Asgorath (Dead)

Asgorath more commonly known as Io in the Outer Planes, was the dragon deity of creation. He (or she, as some traditions suggested) was regarded by his followers as the creator of the multiverse and of dragonkind, and he manipulated the destinies of all dragons by operating in a way that nobody suspected his involvement. Asgorath was supposed to encompass all alignments, but was often regarded as neutral, and his holy symbol, an unadorned circle, represented totality.

Some sages believe that Asgorath was an aspect of the World Serpent concept, while others think Asgorath was actually a primordial that had ascended to godhood after the war in heaven.

Description

Asgorath never manifested himself before his worshipers. However, he made his existence felt as a powerful presence in their minds.

Asgorath, however, could manifest physically if he wanted to, taking on the form of any dragon, and even in forms of other draconic creatures, such as pseudodragons. The oldest myths of dragonkind claimed that Asgorath manifested physically only once, during the act of creating the multiverse. Those who believed in this myth believed Asgorath was so huge, that even his scales were larger than the largest mortal dragon that ever existed.

Personality

Despite technically being true neutral, Io transcends the concept of alignment in the sense he contains all alignments within his being. He is simultaneously possessed of the greatest of Bahamut's virtues and the worst of Tiamat's vices. Individual avatars of the Ninefold Dragon are known to manifest as specific alignments.

Divine Realm

Asgorath's home plane is unknown. He is known to roam across the Outer Planes.

Worshippers

Asgorath was revered by dragons of all kinds. He was also worshiped by some half-dragons, kobolds, lizardfolk, troglodytes, humans, and even a few dragonborn.

Asgorath had no enemies among the other gods, because of his neutral point of view. Even those of opposing alignments could find common cause under the banner of the World Shaper.

Dogma

Asgorath cared only for dragons and other draconic creatures, and their continued existence in the world. That means Asgorath could take the side of the dragons if they were threatened by other races, but also that Asgorath could help the non-draconic races to put down dragons who jeopardized the survivability of the race as a whole.

While Asgorath preferred to remain neutral in the conflicts between dragons, if such conflict threatened to escalate, he acted without hesitation to stop it, usually sending a servitor but in rare occasions intervening personally.

Clergy

Asgorath had fewer clerics than most draconic deities, though even the most devout cleric of other dragon gods (and many of Kurtulmak) gave him some homage. Clerics of Asgorath had no hierarchy or fixed dogma; each interpreted the World Shaper differently, worshiping him in one of his many aspects. Red dragons worshiped him as an evil being, while gold dragons revered him as a paragon of good. Those who would become Asgorath's clerics sought to rid themselves of all such biases, though some never succeeded.

Half-dragons who chose to become clerics of Asgorath were usually ascetic priests, while kobolds who worshiped Asgorath sought out to challenge their own racial preconceptions, seeking to judge members of other races, even their hated foes, with objectivity.

Temples

Asgorath had few temples. Shrines built in Asgorath's honor usually took the form of open-air constructions surrounded by pillars and topped with domes. These shrines were placed in open terrain—the middle of a desert, the center of a valley, atop the peak of a mountain, or on a vast, treeless plain.

Rituals

Asgorath's rituals involved the blending of many things in a whole, reflecting Asgorath's own nature. One common ritual involved drinking wine with a drop of blood from each participant dissolved in it.

Prayers to Asgorath were deep and resonating, taking the form of supplication or (for half-dragons) plaintive questions. Although Asgorath never answered prayers, he always listened to them.

History

In the final period of the Days of Thunder, Asgorath was released from her imprisonment, along with the rest of her kin, by the Batrachi. Asgorath would prove to be the downfall of her liberator's entire civilization when she hurled an ice moon down to the surface of Abeir-Toril in an event known as the Tearfall, wiping out the Batrachi and creating the Sea of Fallen Stars. It was this action that finally spurred Ao to clone the planet, giving the original world, Toril, to the gods, and the new one, Abeir, to the primordials. The Tearfall also coincided with the hatching of a multitude of dragon eggs, giving rise to the belief that Asgorath was the creator of their race.

The debate over Asgorath's alignment and nature was responsible for the most far-reaching of the Draco Holy Wars. Every species of dragon and other dragonblooded creatures was certain that Asgorath represented the pinnacle of their particular race. While silver dragons could grudgingly accept the gold dragons' insistence that Asgorath was a lawful good gold dragon, neither could tolerate the red dragons' claim that Asgorath was a chaotic evil red. At one time the resulting wars threatened the entire dragon race with extinction. Perhaps it was the subtle influence of Zorquan, god of dragonkind, but eventually most dragons turned away from the war and from religion in general. It was only after the last Rage of Dragons, that dragons drifted back into religious observance.

Asgorath (Dead)

Dead Power

Basic Information

Pantheons

Draconic

Attributes

Alignment

True Neutral

Realm

Concordant Domain of the Outlands

Portfolio

Dragonkind, Balance, Peace

Following

Worshippers

Domains