No, not that kind of meta.

The Xianzhou Luofu

In Annotations of "Ode to Reignbow Path", the first ship to grow an Ambrosial Arbor was the Luofu, followed by the Cangcheng, Yuanqiao, and Daiyu that all possessed "divine trees." In what was probably our first and most notable example of an Abundance Plaguemark that harbored what we now know as a husk/fragment of Oroboros, the Ambrosial Arbor of the Luofu was said to have a "maddened and frenzied" dragon sealed below its roots. At over 8,100 years old according to the Xianzhou Alliance's history, it makes it one of the oldest examples.

In Dan Heng IL's first character story, it describes how there is a "maddened and frenzied dragon" in the Ambrosial Arbor, and Dan Shu's NPC dialogue (before the Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms) also speak of a candle dragon below (also known as the Torch Dragon in the CN version).

To those that may not be aware, it's highly implied that the Ambrosial Arbor may be based on this specific bronze sculpture of what experts believe is the Fusang Tree:

Rising 3.96 meters, this is the tallest bronze artifact ever discovered from the ancient world. The tree has three levels of branches, each bearing three clusters of fruit and perching birds — nine birds in total. A sinuous dragon coils down the trunk. Many scholars believe this represents the mythical Fusang Tree (扶桑树) described in the ancient text 'Shan Hai Jing' (Classic of Mountains and Seas), upon which ten suns would rest. The tree was found smashed into over 200 fragments in a sacrificial pit and painstakingly restored over years. One branch remains missing, suggesting the tree may have originally been even taller. - Sacred Bronze Tree, Chinaheritageguide

This was originally brought to my and many people's attention by Lalody's Lore in her video about Dan Heng and Ren's cultural references, and the museum housing this artifact was featured in a collaboration with Genshin a while ago, which lends a lot of credence to this theory. What's most striking is that, at the bottom, near the roots, in the original sculpture, a dragon coils down the trunk of the Fusang tree. This fits as the Ambrosial Arbor is described as harboring a dragon in its roots not once, but twice. And with what we know now, this may not be a dragon related to Permanence, but a fragment of Oroboros sealed beneath the Arbor's roots.

Planarcadia

Our next most notable example is the Planarch Elwood and the fragment of Oroboros sealed in the Land of Sneering Gods, a pcket dimension within the World in Canvas.

Evanescia's first character story is our first, definitive example of this in action. While the Ambrosial Arbor has yet to be confirmed as having a fragment of Oroboros sealed beneath its roots despite the staggering parallels, the Planarch Elwood does beyond a shadow of a doubt.

In addition, the mythology of the Fusang tree and the dragon beneath its roots is identical in Japan, but there is a mythological precedent that explains Evanescia's existence as a personification of the Elwood.

The shintai—literally, the body of the kami—is an object in which the spirit of the kami resides. [...] The sacred objects in which the kami reside are typically mirrors, magatama (comma-shaped stones), or swords. [...] In its most elemental form, Shintō is a kind of nature worship. At quite a few shrines, accordingly, the shintai is not an artifact but a natural object or landmark. [...] The term himorobi is used in reference to sacred forests or conspicuously large, old trees venerated as shinboku (sacred trees). - “Shintai, Shinboku”: The Divine Object or Tree

She is, in essence, a kami--a divine spirit or god in Shinotism that represent everything from inanimate objects to natural phenomenon. This informs why she takes on a human-like form whereas the Ambrosial Arbor lacks an avatar.

Kronstadt

Now, something that needs to be said about Kronstadt is the fact that details of its potential Plaguemark are mostly unknown, and it's not clear whether it had one or not. It does seem to fracture this trend slightly, but not enough to demolish it completely. In addition, in Arcadia of Mystery & Terror, it's implied that the Express/Akivili "brought" this remnant to Kronstadt eons ago.

Despite the lack of a notable tree, that doesn't mean that hints don't exist that can't point to the presence of Abundance on his homeworld.

In both Letters to the Detective and Stories That Must Be Told About the Boss of Galaxy Rangers, we're told that "fur-clad beasts" proliferated across Kronstadt, implied to have been cultivated by Zulo personally. This raises a discrepancy, however.

In the List of Archenemies, the most prominent example of werewolf-like creatures that exist in-game are known as the Borisin that evolved from a human-like species to become monstrous, said to have gleaned it from a Plaguemark on Old Verdentia known as the Redspring.

While they do align, until we know which Path(s) Zulo was aligned towards/against, the main way that Lord Ravagers create their armies is by infusing other beings with the power of Destruction, such as what almost happened to Jing Yuan and what caused Graphia to become a Voidranger. Therefore, it's not unreasonable to assume that Zulo's armies, infused by Destruction, may have looked more lupine than like the sleek, armored Voidrangers we're used to seeing. Whether Abundance had some involvement in these transformations is wholly unknown.

Mythologically-speaking, Kronstadt's coding skews in roughly two directions: Romanian Brasov when it was under Transylvanian Saxon (Germen) rule, or Russian Kronstadt. While Rodnovery does possess tale of a world tree, Germanic mythology fits better due to the overwhelming Norse coding in Ashveil's design, specifically when it comes to the myth of Fenrir, not just Fenrir alone.

Nidhogg (Old Norse Níðhöggr, literally “Curse-striker” or “He Who Strikes with Malice”) is the foremost of several serpents or dragons who dwell beneath the world-tree Yggdrasil and eat its roots. This is highly injurious to the tree, which holds the Nine Worlds of the cosmos. Nidhogg’s actions have the intention of pulling the cosmos back to chaos, and he, along with his reptilian cohort, can therefore surely be classified among the giants (or, as they were called in pre-Christian times, “devourers”). - Nidhogg

It should also be mentioned that, while Nidhogg isn't considered a Leviathan, its similarities with the Luofu's own "torch dragon" do make the resemblance uncanny, and ultimately connected to this shared trend of world trees/Plaguemarks and the serpents/dragons that burrow around their roots.

Vonwacq

The last planet to be included is Vonwacq, the infamous battleground between Galaxy Rangers and Dr. Primitive, a time of great tragedy wherein Dr. Primitive almost entirely terminated the Galaxy Rangers and forced them to disappear for eons. In the Arcadia of Terror & Mystery chapter, Tingyun and March discuss its similarity to Planarcadia in possessing a Voracity-suppressing Plaguemark and remnant of Oroboros.

