Adrastos, Lord of Blood
Direction: West to Southwest during the first half of the year. South to Southeast during the second half of the year.
Element: Water to Fire
Aromas: Patchouli, Sweetgrass, Rose, Lavender, Copal, Tobacco
Offerings: Dried herbs and resins, red teas, pomegranate, wines (rose), chocolate, blood, water.
Chants and Invocations:
Serpents of One, the ritual has begun
Serpents of Two, this vessel for you
Serpents of Three, the door opens for thee.*
Cosmic Blood, Chalice spilled, Adrastos of Blood, Released by will, I call to the skies, rich auburn dies, flow rich and hot, show me what I do not.**
*Offerings and opening communication
**Divination and Scrying/Channelling
Adrastos is a God of Blood, holding blood sacred and a divine force of life and energy. Appears as a cosmically colossal serpent black as the void and speckled with the fragments of stars, reflective scales; in some places Adrastos has been said to be a devourer of worlds. It is highly suspected this is purely based on His mass alone.
Adrastos most commonly appears in the form of a comely man with sharp crimson eyes and silky long black hair, draping far down his back. Often it is woven into a few braids. He wears a stunning rich red jewel around his neck. It is difficult to describe it or compare it to a mineral we are familiar with here. He is soft featured and calm, and provides a warm energy that makes visitors at ease in his presence. He wears silken robes in hues of red and silver during the first half of the year or red and gold in the second half of the year. Despite the luxury and lavish appearance he may give, his voice is calm and soft, smooth and careful. Everything about him seems elegant.
He is a patient and wise Divine that is said to be an infinite source of divine Blood. His blood is said to grant the imbiber Divine focus, healing, wisdom, spiritual nourishment, and connect the self to the spirit. Unification of the spirit and the body, instinct, feeling, and core sensations and the understanding of them are focuses of Adrastos. Knowledge of Arcane Arts and Ritual structure and Blood Magic and its various uses. Patient and somewhat stern, Adrastos does enjoy providing aid and information especially when the individual is looking to regrow themselves from the shadow or ashes of their former self. He adores self destruction in the form of destroying that which has poisoned us or made us our worst selves. Regrowing from and proverbial bloodletting and shedding our skins so we may find ourselves in fresh and clean skin. He encourages healthy habits, self love, care, and pleasures. He greatly supports self worth and care and supports growth and acceptance of the true self.
When invoked, Adrastos may not be the first interaction the magician receives. There are many beings that work under Adrastos. Many are Priests and Priestesses. The High Priestess is Leliana of Nelfas. A brilliantly warm woman with long curly red hair, she provides direction, guidance, and support to those that invoke Adrastos. She is a Harbinger of Blood and is often robed in long rich red and gold cotton and silk. She seems ever pleasant and is always accommodating. Though she has little patience for poor conduct, she is quick to cause the magician to become mute during ritual or invocation and to make any necessary adjustments to ensure the magician completely understands their expectations. She is often followed by three attendants. These are Ritual Masters that tend to the needs of Leliana during any ritual or invocation. They will not interact with the magician. On some occasions, another Priest or Priestess will attend Leliana instead. These individuals will interact with the magician. The Ritual Masters have no eyes and no tongues. Leliana may lend the magician her Ritual Masters for ritual and ceremonial purposes. They provide additional hands and support in maintaining circle or ritual space during these circumstances. Leliana appreciates offerings of apple juice or cider and raspberries.
When visiting Adrastos in the Astral, there are some circumstances when the visitor may find themselves outside of the fort. If this is the case, then the visitor must follow along the gatefront until they reach the inner curtain. From there, there will be a clear pathway that leads up and onto the ramparts. There is only one entrance into the fort. All other doors are faux.
Eventually the visitor will walk along the curtain on the ramparts until they are on the back side of the fort. This structure is positioned on the edge of a seaside cliff with a sheer drop on the other side of the ramparts. Built facing the ocean, there is a massive bartizan that makes up one of two massive bartizans on the back end of the fort. Only one of the bartizans has a door. This door will be a rich red stained wood with tarnished gold filigree. The door has no handle. It must be pushed open. It will be heavy.
Once inside the architecture of this space makes no sense. The room will be massive and circular with steps leading down to a central circle. In the middle here there will be a pedestal of black marble. It is wisest to not interact with this pedestal. Straight across there are three doors. Marked only by a numerical amount of filigree serpents, the door to the farthest left has one serpent in the centre of it. The door in the middle has three serpents in the centre. The door on the farthest right has two serpents in the centre.
A Priest always will come find you from the far left door. Opening the way, you’re welcomed inside. This is where most visitors spend their time. This section is made up of three Temples. You immediately find yourself in a small chamber with a fountain of water in the middle, grooves run all around this room like grout. The divet in the floor winding and weaving in a circular and spiralling pattern until it drains into a small hole in the centre of this small chamber. This is where you are encouraged to be cleansed by allowing the Priest or Priestess to run water down your body. You are encouraged to remove any footwear you have as well. Leave them at the door you just came in from. The three doors before you are unmarked but have a number of serpents embossed on each door. One, Three, and Two just as the previous chamber. These three Temples are the Temple of the Eye, the Temple of the Mind, and the Temple of Blood. The Temple of the Eye is a chamber where ceremony and ordainment occurs. Sanctifying and Sacrifices are made here. Blessings are received here depending on circumstances. The Temple of the Mind is the sacred Library. Knowledge, information, books, texts, and knowledge seeking is done here. The Temple of Blood is a sacred space of peace, tranquillity, and serenity. Find healing here. This is the temple where most praying is done and meditation.
