Draconism

Draconism as a Religion represents an organized faith of worshiping Dragons. Dragons are a specific class of being, somewhere in between an ancient civilization of immortals, and technicians who keep the basic functions of the world running. While many other Religions are about the Gods teaching mortals virtues and sins and guiding them to live a good life in worship and being, Dragons are less sentimental about worship, and rather take mortals on a journey with them in the operation of the world and preservation of life against outside foes.

Origins

Draconism has invariably existed for all of time, but never quite in the same shape or form. Every cycle of civilization has had some form of Dragon worship, some more popular than others, with different Dragons, and different ideals. The modern version of Draconism first came into being among the early Ailor tribes and the Allorn Empire, which always contained some waning and waxing population of Dragon Cultists. Up until the Cataclysm, Draconism was a deeply disorganized religion with different cults and beliefs held in nearly every country. When Cataclysm happened, many of the Dragons disappeared, some mysteriously, others with a clear message that the time of Dragons was over. This Long Death as it was later referred to, lasted for 300 years, until the Dragons came back one by one, and proclaimed an end to the Long Death, based on a breakdown of the consensus among them about the intentions of passing the Mantle of Creation to mortals. Since coming back, the Dragons have made efforts to organize Draconism into an actual fully fledged Religion, to acknowledge and reward their followers for their belief, even if unlike other Gods they are not strictly incentivized to seek out worship, and sometimes even seem uncomfortable with the idea.

Core Beliefs

Central Message

The central message of the Draconism faith is that there is no true purpose to anything but the continuation and expression of life itself. Draconism acts as a shield against unnatural death, but also as a guarantor of the perpetual cycle of life and death so that reality itself can perpetually experience all the colorful and vibrant expressions of being alive. There are no virtues or vices to be expected of Mortals, with the only real demand that Dragons have, being to obey their rulings towards The Presence, and to preserve life and free will around the world. Any believer passing into the afterlife has their soul raised up to the cosmos, and turned into one of many countless stars from where the living can gaze up at a memory of them. No separate section with information about the Afterlife will be provided because there is nothing else to be said about it.

Mantle of Creation

The Mantle of Creation is a concept held by Dragons that informs a more technical approach to Draconism. Dragons control the various functions of the world of Aloria, from the cycle of birth and death, to the patterns of weather, material existence, the passage of time, and so forth. The world functions because they continue to make it function, and in some way, that can be cause for mortals to hold them as Gods to give thanks and praise for the reality they have created and enabled. To many, the Dragons are distant and mysterious, because they do not always explain their actions or intentions. The Mantle of Creation has a lot of implications, discussed further down in the Expanded Lore section, but for now only a short introduction will suffice.

The Presence

The Dragons are technical managers of the world, and as such to them, things from the Void, Exist, and Beyond are alien. While for thousands of years they fought against the invasions of Demons and Dark Gods, they could never fully rid the world of this alien intrusion and have eventually come to terms that The Presence is here, and here to stay. The Presence refers to all things not of Aloria, anything that is Magical from another Plane of Reality or Existence, anything that was created by Dark Gods like Vampires or Mortisphages. The Presence is something that Dragons still struggle with on a daily basis, and their attitudes towards it informs much of the daily activities of their worshipers and followers.

Gods and Goddesses

Draconism has one unified pantheon, but the pantheon is split in 3 factions. These factions represent intentions towards The Presence (anything Occult/Magical). All Draconists should worship all Dragons, but can choose one Dragon to be their Patron. They must also choose a Faction which they align with on principle. However, their faction alignment does not need to be the same as their Patron Dragon. Note that while all Dragons are massive Dragons in their natural form, they are artistically rendered in their humanoid form here, which they more commonly use to appear before mortals.

The Dragon Gods of Consolidation

The Dragon Gods of Consolidation represent the desire to create space for The Presence, but with compromises. They wish Spirits Nature Bound, and their Magic cleansed to God Magic. They wish Mages to be included, but to never use Sinistral Magic. And finally, they wish to continue the fight against the Afflicted, believing them to have no place in the world. This makes the Consolidation Dragons comfortable as the centrist faction that tries to make some concessions, but play the middle ground.

Regulus, Time Dragon
Triton, War Dragon
Marik, Leytech Dragon
Gaia, Nature Dragon
Silas, Shaper Dragon

Regulus Regulus is the King of Dragons, the leader of the entire pantheon, and the mediator between the various Dragon Gods and their realms. While this is his primary function, Regulus is also a Time Dragon who controls the flow of time, and rain and thunder across Aloria. He is traditionally associated with lightning and blue scales. Regulus once lived as a mortal Prince of the Regalian Empire, but was discovered to carry the Dragonsoul that sparked the revival of the Dragons.
Triton Triton is the Dragon of War, but imprisoned in the Void as an Evolist God also. When Caius entered the Void upon its first opening, his soul was split in two, the other half being Triton that embodied his rage for revenge and conflict. Triton was re-admitted into the Dragon Pantheon despite his Void-corruption, and eventually took on the role of the martial Dragon who represents all soldiers and warriors and military conflict. He is associated with chains and black scales.
Marik Marik is the Dragon of Leytech or more broadly speaking technology. He is the original creator of the Leylines and the Leysites, ancient Dragon ruins and temples which hold great Draconic Magic and machinery to serve their cause. Marik was tricked by the Machinist Death God to cause the destruction of the Skyborn Empire in the Great Storm, and since being reborn, has been working to mend the conflict between Skyborn and Dragonkin. He is associated with machines and bronze scales.
Gaia Gaia is the Dragon of Nature who creates all plantlife. Gaia was killed by the Allorn Empire, but his Dragonsoul was preserved and merged with the ex-Death God Iorwerth who would then carry his power as penance for his role as Death God. Iorwerth also brings architecture and construction to Gaia's powers, and has become a symbol of redemption. While he is traditionally associated with indigo scales and flora, due to his Ordial corruption he also shows Death Metal and Ordial hues.
Silas Silas is the Dragon of shaping, making, and crafting. He inspires the combination and processing of raw materials into objects of beauty and function, and it is said the first swords of any civilization are forged inspired by his scales. Silas seeds the world with precious minerals and holds the Dragonforges from which the machine parts are produced which Marik builds his machines out of. Silas is associated with the fires of industry, metallurgy, and his silver scales.

