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{{Info religion
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.  
|image = Gdwsgdse.png
|pronunciation = Dra-konism
|origins = Unknown, presumed over 70.000 years ago
|deities = Regulus, Caius, Daiana, Triton, Nox, Marik, Severena, Aurora.
|subsects = N/A
|}}
==Origins==
==Origins==
Draconism is the oldest [[Religion]] in the world, presumed to have existed in some form or another for nearly 100,000 years, though it is at the very least certain that the dogma has changed over successive generations. For example, the [[Maraya]] who have awoken from the Vaults, find Draconism  radically different from what they remember in their Civilization, and even different from the archeological studies they did of the third Civilization that preceded them. Draconism styles itself after the values and principles of the Dragons in that Era, themed or styled in itself after the [[Races]] that roam the world at that time. It is as such an ever changing Religion that shapes itself based on the followers, though the Dragon Gods are eternal and remain largely similar with only their Race and some subtext changing between successive generations. Draconism has followers all over the world, but is generally speaking one of the weaker religions, being outclassed in number of followers by the likes of [[Unionism]], [[Estelley]], [[Fornoss]], and some would argue even [[Evolism]]. Draconism has technically been a dead religion for 300 years, as the Dragons disappeared from the world in various ways, leaving behind their faithful who now worshiped in essence dead Gods. In the last few years however, Draconism has made a quick revival with many Temples being inhabited again, and the Dragons coming back alive in what is referred to as the Revival of Immortality.
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.
===History===
==Core Beliefs==
To understand why the Dragons "died", it is necessary to understand the grand theme running through Draconism, being The Immortal War. The Immortal War refers to the endless conflict between the Dragons and what they call The Infection, which means Ordial/Exist/Void Essences that creep into the world of [[Aloria]] and attach to living and non living things there. The Dragons see themselves as natural wardens of the order of the world, and seek to remove The Infection from the world as a result. The Immortal War is mostly fought between Dragons and the [[Arken]], at least historically speaking when they were still bound to Estel and Behesael. Each successive Void Invasion signals the failure of the Dragons to halt yet another end-times event, though after each cycle, the Dragons remain to restart civilization with new Races. Only the last (5th) Void Invasion was halted, when the Dragons performed the rite of the Denial of Immortality. In essence, Demons and Arken were immortal because the natural laws of Aloria allowed immortality. By denying immortality, the forces the Dragons fought could be killed, but they in turn were also killable. The Arken destroyed Estel and eventually Behesael in their betrayal, and the Dragons went out one way or another as the Immortal War essentially ended in a stalemate. The Dragons relented their efforts to kill the Arken, and contented themselves with the end of the Void Invasions, though recently, the Dragons seem to have come back from this decision, and have started reviving all over the world.  
===Central Message===
==Virtues==
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.
Draconism does not have traditional Virtues and Vices in the sense that other Religions do. Draconism is a very sober and grounded religion in the sense that the meaning of life to Dragons is to exist, to perform a single duty, and then to die. That single duty, is the concept of pro-creation, or at least to ensure the future existence of the creation of Dragons and the world they tend. Morality of good and evil don't really apply to Dragons, though individual Dragons despise specific acts. For example, Regulus is a radical life-preserver who hates murder, while Caius followers engage in murder because they hate [[Magic]]. There are inherent contradictions in Draconism that can cause conflict among them, but generally speaking everyone works together towards the common goal of finding ways to rid the world more permanently of all Magical essence or presence. There is a final topic worth discussing: the (in)validity of other Religions through Dragons. It is pretty widely known that Dragons create both Races and Gods, but this fact does not make them Gods to other peoples and religions who do not observe them as such. Consider this metaphor: if you liked your team-leader, because he did good things for you and your goals align, your belief in your team-leader is not suddenly invalidated, because your team-leader was raised/taught by a different person. All Religions understand the mechanical purpose of Dragons in the world (conception, creation, ecosystems etc.), but reject their religious message or Dragons as Gods (except in some circumstances, like the Guided Cult of Unionism). Draconism is the only Religion without an afterlife, the faithful neither go to an afterlife nor to the Beyond, their souls are lifted up by Regulus and rejoin the Soul Rivers from which they are born, disappearing into nothingness and lending their life and memories back to the Dragons.  