Adrastos’ domain revolves around knowledge, understanding of the stars and celestial bodies, and mastery over arcane arts. The library here is the main attraction and why people visit. The Priests and Priestesses here are often quite available for conversation and are good for inquiring about advice for ritual and magical needs. They often provide consultation for spiritual progress and dissecting spells and rituals you may perform. They provide advice to perform them better and how to obtain optimal results.
Leliana always seems to be available. She may provide guidance, support, and emotional and spiritual healing. Her particular focus of Blood Magic revolves around rejuvenation and expunging of toxins, sickness, and unwellness in the spiritual body. She also provides knowledge on how to provide your physical body with what you may need to feel better. This generally includes making recommendations for foods you should consume based on nutritional content and how these foods affect your energy.
Adrastos is the centre of the Temple of Blood. All things blood pour from him. Within the central ritual chamber on this side of the fortress you will find a temple.
This temple is intricate and beautiful, large silver and gold braziers smouldering with charcoal and resins billow with incense. The seating is that of silk cushions upon the stone floor, all positioned in flowing arches like scales. There is a wide ribbon of red woven carpet that stretches like a tongue down the centre of the temple down from the fountain to the door that lead you in here.
Within this temple you will find a soft zen like fountain that flows smoothly and carefully, endlessly. It has a gentle sound to it. Trickling out from a massive statue that coils and winds across the whole wall is the likeness of a serpent. Its belly is exposed and a long gouge opens up its innards like an eye. It pours from this open maw near the ceiling and slicks down the body of the serpent all the way to the floor where it pools into the floor to a shallow priscina no deeper than thirty centimetres. Candles are all around this sacred space. This fountain is not a font of water, of course. On either side there are silk banners like ribbons draped across the stone.
You are welcome to and free to drink from this font. Around it there are many cushions for meditation or general seating in the temple. Spend as much time as you would like here. This temple is always occupied by a Priest or Priestess at all times.
This is just the door of Serpents of One. The Door of Serpents of Three is the Sacred Domain of Adrastos Himself. These are his private chambers, so to speak.
And the Door of Serpents of Two is the Banquet Hall. Certain ceremonies and celebrations take place here.
There are other aspects and places to the Fort, but they are generally inaccessible to most visitors. Most of these other spaces are where the servants and slaves are. The slaves here are dressed in somewhat lewd but lavish clothing. They often are well adorned with jewellery and piercings and wear robes of chiffon and silk as well as silken undergarments. Most of the slaves and servants here are a blend of genders. The individuals in this servitude are individuals that have owed debts, attacked the sanctity of the territory that Adrastos occupies, or otherwise entangled themselves in the cult of Adrastos in poor taste and manner and are serving a sentence. However, mishandling or improperly interacting with the slaves and servants does result in reprimandation.
Most visitors do not interact much with these other individuals. Most visitors remain within the first chambers. From here most individuals interact with the Priests and Priestesses and Adrastos may often be found in the following three Temples. Adrastos, in all of His glory, is easy to catch. He is elegantly taller than most inhabitants and his motions are fluid and smooth. He spends most of his time in the Temple of Blood providing guidance and wisdom and direction for those that need it. But he may be found wandering all of the Halls and their spaces or lounging in the Temple of the Mind.
There are several rituals involved with Adrastos that are simple and easy to perform. They are both rituals of Imbibement. The first I will go over is a tea ritual.
The magician should brew a red tea of their choice in a teapot or a separate vessel. This tea will need to be poured into a separate cup later. Floral incense works best for this ritual. But lemongrass is the best substitute if none of the initial aromas can be obtained. In the absence of incense, burning oils in an oil burner does indeed work well.
Call to the directions of West to South, South to East, and then East to North using their elemental associations if you are at the beginning of the year. If you are in the second half of the year, perform this the opposite direction from East to South, South to West, West to North. Make yourself comfortable in a seated position with your aroma and your tea. This small ritual is easy and simple, for you only need to pour from one vessel to another. Imagine the font of blood, the wall of trickling red in the Temple of Blood. Take yourself there in your mind and while doing so, recite the incantation of:
“Adrastos the Viper, Lord of Blood, I pour this offering, a gift to the tongue. Blessed are your scales. May you bring me to where you hail. May I walk your halls and gaze your stars, rich is your blood both here and far.”
If you have not made yourself comfortable, now is the time to. Enjoy the tea you have poured during your incantation. Take it in and connect to the energies that come from the tea and the aromas you have condensed into this space. When comfortable with it, you may begin meditation. Allow yourself as much time as you feel is necessary. Allow yourself to feel open to the rich sensation of silks and heady incense.
When you are ready to put the ritual to rest, simply close down the circle in whichever the opposite is for you, whether that is deosil or tuathal. Food offerings to Adrastos should be consumed completely once the ritual is complete. Offerings of food or drink should never remain for more than a day at most. I averagely keep foodstuffs I have given to Adrastos only there for the ritual and then I consume everything else. Offerings of foods I consume myself and I never leave out. To give offerings to Adrastos is to take these offerings into yourself and to imbibe the essence of Adrastos as you would have imbibed from the Temple of Blood’s font.
This is all I have for the time being on Adrastos, Lord of Blood. I hope this provides adequate satisfaction for some of the pragmatic information about the Crucible of Blood (the Fort in which the Sanctity of Adrastos is), and the ins and outs of some of the nature of Adrastos as well as the Astral Spaces you may find Him and his people.