Apsu

I shall protect, for I am Apsu. I shall fly the skies, waiting for my son. Our battle draws close; the time is nigh. I shall be victorious, for I am Apsu. —Draconic Apsu

The Waybringer

Apsu, the Waybringer, is one of the oldest and mightiest creatures in existence. According to Apsu’s faithful, he and his mate, Tiamat, spawned the dragon-gods who created the whole world. He remains a father figure to almost all dragons, whom he loves as his children, and to those who count dragons among their progenitors, literally or figuratively. The exception is the faithful of his murderous and destructive son, Dahak, with whom Apsu anticipates a final and terrible reckoning. For this reason, the good-aligned dragons and all those who fight for the interests of his loyal draconic progeny continually pray to the great Apsu, trusting in his inevitable righteous victory.
According to draconic lore, in the beginning of time there flowed two waters, fresh and salt, which became Apsu and his mate, Tiamat. The couple spawned the dragon-gods who created all the mortal world, but their first child, the destructive Dahak, traveled to Hell to revel and rampage, turning it into a place of darkness and ever-burning fire. Dahak then struck out at his siblings, destroying each in turn; the shattered remains of these draconic gods formed the first metallic dragons, who were cast onto the Material Plane as mortals. This enraged the fresh water, who realized that he must take a name so he could descend upon the Material Plane to confront his son. The fresh water then declared the immortal words: “I shall then be Apsu, for I am the first.”
Aiding Apsu in his quest against Dahak were the god’s metallic dragon children. The ensuing battle eventually saw Dahak laid low, but at a terrible price, for many of the dragons had sustained dire injuries. Just as Apsu prepared to strike the killing blow against his son, Dahak called out to his mother, the great salt sea. Unwilling to see her first son perish, the still-nameless sea offered to heal the battle’s brutalized survivors in exchange for their efforts to save Dahak’s life. Weakened and suffering, some accepted, exchanging goodness for evil, and battle raged between the metallic and chromatic dragons.
Dahak escaped his father’s claws, and though the metallic dragons were poised to pursue, Apsu bade them to save their rage for another day. He then asked his mate why she aided their treacherous son, but she merely named herself Tiamat, mother of all—a name that still brings pain to all dragons—and held Apsu responsible for the deaths of her children. Tiamat then expelled him from their primordial realm, and Apsu vowed that, one day, he would make his stand against Dahak.
Apsu and Dahak’s bitter enmity has since been the source of discord among the dragons of the cosmos. Apsu has accepted the inevitability of a final conflict with his son, choosing, for unknown reasons, the world of Golarion on which to make his last stand. Apsu’s avatar is a dragon dwarfing the largest of the great wyrms, a regal and magnificent sight to behold. His silver scales sparkle with a pearlescent glow. When in this form, Apsu guides dragons and mortals alike, preparing all for the day his final battle with Dahak will commence.

Relations with Other Religions

Apsu’s contact with other deities is sparse, the result of draconic strife being so far removed from the worries of other gods, but he maintains stronger relationships with good-aligned deities, particularly those of a lawful bent. Iomedae and Torag are supporters of Apsu, as is Sarenrae, who remembers the contribution of dragonkind in the act of shackling of Rovagug within his prison. Other deities pledge minor support to Apsu, particularly Cayden Cailean and Gorum; the former opposes evil and thinks the coming battle between Apsu and Dahak “will be a good rumble,” while the latter eagerly views the coming draconic war as a vast conflict in which his forces can fight (on either side).
The dragon god Dahak is Apsu’s first progeny and greatest enemy. Ever since Dahak engineered the destruction of the original draconic pantheon, Apsu has fought his wayward son. Both dragon deities know their final battle approaches, and Dahak is constantly preparing for this world-shaking confrontation. Despite their impending conflict, they had civil discourse in the aftermath of Rovagug’s imprisonment, when Dahak told his father why he had decided not to betray the other deities and Apsu made his proclamation of eternal protection over Golarion.
Asmodeus is the only evil-aligned god known to approach Apsu, and has offered his services for some unknown price and reason. Apsu remains civil with the Lord of Hell, but has thus far rebuffed him each time. Dahak’s spies within the Immortal Ambulatory report that Asmodeus has offered to weaken Dahak before the start of the dragons’ final battle, though other claims state that the Archfiend has also made a similar offer to the Endless Destruction.
Following her completion of the Test of the Starstone, Iomedae approached Apsu. Having researched the noble dragon deity, she sought to involve Apsu more deeply in mortal affairs and ally with him in the struggle against the evil deities of the cosmos. Apsu’s dogged determination to one day battle his son in the skies of Golarion prevented any long-term alliance, but Iomedae still left the attempt with a friend in Apsu. The two gods agreed to defend one another should they ever come under attack by other deific powers. Iomedae’s divine servant Peace through Vigilance, a unique celestial gold dragon, is considered the physical manifestation of the agreement between the two gods.

