Tanin'iver

Tanin'iver is an evil demonic cosmic dragon-like entity and steed of Lilith that expounded in the Kabbalistic teachings of Moses Cordovero and subsequent writings based on his system.

Overview
Tanin'iver is an ancient abyssal creature born from Ayin who became the steed of Lilith, so he is considered a mechanism by which evil is activated. Though Tanin'iver is castrated (echoing a fable about the Yetzer ha-Ra), he is still the catalyst for the coupling of Lilith with Samael, a union that brings pestilence and suffering into the world.

Tanin'iver was also responsible for cursing Gadreel with the title of the "Silent Sentinel" due to preventing the angel from alerting the other angels. Tanin'iver received a terrible wound from Gadreel during their brief scuffle, one which never healed and earning Gadreel a terrible hatred from the evil cosmic beast. But perhaps his greatest rivalry is with Maera, the Night Hound of Lailah.

Powers and Abilities
Tanin'iver has been summoned to draw the untapped resources of dark power within the summoner.

Origins
Originally Tanin'iver was one of the demonic children born from the being of destruction known as Ayin, the literal opposite of God. He was made alongside his brothers with the purpose of fighting God, however they all lost and were sent to Hell.

Tanin'iver was blinded by the light the moment he was exposed to creation when emerging from the darkness, thus owing to the meaning behind his name as the "sightless" or the "blind dragon". He made his way to Earth but could not go near the borders of the Garden of Eden in fear of being destroyed by its guardians. Afterwards, he resided in the realm of Sheol where he feeds on the souls of the wicked.

Meeting Lilith
In the torturous realm of Sheol, Tanin'iver waited and waited for many years for something to happened. This would stay until Tanin'iver encountered Lilith as she laid by the Red Sea in Hell, banished from the Garden of Eden by God for refusing to submit to Adam. Lilith was both curious and fascinated by this creature, seeing that it was neither angel nor beast native to Heaven and Eden, and beckoned it with her song. Tanin'iver was lulled by Lilith's song, a melody that held a harmonic discord which was said to have "reshaped" his form to suit Lilith's needs. As a result, he became a loyal companion and steed.

Afterward, Tanin'iver informed Lilith of the angel Samael's banishment from the Mountain of God and led her towards him. Tanin'iver's hand in having Lilith meet Samael led to the impending creation of plagues and darkness among the Earth as well as the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.

Original Sin
Tanin'iver remained with Lilith by the Red Sea, until they saw Lucifer and Samael approaching them sometime after the War in Heaven and were on their way to the Garden of Eden. Lilith and her steed joined the two fallen archangels on their quest to strike back at God and to pay back her debt to Lucifer for freeing her from Adam's presence. The four would only make their move at the hour the angels go up to worship God.

The four saw the angel Gadreel guarding the gates of Eden. Lucifer then conjured several stars, threw them across Gadreel's line of view and commanded them to dash around him like hyperactive fireflies, briefly disorienting the angel. Following this, Lilith commanded Tanin'iver to lunge towards Gadreel and subdue the angel by the throat, preventing him from alerting the other angelic gate guardians. This gave Satan and Lilith the opportunity to sneak into the Garden of Eden undetected by Gadreel and the rest of the angels. Tanin'iver, however, was wounded by Gadreel during the scuffle and drove the beast away. Nonetheless, the deed was done, and Tanin'iver wove a cloak of darkness over Lilith and Samael to cover their escape from the angels.

When Hell was established as a monarchy, Tanin'iver remained by Lilith's side ever since as her noble steed. Although he retained the wounds he received from Gadreel, prompting to have a visceral hatred towards the former angel. But such hatred is only second to the rivalry he has with Maera, the Night Hound of Lailah, archangel of the night and Lilith's archenemy.