===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. 
<gallery mode="packed-overlay" widths="250px" heights="370px">
File:Cedragoin.png|''Regulus, Time Dragon''
File:Voiddragon.png|''Triton, War Dragon''
File:Yayh.png|''Marik, Leytech Dragon''
File:New Canvadddsrtetgr.png|''Gaia, Nature Dragon''
File:Silasvilkensit.png|''Silas, Shaper Dragon''
</gallery>
* '''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.
<gallery mode="packed-overlay" widths="250px" heights="370px">
File:New Canvashgfhgnfgg&hhhh.png|''Severena, Protector Dragon''
File:Auroragoddess.png|''Aurora, Life Dragon''
File:Dueuaj.png|''Nox, Knowledge Dragon''
File:Orionbsle.png|''Orion, Afterlife Dragon''
File:EerkUntitled Artwork.png|''Julianus, Wisdom Dragon''
</gallery>
* '''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.
<gallery mode="packed-overlay" widths="250px" heights="370px">
File:Dreamdragon.png|''Daiana, Ancestor Dragon''
File:Untitled Artwork-3 3jtds.png|''Cinerius, Passion Dragon''
File:Monkeydragongod.png|''Umbra, Death Dragon''
File:FeliculaNew Canvasytgfjf.png|''Felicula, Arcana Dragon''
File:LunaaNew Canvashryerthtrfd2j.png|''Luna, Companion Dragon''
</gallery>
* '''Daiana''' Daiana is Dragon and Aloria 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.
 
==Priesthood==
Priesthood for Draconism is more complicated than one might assume at first glance from a Religion that was effectively dead for 300-odd years while most Dragons were either in slumber, or in a near-death state. At the end of the Immortal War, the Dragons decreed that the Mantle of Creation (the theoretical stewardship over the world's functions) was to pass to mortals, and that they too would become mortal (explanation on why they did this is further below). As this occurred around Cataclysm, Draconism as a Religion was effectively dead for 300 years except for among the Sihai where the Dragons could still be visited, or the Isldar who were deceived. Still, when the Dragons returned centuries later, they found that much of the priesthood had survived their absence and that in some places, the faith had even grown. The Religion had always been considered more of a curiosity by the Dragons, who never asked to be worshiped, or set out to have a Religion specifically ordained by them. They fully expected everyone to give up on the Religion when they left, but the fact they had not, caused a change to occur.
 
The structures that were still very much in place, were the hierarchy set out before the Immortal War that had more or less survived. At the head of all the priesthood were the Matrons (a non-gendered term) that applied to the single most favored of each Dragon God. Each God had their own Matron, a mortal who would have their favor, and know most personally their wishes and ambitions for the world, and could translate them to the other faithful. This position was often elective, but some Matrons passed their lineage from generation to generation, which became especially common after the Denial of Immortality. The only Matron succession that had not survived, was Regulus's Matron, who was eventually chosen from the Isldar to be Gwenyth Zylmoira, leading the faithful into a new era.  


==Gods and Goddesses==
Below the Matrons, are the Dragon Priests. Dragon Priests represent the whole religion, but usually specialize in the teachings of a specific Dragon God as their patron, and emphasize their qualities and teachings above the others. Generally speaking though, Dragon Priests should be aware of all other Dragons just as much, and be able to hold their own in theological discussion on the merits and values of the other Dragons too, but also understand the overarching narrative of Draconism as a whole. It is possible to be a Dragon Priest and hold other occupations, as Dragon Priesthood is more of a personal choice than an ordained position. There is no official academy or place of teaching for Priests, the only real requirement is that each self-ordained priest takes a pilgrimage to the Matron of their Patron God, and seeks approval from them.  
