| “ | To begin our seven day feast, we slew the Still and Lightless Beast, and drank of its stagnant blood, submerging the first of the sacrifices in the brackish water it had blessed with its stillness. Maxwell plunged its claws into his chest, freeing the darkness within him, and we waited. And we sang. And we exalted in divine stillness. | „ |
| ~ Manuela Dominguez on the Still and Lightless Beast. |
The Still and Lightless Beast is a minor antagonist of the Rusty Quill horror podcast The Magnus Archives.
It was an animalistic monster of the godlike entity known as the Dark, created to serve the cult called the People's Church of the Divine Host, and aid them in bringing about eternal night. The creature was empowered to its full potential by feeding off the victims of serial killer Robert Montauk, who it killed. It was eventually sacrificed by the People's Church, and consumed by Maxwell Rayner, who used its power to put out the sun.
Appearance[]
The Beast's appearance was difficult to know, as it destroyed all sources of light wherever it went. It was known to be fairly large and have a mouth that was used to snarl. The sound of it banging against a door was described as sounding like wet meat.
Personality[]
The Still and Lightless Beast was an almost entirely animalistic creature. It thought only of consuming more prey and seemed to have no deeper intellect. It seemed to be almost entirely subservient to Maxwell Rayner and followed his every command, including letting him kill it.
Biography[]
The Still and Lightless Beast was created by the People's Church of the Divine Host sometime in the late 1980s, although it was weak at its birth. Using the souls of those killed by Robert Montauk, Maxwell Rayner, the leader of the Church, empowered the creature. Eventually, Robert turned on the Church and began killing its members, so Maxwell sent the now more powerful beast to kill him and his daughter Julia. However, Robert was able to complete a ritual that banished the Beast, saving his own life and the life of his daughter.
Several years later, Maxwell was able to restore the Beast to its former power. Sending it into HMP Wakefield, the prison in which Robert was now trapped, he had the Beast kill the serial killer.
Eventually, the time came for the Extinguished Sun Ritual, and the Church sacrificed the Beast. Maxwell absorbed it into himself and using its power created a stillness and darkness he attempted but failed to spread across the entire world.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Still and Lightless Beast's powers were somewhat unclear. It was supernaturally strong, and could knock down a door, but could also infiltrate a high security prison by only killing one guard, implying some sort of incorporeality. It was nigh-impossible to fight, since any light sources around it were automatically destroyed. Once fully empowered, it had enough darkness inside of itself to cast the entire world into eternal night.
