Fygul Cestemus

Kunpaetku and the Fygul Cestemus cult

Fygul Cestemus (Japanese: フィグル・セステムス, Hepburn: Figuru Sesutemusu) was the organization responsible for the creation of Astaroth, Lizardman and their various incarnations. The High Priest of Fygul Cestemus is Kunpaetku. The cult serves Ares, the God of War. Fygul Cestemus has its own language, although very little is known about it; however it is known that "Astaroth" means "Creature Resembling a New Human Being" and that "Gyulkus" means "The Way of Defense". The Palgaea Shrine has lava, and Kunpaetku Shrine has poisonous gas.

Doctrine

"All is part of a cycle of destruction and rebirth. Resisting this cycle will disturb the balance of the cosmos and bring an end to existence itself. That is true oblivion. Remember: humans are born, and humans die; and what is true for the individual is true too for humanity as a whole, and even the world. Thus, it is our duty to end the stagnation of this age by destroying the world."

The primary article of their faith is to prepare the world for its destruction by their god, and working towards bringing this "Great Cleansing" to fruition. According to their teachings, they too will die as they help complete this destruction, and in the end, even the gods will be destroyed before the cosmos is born anew.

In recent years, however, some members have begun to believe that it is their sacred mission to personally assist in the world's destruction. In addition, the number of adherents who believe they will be spared during the Great Cleansing is increasing. This has created a split within the organization, and debates between priests on this topic have grown more and more intense—often sparking off power struggles within the cult's hierarchy.

History

Members of of the cult worship Palgaea the Executioner. They use a word roughly translated as "executioner" to refer to their deity, whose true name has been lost for centuries.

The cult's origins stretch back over two millennia to a local religious sect that arose on the coasts of the Black Sea. This would later etch itself into history as an element of Greek mythology. However, the beliefs of the Guardians of Truth had already developed long before being incorporated into Greek myths, and the core element of their belief—rebirth from destruction—remained pure as their numbers grew. However, in order to escape persecution, adherents fled underground. Despite having vanished from the face of history, the cult survived into the 16th century, and their philosophy became more and more sophisticated as it adopted ideas from Asia.

The deity they worship is called Ares by the Greeks, and the god's domains are war and ruin. Recently, the Guardians of Truth have expanded into the Middle East, and the destructive side of their patron deity has become more and more prominent. The snake imagery—symbolizing renewal—that adorns their temples was likely inherited from another belief system.

Though initially divided into numerous sects, pressure from King David's influence caused them to gather into one united cult under the name of Fygul Cestemus around 1000 В.С., whereupon they also agreed to refer to their god as Palgaea. They then began recruiting new members, preaching that all things were fated to repeat the cycle of destruction and rebirth. The cult poured an increasing amount of effort into destructive activities, hoping to bring about their god's main destructive event, otherwise known as the "Great Cleansing". Whether or not the priests themselves would be spared from the Great Cleansing was a point of contention among the followers of Fygul Cestemus, and was the main cause of most of the power struggles threatening to destabilize the cult.

Soul Edge and Astaroth

Fygul Cestemus managed to avoid the large-scale religious wars that rocked the Middle East and Europe by hiding themselves underground, carefully preserving their rituals and teachings. The major turning point for Fygul Cestenus came in 1583, which the group calls "The Year of Saturn's Crimson Serpent", when they succeeded in summoning the spirit of their god Palgaea. Their god ordered them to find the sword known as Soul Edge, and it was for this purpose that Fygul Cestemus first created the golem named Astaroth. They sent Astaroth out into Europe to search for Soul Edge, but Astaroth broke free of their control and returned to destroy a number of their temples. It took Fygul Cestemus over a decade to recover from the losses they suffered at Astaroth's hands.

Astaroth's Rampage

Astaroth's rampage at the end of the 16th century sparked in-fighting within Fygul Cestemus on a large scale. The priests representing the sun, moon, Mercury, and Venus were all killed, while the High Priest went missing. With such a large void in the chain of command, the remaining priests were at each other's throats. When the dust settled, it was the planetary priests of Venus and Mars, Kalnypolok and Kalnypalk, who had claimed ultimate authority. The half-siblings had always approached the cult's beliefs from a more destructive angle, and murdered the planetary priest of Saturn, their only remaining rival. They also began systematically eliminating any followers who did not agree with their interpretation of their god's teachings. This phase of unrest within Fygul Cestemus was suppressed with the return of the High Priest Kunpaetku, though Kalnypolok and Kalnypalk continued to cause trouble every now and then. Kunpaetku quickly assigned new planetary priests, and focused on reclaiming some of the knowledge and technology that had been lost.