Draconism has several Gods (gender indeterminate, though when humanoid, they do appear gendered), making it a polytheistic Religion. Unlike many other polytheistic religions, however, Draconism has a clear hierarchy and even a form of competitive rivalry between the so-called Dragon Thrones. Every Dragon Throne (a group of Dragons) contains a leader who is the representative God, and the lesser named Dragons. These lesser named Dragons are not strictly Gods, but they are treated with great reverence. Not all Draconism Gods are currently alive, during the process of the Denial of Immortality, most Dragons died in a non-traditional sense (which also made the Religion "dead" for nearly 300 years save for areas like the [[Sihai]] Lands), with not all of them having been revived recently. It is possible to worship multiple Dragons, but because the Dragon Gods often conflict with one another even when they have a Dragon King, most Draconism followers worship a single God that best fits their principles and beliefs.
 
<table style="width: 100%;"><tr><td style="width: 50%; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;">
Below the Dragon Priests are the Dragon Champions. Unlike Dragon Priests, Dragon Champions do not widely act as priests, they are more akin to lay-priests but hold an extreme emphasis on specific Dragon Gods. Anyone can be a Dragon Champion, it is in most cases self-declared, but 9 out of 10 Dragon Champions are warriors because they enforce the might and will of their Dragon usually by the sword. This may lead to some comical arrangements, with Felicula Dragon Champions forcing participants to have a party and be happy, with the threat of physical harm if they do not. Dragon Champions can administer religious services, but only specifically to their own patron God, while Dragon Priests can perform more general and wide-spread religious services.
<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Regulus, the Dragon King'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Cedragoin.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Regulus (Cedromar, for those more familiar with his persona).
* '''Domain:''' The Regalian Archipelago, Southwynd, and Westwynd Regions.
* '''Symbols:''' Thunder Storms, Rulership, Command, Diplomacy, Centrism.
* '''Role:''' Regulus acts as the King of Dragons, to mediate and command them.
* '''Traits:''' Capricious, Cryptic, Regal, Sagely, Mediating, Attentive, Loyalty.
* '''Temple:''' House of Dragons on Draackenrust Mountain in Anglia.
* '''Allies:''' Arkenborn, Urlan, Adal & Hagen faithful, Leyon faithful.
* '''Enemies:''' Murderers, The Afflicted, Malefica & Machinist Cultists, Anarchists.
* '''Rituals:''' Regulus is celebrated through the act of mediation between aggrieved parties, or the Dragon-King trial in which blue Dragon-King flames are summoned, a trial is held between two parties holding their hand in the flame, with the flame burning them if they utter a lie. Finally, a common form of invocation by priests and the faithful is the tribute ceremony of producing art of the Dragon King and dedicating it to him or his name.
|}
</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Caius, the Dying Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Caiuodragon.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Caius (Shalmanisar for Eronidas, using their own language).
* '''Domain:''' The Continent of Guldar, and the Drifting Isles and Seas.
* '''Symbols:''' Volcanoes, Battle, War, Destruction, Flames and Fire, and Magma.
* '''Role:''' Caius acts as the Dragon General, leading Dragon forces in War.
* '''Traits:''' Ill-tempered, Violent, Uncompromising, Brave, Passionate, Loving.
* '''Temple:''' Rock of Eternity Volcano (largest Volcano in the world) in Guldar.
* '''Allies:''' Ifrit faithful, Leif & Bard faithful, Gladiators, Lothar Knights, Purists.
* '''Enemies:''' Any Occult, Occult Sympathizers, Aelrrigan Knights, Centrists.
* '''Rituals:''' Caius is celebrated through the rituals of Mage-Burnings and Pyro-Branding. The former involves gathering magical scrolls, books, and artifacts, and burning them in a ritual fire, while the latter involves branding the Occult with painful scars that hurt when they use Magic. Less violent forms of worship involve the Flame-Dance, a ritual dance by torches in the moonlight, and the Burning Love Chalice, writing love letters and burning them.
|}
</center>
</tr></table>
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<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Daiana, the Dreaming Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Dreamdragon.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Daiana (Damu or Da'amu for Eronidas, using their own language).
* '''Domain:''' The world's Core, the Underground and cave systems of Aloria.
* '''Symbols:''' Earth, Ancestor Spirits, Nature, Dreaming, Child-bearing.
