The High One, the Lord of Magic, the Hand of Sorcery, the Lord of Spellcraft
Teach the wielding of magic, and dispense scrolls, items, and spellbooks throughout Orben that the use and knowledge of magic may spread. Encourage everyone to try their hand at wielding magic. Drive home the lesson that with magical power comes grave responsibility, and live that lesson yourself. Try to gain a copy of every new spell, spell variant, or magical idea you encounter without regard for its worth or importance—and make a copy of that copy for a temple library. Train others in what you know of magic, not hoarding your knowledge for yourself, and encourage creativity in magic in all ways and at all times.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Bard, Cleric, Monk, or Wizard
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Any Race
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Non-Cleric Initiation: You must pass on exclusive magical knowledge, which you have independently acquired, to another wizard.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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All Cleric spells; Arcane spells and Domain Spells are Azuth's only offered spells
Holy Symbol: A human left hand, pointed upward, outlined in a nimbus of blue fire
(If you wish to become clergy of this god, take three of these as your vows—if you violate them you lose any moves, spells, and any other benefits granted by this god until you atone.)
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Learn (You must pursue magical knowlede at every opportunity; never consider yourself to have learned "enough")
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Gather (You must find other wizards and weekly share with them the knowledge you have gained over the prior week)
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Teach (You must find a novice wizard and teach them until they reach the height of their spellcasting ability; once this is done, select a new novice)
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Record (Commit to writing the results of all of your magical studies and experiments, and submit these writings to the church that they may be collated for the benefit of all)
Azuth (Ah-ZOOTH) is the god of the Weave (magic) and its advancement, as well as spell creation and wizards. In religious art, Azuth is most often protrayed as a bearded old man unbent by age, wielding a stout, gem-topped staff.
Home Plane
Dweomerheart/Azuth
Portfolio
Magic, Wizards, mages, spellcasters in general
Favored Weapon
Old Staff (quarterstaff)
Myths
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Azuth's Rise to Power
As a mortal man, Azuth was hungry for power, and in his search for it he studied a lost Human empire in the hope of finding forgotten magical secrets. Eventually his dedication led to him being granted the title of Magister, the first of his kind, recognized by Savras (the original god of magic) as his most promising mortal pupil. As he grew in power, he came under the influence of Bane. He believed himself no longer worthy of being called Magister, having grown so powerful as to require a higher title, and so Savras turned him instead to one of his Chosen.
In his bid for divinity, Azuth sought to steal a portion of Savras's power in a gambit that ultimately failed. This led to a protracted series of battles between Azuth and Savras, culminating in a duel that split the Orodrain Mountains into the Sarazor Mountains, and created the Ingbahl sea. Azuth was successful and managed to imprison the deity Savras within a staff he had created, the Scepter of Savras. And thus, Azuth finally ascended to divine status.
Azuth lost the staff, but Tymora found it and returned it to him. Azuth fell in love with Tymora and began to feel guilty for imprisoning Savras, and freed him from his imprisonment in exchange for a pledge of fealty.
History
Azuth's church has been a minor but ever-present force in Orben, quietly collecting and archiving magic spells, scrolls, and items for preservation. Many work out of libraries and academies, like Gularth in Nuumalon, or the City-State of Trina in Beleri.
Relationship with other gods and churches
Savras the All-Seeing, a rival god of mages whom Azuth defeated, was Azuth's foe for centuries. Savras now serves Azuth, albeit uneasily, as a demipower of diviners and truth-speakers. The two deities seem to cautiously be working toward friendship and a format division of duties, albeit with Savras continuing to serve Azuth. Azuth pines after Tymora with an unrequited love, and it is said that ever since coming under her "spell," Azuth's spells have had a tendency to fail, for the god's affections have awoken in him a whimsical desire to imbue more daring into the Weave. Most of the other gods tend to treat Azuth with deference, lest they sever their followers from his magic. Two gods are excepted, however: Velsharoon and Shar. Velsharoon commands exclusively the magic of necromancy, and Shar the Shadow Weave; both gods jealously pine after Azuth's power, but are biding their time for the opportunity to act.