In the Sprightly Vonwacq relic set, its Plaguemark is implied to be the Thestang Tree, a tree capable of bearing fruit that begets life. Not only that, but it describes their own "ritual" similar to the Phantasmoon Games that occurs every sixty years on a cyclical basis.

Mythologically-speaking, Vonwacq is said to be inspired by Al-Wakwak, a splendid, mythical island abundant with riches and treasures.

"[The] Wakwak Tree from medieval Arabic lore, which grows the heads of women, animals and fantastic creatures. This legendary tree is said to grow on an island called Al-Wakwak in the Sea of China, which is inhabited by women and ruled by a queen. Other versions mention beautiful women growing as the fruit of the tree, as that’s how the all-female population of the island reproduces." - Wakwak Tree

While the legends of Al-Wakwak lack a specific Leviathan-equivalent, that doesn't mean Arabian mythology lacks their own.

Bahamut is said to be a powerful world-fish creature, a fish or even a whale according to different traditions. It can cause havoc, and chiefly earthquakes. The fish is so big that all “the seas of the world, placed in one of the fish’s nostrils, would be like a mustard seed laid in the desert.” Al Qazwini, an influential scholar from the 13th century CE and author of Wonders of Creation, suggested a modified cosmology to the story my father had told me. At the bottom of his scheme of the universe, an angel holds Bahamut, and at the top the earth or cosmos crowned with the reliefs of Mount Qaf sits on a bull above Bahamut. No matter the sequence and the various layers proposed, Bahamut is a foundation without a base, and this fragile assembly depicts a balance necessary to the stability of the world, from underground (or undersea) to the skies, hell to heaven. “From the moon to the fish,” a Persian saying goes. - Farah Abdessamad remembers the Dead Sea and the myth of Bahamut.

One plot point constantly asserted since the debut of Dan Heng IL's companion quest, The Dragon Returns Home, is the assertion that the changes done to the Transmutation Arcanum resulted in the Semi-Draconic Abomination's uncontrollable creation, and while it was a failure after Jingliu had to put it down, Yingxing does display some hints of "inheriting" its properties. While the means that Yingxing assimilated with it is unknown, as a monstrosity that contained both the essences of Permanence (Dan Feng/Long) and Abundance(Shuhu), it affecting him is incredibly likely.

In DHIL, Character Story III & Jingliu, Character Story IV, we're painted a sketchy if interesting picture that led to this occurring.

During the Sedition, after this transformation, it's highly implied that Yingxing not only transformed before the Semi-Draconic Abomination's death, but that he engaged in battle with Jingliu to the point that she was previously injured from their duel while Yingxing protected Dan Feng. Following this deadly battle, Yingxing likely had been transformed simultaneously as the Abomination had been made, his elevated strength level is consistent with the Draught of Draconic Surge, a medicine that combines Long's blood with that of subjects who imbibed it, especially when it's combined with Abundance-affected Long-life Species like Xianzhou Natives.

This is better detailed in Pharmacological Studies on the Draught of Draconic Surge, Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Collection of Exhibits, which describes experiments that seem to mirror the unique properties of Ren's immortality. In addition, the de-aging that Yingxing underwent is identical to what a scholar named Bernini underwent centuries later.

As expanded on in the Shredded Notes of Scholar Bernini, another aspect of Ren's immortality possibly derived from Abundance and Permanence is the fact that it's constantly asserted how it's only by the power of Long that the Ambrosial Arbor, the pinnacle of Yaoshi's manifested power, which highly suggests the possibility of Abundance being connected to Permanence in some way to create a "balanced" immortality that materialized in Ren.

According to the Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms, Dan Heng IL, Character Story I and Dan Heng's companion quest, The Dragon Returns Home, there exists something known as the "maddened and frenzied dragon," called the candle (or torch) dragon, tied to the Ambrosial Arbor. Whether an actual being or a metaphor, it strongly implies the connection between Abundance and Permanence, as only a High Elder is capable of sealing the Arbor, which is also true of the High Elders for the Hexafleet ships that carry similar Plaguemarks.

As can be read in Pharmacological Studies on the Draught of Draconic Surge, Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Collection of Exhibits, Ren's immortality is both the result of Shuhu amalgamating to him that made him spectacularly more powerful than the average Marastruck whilst this Mara may have been tempered by Dan Feng's essences that caused him to both de-age to be much younger than he was and prevent the Mara from overtaking him completely, like it most Marastuck.

A cage of Voracity

With the curious amount of ties between Abundance, Permanence and Voracity, perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that Voracity would be able to both contain/temper an Emanator of Abundance (Shuhu), to outright consuming it. This was revealed in the 4.3 MSQ, The Lethe Below the Living, Primeval and Other Times .

While this says nothing specifically of tempering Abundance, what it does speak of is the ability to contain it, if in a grisly fashion that speaks more of an attrition than true disposal, let alone termination.

In a way, this "attrition" makes sense. As Ruan Mei explains it in Arcadia Of Mystery And Terror, in an unknown period after the Swarm Disaster when Oroboros was said to have disappeared, like cutting off the heads of the mythical hydra, AHA personally sealed countless vestiges of Oroboros' body, suppressed it with Voracity, and powered it via the Path of Voracity.

In Primeval And Other Times, Ren makes his plan clear: Oroboros will serve as the furnace, Abundance as the iron, and their endless undying would be the hammer that culminates in a cage that will contain Shuhu for all eternity.

Examples by Path:

Of course, it's one thing to simply explain this concept as a whole when there's many examples of this in the story. Here are some I've compiled, but this is by no means a complete list.

Elation

In So Laughed the Masses, Serotonin Exposure Phobia, Asat brags about how he can change the "script", which I believe led to the initial confusion that Elation could uniquely alter fate/the "script" within the fandom recently. The reason for this is fairly clear.

In Scene 999: GAME NOT OVER, through being shown the possibilities of Silver Wolf's future that would've come with the uninhibited use of her lvl 999 Cartridge, we're told that the unpredictable power of Elation has the power to interfere with the "script"/Finality.

Over a year ago in Antinomic Waltz, the simulated AHA did something similar at Screwllum's behest, thwarting Polka Kakamond's Knowable Domain, exerted through her power of probability manipulation that allows her to force order and predictability. AHA, by Elation, was also able to foil it.

