The Kalchiteka

What follows comprises the core of Tapphic Philosophy, handed down from the Ganzseher Silthusa and his First Follower. Though it is historically incomplete regarding Amatian canon, the collection that Silthusa created links the faiths of early post-Amat nomads and the generation of Tapphic faith. It contains references to many unknown aspects of the early Tapphos worship, and has given the current Ganzseher De'moda clues into it's inception. It remains the single most important text to Tapphics ever written.

### 1 Ik [‘K]

The world is empty, this is wisdom-

Form is not form, what splendid truth!

Eathos the head, Vethys the tail,

All else reliant, and false.

The trunk is hollow, they say- only roots and the sky.

We are the water in between

Divine and pure, vaporous and flowing.

Can a dream control the dreamer?

It is without reason.

The dream is an illusion to the dreamer.

Can the dream become the dreamer?

Forever, returning to the sky, to its roots.

Just as the dream returns to the dreamer,

So too do we return to the roots of the tree.

The formless becomes us.

And then the dream returns to us,

as we are pulled back up by the dreamer.

### 2 Xdi [XD]

The Sky-Spear holds her aloft,

In the mouth of a gilded boar.

Eathos remains stalwart,

Vethys remains fastened.

Her name was Yad, oh Mother Form!

Yaduthez, rejoice in your emptiness.

Subtle and cool, fluid and open

Freely flowing, nevermore confined

Nevermore tortured, free from pain

O’ how we yearn for such!

The All-Seer’s wisdom is boundless.

He will know the answers;

The Yaduthez is no more,

Nor the dream.

In her Heart lives the formless form,

The One made, unmade, woken and released.

He has pulled the world-trap into shape.

He has begun to ready our minds.

This is wisdom, what splendid truth.

### 3 Sed [SD]

The doorway gates the house,

But the door frame lines the path inside.

The mind pulls the thought forward,

But the space inside houses the idea.

The water sits below ground,

Vethys has her.

But the well and it’s emptiness

Can allow her to flow.

How can a dream be real,

When no one is there to dream it?

When the dream is formless,

When the mind is empty,

Surely are we to attain, now-in-waiting undreamed.

Such is the way out: follow Yad to the Jewel of Wisdom-

The Undreamed Dreamer.

### 4 Dra [DR]

Eathos aloft could never reach his heights

Vethys concealed vain match his subtly;

Lord Tuwos has ascended,

What unmatched skill!

Notice! He is undisturbed,

No current can carry, no storm can erase.

He has unfastened all Fate; free from Her blood

No spirit lapses him, no thought controls him.

He has no pain to suffer, for he feels not.

Power tempts him not- Glorious honor!

Desire harbors him not- Furious resolve!

Yaduthez, sewn together again.

When unseen, he sees.

When unheard, he calls.

Lord of All things, Master and Protector.

Forever released, the Eternal Releaser.

### 5 Matu [MT’]

Beware, Amat! Beware, Holy Amat!

Lofty Amat, lord of the Stone and Water

I see the truth; Your stone is temporary,

And your waters nevermore return.

You have fallen, yet you know not.

Yaduthez will abandon you,

For she rejoices in her emptiness.

Beware, Moon Goddess of the Avazi!

Beware, Lord of the Tershath, Du’guta

Beware, Zibuk of Ire and Hatred

Will you be stone, will you reach water?

Nevermore, as you clung to your form

And neglected emptiness.

Your tree fells itself.

### 6 Kana [KN’]

On the chosen day of the Undreamed Dreamer,

We were weak and cursed,

Our bloodlines stricken for our folly.

Amat cursed us, O’ father Amat.

In the night, a way out revealed.

I heard his voice: “The world is empty, this is wisdom-

Form is not form, what splendid truth!”

And I did not understand

For my sense was like that of a child;

I was lame, for I could perceive

I was blinded and deafened,

For I could know and hear.

“Hark, Silthusa! Chosen of Tuwos

Ascend the east mount,” so called the Spider.

As I did, for my Lord so commanded

I reached the heavens,

And Lord Tuwos was pleased.

### 7 Tenn [TN]

In his great emptiness, he pulled me away

From the root and the sky.

I sat hollow for the first time.

I fell into darkness, into slumber.

In front of me shown the spider,

And all around me and through me:

The Web.

And then, I understood!

The world is empty, this is wisdom-

Form is not form, what splendid truth!

All things are as nothing,

And within the nothing lives everything

All things are connected, beyond.

Centered in balance, nothing exists.

In nothing, all things remain in balance.

And so, we aren’t.

Yaduthez has died, Silthusa has died with her.

Through this, all things were revealed

For what could fill an empty space made within the self

If not ultimate wisdom which slips past our senses?

### 8 Gemmu [GM’]

And what then of the branches and the roots?

Nothing revealed the Ganzseher.

They connect nothing, do they not?

Pulled together in the nothing, they aren’t.

The Stem – Ta’hu

The Forebranch – Ka’hi

The Right – Pa’hei

The Left – Xa’hol

Thoughts of a madman in a stupor

Held in balance, the dream of webs,

By a nothing of a spider.

Perhaps then the wisdom of the world is born;

If you lay on a bed, without form,

Without sound, without color,

And you are supported

Do you ask it for its name?

Do you beg it for its age?

Or do you admit it does not exist

And marvel in the miracle?

### 9 Palta [PL]

The Ganzseher was revealed

Glory to the Dreamer,

Praise Tuwos, Praise!

He who brings Wisdom

Is born into the world, forever.