Battle for the Messiah
Tanin'iver and Lilith were involved in the attempt to devour the infant Jesus on the night of his birth. As the infant messiah lay sleeping in his crib, Tanin'iver shrouded the barn of where he laid in darkness with the only known light source being Jesus himself whose radiance disturbed the beast and Lilith. Tanin'iver would compress the light of Jesus enough to have the Lilim get close and dismember his body before feeding it to Lilith. However, the Lilim were intercepted by the three angels, Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof, quickly slaying them with Lilith personally battling Lailah over Jesus and Maera with Tanin'iver. While the blind serpent fights the hound fiercely, he could not defeat him.

The battle ended when Tanin'iver was defeated by the three angels and Maera; the wolfhound clamped his jaws against the lapel of his neck with all his might, Senoy pinned his right wing with his spear, Sansenoy pinned his left wing with his sword, and finally Semangelof pinned his back with a "rope of salt" paralyzing him, all while most of the Lilim were destroyed or cast out. When Lilith was forced to admit defeat, she retreated alongside Tanin'iver. The beast would be scarred by Maera and the angels' attacks as an eternal reminder of not just his defeat but also as a motivator to increase the boldness and ferocity of his and Lilith's spiritual attacks upon sons and daughters of Adam, and to extinguish the excruciating light of Heaven.

Myths and Legends
For a long while, Tanin'iver's true origins were a mystery with two theories of where he came from. One was that he emerged from the Abyss shortly after the creation of the Garden of Eden while the other was that he was in fact a piece of Tiamat that was severed during her children's assault upon her which fell into the Abyss.

Quotes

 * "Tanin'iver Liftoach Nia!" - A chant revolving Tanin'iver.


 * "Where the opposites meet and there is nothing and everything. The path to Sitra Ahra." - Tanin'iver.


 * "So the rumors are true, the lord of the Knights of Hell has betrayed us." - Tanin'iver to Sparda.
 * "Tanin'iver, the dragon steed of Lilith. I really shouldn't be surprised that you would be here." - Sparda's reply.
 * "Silence, traitor. You are not getting away, this place shall be your grave. There is plenty of room to get real nasty here." - Tanin'iver
 * "Getting away, please. I am not going anywhere but forwards. Besides, there's no place to go, look around. I am here to stop a war, by stopping the cause of it. So come one, you obedient steed. After you, I am going after Lucifer next." - Sparda before Tanin'iver attacks him.


 * "Tanin'iver was once a fearsome demon dragon who devoured the wandering shades of Sheol until he was defeated by Lilith after she left Adam. And by dragon customs, when a dragon is defeated by someone of the opposite sex, they will have to either become their defeater's wife or servant. Thanks God he chose the later, I couldn't imagine what kind of abomination would the two's union brought forth." - Matt Wright.


 * "The Herald, the Harbinger, the First Wyrm - the prophecies disagree on the specifics but all state that the Tanin'Iver will bring sin and disease into the world. A demon lord, a cruel god, a mortal tyrant - whatever it serves, the fact remains that the beast itself is a horrible monstrosity. A great, blind dragon with skin that constantly rots and reknits itself, it slumbers beneath the earth, waiting for the clarion call from the dark forces it serves. Its eventual awakening will shake the Dungeon World and herald something even more sinister in the future. Instinct: To bring evil into the world."

Trivia

 * In the Apocalyptic literature, Tanin'iver is a dragon of monstrous dimensions in Sheol that feeds on the souls of the wicked.
 * It is believed that Tanin'iver's appearance would herald the coming of a great evil.

Image Sources

 * (The Unlocking And Dissolution Of The Blind Dragon Tanin'Iver.jpg) The Unlocking And Dissolution Of The Blind Dragon Tanin'Iver by depravARTS
 * (Kerim-akyuz-blinddragon.jpg) sketch blind dragon by Kerim Akyuz
 * (Tanin'iver.jpg) Tanin'iver by vuthatora
 * (Sigil of tanin iver the blind snake by daemon barzai ddh3yiq-fullview.jpg) Sigil of Tanin'iver: The Blind Snake by Daemon-Barzai
 * (Tanin'iver Liftoach Nia.jpg) Tanin'iver by Satanized218