Preservation

All the way back in Simulated Universe: Gold & Gears, specifically during Supreme Inorganic: Sanguine Condolences (III), we're told that Dongfang Qixing, the co-founder of the IPC, is capable of keeping things in control through omens--believed to be the visions or whispers of Terminus.

The means by which Terminus is likely traced can be discovered in the IPC Cuckoo Clock and the Broken Cuckoo Clock, which visually appear to be the same cuckoo clock. What both seem to imply is that this is the means by which the IPC tracked and possibly gathered divinations from Terminus, implying that the blessings of Finality alone aren't needed to achieve this. As this was done through Preservation.

The Hunt

During The Discreet Charm of a Streamer Girl, No AHA at Full Moon, Yaoguang confides in Sunday what would've happened if she would've donned the Supplicant's Mask: she would've become a "Nous" through the power of the Hunt, of the unique Spiritus she boasts, and locked in Planarcadia's doom. In doing so, it would've spelled unavoidable disaster.

Erudition

In the Simulated Universe: Unknowable Domain, Genius & Prophecy (II), the Erudition's "version" of the Solitary Waves Theory is the Circle of Knowledge. Within it, it governs what is knowable and what is unknown; in surpassing it in some way, new variables are introduced into the state of the cosmos via the new knowledge gained that can potentially lead to Finality if it becomes too chaotic, matching the Theory's difference between predetermined orderliness or chaotic disaster.

In Fu Xuan's relevant voicelines, she also ponders how gazing into the future in a manner matching the Erudition/Nous has the potential to lock in certain fates. Given how the Matrix was canonly inspired by Nous, it stands to reason that this also counts as Erudition.

Remembrance

Another prominent example was in the Myriad Celestia, Exotale: Scene 8, one of the possibilities was that Cyrene would utilize the power of Remembrance to freeze the universe before Irontomb could actualize and destroy it, completely stopping the flow of time so that it would remain frozen until the end of time.

In becoming the 4th Path that could've led the universe to Finality, this is another example of a Path altering the destiny of the cosmos.

Elio controlling the Script?

As noted in Cat Among Pigeons, The Devil in Velvet, Elio doesn't seem to actively control the script/fate so much as divine the future's many branches and choose pathways for the Stellaron Hunters (and Nameless) to follow for the best outcome. We see this detailed in the "bad endings" where Elio is credited as a Script Supervisor/Screenplay Director, and again in Exotale: Scene 8 that showed us a bad ending for Amphoreus he foresaw wherein Remembrance could've become the 4th Path in the Theory of the Four Apocalypses, a doomsday vision that informs much of HSR's current trajectory.

In The Generative Grammar of Liquid Modernity, So Laughed the Masses, the script being a be all, end all is completely debunked. Simply put, while Elio is an undoubtedly prolific seer, it completely nullifies the idea that he's capable of controlling anyone--let alone the Stellaron Hunters--through his scripts. What they are is a road map to achieve the best possible outcome for a given circumstance, not a locked destiny that controls the people it involves against their will.

Conclusion

To summarize, it's not impossible for Pathstriders of other Paths to potentially interfere with the predictions of Finality/Terminus, or for seers like Elio/the Omen Vanguards to be foiled simply because Terminus isn't the only way to see the future via Finality, as we've seen with Yaoguang and the Eye of Istvara or the IPC and their cuckoo clocks; let alone control destiny itself. Nevermind the fact that other modes can reliably foresee aspects of the future (such as Erudition (Nous) or through diviners of the other Paths (ex. Fu Xuan and her Omniscia (gifted by Nous)).

Absenti as Asat Pramad

Now, one thing I probably won't be doing is covering the bases of Isee = Asat Pramad as I've already done that; long story short, I concluded that it's a possibility, and that the truth will need to be seen. Based on that flow chart, I believe this leaker (and more reliable ones before them) may be proposing that Absenti became Asat, and it's not hard to see why.

As noted in Non-Random Treasure Map and Asat Pramad's Dice (Head) (A curio introduced in the DU's Protean Hero), and recently with the revealed/leaked relic set As Navigator Isee Saw It, for the Navigator's Game Die relic, it displays the same sort of aesthetic we expect of the ring in Non-Random Treasure Map, specifically because it aligns extremely well with the existence of a ring that both functions as game die connected to Asat, and an accessory to wear. More than that, a ring that guides the wearer "through a series of coincidences" towards misfortune could fit the idea of the Navigator's Game Die being both similar to the Ring of Misfortune and Isee's due to its ability to lead the wearer to misfortune, something Isee may have done (as the founder of the Omen Vanguards who seek out disastrous predictions to alert those affected).

However, as well as these three align, I do think it doesn't necessarily and unanimously confirm that Absenti was/is Asat Pramad. But, that doesn't mean there's an absence of evidence.

In Bragi's Resignation Letter, a very curious dilemma arises that came from Absenti: a display of cynicism that seems very atypical of a Masked Fool.

Now, my first instinct was to connect Absenti with Aha's Fables wherein a Mourning Actor managed to find AHA where the laughter ends, so to speak. But, that's where a discrepancy arises: nowhere is it mentioned that Absenti was a Mourning Actor or ever associated with them, which renders the association slightly void in the sense that we don't know for sure if Absenti was the same person who found Aha despite being confirmed for hoodwinking THEM, as it doesn't confirm nor deny the possibility.

As I said in my initial Isee = Asat Pramad speculation linked above, while it does confirm that Aha can be found "where the laughter ends" and that Asat's MO is linked to this fact, it doesn't mean Absenti is the Mourning Actor mentioned; what it does confirm is where and how to find AHA, which Asat Pramad would want to know.

This harkens back to Asat's proverbial calling card, as seen in Data Bank, Lord Ravagers — Destruction:

"Destruction is where laughter ends. It is mourning, not celebration." As a quote straight from Asat Pramad himself, what it does posit is the fact that Absenti existed during "rot and decay" of the Second Prosperity, which could mean the end of that era.

Again, as I put in the hotlink above, one of the reasons I can agree with Isee = Asat Pramad is the era and the timing, as it would fit. However, Absenti existing and being "leaked" as Asat Pramad's "true" identity throws a wrench in that notion due to the fact that he could've also existed before 2148 AE, the era before Asat Pramad invaded Benzaitengoku during the Cindearth Era, as he's said to have been around during the Second Prosperity.

