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{{Forgotten Realms Deity|fgcolor=#fff| #REDIRECT ] {{R to section}}
name=Azuth|
title=The High One <br> Patron of Mages <br> Lord of Spells|
home=2E: Azuth (])<br>3E: Dweomerheart|
power=Lesser|
alignment=Lawful Neutral|
portfolio=Wizards, Mages, Spellcasters in general, Monks (Shining Hand)|
domains=Illusion, Knowledge, Magic, Law, Spell|
alias=|
super=]|
}}

'''Azuth''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|z|uː|θ}} {{respell|A|zooth}})<ref name="FRCS1E"/> is a fictional ] in the ] campaign setting of the '']'' fantasy ]. He is the god of mages. His alignment is ]. The appearance of Azuth seems to be somewhat indistinct, he often manifests simply as an elderly voice or shimmering blue luminescence.

Azuth is known as the god of all ] and ] in the realms. This would seem to make his portfolio conflict with that of ], however she is the goddess of all magic, while Azuth specializes on practitioners of magic. Azuth is one of Mystra's subordinates but he is also known to be a friend and advisor to her. During the ] in 1358DR he spent much of his time caring for part of Mystra's power and guarding a statue of her at the Pool of Yeven in Battledale.

==Publication history==
] created Azuth for his home ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game, inspired by the version of the ] deity Aarth found in the original '']'' book.<ref name="Dragon 54">], Dragon magazine #54 - "Down-to-earth divinity" (October 1981), p. 52: "Azuth is merely a renamed Aarth."</ref>

===Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)===
Azuth first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in '']'' #54 (October 1981). Azuth is introduced as the High One, patron of ], a lawful neutral demigod from the plane of ]. The article notes that "Azuth serves ]." Azuth is most commonly worshipped by magic-users of any alignment.<ref name="Dragon 54"/>

Azuth later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the ] ], in the ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Set'''s "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).<ref name="FRCS1E">{{cite book | isbn =0-88038-472-7 | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Set | author = Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb and Karen S. Martin | year = 1987 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast}}</ref>

===Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)===
Azuth was described in the hardback '']'' (1990),<ref>] and ]. '']'' (], 1990)</ref> the revised ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet,<ref>{{cite book | title=Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood | year = 1993|id = ASIN B000K06S2E }}</ref> and '']'' (1996).<ref>], and Eric L Boyd. '']'' (TSR, 1996)</ref>

His role in the cosmology of the ] campaign setting was described in ''On Hallowed Ground'' (1996).<ref>McComb, Colin. '']'' (], 1996)</ref>

Azuth is described as one of the good deities that ] can serve in the supplement ''Warriors of Heaven'' (1999).<ref>Perkins, Christopher. '']'' (TSR, 1999)</ref>

===Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)===
Azuth appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' (2001),<ref>{{cite book | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood et al. | year = 2001 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast | isbn = 0-7869-1836-5 }}</ref> and is further detailed in '']'' (2002).<ref>Boyd, Eric L, and ]. '']'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)</ref>
<!--===Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)===
Did he appear anywhere in 3.5?-->

===Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)===
Azuth is mentioned as having been destroyed in the ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide'' (2009). When Dweomerheart exploded with the death of Mystra, Azuth fell through the cosmos into the Nine Hells, where ] consumed his essence to become a fully-fledged god.

==Worship of Azuth==
Azuth and his faithful, the Azuthans, concern themselves with the way in which mages behave, not simply magic itself. Because Azuth is concerned mostly with wizards, Azuthans mainly feel that it is best to approach magic with logic and reason. For the Azuthian clergy caution and clear focus are the order of the day. The clerics of Azuth teach wisdom and restraint. This means that Azuth is often not the favoured god of sorcerers with their fiery, instinctual use of magic, and bards with their somewhat fanciful approach to it.

Details regarding the Azuthian clergy are few and far between. What is known is that they mainly eschew any formal titles and wear his holy symbol upon their chests. A magical aura emanates from this symbol, the color denoting an individual's rank in the church. Blue is the most common color.

Clerics of Azuth pray for their spells at dusk. Whenever a mage ascends to the rank of Magister, Azuth's church celebrates a holiday. His clerics recognize few other holidays of note, though liturgical readings at meal times play an important role in honoring the Lord of Spells. Texts composed by famous wizards make up the bulk of the church's canon. Clerics of Azuth commonly multiclass as arcane devotees or wizards.

Azuth controls ] and ] among the lesser Gods and associates with ] the Lord of Glyphs, ] the Scribe and ] the Lady of Mists. Azuth's greatest enemy, perhaps his nemesis, is ], god of strife, kin to ] and ].

=== Dogma of Azuth ===
Reason is the best way to approach magic, and magic can be examined and reduced to its component parts through study and meditation. Maintain calm and use caution in your spellcasting and magic use to avoid making mistakes that even magic cannot undo. Use the art wisely, and always be mindful of when it is best not to use magic. Teach the wielding of magic and dispense learning throughout Faerûn that the use and knowledge of magic may spread. Live and teach the idea that with magical power comes grave responsibility. Learn every new spell you discover and make a copy for the temple library. Do not hoard your knowledge, and encourage creativity in magic in all ways and at all times.

===Saints of Azuth===
*Hobark: one of the few recognized saints in all the realms and now adopted as a saint of Mystra as well{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}.

===Temples of Azuth===
*Selgaunt
*The Divinatorium, Cimbar

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Additional reading==
*], Duane Maxwell, and ]. '']'' (], 2001).

{{D&D deities}}

]

Latest revision as of 21:23, 1 November 2023

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