Asgorath

Asgorath is one known identity of the creator and progenitor of all dragons and their deities. He encompasses within himself all things and all features draconic - metallic, chromatic, gem, or other - as well as all ethical and moral viewpoints, from good to evil, law to chaos. He is the epitome of dragonkind; all dragons revere him as not only their creator, but also as the ideal of what all dragons should be. However, since he encompasses so many apparently conflicting features and ideologies (and yet, paradoxically, none of them), each dragon tends to focus only on a few of his facets – usually those particular features with which they agree. Of course, other dragons will focus on (usually quite different) features, a situation which inevitably leads to conflicts from arguments to (very rarely) draconic wars. The deity himself, however, is far above such things, and never backs one side or the other in their claims.

The exact nature of Asgorath is a deep philosophical mystery, a puzzle that has confounded not only scholars and dragons, but even deities themselves. Although conventionally considered neutral in alignment, in reality Asgorath is not only neutral, but also every other alignment concurrently, and thus is none. Similarly, he is considered to possess the features of all types of dragons, no matter how contradictory that may seem, while, again paradoxically, actually possessing none. This is enough to stain even draconic intellects, and more often than not each dragon chooses to focus only on certain features of the World-Shaper's nature. Of course, each dragon's vanity more often than not causes it to focus on those facets of the Ninefold Dragon most like itself, causing it to picture the deity as merely a magnified and more powerful version of itself. This results in various dragon populations having a rather fractured and divided picture of the deity. Needless to say, these varied viewpoints, combined with draconic vanity and self-righteousness, as well as (usually secondarily) a bit of religious fervor, have often resulted in heated philosophical debates, and sometimes even outright conflict, between dragons espousing quite different viewpoints on the exact nature of the Concordant Dragon.

One thing all dragons and scholars of the draconic agree upon, however, is that Asgorath is the creator of all of dragonkind. Dragons themselves go further, claiming that the Concordant Dragon is the creator of everything, of even the gods of other races and pantheons, whom he brought into being to be his servitors and to carry out his will. Needless to say, the faithful of non-draconic religions hotly dispute this last proposition, but none deny Asgorath's role in the creation of dragons. However, that is just about all that they can agree upon, for each draconic race has a wildly differing view concerning the exact process and route that this creation took place. Each type of dragon puts itself first, the “true and original children of Asgorath”, with varying myths on how the first dragons were created, (red dragons see themselves as being formed from drops of Asgorath's spilled blood, gold dragons claim they were created from the light from his eyes, shadow dragons say they coalesced from his shadow, and so on), with all other draconic forms coming later, less perfect or less pure beings, or even corruptions or perversions, compared to the original “perfect” form (which resembles the dragon recounting the myth, of course). The thought that Asgorath might have created all dragons at the same time and might consider them all equal simply does not appear to have occurred to nearly all of such vain beings, even the wisest and noblest of the golds. If such a “preposterous” theory is brought to their attention, it is at best dismissed as ridiculous, and at worst results in the draconic listener becoming very upset and angry. It goes without saying that this is not considered a polite, nor safe, idea to bring up among draconic company!

Beyond his role in creation, draconic myths have little to say concerning Asgorath. A few stories speak vaguely of his thoughts and will sustaining the movements and influencing the history of the multiverse, but there is very little beyond this and similar near-allegorical or symbolic tales. His only appearance in later tales concern various of his deific children, most usually Bahamut or Tiamat, attempting to persuade him that their particular ethical viewpoint is the logical course for all dragons to follow, and arguing that the Concordant Dragon should put his awesome weight behind their opinions. All of these stories agree that such attempts have without exception come to nothing (often to the bafflement of the draconic storyteller). Asgorath encompasses all viewpoints totally and equally, and supporting one side or the other would immediately and irrevocably upset this total and complete balance. Only when dragonkind as a whole is threatened will the World-Shaper act.

Asgorath maintains no domain among the planes, as no plane encompasses all the viewpoints that the Ninefold Dragon does. Instead, he travels among them all, visiting each from time to time in a path that at first seems random, yet, when examined more closely, appears to have some sort of hidden order to it. Among the Outer Planes (where he is commonly called Io), he is most often seen flying high above the Outlands, as that plane comes closest to matching his ethical point of view, although he finds it at times too militantly neutral instead of encompassing all the various ethical and moral perspectives. He also spends time visiting the various realms of his godly children, from Bahamut's palace to Tiamat's lair to Null's mausoleums. He is also fond of flying through the unimpeded skies of the Astral, and, more rarely, the mists of the Ethereal.