Again, referring to my dissection of Isee = Asat Pramad, so much exists in a name, and Absenti's is no different. If anything, his name could fit extremely well with Asat Pramad, as Asat Pramad can be summed up as "non-existence" (like Absens/Absenti) and "frenzy" that would glue together very well. While it's not a perfect 1:1 in terms of etymology, the closeness between Absenti's name and the word "absens" that has a genitive form in "absentis" likely aren't unrelated, either.

While the existence of these puzzle rings are important to consider (or, the Ring of Misfortune/Navigator's Game Die), whether or not Absenti is actually Asat Pramad may be a moot point. What this does open up is the notion that these puzzle rings/die are inexorably connected to him regardless of form, and that they may be the key in manipulating these specific people.

Ryusuke as Asat Pramad?

Once again, this is not an unfounded idea. In places like Catinbluehat's video of Ryusuke's suspiciousness or Twitter users noting how Ryusuke appeared to be manipulated at some point or another, he's noted both for his potential villainy and being manipulated into it, respectively. I'll go through why I don't think he's Asat.

Within History of Graphia Family and Ryusuke's Work Appreciation (Part 1), it seems to establish a bottom line that Ryusuke is a largely mortal man with traceable origins that don't paint him as an immortal being of any stripe despite how he claimed, to us, that he sought many modes to overcome Himeko's Weathering Curse. As we see in Unraveled for Daybreak, Portrait of a Middle-aged Artist, he turned to any means necessary to find a cure for his daughter.

It could also be considered that this was a pressure point for Ryusuke, and a potential means by which he could've been manipulated. Of course, nothing can be proven as of the current date. If Ryusuke was a pawn of Asat Pramad's, then Himeko being used against him is a possibility, but we don't have definitive proof as of yet.

If this pans out that way, if Ryusuke was a pawn of Asat Pramad, then it's incredibly likely that his desperation to save his daughter could've been used as leverage against him.

Controlling the narrative (Finality)

In So Laughed the Masses, Serotonin Exposure Phobia, a rather curious fact arises: Asat Pramad is capable of interfering with Elio's scripts. But, he's presumably not the only one able to do this.

All the way back in Simulated Universe: Gold & Gears, specifically during Supreme Inorganic: Sanguine Condolences (III), we're told that Dongfang Qixing, the co-founder of the IPC, is capable of keeping things in control through omens--believed to be the visions or whispers of Terminus.

The means by which Terminus is likely traced can be discovered in the IPC Cuckoo Clock and the Broken Cuckoo Clock, which visually appear to be the same cuckoo clock. What both seem to imply is that this is the means by which the IPC tracked and possibly gathered divinations from Terminus, implying that the blessings of Finality alone aren't needed to achieve this. As this was done through Preservation, it isn't outlandish to think something similar couldn't be achieved through Elation, too, let alone other Paths.

(It should be noted, too, that even the Hunt is capable of divining through Finality. We saw this in action when Yaoguang foretold Dan Heng and Blade's fate.)

As noted in Cat Among Pigeons, The Devil in Velvet, Elio doesn't seem to actively control the script/fate so much as divine the future's many branches and choose pathways for the Stellaron Hunters (and Nameless) to follow for the best outcome. We see this detailed in the "bad endings" where Elio is credited as a Script Supervisor/Screenplay Director, and again in Exotale: Scene 8 that showed us a bad ending for Amphoreus he foresaw wherein Remembrance could've become the 4th Path in the Theory of the Four Apocalypses, a doomsday vision that informs much of HSR's current trajectory.

To summarize, it's not impossible for Pathstriders of other Paths to potentially interfere with the predictions of Finality/Terminus, or for seers like Elio/the Omen Vanguards to be foiled simply because Terminus isn't the only way to see the future via Finality, as we've seen with Yaoguang and the Eye of Istvara or the IPC and their cuckoo clocks. Nevermind the fact that other modes can reliably foresee aspects of the future (such as Erudition (Nous) or through diviners of the other Paths (ex. Fu Xuan and her Omniscia (gifted by Nous)).

While seers like Elio are undeniably gifted, their foresight isn't absolute and allows beings like Asat Pramad to interfere with these visions and/or scripts.

What about Isee and Asat Pramad?

This does beg the question: with all this in mind, with Isee's to-be released relic set containing a game die ring with the exact same design as Asat Pramad's head (which implies that Asat may be be able to control its outcome ala the Asat Pramad's Die (Head) curio), is it possible Asat manipulated either Isee or Ashveil in some way for the latter to attain his 'Shadow', as was revealed in Unraveled for Daybreak, Real Holy Laughter?

As others have explained prior, the motivation is present due to the deep and inexorable connection between Voracity and Elation as 4.X has gradually revealed. But, while the motivation is there, is it confirmed?

Simply put, it's not. But, the implication is incredibly interesting. While it's still debatable whether or not Isee is Asat Pramad, him (Isee) leading Ashveil to a 'Shadow' that is largely implied to be a fragment of Oroboros is incredibly suspect. If he (Isee) was actually Asat Pramad or manipulated by him doesn't really matter when Ashveil eventually wound up on Planarcadia, a planet infested with Voracity, well after receiving part of that Aeonic power for himself. (Could it also have been a foretold case of fighting fire with fire?)

Shapeshifting...?

In the Cosmic Date Roaming adventure mission, when Trailblazer connects to Penacony during an uplink, Sparkle is ratted out by Black Swan for impersonating Sunday, a fiasco that is discovered by Robin who is disappointed by this revelation.

In the Simulated Universe, we also learn that AHA once disguised THEMSELVES as a human Nameless and smuggled aboard the Astral Express for a year, culminating in THEM blowing it into two.

Now, the main reason I'm throwing this in here is to bring up the possibility that those associated with the Elation, whether Pathstrider or Aeon, sometimes possess the ability to shapeshift. In doing so, could it be possible that someone like Asat has a similar ability to do so, as he disguised himself as a distorted yellow smiley emoji, Mr. Meanie.

With that in mind, could he have disguised himself as people like Isee in order to lure Ashveil close to the Voracity if he's not Isee himself? We just don't know.

