Io (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In many campaign setting
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game, Io is the chief deity worshipped by dragons
, god of dragonkind, balance, and peace. He is seen by his people as the creator of all things. He is neutral in alignment, but he also contains within him all other alignments. His symbol is a multi-colored metallic disk.
(1992), including details about his priesthood. Io was detailed for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
in Cult of the Dragon (1998).
Io appears in 3rd edition in Defenders of the Faith
(2000). His priesthood and his role as a draconic deity are further detailed for this edition in Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons
(2003), Complete Divine
(2004), and Races of the Dragon
(2006).
, who is seen as a re-enfolding that balances Io's extension of being into the worlds. As Io becomes all things, Chronepsis draws them back into himself. They are seen as brothers and represented in a complex symbol involving a nine-headed dragon swallowing its nine tails. Like Jazirian
, Merrshaulk
, and Shekinester
, Io is an aspect of the World Serpent archetype.
In many campaign setting
s, the draconic pantheon of gods consists of the leader Io, as well as Aasterinian
, Bahamut
, Chronepsis, Astilabor, Hlal, Lendys, Faluzure
, Garyx, Tamara and Tiamat
. Aasterinian is his messenger.
Nathair Sgiathach
is also said to be an offspring of Io, though he has no involvement with the rest of the draconic pantheon.
Some myths say Io raised the kobold
god Kurtulmak
to divinity.
, troglodytes
, and even some humans.
) gives him some homage. Clerics of Io have no hierarchy or fixed dogma; each interprets the Ninefold Dragon 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 Io's clerics seek to rid themselves of all such biases, though some never succeed.
Prayers to Io are deep and resonating, taking the form of supplication or (for half-dragons) plaintive questions.
In Return to White Plume Mountain, a vast being called the Leviathan or the Swimmer Below is revealed to dwell in the core of the Oerth
, and is said to have existed as long as the world. The Leviathan awoke only a few centuries ago, and has formed a sympathetic tie with the shade of the druid Aegwareth. Whether the Leviathan is exactly the same as what Monster Mythology called the Sleeping Deep Dragons is unclear, but they are similar concepts.
Just one of the Leviathan's eyes is almost a hundred feet across. The Leviathan is impervious to all mortal weapons.
. Io offered Kurtulmak a choice: he would restore the mine or transform Kurtulmak into an immortal hero who could avenge his people and make sure the mine was never forgotten. Kurtulmak chose the latter path, eventually becoming the deity he is today.
Other draconic gods such as the Pearl Dragon, Opal Dragon, and Diamond Dragon (from Basic Dungeons & Dragons) may be present in earlier editions or in different campaign settings.
Io is also known as The Super Dragon God or The Great Dragon or The Great One in Basic Dungeons & Dragons.
It is possible that Io created Paladine and Takhisis
of the Dragonlance setting. As the creation myth goes, when the High God entered the universe (of Krynn) and decided to make a new world, he called forth for other gods to help, and Paladine and Takhisis answered. The king and queen of Wyrms they were. Possibly, they were two of Io's oldest and most powerful offspring. The 4th Edition "Draconomicon" books confirm that Takhisis is Tiamat in fourth edition.
In the fourth edition mythology, Io created dragons and dragonborn
. When he died, Tiamat and Bahamut were created from different sides of his personality.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game, Io is the chief deity worshipped by dragons
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
, god of dragonkind, balance, and peace. He is seen by his people as the creator of all things. He is neutral in alignment, but he also contains within him all other alignments. His symbol is a multi-colored metallic disk.
Publication history
Io was first detailed in the book Monster MythologyMonster Mythology
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...
(1992), including details about his priesthood. Io was detailed for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
in Cult of the Dragon (1998).
Io appears in 3rd edition in Defenders of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith (Dungeons & Dragons)
Defenders of the Faith: A Guidebook to Clerics and Paladins is an optional rulebook for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and notable for its trade paperback format.-Contents:...
(2000). His priesthood and his role as a draconic deity are further detailed for this edition in Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons
Draconomicon
The Draconomicon is an optional sourcebook for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, providing supplementary game material focusing on dragons. Different versions of the Draconomicon have been printed for different editions of Dungeons & Dragons...
(2003), Complete Divine
Complete Divine
Complete Divine is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast...
(2004), and Races of the Dragon
Races of the Dragon
Races of the Dragon is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:This book contains info on two new races...
(2006).
Description
Io is unfathomably large; it is said the largest dragon who ever lived is smaller than a single one of his scales, which are blue, gold, brass, or red, and edged with silver and dark purple. He can, and does, appear as any age or breed of dragon, however.Relationships
Io is paired with ChronepsisChronepsis
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chronepsis is the dragon deity of Fate, Death, and Judgment. His symbol is an unblinking draconic eye....