* '''Role:''' Daiana guards the doorway to death and unlife, and dreams of Divinity.
* '''Traits:''' Shamanism, Maternal, Nurturing, Meditation, Grounding, Wisdom.
* '''Temple:''' Great Hall of Mother in Kezzeret Kashubasha (Eronidas State).
* '''Allies:''' Mana faithful, Environmentalists, Mothers, Yanar, Narim, Dwarves, Elkonur faithful
* '''Enemies:''' The Ordial Aligned, The Afflicted, Renegade (Evil) Mages, The Undead.
* '''Rituals:''' Daiana is celebrated through the Harvest Ritual and Caring Ceremony, the former which involves celebrating harvest and sharing meals with others, the latter which involves bestowing both the blessing and responsibility of caring onto someone else by granting them a plant, a pet, or a child to take care of. Daiana is also invoked by priests to summon the Spirits or appearances of dead relatives to give consolation to the mourning living.
|}
</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Triton, the Dark Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Voiddragon.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Triton, though he can also be called Ifrit as he is a [[Evolism|Void God]] also.
* '''Domain:''' Triton has no official domain, his followers always wander.
* '''Symbols:''' Revenge, Domination, Darkness in one's Soul, Dark Metal.
* '''Role:''' Triton is the Dark second half of Caius's split soul, Void infected.
* '''Traits:''' Vengeful, Cruel, Pragmatic, Powerful, Unforgiving, Unrelenting.
* '''Temple:''' Darkscale House of the High Father in the Osciird Princedoms (Daen).
* '''Allies:''' Evolism Faithful, Evintarian Unionists, Military & Martial people.
* '''Enemies:''' The Apathetic & Inactive, Behesael faithful, Pacifists, Ithanians.
* '''Rituals:''' Triton is celebrated through the Metamorphic Baptism, involved in ritually immersing in a pool of Void-blessed Dragon Water, and assuming Void Mutations of Triton. Another ritual is the Retribution Rally, where they summon a banner of Revenge and call forth allies to sally forth and attack their enemy for vengeance. Finally, Triton accepts blood offerings either from the faithful or those vanquished in battle.  
|}
</center>
</tr></table>
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<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Nox, the Unknown Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Dueuaj.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Nox (Madhyaratri for Slizzar & Allar, using their languages).
* '''Domain:''' Hadar and Sendras, and the deep oceans of the world.
* '''Symbols:''' Mirrors, Snakes, Libraries, Sassrakkand, the Mind, Chrome.
* '''Role:''' Nox acts as Spymaster for the Dragons, but also has his own agenda.
* '''Traits:''' Deceitful, Calculated, Foresight, Thoughtful, Wise, All-Knowing.
* '''Temple:''' The Sassrakkand Pyramideon (only accessible to Slizzar and Archon).
* '''Allies:''' Inth faithful, Rand faithful, Juvin Faithful, Wadj & Yah Faithful.
* '''Enemies:''' Justicars, Knights, Guards, The Afflicted, The Thralled & Mind-Controlled.
* '''Rituals:''' Nox's worship is often hidden by pretending to be followers of different Dragons. For those who embrace him publicly, the Mirror Masquerade is a common festivity, where guests must pretend to be a different guest including clothes, make-up and alchemy to look similar. Another is reflective divination, to make someone ponder their deepest desires in a Nox Mirror, and instead see the danger and dark side of their wish reflected.
|}
</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width: 50%;">
<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Marik, the Etherforge Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:Yayh.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Marik (Al-Asir in Qadir language) as he is a [[Unionism]] God also.
* '''Domain:''' Ard-al-Nur & Southern Islands, as well as surrounding oceans.
* '''Symbols:''' Technology, Forgery, Craftsmen, Bronze, Brass, and Desert Sands.
* '''Role:''' Marik is the chief Architect of Dragon Weapons against the Occult.
* '''Traits:''' Helpful, Reassuring, Resourceful, Quirky, Compassionate, Self-Sacrificing.
* '''Temple:''' Marik's Temple was destroyed by the Great Storm that ravished Ard-al-Nur.