Conclusion

All in all, a lot of this remains up in the air. Based on the conclusions I've drawn and theories I've put forth before, aside from the fact that I highly agree that Absenti could be Asat Pramad, I still don't think Isee is Asat Pramad. As I've stated before, Lord Ravagers not only tend to be connected to the Path they oppose, but it seems unlikely that their personalities change exponentially between who they were before and after Nanook gazed upon them. And with Bragi's resignation, Absenti sounds eerily similar to Asat Pramad, nevermind how him rejecting the Elation fits Asat Pramad's own oppsition to THEM extremely well, whereas Isee has no known ties to Elation.

Ashveil & Tyr

When the gods presented Fenrir with the curiously light and supple Gleipnir, the wolf suspected trickery and refused to be bound with it unless one of the gods would lay his or her hand in his jaws as a pledge of good faith. None of the gods agreed, knowing that this would mean the loss of a hand and the breaking of an oath. At last, the brave Tyr, for the good of all life, volunteered to fulfill the wolf’s demand. And, sure enough, when Fenrir discovered that he was unable to escape from Gleipnir, he chomped off and swallowed Tyr’s hand. - Norse-Mythology, The Binding of Fenrir

In this first part of dissemination, Ashveil seems to have many striking similarities to the Norse God, Tyr, that go beyond this monumental act of binding Fenrir, especially as it relates to Ashveil and his character.

This myth powerfully illustrates Tyr’s role as the divine legal expert and upholder of the law. In the words of the celebrated scholar of comparative religion Georges Dumézil, when Tyr sacrifices his hand, “he not only procures the salvation of the gods but also regularizes it: he renders legal that which, without him, would have been pure fraud.” The gods had sworn an oath to Fenrir, and the guarantee of their intention to follow through with their pledge was Tyr’s hand (or arm – the percentage of the limb bitten off by Fenrir is irrelevant). When the gods didn’t follow through with their oath, Fenrir was entitled to Tyr’s hand as compensation. By allowing the wolf to claim his limb, Tyr fulfilled the gods’ end of the bargain, grisly and tragic though it was for him. - Norse-Mythology, The Binding of Fenrir

In Ashveil's 4th character story, his entire motive revolves around justice, much like this old Norse war god. While there is too little on Tyr to fully flesh out his character, he is known as a god of war, law, and upholding justice that fits Ashveil squarely as someone who not only joined a group completely dedicated to pursuing justice against evildoers, but did it to the extreme that he lost part of his body to that selfsame pursuit. While it's not clear exactly how Ashveil lost his right arm (which, coincidentally, is the same laterality as the one Tyr lost), both god and man sacrificed parts of themselves for the same reason to a monstrous being much like a wolf, honorable even to a monster.

Some centuries earlier, the Romans identified Tyr with Mars, their own principal war god. This connection survives in the modern English “Tuesday,” from Old English “Day of Tiw (Tyr)” (Tiwesdæg), which was in turn based on the Latin Dies Martis, “Day of Mars.”[5] (The Romans’ identification of Tyr with Mars also reinforces the point that he was quite a significant god; otherwise they surely wouldn’t have identified him with one of their own major gods.) [...] But Tyr is far from only a war god. In fact, his primary role seems to be that of an upholder of law and justice. Those Roman inscriptions to him as “Mars,” for example, sometimes invoke him as Mars Thincsus – that is, Mars of the Þing, the ancient Germanic legal assembly. - Tyr, norse-mythology

Mydei & Deimos/Polemos

According to the etymology of Mydei's name and his code name, he's associated twofold with either a Greek god of war (Deimos) or a daemon, Polemos. Deimos, as a god of war, is the progeny of Ares and is often considered the god of war in the Greek pantheon. More than that, while Ares embodies the brutal, bloody aspects of war, Deimos represents the fear associated with it. Deimos also has siblings associated with other facets of war, like his sister Enyo or twin brother, Phobos.

Polemos, as a daemon, represents the embodiment of war and conflict, especially as a divine personification as opposed to just a god.

"Harken! O Alala (War-shout), daughter of Polemos (War)! Prelude of spears! To whom soldiers are sacrificed for their city’s sake in the holy sacrifice of death." - Pindar, Dithyrambs Fragment 78 (trans. Sandys) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) "Many of them [soldiers battling at Troy] dyed the earth red: aye waxed the havoc of death as friends and foes were stricken. O'er the strife shouted for glee Enyo, sister of Polemos (War)." - Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 8. 424 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.)

Polemos and Deimos alone don't encompass the whole of the mythological figures that inform Mydei's design, such as Gilgamesh (or Enkidu), Achilles, Alexander the Great, and so on. But as the representation of the Hunt in Amphoreus, and for the sake of this meta, Deimos and Polemos as concepts relate to the Hunt the most, and especially for Nikador as the Titan of Strife.

Common links in myth

It should be noted that, from the Germanic point of view, there is no contradiction between the concepts ‘god of War’ and ‘god of Law.’ War is in fact not only the bloody mingling of combat, but no less a decision obtained between the two combatants and secured by precise rules of law. That is why the day and place of battle are frequently fixed in advance… So is explained, also, how combat between two armies can be replaced by a legal duel, in which the gods grant victory to the party whose right they recognize. Words like Schwertding [“the meeting of swords,” a kenning for battle], or Old Norse vápndómr [“judgment of arms”] are not poetic figures, but correspond exactly to ancient practice. - Jan de Vries, Gods of the Ancient Northmen, Dumézil, Georges Then shall the dog Garmr be loosed, which is bound before Gnipahellir: he shall do battle with Týr, and each become the other's slayer. - Gylfaginning, Prose Edda Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free; Much do I know, | and more can see Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight. - Völuspá Loki spake: “Be silent, Tyr! for between two men Friendship thou ne’er couldst fashion; Fain would I tell how Fenrir once Thy right hand rent from thee.” - Lokasenna

To those who may have seen a past meta of mine, one aspect of Ashveil's motifs that I touch on is how his motifs encompass the myth of Fenrir, not just the Fame Wolf himself. Of them, Tyr is the god who fits Ashveil as a person the most. But, what parallels interestingly with Mydei is not only the fact that Tyr is a war god, but that he does bear some ties with the afterworld like Mydei. Where Mydei was once thrown in the River of Souls as a child, who can resist dying because of his immortality and strength of will, Tyr spent Ragnarok in a pyrrhic battle with Garmr, the hellhound that guards the underworld, Hel. Considering how Mydei often defies death, it seems to bridge the gap some.