, who is seen as a re-enfolding that balances Io's extension of being into the worlds. As Io becomes all things, Chronepsis draws them back into himself. They are seen as brothers and represented in a complex symbol involving a nine-headed dragon swallowing its nine tails. Like Jazirian
Jazirian
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Jazirian is the couatl deity of Community, Peace, Learning, and Parenthood. The couatls believe Jazirian to be the embodiment of supreme purpose and fate, the invisible force that moves the strings upon which all other gods move...
, Merrshaulk
Merrshaulk
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Merrshaulk is the yuan-ti deity of poison and somnolence. "Merrshaulk" is likely a dwarven rendering of his name; the yuan-ti pronounce the name more like "Mi-Shao-Shur," although they view it as too holy to pronounce around outsiders...
, and Shekinester
Shekinester
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Shekinester is the threefold deity of the nagas. She can appear as the aspect of spirit nagas, water nagas, and guardian nagas...
, Io is an aspect of the World Serpent archetype.
In many campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s, the draconic pantheon of gods consists of the leader Io, as well as Aasterinian
Aasterinian
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Aasterinian is the draconic deity who serves as Io's messenger. Her symbol is a grinning dragon's head....
, Bahamut
Bahamut (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Bahamut is a powerful draconic deity, who has the same name as Bahamut from Arabic mythology....
, Chronepsis, Astilabor, Hlal, Lendys, Faluzure
Faluzure
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Faluzure is the dragon deity of Energy Draining, Undeath, Decay, and Exhaustion. "Faluzure" is also sometimes spelled "Falazure". His symbol is a draconic skull....
, Garyx, Tamara and Tiamat
Tiamat (Dungeons & Dragons)
Tiamat is the name of a powerful draconic goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The name is taken from Tiamat, a goddess in ancient Mesopotamian mythology who is substantially different ....
. Aasterinian is his messenger.
Nathair Sgiathach
Nathair Sgiathach
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Nathair Sgiathach is the fey deity of mischief and pranks...
is also said to be an offspring of Io, though he has no involvement with the rest of the draconic pantheon.
Some myths say Io raised the kobold
Kobold
The kobold is a sprite stemming from Germanic mythology and surviving into modern times in German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a candle. The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size...
god Kurtulmak
Kurtulmak
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Kurtulmak is the chief deity worshipped by the kobold race. He is a member of the default pantheon....
to divinity.
Dogma
Io cares for nothing but his children, dragonkind, as a whole. If an individual dragon jeopardizes the safety of the draconic races, he will oppose it. He prefers to remain aloof from conflicts between dragons, however.Worshipers
Io is revered by dragons as the creator of the multiverse and of their race. He is also worshiped by some half-dragons, kobolds, lizardfolkLizardfolk
Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
, troglodytes
Troglodyte (Dungeons & Dragons)
The troglodytes is a fictional race of primitive reptilian humanoids in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:The troglodyte was introduced to the D&D game in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons....
, and even some humans.
Clergy
Io has fewer clerics than most draconic deities, though even the most devout cleric of other dragon gods (and many of KurtulmakKurtulmak
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Kurtulmak is the chief deity worshipped by the kobold race. He is a member of the default pantheon....
) gives him some homage. Clerics of Io have no hierarchy or fixed dogma; each interprets the Ninefold Dragon 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 Io'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 Io'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. There is one construct known as the "Shrine of Io', it is a massive dragon skeleton, large enough for any dragon to walk into. Within the shrine lies the sacred hoard, a massive treasure accumulated over time by offerings made by countless dragons to Io.Rituals
Io's rituals involve the blending of many things in a whole, reflecting Io's own nature. One common ritual involves drinking wine with a drop of blood from each participant dissolved in it.Prayers to Io are deep and resonating, taking the form of supplication or (for half-dragons) plaintive questions.