Asgorath's Avatar

Asgorath usually appears as an inconceivably vast dragon, some 800 or more feet in length (of which 360 feet are his tail). His scales are as violet-blue as the sky at dusk, with silver and deep purple edges. His eyes are deep, expressive, and seemingly filled with ancient wisdom, with irises that seem to continually change colors and pupils that are like looking into the infinity of the dark sky (some claim that they have seen tiny twinkling lights, like miniature stars, with in them). Like all dragons, his mouth is filled with teeth like swords, capable of terrible damage should he be forced to use them. His wings are immense and bat-like, similar in structure and shape to those of a blue or silver dragon, and have faint gold and green tones to their edges. He has a large frilled crest of iridescent sapphire blue that goes from the top of his head, down his back, and to the tip of his tail. Both sets of his legs are strong and muscular, even for a dragon, and his claws are like the sharpest of magical sabers. His tail is for much of its immense length thick and muscular, but tapers in the last third to a whip-like terminus. Asgorath carries no manufactured weapon, relying on his fearsome array of draconic abilities during combat. He can cast all types of divine and arcane spells and favors no type over another.

Because of all of the truly awesome and terrifying abilities of the above forms, the World-Shaper virtually never sends an avatar to the Material Plane; doing so except in the most dire and important situations could threaten to radically upset the delicate balance which Asgorath so strives to maintain. Thus, only in the most extreme of circumstances will he risk manifesting in such a way, and then he attempts to control any possible collateral damage by meeting his intended audience in the most obscure or hidden areas possible. It is practically unheard of for the Concordant Dragon to simply soar across the skies in full view of the population below, as his mere presence is utterly terrifying to most mortal beings, and the chaos that would likely ensue would radically alter the stability of the area affected for years, if not decades, afterwards. Even among dragons, the appearance of his avatar is an awe-inspiring and potentially destabilizing event, and thus he tends to be very conservative about manifesting an avatar even in the presence of his draconic worshipers. The only event that will likely cause the Ninefold Dragon to make a personal appearance in the Material Plane would be a situation in which the entirety of dragonkind is threatened; Asgorath will not hesitate to work towards the destruction of even a powerful dragon if it is behaving in such a way as to menace draconic society as a whole. In most other situations, however, he is much more likely to send some form of omen or sign in order to make his will apparent, especially if the circumstances are relatively insignificant. Only if the situation is of such extreme danger or importance to warrant his full presence will the Concordant Dragon send an avatar, and then with the greatest care and trepidation.

All that being said, Asgorath will occasionally take interest in certain places or beings and choose to study them more closely. In order to do so over a long term he will often manifest in the form of three lesser avatars, each encompassing a different personal alignment. These lesser avatars each will have their own personality and retain knowledge of the higher being they come from but are completely independent of him. Asgorath will give them their life-force and maintain it but in lesser amounts then the whole of his true avatar which allows him to be elsewhere and still learn from them. Often the avatars tend to fight amongst themselves due to their differing natures but no one is more powerful then the other ultimately finding a way to exist together which will minimize the impact they have on the beings of the realm they inhabit.

Lesser Avatars:

Asgorath

Asgorath is the embodiment of what most beings would consider good, law, and order. He appears as a 250 foot or so dragon with scales that are the color of pure platinum. Though he is incredibly large for a dragon he only tends to instill fear in those of dark heart and intent, others tend to feel comforted by his presence.

Daragath

The essence of death, destruction, and chaos. His form can only be described as looking into the deepest night. Those that have the misfortune to encounter this form will know only true despair and utter terror before he will likely end their existence.

Naergath

Ever seeking the balance Naergath is the barrier between his “brothers”. While he is indifferent to most matters that mortal beings consider of importance, he often sides with Asgorath's view of things as they tend to equal out the measures that Daragath will take to meet his ends. He is neither friend nor enemy but be assured that his intentions are his own and his means can be both devious and brutal.

All three of these avatars can assume others forms at will but most often appear as the realm's more common people. This is explained best as the avatar creating an avatar of himself, while not normally possible the freedom of each being independent of the concordant dragon while still a part of him gives them this ability. It does however cause these avatars to become less powerful than the one that created them and in a manner makes them subject to frailties of the being they become. While disease nor aging affect them they can potentially be killed if enough trauma can be inflicted so as to prevent them from healing. Should this happen they would revert back to the avatar that created them and thus lose most memories of their time in that form. While the avatar can be recreated it may take some time for his memories to return and some may be lost permanently.

Other Manifestations:

Since he only rarely sends an avatar to the Material Plane, Asgorath usually relies upon various signs to make his will known, although since he is philosophically disposed to rarely interfere in order to not disrupt the balance, even these understated omens are quite rare indeed. Usually even these signs are quite subtle, such as the faint play of shadow or flames, or quiet whispers carried on the wind or in dreams. Especially favored followers might in a dream be taken to fly along with Asgorath in his travels above the Outlands or in the endless silver skies of the Astral Plane. Such incredibly lucky individuals often wake to find the symbol of the Concordant Dragon imprinted upon their bodies, usually hidden on the head under the hair or under a fingernail or claw. Those who anger the Ninefold Dragon, on the other hand, may experience subtle changes, such as discoloration, fading, or tarnishing of a dragon's scales.