Notes: "Fragments of Bal Sagoth also notes that the "savages" carried off the riches and "the favor of Gol-Goroth" when they defeated the great city of Bal-Sagoth. While a specific ethnicity seems impossible to determine, it may be that, if the account describes anything related to reality, that these 'invaders' are related to the 'Children of the Night' legends in the Yucatan, given that Hickering believes that some other 'Children of the Night' legend is associated with the Black Stone, which may bear some connection to Bal Sagoth and to Gol Goroth. How the Yucatan peoples might be connected to the legends involving the monolith in Hungary is beyond me, but perhaps some mystical connection would make more sense of the geography. If this is the case, these sites may be connected to further worship of Gol Goroth. I know that the cultists - Trammel, in particular - seem certain that Gol-Goroth is unimportant and that the only being that matters is Nyarlathotep, but it's hard to be certain of that from the information we have."

"Who do we think the Prisoner of Dagon is, do we know?"

"I have no idea who the Prisoner of Dagon is, why?"

Lev slides over Anemone's notes.

"The theme of cause-and-effect coupled to oceanic imagery, as established in the book’s epigram, is constantly repeated throughout the collection, coupled to another set of imagery revolving around the surface of the ocean being a “wall” and that, beyond this wall, there lies an imprisoned a lying behemoth (referred to as both the “Prisoner” and the “Liar”). The Liar features most prominently in the story “The Saffron Bee”, in which Paul seeks to steal honey from a colony of giant bees whose hive is as big as a mountain in the hope that he can use the honey as a bribe to free the Liar. But “the Liar is held by the lie of false history; of causality that cannot be” and though Paul gains the honey, he cannot find the gaoler. Also, what the hell, Paul Bunyan."

"It's in the book on Axumite cults too--"

He shows Lev where it is in his notes. "The last three dozen pages of the thesis are given over to a detailed symbological analysis of the “Prisoner of Dagon” and the “Wide-Open Mouth”, equating the two figures on a deep level through complicated Jungian metaphors despite the gross differences of their disparate mythologies."

"Paul Bunyan, why are you trying to start an apocalypse? Paul Bunyan makes bad decisions."

"From this, I assume that the Prisoner of Dagon is probably Nyarlathotep."

"We concluded that Nephren Ka and we concluded he might be Nyarlathotep through reference to him being one of seven masks, and the more confusing god identities come up the less certain it feels that Gol-Goroth and Nyarlathotep are definitely 100% separate entities."

Notes: "Paul Bunyan is STEALING HONEY FROM BEES (jerk move) in order to bribe ?someone? (jerk move) in order to free the Liar (WOW, Paul Bunyan)."

"I'm pretty sure Gol-Goroth isn't a mask because Trammel had more information than we do and was very sure they were 100% separate."

"So... in terms of gods we know about... there's Nyarlathotep, there's Gol-Goroth, there's Dagon, there's the Prisoner of Dagon, there's Azathoth... am I missing any of them?"

"Not that I'm aware of; nor do I know most of the names you just said. Though I am surprised you know the name Azathoth, or put Him on the same level as the others you mention."

"It.... looks like the Prisoner of Dagon is also called the Liar which makes me suspect they're the-- oh?"

"I think if we're listing the Prisoner separately we should also list the God of the Black Stone separately, because it feels like the Prisoner might be either Nyarlathotep or Gol-Goroth but we're not certain, and that's technically true of the Black Stone deal. --I am surprised you know that name. I think Berhane said something about not learning names?"

"We don't learn the names of demons, no. Azathoth is a name for God."

"...Uh."

"........uh."

"The books I read about Azathoth... depicted something very unlike God."

"Oh?"

"I primarily know that name because my sister asked me to worship him! And help sacrifice people to his herald! While she was being driven mad by horrible occult knowledge and high on the nectar of a horrifying demon!"

"And I had a vision... the night Carrie died. It's been coming back to me in pieces. But it was huge, impossible vast, filling the sky, and it had an eye... or many eyes? And it was swirling with destructive force. In the books. There's a lot about stars rearranging themselves, or dancing, or winking out one by one. And there was one book about someone that Azathoth chases from world to world to world endlessly. Nyarlathotep was in that one, too."

"I was taught it as a secret name of God, one with power, able to grant me protection through a day and night of prayer. I do not believe He would ask for human sacrifice, though vastness and stars dancing seem less obviously contradictory."

"In the book, Nyarlathotep said that those worlds would be spared from destruction so long as Azathoth's gaze remained on him, and not on the worlds."

"Who... taught you that?" He is doing his best to come across as casually curious and not accusatory or deeply skeptical.