The Dragon Gods of Annexation

The Dragon Gods of Annexation represent the fire to create space for The Presence, but only on their terms. They wish Spirits Shard Bound, and their Magic removed altogether. They wish Mages to be included, but to never use Sinistral Magic and to minimize Magic usage at all. And finally, they wish to continue the fight against the Afflicted. This makes the Annexation Dragons comfortable as the conservative faction that tries to maintain some sense of the old Immortal War policies.

Severena, Protector Dragon
Aurora, Life Dragon
Nox, Knowledge Dragon
Orion, Afterlife Dragon
Julianus, Wisdom Dragon

Severena Severena is the Dragon of Protection and of guidance and mentorship. She inspires all to shepherd and shield others from mistakes and harm, and empowers her followers to protect the weak from harm. Severena is also called the Dreamer Dragon, as though she did not die, she entered a long slumber which froze the Jade Sea, and henceforth only communicates to her people through dreams. Severena is traditionally associated with clouds, jade, and her pearlescent green scales.
Aurora Aurora is the Dragon of Life and Creation, who designs and breathes life into all species and creatures, particularly fauna. Through her magic, childbirth is woven into the world, and by her will, life marches on despite all obstacles. Aurora was tricked by the Glacial Death God, causing a coldsnap in Ellador that killed many Dwarves and made the Isldar. Even though the truth is revealed, she remains distant. She is associated with comets and her purple scales.
Nox Nox is the Knowledge Dragon, a famed trickster and plotter who charts his own course sometimes in contravention of other Dragons. Nox gathers knowledge and information from the ages, but in one of his plots, he was condemned to a mirror world for violating the laws of creation of Aurora. Even here, he continued to plot with his chosen favorites the Slizzar, to influence world events, all the way up to his release. He is associated with mirrors, teal, and his chrome scales.
Orion Orion is the Dragon steward of the Afterlife, the only Dragon not physically residing on Aloria but with the stars. Orion is a detached entity with total spiritual and mental tranquility and detachment from want and need. He guides the dead into the afterlife, and teaches the living respect for the dead and the rites of passage. He is traditionally associated with all manners of cosmic symbolism and monk-like aesthetics, as well as his ivory scales.
Julianus Julianus is the Dragon of Wisdom and Insight. He is a purely logic-driven God that shows little compassion for the individual, but is instead condemned to see the perpetual outcome of each action and each choice for all eternity. Julianus informs the Dragons on the correct course of their actions across the world, even if the immediate outcome is unclear, as he sees in centuries and millennia. Julianus is associated with spiders and silken threads, and his lavender scales.

The Dragon Gods of Succession

The Dragon Gods of Succession represent the desire to create space for The Presence, with as few rules as possible. They wish Spirits Nature Bound, but hold no further demands. They wish Mages included, but wish only for Sinistral Magic to be used in times of desperate need, as Dragons can mend the world. And finally, they wish to continue the fight against Afflicted, but to show them compassion and forgiveness. This makes the Succession Dragons comfortable as the Progressive faction with new ideas.

Daiana, Ancestor Dragon
Cinerius, Passion Dragon
Umbra, Death Dragon
Felicula, Arcana Dragon
Luna, Companion Dragon

Daiana Daiana is Dragon and bAloria itself. Her body is the planet and her thoughts are the deepest planet's core. She is the lady of all the elements that fuel the world, but also a maternal representation of ancestry and descendants, that allows the soul rivers to flow across her surface to find new inception of life. Daiana never appears in person, and is always slumbering, sometimes even dreaming up dragons and people. She is associated with spirits and gray stone.
Cinerius Cinerius is the Dragon of Passion and Love. He was born in the death of Caius the previous war and passion God, rotten after millennia of suffering a Void blight. Cinerius in his rebirth became so much more concentrated passion and desire, that his very form is impossible to gaze upon without going mad with want and shame. He is the Dragon of family and any emotion or feeling that gives color to life. He is associated with fire and his red scales.
Umbra Umbra is the Death God, a just arbitrator of necessary but elegant and beautiful death. To Umbra, the concept of death itself is fascinating, and a seed for rebirth and renewal that represents the very core of existence itself. He is the necessity of death, and the justiciar of necessary death to preserve the lives of others. He is generally considered with some suspicion, due to plotting his own plans. He is associated with shadows and his pristine white scales.
Felicula Felicula is the Magic Dragon, responsible for the fueling of all Dragon Magic and orchestrating reality's rules regarding the usage of Magic. It is through her gifts that the Archon and other Draconic warriors, priests, and servants are empowered to do their work and the bidding of their Gods. Felicula is considered skittish and small, but one of the most powerful Dragons due to her control of the Magic used by others. She is associated with song, and her yellow scales.
Luna Luna is the Companion Dragon, which is a broad understanding of compassion, kindness, and social cohesion. She encourages a togetherness and celebrates the companionship of friends and allies, to kindle a warmth in social bonds that can withstand even the coldest of winter trials. In a way, her association with the moon casts her as a companion of Daiana, leading some to speculate she may be a physical manifestation of the Moon. She is associated with ice, and cyan scales.