Azata

Azata

(Creature)

Common

Azata

Celestial

Holy

Level

Varies

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

azata

Images of azatas

Source: Monster Core, pg(s). 32

Type

Outsider
(azata, chaotic, extraplanar, good)

CR

Varies

Environment

Elysium

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

azata

Images of azatas

Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 23

Azatas (pronounced ah-ZAH-tah) are a type of benevolent celestials native to the plane of Elysium. Azatas are champions of goodness and manifestations of freedom, and choose to travel the planes helping creatures in need and battling evil. However, they tend to avoid meddling in mortal affairs since doing so could impinge on those creatures' own freedoms.

Azatas do not believe that evil can be completely destroyed by methodical campaigns, instead devoting themselves to showing up where they are needed most, doing their best to help, and then promptly leaving.

Appearance

Even though some think of azatas as the most elf-like of the celestial races, many of them have animal, elemental, or more unnatural features and forms. Many take whimsical forms, resembling the good fey with whom they are also sometimes associated.

Ecology

Azatas are formed from the joy and beauty of Elysium and the constant supply of goodly shades from the Universe, who often spend some time as a half-celestial before becoming an azata. Like most outsiders, they cannot procreate with each other or with mortals, but will happily engage in short-lived relationships with them. Azatas are always looking for those of kind hearts and light spirits, and seek companionship among them whenever they can, but never for very long.

In addition to unholy things, azatas are also vulnerable to cold iron weapons.

Habitat

Azatas build spectacular homes across Elysium. Each maintains multiple homes and frequently moves to accommodate their constantly shifting alliances. They prefer their home plane over everywhere else, but can find inspiration in every place outside of the fiendish planes. They find the wild, primeval First World especially appealing, and maintain a small meeting ground called Amberhearth near the Evergrove. In the Universe, they are drawn to both wild areas untouched by civilisation and large cities where creativity and innovation abound. They rarely reveal themselves, preferring to appear as mysterious, beautiful patrons to artists, whose homes they live in for weeks at a time.

Society

Their archon cousins call them flighty, but azatas view this approach as more realistic. They are also independent creatures, and rarely travel in large groups. Instead, they prefer sating their social needs by gathering from time to time around a well-known landmark, where they set up tents, share stories, and sing songs for a few days before packing it all up again and going their separate ways. These gatherings are often spontaneous with the azatas seemingly instinctively knowing when one of these meetings is about to occur. A few larger gatherings meet regularly, but this is not the norm.

Azatas are passionate and competitive, and earn privilege through heroic deeds and creative works. Some pledge themselves to alliances known as courts, which focus on art, philosophy, music, and personal taste. These courts disband as quickly as they form, and even the rare few permanent ones do not have fixed memberships. Non-azatas are almost never invited to these courts.

Promoting good

The primary goal of azata society is to promote freedom and joy throughout the Great Beyond. They understand that these virtues cannot be enforced, but must spontaneously arise, and therefore prefer to act more as advisors than take direct action to confront evil and unyielding law. This allows the people they are helping to achieve their goals on their own, and not depend on the constant aid of celestials.

When the forces of evil, particularly fiends, become involved directly in mortal affairs, however, azatas are not afraid to get their hands dirty and fight for those who are unable to defend themselves. Direct intervention is rare, as azatas know that doing so too frequently will stifle mortals' tenacity and fortitude. One exception to this non-intervention, however, is a common urge among some azatas to tease mortals who are excessively uptight or humorless.

Because many azatas have strong personalities and believe in the virtue of free personal expression, they often disagree with one another about the best method to accomplish their goals. These disagreements can sometimes even grow into long-standing grudges, where an individual azata will refuse to help rather than abandon their strongly held belief.

Titles

Many azatas hold noble, courtly, or knightly titles such as "count" or "prince", but it is unclear if these are ceremonial or refer to some kind of ancient monarchy that was abandoned long ago. They use them primarily for identification or perhaps to slightly inflate their egos, and never to establish a hierarchy or pull rank over another creature.

Treasure

Azatas are enamored with beautiful objects and displays, and often justify their possession of richly jewel-embedded weapons or jewelry as necessary tools.

Religion

Some azatas dedicate themselves to a single empyreal lord, but others serve temporarily and only as needs dictate. They look up to their empyreal lord but keep their independent nature, as azatas are too untamed to unquestioningly submit themselves to one patron for long.

Languages

Most azatas speak Diabolic, Draconic, and Empyrean languages, but can communicate with nearly any creature via truespeech.

On Golarion

Far from the Inner Sea region, azatas and azata empyreal lords are worshiped in the southern Garundi nation of Dehrukani.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.