The Powers That Be
All gods that have seen publication in the life of Dungeons and Dragons are available to worship somewhere and somehow in The Realms, though for now at least, the Main Pantheon deities supersede all others in rank and authority. The reason for this is simply the way in which magic and the domains work in this setting; flowing through the powers that be rather than originating from the powers themselves.
These powers that be coalesce the magic of the Aether into a different form and by decree of Anulil these beings have were left to interact with the mortal world as representatives to act much like proxies. Known as the twelve Mazarot, or sometimes called the Mazaroth, these powers that be are affectionately remembered by the First Men as coming with them through great antiquity as The Zodiacs of astronomy and astrology.
The Constellar Houses
All of the stars that shine above the mortal coil and the heavenly planes, except the suns of prime material worlds, belong to the realm of the Stellar Beyond. This remote, yet ever-present expanse is the abode of distant, inscrutable stellar powers and the seat of the constellar houses. A transitive plane, the Stellar Beyond overlays the material and celestial planes simultaneously, though not easily reached.
The stars are ruled by the Stellar Patrons. These thirteen beings oversee the movement and arrangement of celestial bodies, provide the power behind magic and divinations. Also called Patron Stars, their domains are marked by the brightest stars of the twelve constellations of the zodiac (the exception being Polaris, as it does not claim a constellation). They have never acted directly in the material world and remain remote even from the outer planes. Their proxies are the twelve Mazarot – the top representatives of the twelve constellar houses.
The Zodiac Schism
The twelve Mazarot (also called Zodiacs) serve as living links between the planes and the Stellar Beyond, channels through which the magic of their Stellar Patron can flow. They wander freely wherever their constellations shine and pursue indiscernible agendas, if they have agendas at all.
Each Mazarot was created or granted their position by one of the Patron Stars, and each patron has only one Mazarot. Mazarot are the figureheads and namesakes of the twelve great astrological constellations and consequently the constellar houses. They are themselves immortal in the common sense. Unlike their Patron Stars, which all claim neutrality, Mazarot may be of any alignment and form so long as the great balance of the astrological wheel is maintained. As with most of the designs of the Patrons, the reasons for choosing Mazarot of all alignments is a mystery.
The Mazarot each have a title which begins with 'Mazal' (singular of Mazarot) followed by the name of their constellation/constellar house. Each also has a personal name. They are a varied lot, and can take all manner of shapes. Typically the constellations resemble them in some way but each Mazarot has a second informal title, or 'moniker', that describes them. For example, the full title and name of the head of the constellar house Taleh is Mazal'Taleh Arath the Scarlet Ram.
Like the astrological signs they embody, the Mazarot have affinities for certain seasons, hours, directions, categories of questions, etc. The four principal Mazarot also have precedence over one of the solstices or equinoxes, and are sometimes called Seated Mazarot.
Not all of the current Mazarot have held their post from the beginning. Before the Zodiac Schism there were fifteen constellar houses and Patron Stars, but now only twelve remain. The instigator of the war was actually the greatest of the Patron Stars who desired to reset the stars in a configuration more pleasing to him, as he had in the beginning. He tricked a number of other Patrons and Mazarot into turning on each other resulting in the death of the Stellar Patron Diphda, the self-imposed exile of Polaris, and the deaths of many Mazarot. In the end his scheming was revealed by Diphda's dying act and the other Stellar Patrons united against him and cast him out of the Stellar Beyond for eternity along with his Mazarot and the other supporters. Now only three of the original Mazarot remain, and many other signs have gone through several incarnations.
Constellar Houses
The twelve constellar houses are named after their Mazarot's constellation. Each house consists of numerous stars and lesser constellations, and their courtiers consist largely of stellar spirits and chosen ascended creatures. Much of their duties include the maintenance of the celestial bodies, ministering to the Patron Stars, and setting the signs for astrological divinations. It is actually rare for Mazarot themselves to be present in the Stellar Beyond, as they spend most of their time traveling the planes beneath their constellations.
Attributes of the Dodecagram
The four interlocking triangles that form the Mazarot Wheel denote triads of Mazarot with affinities for the same season. The sign at the cardinal point of each triangle is the principal Seated Mazarot of the triad, and is considered to have seniority (Mazarot in a triad are not necessarily allies, and may even be bitter enemies). The alignments of Mazarot within each triad balance to neutral across the good/evil and law/chaos axes, as do the four Seated Mazarot. Thus the entire wheel has no net alignment. In addition, alignment, cardinal direction, time of day, and seasonal affinity are diametrically opposed for Mazarot opposite each other on the Wheel.
The innermost ring denotes alignment, the next breaks up the wheel into halves with affinities for law/chaos, the next with respect to good and evil, and the next denotes cardinal directions. The outermost ring shows the Mazarots' affinities for times of the day - dawn, midday, dusk, or midnight.
The Mazarot are as follows, starting from the top and going clockwise:
1.Mazal'Taleh Arath, the Scarlet Ram (Vernal Equinox)
6.Mazal'Betulah Beyma, the Unfettered Maiden
9.Mazal'Kasshat Ianthe, the Starlight Arrow
10.Mazal'Gedi Capricos*, the Jubilant Beast (Winter Solstice)
2.Mazal'Shor Mennas, the Ivory Bull
5.Mazal'Ari Leod*, the Black Lion
7.Mazal'Moznayim Libran, the Burnished Scales (Autumnal Equinox)
12.Mazal'Dagim Caelor, the Dark Waves
3.Mazal'Teomim Haem, the Twofold Wanderer
4.Mazal'Sarton Karkinos*, the Clawed King (Summer Solstice)
8.Mazal'Akrab Scorpios, the Lingering Sting
11.Mazal'Dli Qelar, the Flowing Pitcher
*Original first generation Mazarot
Mazal'Kasshat Ianthe is one of twelve immortal Mazarot who lead the 12 Constellar Houses as chief representatives of distant and inscrutable Stellar Patrons. She is the third incarnation of the Sagittarian, and is the second youngest of the current Mazarot, having held the position for less than a thousand years. Her moniker is the Starlight Arrow, and her official title is Mazal'Kasshat (Mazal = singular Mazarot, Kasshat = Archer/Sagittarian lineage). When not in the Stellar Beyond she travels the worlds beneath her constellations at dusk, sometimes hunting evil creatures or granting unseen aid to practitioners of astrological magic. When descending to the world she takes the form of a great fae with iridescent wings, antlers, and long antennae. She always hovers, and never walks on the ground.
Despite her considerable power she is quite shy and is likely to flee from new people, preferring to observe them from a distance. She is unlikely to be caught unawares, however, since she is often invisible and possesses supernatural senses. Even in the company of those she trusts, it may be some time before she speaks to their comrades. In fact, her greatbow, Sagittarius (which contains the spirit and intelligence of the first generation Mazal'Kasshat after whom it is named), is more likely to speak up and give people a piece of its mind. And Sagittarius is never far from Ianthe.
The Mazarot themselves are a diverse lot, each with their own forms, outlooks, abilities, and spheres of influence. Whether good or evil, they act as conduits through which the Stellar Patrons channel energy into the multiverse, allowing the use of astrological magic and astromancy. The Mazarot are essentially figureheads for the twelve great constellations, and also preside over lesser constellations and stars in their region of the sky. In truth most of the maintenance of celestial bodies is left to lower members of the Houses, such as the stellar spirits.
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