Azoth



AZOTH The Dreaming One "‘For untold millennia, O Azoth, our river of blood has sustained thee in thy dark dreaming. Now, as decreed by the iron-bound Book of Skelos, the daughter of thy high priest at last stands naked before thee to restore unto its rightful place that which was ripped untimely from thy brow, thy golden horn!’"-Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, The Horn of Azoth

Pantheon

 * Zamorian Pantheon

Regions of Worship

 * Zamora

Divine Relationships

 * Iblis (enemy)
 * Ishtar (enemy)
 * Mitra (enemy)

Representation
"Azoth, a demon thing from the dark aeons before man arose and when gods still walked the earth, warred with the spirits of light. After his golden horn was ripped from his brow, he was imprisoned within a towering mountain. Azoth has desired to escape and to ravage the lands and peoples who have prospered during his stagnant imprisonment. His spirit, able to contact others via dreams, allows him to enter into pacts and teach some sorcery as he tries to win his freedom." -Excerpt from Shadizar: City of Wickedness

He is also known as "Azothoroth."

Gender representation: male

Symbolism

 * Labyrinth

Spheres of Power

 * Guardian
 * Retribution
 * Judgement

Rituals & Beliefs
More of a demon than a god, although his monks do not see him this way. A guardian of the dead in the Zhemri pantheon, a steady stream of sacrifices characterizes his worship. His white-robed monks feed the poor and bury the dead in his honor. They know, even though he dreams and is bound, he still watches over his people. He is also god of pain and hate, a god of judgement. He is called upon as the enemy of Mitra, Ibis and Ishtar, a just and eternal ruler over all peoples. Some rival cults believe his reign will mark the end of man’s rule on Earth.

Azoth is worshiped within his labyrinthine temple on Azoth Mountain, a tall spire of rock which can be seen from Shadizar. The Labyrinth of Azoth is entered through a hideous gateway carved in the forms of howling men in pain. The interior path is fended with traps, such as illusory pits, dead ends, dead falls, mazes and riddles. Even a few magical traps, created with powerful permanent sorcery, exist in this labyrinth.

Ibis is considered the mortal enemy of Azoth by the demon-god's cult.

The Priesthood
Grim priests and foul sorcerers are abundant in Zamora, all practicing diabolisms such as murderous rites of human sacrifice, wicked acts of soothsaying and foul divination through ghostly contact with spirits and demons. Many Zamorian priests are eligible to marry into noble families, thus raising their own rank considerably.

Azoth’s monks are called ‘brothers’ and dress in white robes. The priests and priestesses wear gold trim on their robes and capes. Many wear gold skullcaps. The monks and priests hold a higher station than the priestesses, who serve the priests as master alchemists or herbalists. The priestesses are primarily in charge of drugging sacrificial victims and bearing sons and daughters for the priests. Most of the order is born into it – the religion does very little, if any, recruiting.

MCU Reference & Lore
Karanthes led the worship of Azoth in Zamora, with white-robed monks doing good deeds, such as feeding the poor and burying the dead, in Shadizar, while processing at night.

In order to awaken Azoth (for him to struck down the temples of Mitra, Ibis, Ishtar and all other gods, and establish himself as the just and eternal ruler of all humans, and his priests elevated as his intermediates), High Priest Karanthes had his daughter Natari, with Strabo, to convince Conan to steal the Eye of Ibis from the Temple of Ibis, then used it in the Crypt of Shadows to recover the Horn of Azoth.

Soon, panic struck the people of Shadizar, who fled as Karanthes was awakening Azoth. Meanwhile a commando composed of Conan, Rammon (son of Rammon), Shumballa and Dahomi entered the temple to stop Karanthes.

Upon his awakening, Azoth slew Karanthes, the priests, and tried to take grasp of Rammon and Natari, until Conan managed to remove the horn again, killing him and ending the curse. The horn withered in dust.

Implementation IC & In-Game
Vanilla Derketo religion as placeholder.

More Information

 * Conan the Barbarian: The Horn of Azoth (comic, 1990)
 * Faith and Fervour (Conan RPG Book)
 * Shadizar: City of Wickedness (Conan RPG Book)