Azuth

Azuth

The High One, the First Magister, Patron of Wizards, the Lord of Spells, the Hand of Sorcery, the Lord of Spellcraft

No Aliases

Portfolio

Wizards, mages, spellcasters in general

Divine Relationships

• Domain: Dweomerheart • Subpantheon: The Gods of Magic • Superior: Mystra • Allies: Mystra, Savras the All-Seeing, Velsharoon the Vaunted, Oghma, Deneir, Leira • Foes: Cyric

Clergy

• Priestly Title: Magistrati • Vestments: Shimmering grey, and usually made of silk (often with heavier layers in cold climes). Symbol of Azuth worn on the chest, with aura indicating rank of priest. In the field, sensible clothing is preferred, with the symbol of Azuth over the heart (stitched into a tunic, or inlaid in armor). • Hierarchy: Temples tend to acknowledge lay worshippers, novices to the priesthood, ordained priesthood, and a single priest who is given the "First" designation. If a wizard, this title is usually accompanied by the name of the school the wizard specializes in; i.e. "First Evoker Mardall Enshiun". • Affiliated Orders: Order of the Forgotten Page (priests who have recovered magical knowledge thought lost; granted silver trim on collar), Shield of the High One (those who aided in the elimination of a magical threat to the temple).

Worshippers

• Alignment: Any • Typical Worshippers: Wizards, alchemists, those who benefit from arcane magic.

Temples

• House of the High Hand, Berdusk • The First Chosen's Hall, Almraiven • The Hand of Azuth, Yhep • The House of the Burning Hands, Innarlith • The House of the High One, Saerloon • The House of the High One Ascendant, Mountains near Lhair • The Sorcerer's Hand and The Spell-Lord's House, Calimport • The Tower of Mysteries, Mulmaster In addition, most temples to Mystra incorporate a shrine to Azuth somewhere in their halls as well.

The Power

Azuth is the God of Wizards, the lord of those who tap into the Weave and wield its power in the world. He is the master spellcaster, instantly mastering any spell invented in the Realms. He was the First Magister of Mystra, and is her utter champion and servant. Azuth's most common depiction is that of a tall, straight-backed, but very old wizard, with a long, grand white beard and majestic robes. He is a somber father-figure sort of deity, the quintessential wise old wizard. He bears the Old Staff, a potent divine artifact that can wield the powers of all known magical staves in Faerûn without charges or limit. Azuth is said to dwell in a great mage's tower known as Buxenus, in the divine realm of Mystra, Dweomerheart. His symbol is a human hand, clasped save for one upward-pointing figure, surrounded by an aura of light (in Halruaa and many other southern realms, the aura is replaced with a shroud of flame).

The Ethos

Followers of Azuth believe that the application of reason to the mysteries of magic leads to both enlightenment and power; through understanding how obscure aspects of magic work in the microcosm, the believer begins to understand how reality itself works in the macrocosm. To accomplish this, though, the adherent must be learned in magical theory and spellcraft - the church of Azuth infamously holds those who wield magic through instinct (such as sorcerers) in contempt.

Secondly, Azuthans believe that magic's many and myriad manifestations must be collected, collated, and disseminated. They strive hard to get copies of every unique spell and spell variant, the schema-formulas for newly-wrought magic items, and to take exhaustive recordings of observations of new magical phenomena of all kinds. Their libraries are massive and greatly voluminous, and they grow every year.

The Clergy

The priests of Azuth seek to assist wizards in any way they can, though they don't necessary lay open their archives of spell knowledge for just any fool in a robe. Those who become staunch allies of a given temple, however, may find a wealth of magical knowledge at their fingertips, but only if they have themselves contributed to it. (The irony, of course, is that the more complete an Azuthan spell-archive is, the harder it is to get access to it, as any spell a wizard might offer for access they probably already have.) The clergy also act as mediators and go-betweens for mages in feuds and similar rivalries, asking them to put aside their differences for the good of the Art itself. Of the spellcasters in the church of Azuth, easily half of them are wizards themselves.

Notable Clergy

• X: X

Other Details

Azuthan Rank

• Acolytes, Monks, Mage Apprentices, Adventurers: Yellow aura in holy symbol.
• Ordained Clergy, Higher Level Adventurers: Red aura in holy symbol.
• Those with "First" Designation in Title: White aura in holy symbol.
• When not used to indicate station in the church, the holy symbol's aura is blue.