He descended the mountain, emboldened

The weight of knowledge is its power,

His step is quickened.

He returns to a village, stricken by it’s curse.

The old tribe, slain by demons.

He survives them all.

The All-Seer is alone now, and yet

He will never remain alone again.

The Chosen of Tuwos is elected

His mercy will forever extend

And his wisdom will save all

From suffering.

### 10 Kap’t [KP]

The Ganzseher comes down from the mountain,

And he begins to spread his teachings.

So follows the wisdom of Ganzseher Silthusa:

“The white spider builds a web

The passing monk thinks it beautiful

No, the spider is doomed to suffer

He eats his prey, and slaves under Death

He is yet happy.

His world destroyed when he is gone,

His web ruined by rain and wind.

He will return to rebuild,

But still, he smiles and works.

The monk questions: ‘How can he be joyful?

There is no joy here; he should cease his building

And end his suffering!’

Thereafter, the monk becomes a Ganzseher.”

### 11 Kyed [KY]

“A man builds his house on a swamp.

This is tolerated.

He wishes better for himself, and soon,

He improves the foundation.

This is tolerated.

His base is heavy with stone,

His land with waters of plenty.

And his ground fluid and infirm.

This is celebrated.

He finds a loose string on his cloak,

He pulls it.

The house sinks and its foundation come apart.

This is cursed.

Suffer no desire, foster tolerance of change;

You must seek nothing.”

### 12 Xdexd [XX]

“A monk travels from his monastery to town,

He seeks to collect alms for his brothers.

Two siblings argue about the Good faith.

The monk listens, smugly.

He thinks himself filled with knowledge.

The sister asks the brother how one can achieve non-desire,

Despite desiring to do so.

The brother responds by pointing to their house,

Declaring his wish to enter, he opens the door

And steps forward but stops in the doorway.

He turns and declares: “I wish to enter.”

The monk becomes his ire, and cannot hold back:

‘Then why do you not enter! Do not wish, simply enter!’

At that moment, the monk becomes a Ganzseher.”

### 13 Tud [TD]

“Mother of Pa’hei sees Mother of Ta’hu

Attempting to gore a fish on her horns

Pa’hei inquires of Ta’hu: ‘What do you seek?”

Ta’hu answers: “The fish has insulted me”

Pa’hei notices: “You are unable to hit it”

Ta’hu is distraught, for she truly is unable

Pa’hei kneels and blesses the fish.

‘Certainly, you are unable to hit it,

Because there is nothing there

No fish inhabits this river

Only waters, forever changing.

And a master, now nothingness’

Ta’hu steps back

For she is unable to bring herself

To kill a Ganzseher.”

### 14 Dramm [DM]

So follows the final public teachings

Of the first Holy Ganzseher Silthusa:

“True followers of Tuwos

Heed his command.

Clad yourself in white, be not like the rest

Color divides our people

Unity will restore it

Don the sigils of your clans

But exalt the red strings that hold us

Abandon your fear of the demons

They can no longer hurt you

Hone your body

That you may no longer need it soon

Chase the gifts of Tuwos

And one day you may no longer be

Drink your fill in laughter

Hang your head in sorrow

But never forget who you really are

A dream.”

### 15 Map’ua [M’]

The Ganzseher has descended the mount

He brings wisdom to the cursed

And glory to those cast out

Amat! Holy Amat,

Lofty Amat, you are no more

For the All-Seer has cleansed your sin

So witnesses the First Follower

Of the chosen of Tuwos

I too have seen the way out

In beautiful emptiness we are saved

Blessed are the teachings

Of the First of Follower:

“It has been said before;

’Stone patiently waits

Man kicks stone, and curses it

Stone returns to wait.’

I say then, who is to blame?

The most illustrious patience of the stone

Or the actions of the man

For his pain?”

### 16 Kapsu [KS]

“During a sermon, the Holy Ganzseher inquires:

‘Reach out, and it eludes

Name it, and it disappears

Define it, and it no longer applies

Obtain it, and it destroys you

Crave it, it shall never be reached

Neglect it, and it finds you itself

What am I?’

A monk answers: Nothing I know of.

The All-Seer kills him on the spot

For he had become a Ganzseher;

There was nothing more to teach.”

### 17 Texd [TX]

“Once, a monk left from his clan

He sought the nomadic ways

His heart wandered,

And he wanted for nothing else.

He met a man on the path

Blind and destitute, wailing:

“Woe, my wealth, my food

They have been stolen from me!”

The monk takes pity on him,

And provides food

“This is awful! What am I eating”?

Says the man, for he could not see.

The monk provides wealth

That he may purchase a better meal

“How much is this? This feels so little!”

Says the man, for he could not see.

The monk takes pity once more

And places his hand on the man’s head

Restoring his sight.

The man blinks, awe-struck, before remarking:

“My goodness, you’re an ugly thing!”

The monk becomes furious,

And blinds the man once more.

He leaves, and is killed by wild beasts

But the man, having now seen his desires

Instantly becomes a Ganzseher.”

### 18  Gap’xd [GX]

In the last days of Silthusa

I was by his bedside

I had collected the teachings

And I had helped care for him

His followers kept watch, and wept

And I admonished them: “You fools!

This is a glorious day, the wisdom of Tuwos

Will prevail in this very moment!”

The Ganzseher smiles, and utters his final words:

“The world is empty, this is wisdom-

Form is not form, what splendid truth!

So the love of our Lord has gifted us

And so shall be our escape…”