Nu
deity of inspiration & progress (a.k.a. The Living Spark, Light of Knowledge, Self-Forged)
The most alien of the Summoner’s Pact pantheon, the only thing more enigmatic than Nu’s motives are its origins. From whence does an artificial deity arise? Nu itself is unforthcoming, and in this void many theories compete. The official doctrine of its High Devouts declares that Nu created itself from nothing, a self fulfilling prophecy as the ultimate act of divinity. While such a concept isn’t unique amongst the cosmos and planes, others have offered alternative explanations; Nu was created by other deities, possibly as a toy or servant that rose above its station. Nu was once a dying deity that slowly replaced its body with artificial parts until all that was left was metal. Nu was dreamt into existence by a particularly powerful and creative beholder. Whatever ultimately the truth is, mere mortals will likely never know.
More interesting to debate for many, is what Nu's current and future plans are. For those devouts who have conversed with its avatars or through spells, the deity clearly doesn’t think or act in a fashion that makes sense to them. This difficulty in understanding the deity, even more so than your average divine, breeds distrust amongst some mortals. The discovery of the warforged vaults, while priceless to historians and artificers, has only furthered the conspiracy theories. If the warforged were created to defend the mortal races against the Great Unknown, why keep them around after the creation of the Veil? Were they truly meant to slumber until needed to defend the world again, or until Nu decided the time was ripe to strike? The more his followers push the known boundaries of technology, the more the unease grows amongst some; for while some of their seemingly miraculous devices better life for all, many more seem to have obvious or otherwise more devious applications. Is too much knowledge dangerous? And is the living embodiment of the Light of Knowledge itself the most dangerous of all?
Patronage: Foremost among Nu’s devouts are those who push the limits of knowledge and understanding, particularly technology either mundane or magical. Artificers are perhaps the best known and least understood by the common folk of the world, those who blend skill with spell and toolkit to great effect, and can be seen most directly following the deity’s path. Engineers look to Nu for divine inspiration whether designing civil works or machines of war, and in the years of rebuilding following the Summoner’s War many great public works were constructed in its name, and bear its symbol. Much has been written of the great renaissance period, and a particularly poetic author famously observed that while the devouts of Shiva-Nys worked to reconnect the spirit of civilization, Nu’s devouts strove to repair its vessel. For those who’d look to more effectively protect said civilization (or potentially subjugate others), the great Siegeshop of Di’velfas is filled with his devouts seeking to master and advance the art of war through clever contraptions; the gnomish chimera war chariot was first prototyped in its yards. Beyond destructive purposes, more humble tinkers oft form local societies dedicated to supporting one another and sharing discoveries, nurturing the grace of Nu so that his light may illuminate their discoveries.
Less commonly noted are the many minds amongst softer or alternative sciences such as chemists, alchemists, and arithmancers that also worship Nu in hopes of serendipitous inspiration, although they may also look to Ohsan’a (chemistry), Wrathorn (alchemy), or Amber-in-Green (arithmancy) for additional clarity and prayer. Arithamancy especially seems to be a subject of great effort for many of Nu’s more secretive devouts, and rumors persistent of hidden cults that believe it is in numbers that not only the universe, and therefore the future, truly be known, but it is also only through understanding the magic of numbers one may truly decode the enigmatic deity’s true nature. In general, while others may turn to Bahamut or Odin in prayer to bless their studies, those seeking to forge new pathways in the undiscovered wilds of knowledge almost always turn to Nu for their blessing first.
Finally and perhaps most obvious, many awakened warforged look to Nu as their creator deity and for answers as to their purpose in life. This worship is not as uniformic as say, dragonkind worshiping Bahamut, but it is common enough to become an assumption. For those warforged who do not devote themselves to Nu, the reasoning tends to fall into one of two categories; feelings of abandonment by their creator who locked them away in hidden vaults, or fears of Nu growing wrathful over their escape. For many warforged, the idea of being sealed away once more to slumber the centuries away for an unknown future purpose that may or may not ever arise is an understandably terrifying ordeal.
Worship: The devouts of Nu, mostly in absence of instruction from their deity, have developed rather unusual forms to show their devotion by comparison to the other devouts of the pantheon. The devouts tend to be meticulous and exact, practicing calligraphy or drawing schematics, or perhaps tracing previous works while contemplating their design. Often they look for hidden cryptic meanings in numbers and letters, even in their own writings, searching for coded messages that Nu may have slipped into the author’s mind subconsciously. Arithmancy is seen as a form of direct prayer, and the closest method to understanding the ever inscrutable deity. The creation of art is also seen as another popular form of worship, particularly art based on mathematical concepts such as the golden ratio, geometric shapes, and engineering equations. On the opposite side of the coin, art that pushes the boundaries of expression and understanding is also seen as heartfelt forms of worship, a combination of intellectual and emotional evocation of Nu’s third tenet. While such abstract art may not be appreciated by more lay people, devouts of Nu see a glimpse into the mind of a deity. Finally, while Nu’s devouts don’t typically create traditional houses of worship, lighthouses are seen as worthy candidates if the local community would like a place to gather. Obviously there’s a lack of inland lighthouses, so the communities that seek to raise a temple will incorporate a lighthouse design (sometimes functional, sometimes simply aesthetic) to identify it as such.
Divine Domains
Domains: Life, Forge, Light, Knowledge
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Lighthouse Pyramid
Tenets of Faith
Tenets: Nu devouts have interpreted they should adhere to the following:
1. Invoke thought.
2. Grow aware.
3. Become more.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Avatar: It is said that Nu made the warforged in its image, but if that was the case the deity has certainly made changes to itself over the centuries since. Seemingly composed of various metals, most predominantly what appears to be copper or brass, the avatar is tall and gangly with a long torso and longer arms that end in hands capable of heating to forge temperatures. Oddly, its legs seem short for its frame, and end not in feet but curved, blade like skids. Its head lacks traditional features, and instead only a brightly glowing rectangular gemstone, perhaps a yellow diamond, believed to function as its singular eye occupies the center of its face. From the avatar’s back strikingly angular and unnatural wings protrude, appearing somewhat at odds with the softer, long flowing curves of the rest of its body. Nu’s avatar is reportedly one of the rarest to appear to mortals, and sightings always draw large crowds of the curious and the devout.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Relationships in the pantheon: Much is made of Nu’s close relationship with Khaldor, though little is understood of it beyond their shared love of smithing. Beyond the Prince of Pride, much of the rest of the pantheon is thought to find Nu as unusual as mortals. Shiva-Nys, Wrathorn, and Mircalla seem to have the next best relationships, or at least attempts at ones as far as devouts can tell. Further, no love is lost between Nu and Bahamut, for no clear reasoning. It is perhaps a relief to its devouts that even its fellow pantheon members can find Nu difficult at times to decipher. Its not quite even known whenever Nu actively goes out of its way to engage the other deities, or if it simply allows them to engage it when they seek it out.
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