Teachings of Karcist Asikainen: Ion and the Archons

Foreward

The following are translated excerpts of sermons regarding the Six Ordeals of Ion, given by PoI-971 ("Karcist Asikainen")¹.

Note that despite PoI-971's apparent position within the Nälkän religion², her sermons contain several inconsistencies when compared with older and better-established Nälkän documentation. The Foundation's current knowledge of Sarkicism does not permit a conclusion regarding its veracity.

Tone and intent have been preserved to the best of the Foundation's abilities.

~Dr. Lydia Homme, Junior Deific Containment Specialist

The Confrontation³

And behold, through guided mediation on the flesh of the cosmos, Ion beheld the visages of the scavenger beasts of fallen Daevon.

Woven through a throne of air was the Verdant Archon⁴

Footnotes

1. A traveling Nälkän priestess most commonly sighted during the 18th century across Scandinavia.

2. As of 13/04/1999, PoI-971's origin and apparent authority unknown.

3. Ion's visions of the Archons are particularly controversial in Sarkic scriptures, given the variety of the Archons' depictions in modern Sarkic traditions. The syncretic nature of modern Sarkicism means that such depictions may vary from a vague collective to a detailed pantheon.

Karcist Asikainen draws from the Ariav Pantheon, a depiction primarily found within Proto-Sarkic communities in the geographical area of the Levant. As Scandanavian Sarkites typically use the Low Pantheon, its presence in Asikainen's sermons is unusual. While the Ariav Pantheon is primarily seen as allegorical, the Archons depicted bear an unusual resemblance to the entities worshipped in the Daevite state religion.

The Ariav Pantheon is particularly contentious, as the Archons depicted bear little resemblance to the classical red and black cephalopods of older traditions. Certain sects even regard its attention to detail as a form of idolatry.

4. The "Verdant Archon" corresponds to SCP-000A, known also as "the White Wolf", "Howling Conflagration", and "the Verdant Mage". The Daevites considered SCP-000A to be a progenitor god of power and creation; modern anomalous cultures, however, consider it a non-sentient spring of destructive energy.