Planar Allies

Many of Apsu’s allies predate the existence of some of Golarion’s other gods. The following are his best-known servants, and can be summoned using planar ally.
Blameless Flame: One of Apsu’s oldest allies, Blameless Flame is wreathed in the righteous fire of a gold dragon’s breath weapon. He travels the Material Plane in search of texts or items that spread the creed of Dahak, immolating such items in holy fire. In doing so, he weakens Dahak’s church significantly, for with the eradication of each text, fewer are able to learn of the Endless Destruction.
Oregenus: This graceful, celestial adult silver dragon is easily recognizable because of the enormous spectacles he always wears. Oregenus is as kind as any of his species, but he is also somewhat aloof from the needs of the people he protects as Apsu’s herald. He serves Apsu by traveling to the Material Plane to construct fortresses and shelters for those living near malign dragons or powerful evil threats, delivering heartening words from the god along the way. Oregenus’s breath weapon is unique in that it leaves behind a permanent block of ice, akin to a wall of ice, which the dragon can sculpt into longstanding structures. However, the silver dragon’s ice does not radiate cold and has the same hardness as stone, making it incredibly useful as a protective shelter for those the herald wishes to house.
Syrax the Platinum: Neither chromatic nor truly metallic, Syrax is Apsu’s emissary, traveling the breadth of the Material Plane and Great Beyond in service to her master. The leader of the old empire of Thassilon, Emperor Xin, had an abiding interest in clockworks up until his death. This clockwork dragon is the result of one of the emperor’s forgotten experiments, an attempt to take the mind of a brass dragon and transplant it into a mechanical body. Syrax managed to escape from Xin’s control just after the procedure and made her way to the Immortal Ambulatory, where she begged for Apsu to reverse the process. While the draconic god could not aid her, he did remark on her incredible spirit and charged her with traveling the Material Plane and the Great Beyond as his emissary.

Holy Books & Codes

The Draconic Apsu is the definitive holy text of Apsu, despite having been written by the now atheist and blind gold dragon sage Gunnarrex. The dragon wrote the text of the 4,000-line epic in one continuous sitting, in part as an apology for accidentally stumbling into Apsu’s realm, the Immortal Ambulatory, at an inopportune time. Apsu strongly supports the meaning behind the text, which includes verses on the nature of good and evil and the creation of dragonkind. The Draconic Apsu foretells the coming of the final battle between Apsu and Dahak, but does not detail it.

Holidays

The following holidays are sacred to Apsu’s faithful. Time of Reminiscence: Apsu’s followers spend the first day of winter in solitude, remembering past events, allies, and lovers. This holiday is symbolic, representing the time Apsu spends thinking of the ways the world has changed since his first offspring were born.
Wanderer’s Escape: The first day of summer is meant to be a day of travel. Servants of Apsu spend this day and the following week in the wilderness, traveling across unknown lands. By doing so, the practitioner becomes acquainted with new hiding spots and defensible positions.

Symbol

Edicts

Seek and destroy evil, travel the world, help others fend for themselves

Anathema

Fail to pursue a foe who has betrayed your mercy, attack a creature without certainty of wrongdoing

Divine Classification

God

Church/Cult

Church of Apsu

Ruled Locations

• Immortal Ambulatory

Centers of Worship

Absalom, Taldor, Triaxus

Favored Weapon

jaws or staff

Domains

creation, protection, travel, wyrmkin

Divine Ability

Wisdom or Charisma

Divine Font

heal

Divine Skill

Diplomacy

Aphorisms The following sayings are common among the Waybringer’s church and his faithful. It Shall Be Made: Architects serving the designs of Apsu often espouse this verse. It is commonly employed when receiving a request to build an important structure, but followers also say it when making a promise to create something physical or metaphorical.
To Returning: Used frequently as a salute for those servants of Apsu venturing off into the unknown, this verse is used in everything from barrooms to temples. Uttering the phrase is often accompanied by the raising of one’s weapon or the wave of a hand, and a small smile.