Ao, the Realmweaver

Greater Deity

Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Order
Cultural Names: Ashariel in Nurathar, Wei'Shen in Shen-Su

Ao is the goddess of space, the planes, and the Veil that separates them. She emerged from the left eye of Elgalar alongside her twin Io, who arose from the right.

Creation traditions credit Ao with giving shape and distance to existence, while Io established the passage of time. Together, the twins created the Weave through which much of Eldareth's magic flows.

Symbol

Ao's symbol is an interwoven eight-pointed lattice representing the arrangement of the planes and their relationship to one another.

Interpretations differ between traditions. Some see the Outer Planes arranged around the Outlands, while others read the design as the Inner Planes surrounding the Material Plane.

The lattice is sometimes encircled by a dragon curling counterclockwise. This direction is traditionally linked to Ao's emergence from Elgalar's left eye. Io's dragon turns clockwise, reflecting his emergence from the right and, in many traditions, the forward passage of time.

Silver, blue, white, and violet are common in Ao's religious imagery.

Depictions

Her humanoid form is usually shown as a dark-skinned woman with long white hair and bright blue-white eyes. She wears layered robes in silver, blue, and violet, reinforced with fitted armor at the shoulders, forearms, and chest.

A tall crystalline crown frames her head. Its pointed, interlocking design reflects her symbol and mirrors the horned silhouette of her draconic form.

Her draconic form is long and slender, with deep blue scales and broad wings. A short crystalline horn curves forward above the snout, while a longer horn sweeps back from the crown of the head. Smaller crystal ridges continue along her neck and spine.

Her scales are usually shown with a polished sheen, sometimes catching silver or violet along their edges. The wing membranes are pale blue to blue-white. In some religious art, forms seen behind them are painted slightly doubled or offset to suggest Ao's connection to the Veil.

In Shen-Su, Wei'Shen is more often depicted with a longer, more serpentine body and shorter limbs. The blue scales, crystalline horns, and bright eyes remain consistent, though older works sometimes reduce the wings or omit them entirely.

Neither draconic form is considered more authentic than the other.

Divine Realm

Ao shares the Eternal Archive with her twin Io within the Astral Plane.

The Archive contains records concerning magic, the planes, and changes observed within the Weave and Veil. Some of its collections are said to reach back to the earliest ages of creation.

From there, the twins continue the work that first bound their roles together, with Ao watching the structure of the planes while Io keeps account of the events that unfold across time.

Origins and Divine Role

Ao emerged from the left eye of Elgalar, while Io emerged from the right.

During the ordering of creation, Ao established space and separated the planes from one another, forming the Veil between them. Io gave creation its progression through time, and together they established the Weave.

Travel between planes has existed since the earliest ages and is not forbidden by her faith. Ao's teachings instead stress care when opening or altering a passage. A crossing made without understanding what lies beyond it can admit unexpected dangers or leave damage that persists after the original purpose has passed.

The same care is expected in the study of magic. Discovery and experimentation are encouraged, but those who alter powerful workings are expected to understand what they are changing and take responsibility when something goes wrong.

Worship and Practice

Ao and Io are very often worshipped together. Temples dedicated to the twins may contain separate shrines for each while sharing the same clergy, libraries, and places of study.

They are also worshipped individually. Those concerned primarily with the planes, the Veil, or spatial magic may place greater emphasis on Ao while still recognizing the close relationship between the twins.

Their worship is particularly common among practitioners of magic, dragons, Dragonborn, and Sun Elves. Scholars of the Weave and the planes also frequently honor Ao.

Her temples preserve accounts of unusual magical events and known planar crossings, and some maintain protected chambers where unfamiliar magical objects can be examined safely.

In Nurathar, Ashariel is associated with the study of celestial patterns and magical space.

In Shen-Su, Wei'Shen and Zhàohuáng are among the most widely honored divine pairs. Their place in Shen-Su's religious traditions was strengthened by the guidance attributed to them in the generations following the devastation at Noryeong.

The Mythal

At the end of the Age of Divinity, Ao created the Mythal.

The barrier was established after the defeat and banishment of the Triad, when the Prime Deities agreed that the greatest divine powers should no longer be free to manifest fully within Eldareth. Ao gave that agreement permanent form across the planar boundary surrounding the Material Plane.

The Mythal prevents the most powerful deities from entering Eldareth in their full divine forms while still allowing them to grant magic, communicate with mortals, and work through servants or other intermediaries. Lesser divine beings fall beneath the threshold it enforces and can cross the boundary more freely.

Feonar the Wanderer is the sole known exception among the Greater Deities. His exemption was written into the Mythal when it was created, allowing him to continue travelling freely between Eldareth and the planes beyond.

The Mythal fractured during the Upheaval but survived. Its central restriction remains in effect.

The Planar Drift

The Upheaval altered the relationship between the Material Plane and the realms beyond it.

Since then, scholars have recorded periods when other planes appear to draw unusually close to the Material. Their influence can become stronger in certain regions, affecting magic, weather, terrain, or living creatures. This slow movement has become known as the Planar Drift.

The planes are not believed to be merging, and the Drift does not always create an open crossing. Its effects may be subtle, temporary, or confined to a particular region.

Ao is widely believed to be slowing the Drift. Religious accounts describe the Realmweaver continually adjusting the relationship between the planes and preventing the most dangerous overlaps, though she has not restored them to their former arrangement.

The continuing instability is one of the reasons planar scholars and Ao's clergy closely monitor new crossings and changes in regions where the boundaries between planes have grown thin.

The Triad

Ao played an important role in the banishment of the Triad.

Accounts credit her with helping establish the planar confinement of Malgathar, Vorandor, and Lessarith beyond the mortal world. Malgathar was cast into Baator, Lessarith into the Abyss, and Vorandor into the Gray Wastes.

Their removal from Eldareth helped bring the final divine conflict of the Age of Divinity to an end and directly preceded the creation of the Mythal.

Their confinement remains one of the clearest examples of Ao using her power to maintain the boundaries between Eldareth and dangerous powers beyond it.

Tenets

• Learn before interfering with forces you do not understand.

• Take responsibility for the magic you create or alter.

• Do not open a path you cannot safely close.

• Repair damage to the Weave or Veil when you are able.

• Keep dangerous knowledge from reckless hands.