The Leontocephaline
The Leontocephaline is a being created by Mithras, the Persian god, to guard his immortality.
History[]
Mithras, their creator
The Leontocephaline was a creation of Mithras. He was tasked with overseeing the movement of the stars and the phases of the zodiac in Mithras' name. The Leontocephaline was also the keeper of Mithras' great scepter of immortality, which has unfortunately been lost for eons.
At an unknown point in time, the Leontocephaline was employed by Triumvirate Holdings, and was placed in charge of guarding Nero's fasces.
The Trials of Apollo[]
The Tower of Nero[]
The Leontocephaline is mentioned briefly by Jason Grace in Apollo's dream. Jason warns the former god to beware Mithras' servant, and that there is a price for bargaining with the guardian of the stars. It appears for the first time in person when Apollo steered his dreams towards the fasces after being locked up with Luguselwa. He explains wordlessly who he was, and what the price for the fasces would be.
Later on, he is confronted off-screen by Luguselwa who has gone to retrieve Nero's fasces. He agrees to give the fasces to her in turn for her immortality, which she only has through her connection to Nero, essentially trading Nero's immortality away for Nero's immortality. The Leontocephaline follows through with the shady trade purely out of amusement.
Appearance[]
The Leontocephaline has a humanoid body that was seven feet tall. Patches of gold fur covered his muscular chest, arms, and legs. His feathery white wings were similar to a wind spirit of Zeus or an angel painted by a Christian. His face, however, was the shaggy-maned visage of a lion, his ears rimmed with black fur and his mouth had fangs and a panting red tongue. His huge golden eyes radiated a sort of sleepy, self-confident strength. The slithering body of a green serpent, without a head or tail, encircled his body from ankles to neck.
Trivia[]
- The name "Leontocephaline" means lion headed.
- Its appearance is believed to be of Arimanius, a demonic yet obscure figure in the Zoroastrianism.[1]
- Some people associate the Leontocephaline with the Demiurge from Gnosticism. The Demiurge, or Yaldabaoth, is an evil god who created the physical universe but is only a lesser deity to the true God.[2]