Asgorath

Asgorath (AZ-gore-ath), known as World-Shaper and also known in the Outer Planes as Io, is the dragon god of creation. He (or she; there is some debate) is supposed to encompass all alignments, but is often regarded as neutral. His symbol, an unadorned circle, represents totality.

Realm
Asgorath's home plane is unknown.

Worshipers
Asgorath is revered by dragons as the creator of the multiverse and of their race. He is also worshiped by some half-dragons, kobolds, lizardfolk, troglodytes, and even some humans.

Clergy
Asgorath has fewer clerics than most draconic deities, though even the most devout cleric of other dragon gods (and many of Kurtulmak) gives him some homage. Clerics of Asgorath have no hierarchy or fixed dogma; each interprets the World-Shaper differently, worshiping him in one of his many aspects. Red dragons worship him as an evil being, while gold dragons revere him as a paragon of good. Those who would become Asgorath's clerics seek to rid themselves of all such biases, though some never succeed.

Temples
Dragon gods, in general, have few temples. There are shrines in Asgorath's honor, usually taking the form of open-air constructions surrounded by pillars and topped with domes. These shrines are placed in open terrain - the middle of a desert, for example, the center of a valley, atop the peak of a mountain, or on a vast, treeless plain.

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

Prayers to Asgorath are deep and resonating, taking the form of supplication or (for half-dragons) plaintive questions.

Myths and legends
In draconic mythology, Asgorath created the universe itself, and has not manifested since that time. He does, however, make his existence felt as a powerful presence in the minds of other dragons.

According the the mysterious creation text, the Book of the World, Asgorath cast down the god Zotha and observed the two elements of existence: the world that she had made and the Crystal Sun that Zotha had made. She wrapped herself around the Crystal Sun and breathed on it. This caused the sun to shatter with the fragments piercing her flesh. Drops of her blood fell down upon the world and where they landed, red dragons were brought into existence. The new creatures lamented the loss of their creator, all except one who pulled a fragment of the Crystal Sun out of Asgorath and cut himself with it. The blood fell to the earth and also created life, though this life was metallic in colour, rather than red. Asgorath began to stir so the 'renegade' and his progeny fled to the farthest corners of the world.

Analysis by the scribes of Candlekeep of this text reaches the conclusion that Asgorath is Tiamat and the Renegade is Bahamut; many counter-theories exist and no hard evidence is available to prove anything.

History
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide references a primordial called "Asgoroth the World Shaper" released from her imprisonment, along with the rest of her kin, by the Batrachi. Asgoroth 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 worship of Asgoroth as a deity, her draconic followers believing that she created their race.

The debate over Asgorath's alignment and nature was responsible for the most far-reaching holy wars of dragonkind. 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 is only slowly that some dragons have been drifting back into religious observance.