* '''Allies:''' Qadir, Unionists, Automata & Artificial living Beings, Technicians.
* '''Enemies:''' Machinist faithful, Body-Modders, War-fanatics & the Military.
* '''Rituals:''' Marik worship is very equal and communal, with the Gearwork Exchange being the most common, gathering technicians to all work together on something fun (not necessarily practical). Another way to worship him is through the simple act of technological exchange of ideas and designs, but also the Preservation Fair, where old Technology and devices are scrapped and recycled to become new or different devices.
|}
</center>
</tr></table>
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<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Severena, the Meditating Dragon'''</center></span>
{|
[[File:noimglong.png|220px|caption|left]]
|
* '''Name:''' Severena (Saaima for the Sihai, using their own language).
* '''Domain:''' Dexai, Zhong, Sheng, and the surrounding Sea and Jade Sea.
* '''Symbols:''' Air, Monasteries, High Mountain Towers, Meditation, Transcendence.
* '''Role:''' Severena is the thinker of Dragons, contemplating meaning and reality.
* '''Traits:''' Contemplative, Insightful, Ascended, Detached, Piercing, Ethereal.
* '''Temple:''' The Beian Temples in Zhong where the Air Dragons Slumber and dream of Jade.
* '''Allies:''' Toke & Jord faithful, Elia & Nicholas faithful, Yah faithful, priests, ascetics.
* '''Enemies:''' Evolism faithful, Evintarian Unionists, The Self-Unaware and Ignorant.
* '''Rituals:''' Severena worship is done the Breath of Serenity, a solo or group excersize of speaking out evils and attachments, and letting go with breathing exercises. Another worship method is the Temple of Elevation where the faithful climb high mountains or tall towers with lanterns to seek enlightenment, and kite flying meditation, where wishes in poems are attached to kites, and let fly high in the wind before letting go.
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<span style="font-size:150%;><center>'''Aurora, the Creation Dragon'''</center></span>
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* '''Name:''' Aurora (The name Frisit was a deception not Aurora but an Ordial Entity).
* '''Domain:''' Ellador, the North Belt, Jorrhildr and the Frozen Wastes of the North.
* '''Symbols:''' Creationism, Life itself, Natural Selection & Evolution, Design.
* '''Role:''' Aurora is the Creator of species, the starting point of all organic life.
* '''Traits:''' Frigid, Emotionless, Intuitive, Work-Obsessed, Isolationist, Free.
* '''Temple:''' The Moon-Vault Halls in Ellador, capital of the Life Isldar Elven State.
* '''Allies:''' Alchemists, Hunters, Urlan, Doctors & Healers, Bureaucrats & Scholars.
* '''Enemies:''' All things Ordial, the Afflicted, Death Isldar, the Undead, Slavers.
* '''Rituals:''' Aurora worship is often done alone but can also be done together, in the Harvest of the Stars by wishing on the falling stars which are common in the skies, or the Hunting Rite of Passage where mentors take students on hunts to prove their natural selection ability and population control. Finally, the Transition Cave is where animal or people carcasses are laid to rest to turn into new lifeforms in insects and fungi.
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==Expanded Lore==
==Expanded Lore==
Expanded Lore exists to provide additional context and content on the individual Gods that is not necessary to understand what a God is about, but can help those who want to invest in this Religion Roleplay with more depth.  
The Expanded Lore section contains additional contextual information about the Draconist faith. This section is not necessary to read to get a good understanding of the lore, just the background information.
