Common Names: Azrael (Also: Athanasius, Thanatos, Morpheus, Aisling, Lochan, Summanus, Cian, Nathanael, Ahriman, Alter, Libitine, Moran, Morana, Anubis, Osiris (yes, both names), Krishna, Dumah... names are subject to change.)(Yes, this seems to be borrowing liberally from many mythologies. Don't look at me, look at the people who call him this stuff.)

Gender: Male (It's true that gods are technically genderless. He simply appears as male more often than not.)

Deity of: Death, Dreams, Sleep

Godmark: Like so many deities, his godmark is his eyes. The iris is completely white, ringed with black. The black edge to his iris seperates the whites of his eye from the white where a normal person's eye colour would be.

Note: he is also distinguished by his voice, though he has the ability to change it. Most often, though, he talks like this.

Personality: Capricious, full of eternal amusement at a nasty sense of humour. He can be serious, but his moods change quickly-- if you're a God, you never mature emotionally. He's like the kind of kid who pulls legs off spiders for fun-- wherein you are the spider.

Overall... remember the personalities of the Greek gods?

Yeah.

Calling spell:
There are a number of spells meant to call the master of death and dreams into the caster's presence. Three of these are listed below, each from different sources. Only one of these spells will actually command the god's presence as a true calling spell should.

[doHTML]<center><b>Thee Rite of Talmarath, for Thee Summonyng of Deathe,</b> from the Ebental, an old books of spells
<br><i>Translated from the Middle English text</i></center>[/doHTML]

The Rite of Talmarath is a spell of great delicacy, depending on both the skill and the willpower of the caster. It is said that, should the summoning be performed wrong, the caster will still be priveledged with meeting Death... in Death's own domain.

First, draw a circle of chalk on the floor. This circle will be where Death appears-- do not step inside the circle while the spell is active, lest he take you from life for summoning him so presumptuously.

Take three handfulls of sea-salt and crush it into a fine white powder using your mortar and pestle. Cast the salt along the chalk line, enforcing the circle.

Acquire seven candles with wax as black as night. Space these candles evenly around your circle. Take care to place the candles at least a hand's width away from the white circle itself, lest the wax mix with the salt and break the protection.

Draw a chalk circle around each candle and connect these smaller circles with a line, creating a second ring of chalk around the first.

Wait until the dark of night, when no moon lights the sky. It is best to perform this spell in the night most between the time when the last light of the moon waned and when the moon's light will wax afresh.

Prepare in a bowl the following ingredients:
the ashes of juniper wood
the juice of yew berries
cypress oil
myrrh (small amounts only)

Set a white candle firmly into the mixture and light it.

Light the black candles in a circle, moving widdershins from where you plan to sit.

Seat yourself, placing the bowl and white candle in the front of you, and chant the following words:

Maoth
Maveth
Nephesh te laman
Tsalmaveth
Maoth

As you finish the final word, prick your tongue with a ceremonial blade and allow a droplet of your blood to fall into the mixture in the bowl. Death will be called into your circle until you choose to release him.

To release the spectre, speak the following:

Tho'am
Thevamlast
Namal et shephen
Thevem
Tho'am


[doHTML]<center><b>To Summon Thanatos Oneiro (Death and dreams),</b> From a scroll preserved by re-writing
<br><i>Translated from the original Greek text, compared to earlier translations to form a complete text</i></center>[/doHTML]

Thanatos Oneiro is a powerful if little-known god. {Translator's note: it is believed that T. O. has gained in power and stature since the time of the spell's discovery, esp. with the fall of Hades as ruler of the underworld in this area. However, it should still effectively summon T. O.} His calling is not simple-- do not be fooled by the relatively few components to the spell. The caster needs strength of mind to succeed in summoning Thanatos Oneiro. It is said... {Translator's note: Here, the text rambles off into a story of the madness and misery that befell a man who tried and failed to summon T. O. It is long and not necessary to the spell itself.}

To summon Thanatos Oneiro, you will need the following:
-wood from the Mountain Ash
-a brazier
-two coins meant for Charon {Translator's note: If your area doesn't follow this tradition, you may substitute two coins that have been buried for a month, from full moon to full moon.}
-one vial containing the blood of a grey dove
-one vial containing the milk of a goat who has just had her first kid
-one vial containing the oil pressed from cloves
-a stylus

Place half of the wood in your brazier and light it on fire when the sun goes down. Allow this wood to burn into ash.