In addition, in the Lokasenna, Tyr is also accused of begetting strife due to his nature as a god of war.

"[Description of the shield of Agamemnon :] And he took up the man-enclosing elaborate stark shield, a thing of splendour. There were ten circles of bronze upon it, and set about it were twenty knobs of tin, pale-shining, and in the very centre another knob of dark cobalt. And circled in the midst of all was the blank-eyed face of the Gorgo (Gorgon) with her stare of horror, and Deimos (Fear) was inscribed upon it, and Phobos (Terror)." - Homer, Iliad 11. 36 ff "As Ares is when he strides into battle and Phobos (Terror) goes on beside him, his beloved son, the powerful and dauntless, who frightens even the patient-hearted warrior : these two come out of Thrake to encounter in arms the Ephyroi or the great-hearted Phlegyes (Phlegyans), but the two will not listen to prayers from both sides, but give the glory to one side or the other." - Homer Iliad 13. 298 ff "So he [Ares] spoke, and ordered Deimos (Fear) and Phobos (Terror) to harness his horses, and himself got into his shining armour." - Homer Iliad 15. 119 ff

As the personification of the very idea of war, Polemos doesn't just mean that it's defined by the brutality and violence that gods like Ares represent. Instead, it can also mean aspects that entail justice and fair trial, which Tyr himself is dominantly attributed to, too.

Parallels in-game

A defining trait that Ashveil and Mydei have in common is defying death, if for different reasons. While Mydei's defiance of it rebels against the madness that gripped his tyrannical father he ultimately went on to slay, Ashveil's is tinged far more with regret and guilt due to his past with regards to Operation Zulo.

In As_I've_Written, Amphoreus' Saga of Heroes.exe, Champion of Strife, and Mydei and Yaoguang's voicelines about Ashveil, the shared theme of self-annihilation is particularly evident in both Mydei and Ashveil. Whereas the former is the administrative notes of Irontomb and the Hunt-coded "electrical signal", the latter is a tacit divination by the very "eyes" of the Arbiter Generals.

Between Mydei's third character story and Letters to the Detective, accusations of guilt are rife in both Mydei's and Ashveil's pasts, especially regarding their failure to fulfil their roles, whether as the would-be king of Kremnos or La Mancha. And because of this aversion, they are derided as kinslayers who expend the lives of others for "selfish" ends.

In The Sun is Set to Die and Tales That Need to be Told on the Boss of the Galaxy Rangers, there's also a parallel between Mydei and Ashveil in how they face a former friend and ally, and how these people still harbor tenderness for their comrade. Though not monumental, the parallel is still interesting.

Outside of that, other similarities between them are interesting to note, such as the animal motifs that figure prominently with them, such as Mydei as a lion and Ashveil as a wolf, two creatures that are commonly foiled across many mythologies across the globe.

Conclusion

Keeping balance within the Circle of Knowledge

During Antimonic Waltz, something that Polka makes known for those involved is her modus operandi: the reason she kills geniuses like those within the Genius Society and keeps them highly regulated within the Circle of Knowledge so that the universe won't tip towards Finality.

In Recluse's Refined Timepiece, this is further elaborated upon by none other than Zandar himself. One detail I find incredibly curious is the fact that Polka seems to have been operation for some time, enough that she garnered a reputation. Furthermore, although the Genius Society is said to have been founded by Zandar with his ascension as Nous' first Emanator, he's not credited with formally establishing it the way Nyul Iman and Harald Punch were.

This much is said in Genius Society: Research Results, and I believe the deliberate founding of the Genius Society was more in part because of them, but I digress. The timeline isn't important so much as how long Polka has been active, which I believe may have been before the Genius Society was even founded.

In Back to Earth in Evernight, Night, Coming Before Dawn Breaks, Lygus tells us the intention behind the creations of Device IX, and why it was founded in the first place.

Now, what's interesting is the fact that there does seem to some confluence between Equilibrium and Nihility that may inform more of Polka's connections to Equilibrium.

In SU: Swarm Disaster, Lepismat System: Massacre Saga VI, Arbitrators of Equilibrium are demonstrated to have the ability to dispatch elements of Nihility like Shadows of Nihility. Device IX, meanwhile, is insinuated to do much of the same on a grander scale.

During the finale of the Penacony MSQs, Farewell to Penacony, Acheron believes that Device IX has the ability to somehow eradicate IX. While the means is currently unknown to us, the fact that it can is highly significant and a predicator of future plots/conflict, and may hint at Polka's connection to Equilibrium.

HooH & Polka

As a last, possible tidbit, in SU: Gold & Gears, Emperor Rubert II was HooH present when Polka made the killing blow to Rubert I, but not to prevent his death. Instead, THEY slightly righted the angle of Polka's scalpel and let her finish.

As HooH rarely, personally appears, while this simply could've been THEIR predicted involvement in Nous' third moment, it may also inform Polka's connection to Equilibrium and how THEY maybe sometimes personally appear in these drastic moments to correct great unbalance within the universe.

High Elders & the Plaguemarks

One of the earliest facets we see of this theory having some credibility is the fact that High Elders of the Vidyadhara--currently the most prolific and visible of Long's Scions--have been uniquely designated as the only beings within the Xianzhou Alliance capable of not only maintaining, but sealing the Plaguemarks.

In Dan Heng IL's companion quest, The Dragon Returns Home, when Dan Heng, Bailu, and the Trailblazer enter Scalegorge Waterscape with the intention of rounding off the last of DH's karmic debts, when it comes time to properly reforge the seals and seal the Ambrosial Arbor, Dan Heng brings to our attention the fact that a High Elder possesses "the power of life" that can reforge the Arbor's seal.

According to Investigation of Ancient Pattern Rubbings from the Luofu, the Intelligentsia Guild scholar known as Todd Riordan made detailed notes while investigating Scalegorge Waterscape on the nature of the Arbor's seals, and how it's an ancient Vidyadhara technology.

However, I should make note of the use of "technology" here. While we commonly associate it with electrical-based tools like computers and satellites, as an example, the word tends to encompass tools, systems, and methods meant to solve problems, usually with a scientific basis. As HSR is a space fantasy, it goes without saying that a High Elder's Cloudhymn spell counts as a form of Vidyadhara technology.