===Regulus===
===Festivals and Worship===
Regulus is the Dragon-God of Command, Rule, Order, Souls, Time, and Lightning. Regulus is considered the warden of Time, by controlling the various strands of possible futures and lived pasts, while also preventing other forces from interfering with Time itself. Additionally, he is the Architect of Souls, through which the Draconism followers believe new souls are born in the world as he weaves their designs into existence. Regulus is a Blue Dragon, whose command over the weather and particularly express his Lightning symbolism. Regulus's primary agents are thought to be the birds, his eyes and ears, but also his messengers in the wider world. Regulus himself is always accompanied by his Falcon, on his shoulder, or high in the sky. Regulus is prayed to for direction and meaning, for aid in order and peace. As the Dragon-King, his role in the Conclave of Dragons is to mediate and preserve peace between the Dragons, even when they flaunt his control. His realm is the Central Junction, which rougly covers the lands of the [[Regalian Archipelago]], [[Eriu Innis]], [[Etosil]], [[Southwynd]], and all seas in between. Regulus's largest Temple is the Draackenrust Mountain in [[Anglia]], which is covered in shrines protected and operated by the Stormsong [[Archon]], and the Life [[Isldar]] who migrated there. Regulus is strongly connected with the Anglian Witches and is generally seen as the most sociable of the Dragon Gods who speaks frequently to mortals, even if this is often perceived as cryptic. Regulus's current reincarnation is a 45 year old [[Ailor]], also known as the [[Prince Cedromar]] of the [[Regalian Empire]], though among his worshipers, he is primarily known and referred to as Regulus or the Imperial Dragon-Prince. Regulus is frequently challenged by the other Dragons, particularly Caius and Nox, both who believe Regulus is too much of a slow-acting centrist, and who tries to mediate too much between sides who will never see eye to eye. Regulus is best known within the Immortal War, as the Dragon whose policy is that of "Radical Life Preservation". What this means is that Regulus is ostensibly anti-Occult, but believes strongly that the Occult have the right to live and thrive, and extends a radical view to the protection of life to the non-Occult also. Regulus followers take great care to never kill unless forced to do so to protect other lives, never to step on an insect, never to kill an animal, leading to many of them being vegetarians.  
The [[Draconism Expanded]] Page contains information on Draconism Holy days (one each month), as well as basic rituals performed by Draconism Priests for the faithful. This Page is useful to read for upcoming festivals, but is not necessary to fully explore unless an event is actually upcoming and pinned to the calendar. The bottom of the page contains information relevant to Draconism Priests.  
===Caius===
===The Advancement===
Caius is the Dragon-God of War, Warriors, Strength, Power, Love, and Fire. Caius was once called the Fire Lord, on account of his control over the element of Fire and Passion. As the Void first erupted into Aloria, the Dragons did not know what they were dealing with, and Caius was the only one to enter the Void. Doing so trapped him in a realm that was bereft of the laws of reality from which the Dragons function, so it took all might of the Dragons to pull him back. While they brought him back, his soul was split in half, with one half remaining in Aloria, and the other half in the Void that would eventually become the Void God Ifrit of [[Void Worship]] (called Triton in Draconism). Since then, Caius has slowly been dying, kept alive by Dragon Magic and the heat-core of the world while the Void corruption of part of his soul eats up his body from the inside like an ever-expanding cancer. While Caius was once a Dragon whose heat gave way to love, this imminent death has caused Caius and his followers to become violent and borderline genocidal against the Occult, hoping that by purging all the Void-infected rot of Aloria, they can sever the connection between the two worlds and halt the slow death of their lord. Caius is by nature a Red Dragon whose symbolism expresses itself in the fire he breathes, but his body has slowly become blackened with rot. As the Dragon-General of the Dragon Conclave, Caius's role was to lead the military arm of the Dragons that would protect the faithful and the world as a whole, but has since become the majority of the fighting forces of the Archon against the Occult during the Immortal War. Within the context of the Immortal War, it should as such not be surprising that his policy is "Radical Extermination", where all Occult-tainted entities must die to sever the connection between the Void and Aloria. While this would normally mean a disregard for the Ordial and Exist-based forces, because the purges of Caius are indiscriminate, they are usually included as well. All of Caius's Archon are violent and desperate to save their God, wishing death and destruction on many others to save him, and anyone else affected by Void rot. Caius is the most unforgiving god, whether by his rage and grief at his condition, or just because the raging fire has no temperance. Caius's largest Temple is that of the Rock of Eternity, the largest volcano in the world which houses Junction West, which covers roughly the territory of [[Guldar]] and the [[Drifting Isles]]. Caius's servants however, in their desperation or disgust at the Occult, reach far and beyond, into the territory of other Dragons, where they compete with the local forces over the cleansing of the Occult. Triton's role as both a Void God and a representative of the split in Caius's Soul is explained further below in a separate section that covers why many Draconism followers see Ifrit as a God too.