Once there is nothing but warm ash in your brazier and all the light has faded from the sky save that given by the stars, take out the three vials of liquid. Open the vial of blood and allow it to pour into your brazier. Speak once the name of the god as you do so. Mix the blood and the ashes using your stylus.

Pour the milk into the brazier. Speak once the name of the god as you do so. Mix the potion using your stylus.

Pour the oil into the brazier. Speak once the name of the god as you do so. Mix the potion using your stylus.

Take the two coins. Using the potion as an ink, draw an alpha on one coin and an omega on the other. Place the alpha coin to your right and the omega coin to your left.

Place the rest of the Mountain Ash wood into the brazier and light it on fire. Speak loudly the following words:

"Thanatos Oneiro, I summon you!"

Whisper the following words:

"Thanatos Oneiro, I summon you!"

Hold the following words in your mind:

"Thanatos Oneiro, I summon you!"

Toss first the alpha coin into the fire, and then the omega coin, holding the name of the god in your mind the entire time.

{Translator's note: this is the end of the spell. Presumably, T. O. will now appear in the smoke from your brazier. Included is a manner to release the god you have called, below.}

To release Thanatos Oneiro from your summoning, empty the contents of your brazier onto the earth and speak once the words, "Thanatos Oneiro, I release you with thanks!"

{Translator's note: studies show that the contents of the brazier may be dumped into a bowl of earth instead of the actual earth, if need be.}


[doHTML]<center><b>The Baskhenet Rite,</b> Taken from a book of compiled spells
<br><i>Re-written and re-constructed in English. The original language is unknown</i></center>[/doHTML]

The Baskhenet is not for beginner mages. It is a spell that requires intense mental discipline, as it calls the God of Death and Dreaming Himself. If the spell is performed wrong, it could have grievous consequences.

To perform the Baskhenet, you will need the following ingredients:
-parchment paper
-red ink
-a quill pen made from the primary wing feather of a bird in the corvus family
-chalk, preferably white
-a red candle, two white candles and two black candles
-a small stone or brass bowl
-earth from a grave that has spent three nights during the dark of the moon under your pillow
-ceremonial dagger

Steps:

1. Walk a circle of protection on the floor, moving clockwise. Step outside the circle you have walked and anchor its power in the physical by drawing the same circle on the floor in chalk, also moving clockwise. Do not step inside the circle from this point onwards. It is where He will appear.

2. Draw a second chalk circle approximately three inches away from the first and fill the space between the two circles with the following symbols: [doHTML][A string of symbols ensues. There are five circle symbols, meant to be evenly spaced around the larger circle.][/doHTML] The circles will contain candles. The largest circle must be on the north of the design.

3. Place your red candle in the largest circle at the north of the inscription on the floor. Place the two black candles in the circles moving left from the red candle. Place the two white candles in the circles moving right from the red candle. Light the candles as you place them in their spaces.

4. Place your bowl down in front of the red candle. This candle is your 'focus candle.'

5. Fill the bowl to approximately halfway with earth from a grave. This earth must have been properly consecrated (you must have slept with it under your pillow for three nights during the dark of the moon.)

6. Write the name of the god on a scrap of parchment in red ink using the crow or raven's feather and set it to one side. Any name you know Him by will work. Some suggestions are Morpheus, Thanatos, or Azrael.

7. As you carry out step number eight, you must chant the following words: I call on my death. I call on my dreams. Repeat them until you move on to step nine.

8. With your ceremonial dagger, make an incision along the vein in your arm. This incision must bleed freely, but be careful to make it so that it will heal and you will not bleed to death-- that is one way the meet this god, but not the preferred way. Allow the blood to flow into your bowl and mix with the earth inside.

Note: if a sacrifice is used instead, they must be of the same race as you are.

9. Take the slip of parchment paper that you prepared earlier and hold it in the flame of your focus candle. Once it is on fire, say with confidence the name that is written on the paper followed by "I call you!"

10. Drop the burning parchment into the bowl of blood and soil. Make sure that all the name has been burnt to ashes first.

11. Repeat "I call you!" until the god appears. If done correctly, He will now appear in your circle of protection. He will be unable to leave until you preform the release.

The release:
Speak the following words:
"Morpheus, you grace me with your presence. I release you from my calling with thanks." (The name used must be the same as the name you've used throughout the spell.)
Lean forward and blow out the flame of your focus candle. Do not extinguish it with a candle bell.

It is best to make some sort of offering to the god at this point, lest He seek revenge for your call.