Role in the Soulcalibur Games

Soulcalibur Legends

Non-Canon

According to Soulcalibur Legends, Fygul Cestemus was able to create Astaroth α after extensively researching Evils. Fygul Cestemus had two main bases of operations, one in a cathedral in northern Europe, and the other in the Himalayas. Their European headquarters were infiltrated by the Holy Roman Empire after Siegfried Schtauffen arrived at the cathedral to slay Fafnir. After entering the cathedral, Siegfried came across a prototype Astaroth, who he fought and later recruited. Siegfried and his allies infiltrated the Himalayan base in search of Iska Farkas's former alchemy professor, who was also Leonardo's former student.

Soulcalibur

Prior to Soulcalibur, Ares ordered Kunpaetku to acquire Soul Edge. Fygul Cestemus then created yet another Astaroth, who set out to find the cursed blade. Astaroth, learning of the blade's crippled state, decided to help the Azure Knight, Nightmare, complete the blade by collecting souls. Astaroth was planning to betray Nightmare and take the blade for himself, but before he was able to, he was killed by Kilik, Maxi, and Xianghua, who sought to destroy Soul Edge.

Also prior to Soulcalibur, the Evil Seed caused the Greek warrior Aeon Calcos to go insane and slaughter an entire village of people. Kunpaetku, hearing of this vicious warrior, had Aeon Calcos captured and experimented on, eventually turning the warrior into a Lizardman. Aeon was ordered by the cult to capture Rock's son, Bangoo, so that his soul could be stolen. While Aeon was helping Astaroth retrieve Soul Edge, Rock tracked down and defeated Aeon.

Soulcalibur II

After Astaroth's defeat at the hands of Maxi in Soulcalibur, Ares resurrected Fygul Cestemus's infamous war golem. This time, however, Astaroth was infused with shards of Soul Edge, making him more powerful and ruthless than before. Astaroth then set out to fulfil the wishes of the cult yet again.

A generic Lizardman appears in the console versions of Soulcalibur II, and they are stated to be agents of Fygul Cestemus. They wield a short sword and shield known as "Gyulkus Weapon".

Soulcalibur III

Astaroth, controlled by an agent of Ares known as Ker, went rogue, and after Kunpaetku tried to regain control over Astaroth, the angry golem returned to the lair of Fygul Cestemus to wreak havoc. Much of the temple was destroyed, but Kunpaetku managed to escape, only to later be killed by Maxi. After his violent rampage, Astaroth roamed the temple in search of answers relating to his past.

Aeon Calcos also returned, this time wielding an axe rather than a sword. In Soulcalibur III, Aeon is free of the sect's control, but he still seeks to regain his human form.

In Soulcalibur III, the characters face off against one of the few remaining members of Fygul Cestemus, an Assassin wielding a kunai.

Soulcalibur IV

Astaroth and Aeon Calcos appear in Soulcalibur IV, as well as a new character, Ashlotte. Ashlotte was a mechanical golem created by two of the few remaining priests of Fygul Cestemus, and her sole duty was to kill Astaroth, the cult's first major golem, for his attempted destruction of the sect. Ashlotte then sets out to slay Astaroth and bring back his dead body for proof of her success.

Kunpaetku Shrine appears as a stage in Soulcalibur IV, with a number of Lizardmen standing around a circular stone island. Also featured at either end of the stage are a pair of walls that are host to what could possibly be torture devices, or perhaps golem creation devices.

Organization

Fygul Cestemus boasted a great many followers, and the cult was managed by the authority of a High Priest and approximately 40 priests. The seats are named after the seven bodies that orbit in the heavens: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Earth, which sits unmoving at the center of the cosmos, is the symbol of the Grand High Priest who stands at the top. In addition to these, at least twenty low priests have been confirmed, each of these assigned to a planetary priest and who ere charged with various administrative duties. The planetary priests hold differing ideologies, and struggles for power between them and their factions are constant. The cult does not gather at any single location, so determining their exact number is likely impossible.