The Advancement as an event began with the death of Caius. Caius had been suffering from the Void Infection for millennia, and his eventual demise was guaranteed and even foreseen. For all this time, it was Umbra who ordained that the only way to solve Caius's condition, was to remove all Magical things form the world, so that the connection between the Void and Aloria could be severed. Indeed, historical events implied that this was correct, because after each Void Invasion, Caius's condition would improve for some time as most Magic was seeped from the world, only for it to return as Mages became more prevalent. There is some healthy room for discussion to determine whether Umbra was right, whether he was wrong, or whether he obfuscated the truth on purpose. This theory would not imply that Umbra is specifically malicious or treasonous to the Draconic cause, but that he might have stretched the truth to keep the Draconic cause busy with the wrong type of cure, to guarantee Caius's death just to see what would happen if he did die, which would be consistent with his death-god obsession with the beauty of death.
===Daiana===
 
While other Dragons manifest on Aloria's surface and roam, and can be met in person, Daiana is not one such Dragon. Her existence is more metaphysical, as her body is the planet core itself, in a way she is Aloria itself, though she does have an astral projection that can be perceived in visions or manifestations (which is why her appearance is generally understood). Daiana is the Dreaming Dragon, because her Dreams manifest reality itself, the rules of the world, but also the Gods and sometimes even people themselves. Daiana in a way could be considered the entity that dreams up all native Alorian Gods (so not Evolism Gods for example), but does so in an unconventional way. Daiana is directly affected by the living on Aloria in the same way that her dreams affect them. For example, when the proto-[[Velheim]] people who had no Gods or believed in different Gods dreamed of a better future, or had hopes of freedom from war and suffering, Daiana dreamt of the [[Fornoss]] God Bard who embodied their strength, bravery, and capacity to fight for themselves. Daiana does not decide what Gods are born, her dreams dictate their themes, but those themes and concepts are also fed to her by the living of the world. Daiana also dreams of people, on occasion, creating the uniquely different Draconism [[Godborn]], who are not actually conceived or born through natural processes, but dreamt up by Daiana's dreams of fate. Draconism Dreamborn (Godborn) are always born as full grown and capably thinking adults for a specific fated reason (literally appearing somewhere in the blink of an eye), which is not always clear to them. Some are dreamed up to protect a temple of specific person, while some might be born with insurmountable tasks like ending the decline of the [[Dwarven]] Race or destroying the [[Dread Empire]]. It is also possible for Daiana to dream up new Dreamborn for the ones that she has already dreamed of, if they failed to fulfill their destiny in time, or turned away from their fate. Daiana is especially valuable to the [[Eronidas]], because she fulfills the role of Mother Earth, the closest concept in our lore to Gaia, the soul of the world itself. The Eronidas believe all their shamanistic powers derive from her, and believe that Caius is her husband, though such a connection isn't strictly proven and largely impractical because Caius is a literal Dragon while Daiana is the metaphysical concept of one. During the Denial of Immortality, Daiana never "died" or disappeared, though she also only communicates with a handful of people in an [[Elven]] lifespan. This circumstance has led some to believe that Daiana was never really alive, and exists in a state transcendent of living or death.  
Whatever the motivations or circumstances, the event of Caius's death and Cinerius's rebirth from his corpse was cause enough to call for a full conclave. With the beginning of the conclave, it became evident that Regulus was not satisfied with a partial conclave, and so he called down Orion, something that had not been done for thousands of years. Following this, the conclave was convinced to rescind the punishment of Nox. It had become pretty clear in the past few millennia that being punished was part of Nox's plan all along, and that being trapped in the mirror dimension as he was, that he was difficult to keep tabs on by the other Dragons. His habit to be secretive and have plots detached from the common Draconic cause was considered a liability, and perhaps in part, Nox was proved right by the endless cycles of free-will causing the same outcome one way or another. Indeed, the very reversal of the Denial of Immortality was reason enough to claim that the rhetoric used by Nox to create the Slizzar was at least in part right.  
