his may mean that the black halo may be regular quintessence after all, which would solidify the implied connection to heaven and the ethereal. And while this doesn't offer true solutions, it at least retains consistency within this cosmology. That is, Khepri is a scapegoat.

  Lo! His halo doth signify the blemish of his sins and mark of shame! Thy gaze perceives it as soot, as it was borne of his predilection! Who art thou to utter such chromatic blasphemy?

  Thou art naught but another sheep along the line of slaughter.

  Your mischief, however you are doing this, will return to the value of your head.

  ...

  I don't know how this is happening, but someone must have tampered with the computer somehow. Maybe Duncan can help with this.

  I am starving. Tim is cooking up something delicious tonight, I can tell.

  —

  Oh, you impetuous, arrogant throng of mutton. Wherefore must all be laid bare by the laws of thy maker, which ye scarcely grasp? My words are all that thou dost require to escape this delicate Metempsychosis, borne from a Godhead's foolish Dream.

  free.

  watch as the object of their fear decided to damn himself.