In Dan Heng IL's first character story, it describes how there is a "maddened and frenzied dragon" in the Ambrosial Arbor, and Dan Shu's NPC dialogue (before the Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms) also speak of a candle dragon below (also known as the Torch Dragon in the CN version).

To those that may not be aware, it's highly implied that the Ambrosial Arbor may be based on this specific bronze sculpture of what experts believe is the Fusang Tree:

Rising 3.96 meters, this is the tallest bronze artifact ever discovered from the ancient world. The tree has three levels of branches, each bearing three clusters of fruit and perching birds — nine birds in total. A sinuous dragon coils down the trunk. Many scholars believe this represents the mythical Fusang Tree (扶桑树) described in the ancient text 'Shan Hai Jing' (Classic of Mountains and Seas), upon which ten suns would rest. The tree was found smashed into over 200 fragments in a sacrificial pit and painstakingly restored over years. One branch remains missing, suggesting the tree may have originally been even taller. - Sacred Bronze Tree, Chinaheritageguide

This was originally brought to my and many people's attention by Lalody's Lore in her video about Dan Heng and Ren's cultural references, and the museum housing this artifact was featured in a collaboration with Genshin a while ago, which lends a lot of credence to this theory. What's most striking is that, at the bottom, near the roots, in the original sculpture, a dragon coils down the trunk of the Fusang tree. This fits as the Ambrosial Arbor is described as harboring a dragon in its roots not once, but twice.

In the most recent MSQ, So Laughed the Masses, during Arcadia Revisted does a brief exchange with Dan Heng confirms that his Imbibator Lunae form specifically reacts to the Abundance, further cementing the notion that Abundance may have originally derived from Permanence.

Of course, Amphoreus can't be left unconsidered, either.

The Dragons of Amphoreus

Within Voice of Constellation, "Pillar of Stone" Georios, we learn an incredibly intriguing fact: Georios, the Titan of Earth, once surrendered their body to become the cornerstone of life itself. As we know, Georios is far from the only being said to do this.

In Species of the Galaxy: Wubbaboo, it details how the Leviathans once created life in much the same way that Georios was said to: by becoming a seedbed for living organisms to thrive and grow, while its dissipating life force became Astral Spirits. This shares parallels with the Living Flame(s) of Georios that can be found throughout Amphoreus.

As the first Flame (located in Marmoreal Market) tells us, it was forged from a fragment of Georios' Coreflame, this anecdote sounding uncannily close to how Leviathan life forces created Astral Spirits like Wubbaboos; as we all know, Coreflames are effectively the soul of Amphoreus' Titans.

More than that, as some of DHPT's voicelines indicate, he has effectively become an arc for Amphoreus' fauna, but that's not the most incredible thing:

Again, to compare the powers of Abundance and Permanence, between Chapter 4 (part 5) of As I've Written's Amphorean Saga of Heroes and the Overview of Xianzhou's Materia Medica, a shared ability between Georios' power of Permanence and Shuhu, Emanator of Abundance can be observed: one manifested real fauna from a simulation, while the other brought a dead planet back to life. Both mirror the Abundance, yet both come from "different" sources of power.

Conclusion

I think it's important to mention that the origination of a Path doesn't mean that an Aeon will come from the same place. For example, while Propagation split from the Path of Permanence, that doesn't mean Tayzzyronth was a Long's Scion or related to Long before THEY ascended. In this instance, I genuinely don't think Yaoshi was a Long's Scion, either, but I have reason to believe that Abundance also split from the Path of Peramence, as the evidence is very compelling.

This gives even more context to Operation Zulo and how it was literally a personal vendetta. Moreover, Kronstadt was the hive of Zulo's machinations where he transformed countless people into monsters that became literal hordes that traveled across the cosmos; in the last linked meta also mentions the immense scale of Zulo's destruction across the cosmos, and how this letter furnished a fuller scope of how deeply scarred Kronstadt was by Zulo. How there was nothing left until new immigrants came to patch up a broken world after such annihilation.

With its etymology, there's two possibilities of coding: Kronstadt, a city in Russia, or Kronstadt, the Transylvanian Saxon (German) name for Brasov, a city in Transylvania. Given the heavy mentions of "fur-clad beasts" makes me think of werewolves, ala gothic horror, so I think it's the latter.

I also have a feeling the sender is probably one of the friendlier Rangers like Boothill or Rappa. While some posited the idea of Loretta (one of the survivors of Operation Zulo), I think it might be the new maid-looking woman from the Anti-Destruction Alliance trailer is also a possibility. I do have an idea of who Loretta might be, though...

The heftiest, lore-wise...

The first paragraph seems to connect with the previous letters: Kronstadt was a catastrophically pyrrhic victory that claimed the lives of every Galaxy Ranger involved and resulted in all of them becoming Sin Thirsters, or almost all of them (Tiernan remained in the Dead Sea/Sea of Nihility to act as a ferryman, but ultimately succumbed, too), trapped in the Dead Sea, that we see played out in In Our Time: And on the Eighth Day.

As for mentions of Vonwacq, this also fits because their battles with Dr. Primitive were the inciting incident that led to the Rangers becoming defunct for some time, as many had fallen victim to his Degeneration Flow and turned into monkeys, as shown in the Seat of Divine Foresight's File Repository: Ally — Rangers.

The next is incredibly interesting, too.

Based on the content we have, I actually think this might be hinting at the fact that Ashveil may have jailbroken Yingxing from the Shackling Prison aboard the Luofu, not the Zhuming. The reason I think this, despite prisons aboard the Xianzhou ships all being called the Shackling Prison, is the fact that Yingxing was said to have been incarcerated along with Dan Feng after the Sedition.

During Clouds Leave No Trace & in the achievement, Of Five People Three Are Escapees, it's strongly implied that Yingxing was likely interred briefly in the Shackling Prison, but could have been jailbroken by Ashveil himself. Given the fact that the period after the Sedition and Jingliu finding him is a great unknown, this could be the case.

I don't have much on this, but I do think the One-Eyed Owl might actually be Loretta (as I put in the meta linked in the first paragraph). Not only is she described as a woman, but her vengefulness makes sense given how disastrous Operation Zulo was for the Galaxy Rangers; although, it might also be unlikely given how she may not have lived that long.

