ZZ-SOB02 (Jun 19, 2023)
Puzzle
“Initial four states of Blood.”
Knowledge | Research | 1 Word
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: What are (or were) the four stages of Blood thought to be in the past?
Clue 2: Look at the old Greek belief in humours. What were their colours?
Clue 3: Do Black, White, Yellow and Red appear in anything else?
Clue 4: Translate them (or the quality of <something> being that colour) into Latin. That might help. Regardless, what are their initials?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: NACR
Explanation: The first four Bloods, as depicted in alchemy, are Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas and Rubedo. Taking the first letters give the answer.
Summary of Receipt
Mercutio explains the Six Bloods. The first four, Nigredo, Albedo, Citrintas, and Rubedo, are well known. Nigredo (Black Blood) are Demons' blood; Albedo (White, Silver or Bright Blood) belongs to Angels, Citrinas (Yellow, Golden or Xanthic Blood) is the blood of the Planes of Reality themselves, and Rubedo (Crimson Blood) belonged to God. Red was eventually tacked on before Black. Then Secret shared who truly had Rubedo Blood: Archons, Demiurges, and Cold Elders, which sparked the need for an even rarer, mythical blood: 'Ruby Blood', said to be instrumental to theories of immortality, Godhood and the Magnum Opus. It's been unproven, but Mercutio suspects the Shakas are up to something. Regardless, the Kings of Roses are gathering Golden Blood, likely in an attempt to become the Planes of the Otherside themselves - or even new Gods. Which seems pretty extreme, but hey. Fate's dead, the Devil's escaped, and anything goes.
Transcript
Receipt: ZZ-SOB02
Author: Mercutio
Status: Super Secret
Subject: Kings Cult
Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo. Black, White, Yellow, and Crimson. And, later, in more modern magical practice and alchemy, Red and Ruby as well. These are the six states of liquid Blood. Black Blood, belonging to Demon and Cryptids. White Blood (more often referred to as Silver or Bright Blood) belongs to the Angels. Yellow Blood (sometimes referred to as Golden or Xanthic Blood) belongs to the Planes of Reality, and Crimson Blood belongs to God. You might notice that the original four do not include humans. In older Alchemical practices, it was believed humans did not have SERUM/Blood, but we do, and thus “Red” was added and typically said before Black.
So then, what of “Ruby” Blood? Well, for many years, Rubedo/Crimson Blood was considered to be a mythical, perhaps improbable Blood—then, if my research is correct, the Elder Secret shared the, well, secret, of Rubedo Blood, it is Blood of the Archons, Demiurges, and Cold Elders. So, of course, a new, even more, mythical Blood needed to be created to prop up theories of immortality, Godhood, and the creation of a Magnum Opus, so “Ruby Blood” was introduced and put after Crimson. To my knowledge, no one has ever proved Ruby Blood’s existence, but then what other secrets would you two be looking for? Ah, perhaps I’ve said too much.
As for the Kings of Roses, they’ve been amassing Golden Blood, Blood of the Planes themselves, which is troubling, yes. Especially if Rune has truly perfected a method of converting that Golden Blood into Crimson Blood. When Randall Rune was last alive, he had just perfected (or at least had some degree of success) in transmuting Red Blood into Black. So, to say this is an escalation would be an understatement, but we are also living in a post-Fate world where Elders have been killed, and the Devil runs free. Still—the implication is clear. The Kings of Roses don’t simply wish to become the new Princes of Hell. They wish to become the new Planes of Reality or, perhaps, even new Gods.