Amalgam
Awakened; Contemplating One; Inyo; Thinker; Trimurti
Symbol: A gold or saffron nose
Home Plane: The Outlands
Alignment: True Neutral
Cleric Alignments: Neutral Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral
Portfolio: Balance, meditation, fate
Worshipers: Monks, psions, transcendental meditators, those who seek relief from suffering
Domains: Earth, Fate, Magic (Divine), Luck (Fate), Preservation, Repose, Strength (Resolve)
Favored Weapon: Improved Unarmed Strike or Quarterstaff (cleric chooses one)
Physical Description:
Those who first encounter Amalgam seldom remember the meeting: Amalgam is easily overlooked, and seems so mundane that the eyes of the unenlightened simply pass right over him without a moment's notice. If someone is in a state of meditative thought, seeking the answer to some weighty matter, while they might be unable to notice anything else about the world around them, they will notice Amalgam, who can also make himself noticed at will when he desires (though he seldom desires to force his presence on those who are not actively seeking answers). Once noticed, Amalgam still appears quite ordinary, a member of whatever race the viewer might be, a man of advanced years, but without any other significant or memorable traits, except for one: his immense wisdom. Amalgam never speaks first, but if addressed, he is happy to speak with anyone, and more than happy to provide access to his limitless insight, including the answers to everything, as long as the person speaking with him is willing to listen. If not, then Amalgam does not trouble a person with unwanted advice and allows them to go on their way.
Some theologians believe, based upon ancient texts from the dragons, that Amalgam has a "true" form (something that Amalgam will deny, since he sees all his forms as his "true form"). This form is of an immense, long-whiskered dragon with saffron-colored scales tinged with vermilion and three heads, which see past, present, and future, respectively, and which have knowledge of subjects pertaining to birth and what comes before, life and all its trials and suffering, and death and what comes after. The central head generally has to act as an intermediary between anyone who addresses Amalgam and the other two heads, since they are unable to perceive anyone in the present except for their central head, and have a tendency to respond to questions either before they are asked, or too late to be of any use. This "true form" of Amalgam is only met if one is a dragon or dragon-blooded in some fashion, or if one is actively seeking enlightenment itself, rather than simply the answer to a single question.
Description of Nature, Personality, and Dogma:
Calm, sedate, immovable - these are the characteristics of Amalgam. He is a single point of absolute inner peace in the maelstrom of existence, and teaches others to achieve a similar existence that transcends existence. Amalgam is endlessly patient, gentle, and wise beyond all mortal ken, and always seems to inherently and intimately understand the problems of those around him, and how to solve those problems, not in a short-term fashion, but forever. He is an excellent listener, has a perfect memory, and yet seems utterly untroubled by whatever might pass around him or in the rest of the multiverse. Followers of Amalgam are taught to try and behave similarly, and they believe that the only reason Amalgam has not moved on to the higher plane of enlightenment that he teaches about to his followers as the ultimate ideal is simply because he is remaining behind so as to guide others along that path. The goal of Amalgam and his followers is to sacrifice the self, to transcend existence, and to achieve oneness with reality. This involves letting go of all the passions of the world, for from passion comes pain. Because of this, many of Amalgam's worshipers seek to alleviate pain and suffering wherever they go, and teach others to do likewise, helping and serving others as best as they can, so that others will be able to better focus on things of a more important, eternal nature.
Clergy, Places of Worship, Important Rituals, and Servitor Races:
Most of Amalgan's clergy start out as troubled youths, full of fire and rebellion, and not too uncommonly coming from bad backgrounds. The story is told and retold of how these youths then encounter a wise older person in an altercation, always with the youth at fault, who proceeds to beat the ever-living crap out of the youth, or to otherwise outsmart or touch the heart of the youth, so that the youth's viewpoint of the world is effectively challenged. The older person then offers the youth a chance at finding a better way, and the youth eventually accepts (some after a longer period than others), and begins their training in meditation. At some point, the acolyte will meet Amalgam himself during the course of meditation, and receive a touch of the divine, mind speaking to mind, awakening the first seeds of enlightenment in the acolyte, who then is able to use divine magic. As these clerics age, they tend to grow steadily more calm and peace-loving, but also develop powers that transcend mortality itself. Clerics of Amalgam tend to wear robes of saffron with vermilion trim when they want to make their presence known, but usually wear typical, comfortable traveler's garb. The golden or saffron-colored nose that is their holy symbol is a reminder, first, of the importance of breathing and keeping one's center, and, second, to not take life, or anything for that matter, too seriously.