Structure

• God: Palgaea
• Grand High Priests:
  • Earth - Kunpaetku, the Great Seer
  • Giuseppe

• Planetary Priests (Pre-Soulcalibur V):
  • Sun - Gulmpanisty, the True Shepard
  • Moon - Tepyone, Daughter of the Silver Wheel
  • Mercury - Arpylnia, Eye of the Archer
  • Venus - Kalnypolok, the Silent
  • Mars - Kalnypalk, the Dancer
  • Jupiter - Jyspekult, the Merciless Judge
  • Saturn - Azpelku, the Newly Blessed

• Planetary Priests (Soulcalibur V)
  • Sun - Syjune
  • Moon - Alzbylz
  • Venus - Kalnypolok
  • Mars - Kalnypalk
  • Mercury - Getyelpa
  • Jupiter - Jyspesuul
  • Saturn - Elamulnyt
• Low Priests
• Other members

Creations and Experiments

• Astaroth (the original)
• Lizard Men (Including Aeon Calcos)
• Ashlotte
• Keres
• Mass-Produced Astaroths
• Automatons

Shrines

• Palgaea Shrine
  • The Edge of Chaos (also called "Palgaea Shrine") - Soulcalibur
  • Palgaea Shrine - Lowest Level - Soulcalibur II
  • Palgaea Shrine - Ruins - Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition
  • Grand Shrine of Palgaea - Sea of Decay - Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
  • Shrine of the Snake God Palgaea - Soulcalibur V
• Kunpaetku Shrine
  • The Edge of Chaos (Dark) (also called "Kunpaetku Shrine") - Soulcalibur
  • Kunpaetku Shrine Ruin - Soulcalibur III
  • Kunpaetku Shrine - Dream Remnants - Soulcalibur IV
  • Kunpaetku Temple: Serpentine Banquet - Soulcalibur VI

Language

The language used by the cult can be divided into two main categories: spoken and written.

The formal language, known only to high-ranking priests, is divine speech used for holy communication with their deity. Thus, it is only spoken aloud during ceremonies. Uttering any words in this language outside of these rituals is a sin punishable by death. Only the formal language has a written form.

The simplified common language is used for initiations and other events administered by low-ranking priests. However, the formal language is employed for more important rites, like inducting new priests into the clergy. It can be assumed that over time, ease of comprehension was given priority over formality. Evidence of this is found in the fact that some ritual words now borrow from simpler words with similar meanings, and the grammatical structure is as a whole less complex than the formal language.

The formal language is intricate, and the vast majority of low-ranking priests now only know the common language, which is used even for oaths inducting new priests.

Most members of the cult do not even know the common language, yet all act in accordance with the group's precepts.

Upper Priest Language	Upper Priest Language in Katakana	Lower Priest Language	Lower Priest Language in Katakana	Meaning
py glkks estes mnz	ピグルクセステス・ムンズ	Fygul Cestemus	フィグル・セステムス	"The Guardian of the Normal Stream" or "The Guardians of Truth"
py argria	パルグリア	Palgaea	パルギア	Executioner
kyumm mrl py eltzk	キュムメール・ペェルツゥク	Kunpaetku	クン・ペトクー	The Great Seer
Gilk mnz py anrtzia	—	Gulmpanisty	グルムパニスティ	The True Shepard
Tur py al nei	—	Tepyone	テピオネ	Daughter of the Silver Wheel
Ard py lzl mnzia	—	Arpylnia	アルピィルニア	Eye of the Archer
Krr lny py olrqk	—	Kalnypolk (also translated as "Kalnypolok" and "Kalnipohlk")	カルニポロク	The Silent
Krr lny py alnqk	—	Kalnypalk (also written as "Kalnipahlk" in Soulcalibur VI)	カルニパルク	The Dancer
gyst py qlstz	—	Jyspekult	ジスペクルト	The Merciless Judge
Azr py elfk	—	Azpelku	アズペルクー	The Newly Blessed
Azr Ss Trzaous	アズ・ストゥルサ・ウロウス	Astaroth	アスタロス	A creature resembling a new human being
klsdf py gyst	クルスドゥフ　ピィギュスト	Kulutues	クルトゥエス	Merciless Destroyer
glkks	ギュルックス	Gyulkus	ギュルクス	Battle (to protect the temple)

In the Japanese version of the games, many of Astaroth's moves are written in Upper Priest language. The English names aren't always a direct translation, however; Astaroth's Eternal Damnation attack is originally called Azr py argria (アズ・パルグリア, Azr py argria^?) in Japanese. Azr means "new", and py agria is Palgaea (which means "executioner").