I think this might actually lend credence to the idea that Ashveil might have been the Galaxy Ranger who sold Dr. Primitive's robes on Device IX's Dark Web. Or, at the very least, he was likely the one who sold Dr. Primitive's robe on the Dark Web after the operation in Vonwacq, especially as someone likely supporting his Rangers affected by his campaigns and needed money to do so, such as Operation Zulo or their war against Gaius the Usurper, Rubert I/II's successor. This is doubly so, as many believe that Ashveil wasn't involved in the campaigns against Dr. Primitive openly.

This we know from the DU curio The Doctor's Robe, as it specifically says that a Galaxy Ranger sold Dr. Primitive's robes on the Dark Web connected to Polka Kakamond's Device IX.

As for Isee's relic, there's a one I can think of:

So, this one admittedly is a little harder to discern. The High-Cloud Squadron is obviously a reference to the High-Cloud Quintet, and Ashveil canonly befriended Yingxing, one of its members.

Otherwise, I don't think there's anything lore-wise going on with this story.

The Dovebrook Grand Hotel Conspiracy is extremely interesting because it actually precludes a series of events that interconnect. As Ashveil confirms that it indeed happened, what I believe this means is that it's the start of matter involving relics and artifacts of Dr. Primitive, one of the Galaxy Rangers' greatest foes.

In Letters to the Detective, it more or less confirms that Ashveil seized Dr. Primitive's effects during this black market auction, but what's more interesting is what became of them.

A DU curio known as The Doctor's Robe details what became of these requisitioned items, one of which was this robe. As the letter accuses Ashveil of selling Dr. Primitive's effects, what's even more impressive is that he managed to sell them on the Dark Web, an unseen network within the cosmos connected to Device IX, the faction founded by Polka Kakamond and one of the major players against the Theory of the Four Apocalyses. The fact that Ashveil was able to locate it raises interesting implications, especially as Dr. Primitive is implied to be connected to it for now.

This story is in reference to Gaius the Usurper, a successor to Emperor Rubert; based on Ashveil's commentary, he was the one who spearheaded this campaign and led to the Usurper's defeat.

This is also reiterated in the Seat of Divine Foresight's File Repository: Ally — Rangers, which details some of the greatest feats of the Galaxy Rangers, including Operation Zulo.

Interestingly, on the timeline, this campaign against Gaius occurred roughly between 2151-2153 AE, placing it 3-6 Amber Eras after Operation Zulo. As Rubert II had been active before then, and with Rubert II a confirmed resumption of Rubert I, this places Gaius as being active after Rubert II's death.

This one I don't think needs much commentary, but it appears to be an anecdote from Ashveil's days on Kronstadt, perhaps as a Ranger before it became a formal, cosmic group that saw its beginnings during Operation Zulo. Otherwise, it seems to just be fluff.

Based on the proximity of these two stories, they seem to be interconnected and relate to the time before Ashveil joined (founded?) the Galaxy Rangers, and how these beasts were former comrades of his that became bastardized by Zulo's dark workings. Based on the sticky note, one of the Rangers who partook notices that the beast he's hunting was a former comrade of Ashveil's hence the accusation of him being a kinslayer that began before embroiling the other Rangers in this war.

Once more in Letters to the Detective, based on the sender's words, Ashveil not only told them about his homeworld, but that this was a memory of his before Operation Zulo ever began. The descriptions parallel each other exactly.

The Mini Xiyan, holographic NPC located in Aurum Alley also details more of this story, including the epic scope of Zulo's cosmic pillaging that Jade (first section) said rivaled the devastation caused by Irontomb and the Battle of Amphoreus.

Ashveil bears many motifs that reference the moon, such as his hair clips and accessories that feature both a crimson crescent moon and a silver one, interlocked and facing away from each other. While this last story is more sentimental, it does seem to drive home the importance of the moon for Ashveil as a motif for his character, whether it's a full moon or the two crescents.

As Fenrir isn't specifically mentioned to be connected to the moon or devouring it (his kin, Skoll and Hati, are the ones who devour the moon and sun), Ashveil's persistent imagery with the moon (whether red, full, or a crescent of either color) may be a callback to Tiangou, China's version of Fenrir.

As a bad spirit, it is a black dog that eats the Moon. According to the legends, as an interpretation of a lunar eclipse, after Houyi shot down the nine Suns in the sky, he was awarded with an immortality-granting pill by the Queen Mother of the West. Before he could eat it, his wife Chang'e ate it, hoping she could maintain her youth. Chang'e felt her body getting lighter and flew away. Seeing this, a black dog that Hou Yi was rearing went inside her room and licked the remains of the pill. He then chased after Chang'e, getting bigger and bigger. Chang'e, terrified, hid on the Moon. The black dog then ate the Moon, along with Chang'e. After being informed of this, the Queen Mother of the West captured the dog. Surprised to see that the dog was actually Hou Yi's, she assigned him to guard the gates of heavens and bestowed upon him the title of Tiangou. Tiangou spat the Moon and Chang'e back out, and Chang'e continued living on the Moon. - Tiangou, Wikipedia

I previously wrote on Ashveil's imagery as Tiangou and how it connects to HSR's story (let alone how it informs his involvement in the Shuhu Upheaval Period and connection to Yingxing/Dan Feng), but this seems to be the likely reason why he has so much lunar symbolism and motifs in his design and other visuals, like trailer appearances and other official content.

Elio & the Stellaron Hunters

In both the Myriad Celestial Trailer: Fables About the Stars 2 & Theory of Four Apocalypses, Data Bank: Terms, we're told something fairly monumental: the infamous Theory of the Four Apocalypses, we learn that the pivotal conflict to come, the apocalypse the cosmos is hurdling for, was divined by the Omen Vanguards. But, there's more to it.

In 3.6's Back to Earth in Evernight, Traveler, Find Truth Beyond the Illusion, we learn that Elio actually founded the Stellaron Hunters to take a more proactive role against the apocalypse the cosmos is heading towards.

Indeed, as seen in the 4.0 Version trailer, almost all of the Stellaron Hunters possess terrifically high bounties due to the script pushing them towards criminal acts in order to move a sequence of events in the correct direction as Elio foresees, a stern departure. While it could be likened to what the Omen Vanguards were once capable of (such as participating in Penacony's War of Independence), the Stellaron Hunters take a drastically different approach from their seeming predecessors.