Associated lesser deities
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Savras, god of Fate
Wizards and mages off all varieties worship Azuth, as he does not discriminate against evil, though he may grant his spells to them somewhat more reluctantly. Even those who do not pursue magical arts but are interested in collecting it, like archivists and Bards, may often worship Azuth as well.
Azuthan clergy tend to be folk who love magic for its own sake. They do not exeult in power, for that is the tendency of those who enjoy what magic can allow them to do to others, but in in elegance, complexities of dweomer, and deft use of spells. Wizards, clerics, specialty priests, and monks serve in the clergy of Azuth. Within the church hierarchy, 45% of the titled clergy are wizards. Another 30% are clerics, who form the strong right arm of the faith, 20% are specialty priests, and 5% are monks. Relationships between the three groups are good, though there is some resentment against a current trend to promote specialty priests into positions of power. However, because of this trend, more novices of the Azuthan faith have chosen the path of a specialty priest than a cleric. Specialty priests of Azuth are known as magistrati.
Hierarchy
In areas where Azuth has temples, shrines, and monastic communities, the ruling (not necessarily the most powerful) clergy member holds the title of "the First" and is addressed as "Revered One." Other clergy members in large clerical communities have expanded on this idea: The most powerful user of alteration magic is called First Transmuter, the leading specialist in divination magic is First Diviner, etc. The First may bestow or revoke such titles within his or her parish. Clergy members of high rank and long years in the church are granted the title of Master. Azuthan clergy eschew most further titles.
Vestments
The vestments of the priesthood of Azuth are shimmering gray and usually made of silk, though these are layered with heavier and more sensible materials in the North. The symbol of Azuth is worn on the chest, and the color of the aura on the symbol denotes an individual's rank in the church. Most acolytes, monks, mage apprentices, and adventurers have a yellow aura surrounding the symbol of Azuth. Higher level adventurers and clergy members at large without official position wear symbols with a red aura. When not used to identify rank, the symbol of Azuth has a blue aura. In the North, usually only the forefinger of Azuth's symbol is shown ablaze. From Bleakland southward—notably in Thamun—the entire hand is surrounded by flame.
In the field, clergy of Azuth wear sensible clothing, predominantly in shades of gray. They wear the symbol of their faith over their hearts, either stitched onto a tunic or robes or inlaid in metal armor.
Rites and Duties
The church of Azuth holds a holy revel to mark the ascension of a new Magister and of any mage to the ranks of the Favored. Every twilight the faithful of Azuth pray silently to the High One for guidance in all their doings that day and the next. Azuthan priests otherwise avoid a lot of ceremony, but in temples and abbeys of the Lord of Spells, all three major meals of the day are accompanied by readings from the writings of great mages on the ethics of magic use, speculations as to what magic can be made to do in the future, and various philosophies of magic.
When a being is confirmed as a priest of Azuth, she or he must undergo the Transforming, a ritual in which the novice spends a tenday in thrall to an involuntary, ongoing shape change cast on him or her by a Master. In this ceremony, the novice must see life through the eyes of a bewildering variety of shapes forced upon him or her in succession by the magic. No shape the novice is placed in is unable to survive in the environment in which this ritual takes place, but the experience is typically humbling. The ritual is typically held in a walled, secluded temple garden that is temporarily off limits to all others, but which normally serves as a place for contemplation. The spell used in this ritual is a church secret, and it has been used by some Masters on foes in the defense of temples and abbeys under attack.
Azuthan clergy and laity alike also celebrate occasional Wild Nights, in which they dance in the midst of unleashed wild magic just to feel its power and effects. (Other wizards and priests stand by to rescue anyone who runs into harm.)
Azuthan clergy members very often serve as messengers between mages. They strive to remain above reproach and to be regarded as trusted neutral parties by all. They organize annual Mage Fairs, and at those Mage Fairs they try to settle feuds, curb overly destructive or deceitful magic, and sponsor spellweaving contests. They also give out scrolls of the winning spells from previous years and small, useful magical items as prizes in these contests.