Anywhere or anytime can be sacred to Amalgam, and for this reason his followers do not have holy days of their own, though they are perfectly content to observe those of other gods. Many of them do, however, build monasteries as far removed from the rest of the world as possible, so as to search for enlightenment without interruption. Many of these monasteries become fairly large and powerful over time, but thankfully their focus on matters of another world usually keeps them from being a major political force. These monasteries do regularly work to help others to be free from suffering with whatever resources they have available, first starting with basic mortal needs, and then working to fill the needs of the soul. For this reason, most people of non-evil disposition like having monasteries of Amalgam nearby, and tend to be favorably disposed towards the disciples of Amalgam who live in them.
Most Lung (Oriental Adventures dragons) regard Amalgam with a healthy dose of respect, and most of them will gladly serve the Contemplating One if called upon. Amalgam is also attended at all times when he is in the Outlands by a host of petitioner disciples, those who worshiped him when they were alive, and who now seek to learn directly from the master, many of whom are incredibly powerful individuals.
History and Relations:
The manifestation of balance known as Amalgam is the child of Bahamut and Tiamat, born of their most peaceful union, when they had exhausted themselves from conflict and had no room left for fighting. Amalgam is the second youngest of the draconic deities, hatching right before Lydia, and from that time of hatching he has been the quiet one, the thinker. When Amalgam matured, he realized the futility of conflict, and abandoned that path for a more peaceful, contemplative one: the path of balance. Because of this, none of the other gods, save the Morrigan, recognizes Amalgam as an enemy, but on the other hand, almost none of the other gods, again, save the Morrigan, recognizes Amalgam as a friend. The Morrigan both hates and loves Amalgam, her moods towards him swinging with frightening rapidity and suddenness, and she constantly seeks by turns to seduce him or to destroy him. For his part, Amalgam largely ignores the Morrigan, an act which just makes her passions towards Amalgam all the more intense. Chaos is also tied to Amalgam, as Amalgam also seeks an end to conflict and suffering, to the things which define the nature of reality as it presently is. Unlike Chaos, however, Amalgam does not seek to unmake everything, but to redefine it into a more perfect path, and in the process to redeem Chaos. This confuses as much as it endears Chaos, and Chaos and his followers tend to be favorably disposed towards Amalgam and his followers, even if they don't really understand what they're always going on about. The only god who regards Amalgam with an almost worshipful attitude is Gun, who thinks of Amalgam as a great teacher and is perfectly fine with sharing his worship base with the god of balance.
Favored Offerings and Justifications for Direct Intervention:
What need has an enlightened one for mortal offerings? Those who seek Amalgam's favor recognize that, even if they left him offerings, he would not accept them, since he has transcended even the draconic lust for wealth. If one truly desires to give Amagam an offering, it is through inyo, "in-out," the act of breathing, of contemplation, of meditation. Rather than a simple offering with a cost in gold, Amalgam asks for an offering that costs time, and which can return immense rewards to those who give up that time in the form of enhanced understanding, patience, and even enlightenment.
When all of the world is an illusion, why would an enlightened one seek to end suffering? Seek inner peace, teaches Amalgam, and then suffering will end. Despite his apparently neutral stance towards mortals and their needs, however, Amalgam actually intervenes on a surprisingly frequent basis. These acts of Amalgam are almost never noticed except by those who contemplate the event afterward and realize that they were aided with power beyond their own. Amalgam's aid comes in the form of heightened patience, understanding, and cosmic awareness. Martyrs suffering the tortures of the wicked have been known to enter trances where they become immune to pain, peasants serving a tyrant in the fields will suddenly grow inured to the hardship of their toil, and those who are seeking the answer to deep personal problems will often have flashes of insight to aid them.