The Two Voids
Priests of Io make the distinction between the Shadow Void, which is the known multiverse, and the First Void, the hidden domain of pre-creation. In the First Void, Io existed alone. There was nothing else, and until Io willed it there could be nothing else. Io voluntarily shed some of his blood in the Shadow Void, which created the potential for other things to come into being. Only then could there be other gods and other creations. Most races know only of the Shadow Void, which is why they have no myths of Io.Tiamat and Bahamut
According to a myth in Races of the Dragon, Io's first child was a small, simple-minded dragon called Vorel. Vorel's name means "beautiful" in Draconic, for beautiful it was, perfect of scale and form. Next Io created a pair of children, male and female he created them: Bahamut and Tiamat were their names. Io intended them to grow up and mate, producing children that combined the best traits of each. Instead, the two were immediate rivals, yet Io would not choose a favorite between them. After many failed schemes to make herself look better and Bahamut worse, Tiamat hatched a diabolical plan: she slew her sibling Vorel and framed Bahamut for the awful deed. Io, however, carefully sought out the truth, and sorrowfully banished his daughter Tiamat from his presence. Tiamat turned utterly to hatred and Evil, while her brother Bahamut, ever her rival, turned to Good in order to oppose her. So it was that Io lost three of his children: the first to death, the second to Evil, and the last to Good.The Sleeping Deep Dragons
In the cores of some worlds are the Sleeping Deep Dragons, spiritual beings fathered by Io for purposes unknown. Occasionally, the Concordant Dragon will send an avatar to commune with their dreaming selves.In Return to White Plume Mountain, a vast being called the Leviathan or the Swimmer Below is revealed to dwell in the core of the Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
, and is said to have existed as long as the world. The Leviathan awoke only a few centuries ago, and has formed a sympathetic tie with the shade of the druid Aegwareth. Whether the Leviathan is exactly the same as what Monster Mythology called the Sleeping Deep Dragons is unclear, but they are similar concepts.
Just one of the Leviathan's eyes is almost a hundred feet across. The Leviathan is impervious to all mortal weapons.
Kurtulmak
According to a myth in Races of the Dragon, Io gave the secrets of creation to a green dragon called Caesinjach, who used the secrets to create the race of kobolds. The greatest of Caesinjach's creations, a kobold called Kurtulmak, was left dying when his fortress-mine was collapsed by the gnomish deity Garl GlittergoldGarl Glittergold
Garl Glittergold is the patron deity of gnomes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, and a member of the game's default pantheon of deities. His symbol is a gold nugget.-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition :...
. Io offered Kurtulmak a choice: he would restore the mine or transform Kurtulmak into an immortal hero who could avenge his people and make sure the mine was never forgotten. Kurtulmak chose the latter path, eventually becoming the deity he is today.
The Io's Blood Chain
Some time after the creation of dragonkind, Io looked down to see what had become of his children. Seeing them at war, he cried, "If blood need be shed, let that which is shed be mine!" Cutting his belly with one claw, divine blood fell upon the waters, creating an island chain known today as the Io's Blood Isles. He urged his followers in visions to go there and form a harmonious society. Some of the dragons did go to these isles, but their war continued. Io sent his avatar to a group of humans and inspired them with a hatred of all dragons, teaching them the making of armor and the forging of weapons. The humans traveled to the isles and began slaughtering dragons of every faction and breed. The dragons were forced to unite in order to survive, and Io had his peace at last.Io in other settings and editions
Io also features prominently in the Council of Wyrms campaign setting. In that setting, the Io's Blood Island Chain is said to be literally created from Io's blood.Other draconic gods such as the Pearl Dragon, Opal Dragon, and Diamond Dragon (from Basic Dungeons & Dragons) may be present in earlier editions or in different campaign settings.
Io is also known as The Super Dragon God or The Great Dragon or The Great One in Basic Dungeons & Dragons.
It is possible that Io created Paladine and Takhisis
Takhisis
Takhisis is a fictional character from the Dragonlance universe. She is the main goddess of evil and head of the Dark Pantheon.- Titles and forms :...
of the Dragonlance setting. As the creation myth goes, when the High God entered the universe (of Krynn) and decided to make a new world, he called forth for other gods to help, and Paladine and Takhisis answered. The king and queen of Wyrms they were. Possibly, they were two of Io's oldest and most powerful offspring. The 4th Edition "Draconomicon" books confirm that Takhisis is Tiamat in fourth edition.
In the fourth edition mythology, Io created dragons and dragonborn
Dragonborn
The dragonborn are a fictional race in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game.-Publication history:The dragonborn was originally introduced in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 supplement book Races of the Dragon, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2006...
. When he died, Tiamat and Bahamut were created from different sides of his personality.
Additional reading
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip
- Cordell, Bruce. Return to White Plume MountainReturn to White Plume MountainReturn to White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game released in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast under its then recently acquired "TSR" imprint. It is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and is a sequel to Lawrence Schick's 1979 module...
. Renton, WA: TSR, 1999, - Slavicsek, BillBill SlavicsekBill Slavicsek is a game designer who served as the Director of Roleplaying Design and Development at Wizards of the Coast. He previously worked for West End Games and TSR, Inc., and designed products for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Alternity, Torg, Paranoia and Ghostbusters.-Biography:Bill...
. Council of Wyrms. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.