Most wizards see the priesthood as helpful, but members of the church of Azuth may go to great lengths to serve a prime goal that many wizards do not find so pleasing: They try to ensure that no spell or magical item is unique to one mage in Faerûn so that the death of a single wizard does not take any spell or the knowledge of how to construct an item out of the world forever. Azuthan clergy members do this by magical spying (and even temporary thefts), by copying every wizardly writing they can find including command words and cryptic phrases (not just complete incantations), by encouraging the barter of spells, and by organizing tome drives in which wizards are paid handsomely to contribute a spell to the latest folio of the ongoing Azuthan spell-syclopedia (a written collection of spells from various mages duplicated magically in bulk, bound, and distributed by the priesthood for a minor fee covering production costs).
Affiliated Orders
The Order of the Forgotten Page i for Azuth clergy members who have done great service in recovering magical knowledge thought lost. They must be voted into the order by the Firsts of the church and are then allowed to wear a special silver trim on the collars of their ceremonial vestments. Members of the faith who have served the church in helping to eliminate a magical imbalance or monstrosity are granted the title "Shield of the High One," given a minor protected magical item, and told a secret phrase or word that allows them aid from any temple or shrine of Azuth in the form of healing, shelter, and small loans, when necessary.
Azuth's temples often take on the appearance of dusty but enormous libraries, academies, or other places of study; in truth they serve as such places also, and Azuth's clergy are usually not prone to exaggeration or ostentation.
Major Centers of Worship
The House of the High One in Aer Arnad is the most revered temple of the Azuthan faith. It is run jointly by six Masters: Helven, Lhun, Mirren, Ormil, Riilath, and Thelcaunt.
For Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Clerics/Wizards
If you are a Cleric or Wizard (and your god permits your class), choose from the following domains. You add all spells of the chosen domain to your spell list, up to level 7 (once you meet the mana requirements) or up to level 9 (if it's the primary domain and once you meet the mana requirements).
Primary Domain
Magic (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and this level 9 spell)
Primary Domain Move
Nope!
Once per encounter, you can negate a single spell used against you.
Level 9 Spell
Control Spell | Level 9 | Ongoing
Choose a spell or magic effect in your presence; this spell assumes control of it, reorienting it to work for you (if the spell is intended for the caster), for an ally (if the spell does not specify that it is used on onseself) or your enemy(s) (if the spell is intended to be used upon enemies). While you command this effect you cannot cast any more spells until you dismiss the one you controlled, or it is ended upon your will.
Secondary Domains
Creation (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Knowledge (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Trade (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Travel (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
For Non-Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Non-Cleric/Wizards
If you are not a Cleric or Wizard, you gain access to all spells of your chosen domain up to level 3 and can cast them using the Cast a Spell Cleric move (you do not however gain any spells from the Cleric spell list). You can also gain a secondary domain move from that domain, in addition to the domain spells.
Primary Domain
Magic (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and a Secondary Domain Move)
Primary Domain Move
Nope!
Free Move
Once per encounter, you can negate a single spell used against you.
Secondary Domain Moves (choose 1):
YOU! CANNOT! PASS!
When fighting against a magical (non-standard race) creature, take +1 to cast a spell.
Discern Magicalities
When you spend time studying an area, you can deduce when something magical is nearby (but cannot pinpoint it); ask the storyteller.
Secondary Domains
Creation (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
It’s a Miiiiiracle!
Select one item you’ve made; it can’t be a weapon or armor. It becomes unbreakable by anyone but yourself. This can be applied to only one item at a time.
Knowledge (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
Knowtographic Memory
If you have read or heard something said before in play, you can recall it perfectly. You must have RPed reading or hearing it.
Trade (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
Gold to Lead
If you spend several minutes studying an item of great alleged value, you will get a gut feeling if it's a fake. Ask a storyteller to confirm the validity of an item; you will know immediately if it’s counterfeit, though you may not be able to prove it.
Travel (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
I Swore to Protect You
When you use the Defend move and roll a 12+, you can choose an option from the list below to spend your hold upon:
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A control spell against your target is redirected to you (you may make your own saving throw)
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Your target can Hack and Slash as an interrupt this round, however a 10+ will count as a 7-9 for them.