===Triton===
 
Triton is the second half of Caius's split soul, and in being so, he is a Void God. Triton was once caught in the Void, but when Behesael was killed, broke free from the Void and chose life on Aloria. This creates the strange circumstance for Draconists and Dragons, in that an Occult Infected Dragon exists in the same plane of reality as his other half, Caius. Attempts have been made by the Dragons to re-merge the two halves, but eventually aborted as Triton and Caius both violently resisted any further attempts, wishing to preserve their individual identities, but also the other Dragons finding discomfort with the idea of killing one of their own, even if Void Corrupted. Triton physically manifests in Aloria, and engages in a variety of plots and machinations that sometimes go against the Dragons, but often align with them. For example, his favor for the Drakon Cult [[Kathar]] is unusual, especially since Caius wants to exterminate them, while others don't even want to tolerate them. Triton's actions very much style towards the weaponization of the Void itself to fight the Void, but there is a definite undercurrent of trying to prove that Void and Draconic combinations are superior to Dragon or Void creations alone. Some in fact speculate that if Caius and Triton were ever to come to blows (both considered the strongest of Dragons), that Triton would win this fight with ease. It is unclear what happens if Caius were to be completely absorbed and corrupted by the Void, as this would put him in the same category as Triton. Some speculate that when this occurs, Triton and Caius's souls will re-merge, because Triton's soul is part of Caius's with Void alignment layered on top, and when that completes for Caius, the two will be identical. It is equally unclear whether Triton will always be aligned with the Dragons, or has some greater intention to betray them, though this seems to be a topic that most Dragons are more than content completely ignoring.
With all the Dragons re-convened, the conclusion was made that the impassioned guidance of the Dragons was in part to blame for the chaotic existence of their followers, and that their unclear and mysterious attitude to the sequence of history in the world, also had a part to play in the repeating cycles of destruction. As such, Regulus decreed that all Dragons should contribute to formulating a dogma, and that the Radicals that had come about because of his chaotic return to power, should all be dismissed. Despite these lofty and ambitious intentions, the conclave wasn't a complete success. The Dragons still could not decide on a common policy towards the Infection, even if they chose a more benign term calling it the Presence instead. While the intention had been to unify all Dragons under one policy, Regulus's mediated middle ground wasn't radical enough for either the pro, or anti-Magic side, and so the conclave was split three ways, which all things considered was an improvement over a 15-way split.
===Nox===
 
Nox is a complicated figure in the Draconism faith, as well as among Dragons, because of the amount of discord among Dragons he creates. Nox is the father of all [[Slizzar]], not in the literal sense, but in the sense that he created them against the wishes of the other Dragons, and while stealing the gifts of Aurora to do it. When Dragons create life, they adhere to strict rules of what life can and cannot be. For example, it must have free will, it must live and die, and it must remain the same shape throughout most of its life. Nox broke these rules by making the Slizzar, both in that they live far beyond reason, but more importantly because they are Shapeshifters, that which the Dragons specifically prohibited to exist to preserve the natural Eco System. Nox was punished by the other Dragons by having his influence over the Slizzar severed. His soul was split (in a method not too dissimilar from [[Songaskian]] creation) into several Slizzar mortal bodies, the Anindriya Slizzar, so his consciousness could not complete his plans, but his followers and Soulcores would continue to function in his absence. Nox seemed to have outsmarted the other Dragons however, because part of his soul was imbued into the law of reflection, meaning that in every reflection experienced in the world whether by mirror or by calm pond of water, Nox's soul partially exists in the mirror world. Over the centuries while other Dragons have died or entered deep slumber, Nox's power had slowly been returning, so much so that he started actively interfering with global events. Some events should however not be misinterpreted as his. The [[Essa Empire]], when the Slizzar puppeteered the [[Allar]] en masse to create their own Empire, was specifically not his doing, when an Arken abused his absence and lack of power to manifest in the world to masquerade as his will and representative to unify the Slizzar in this act. What Nox has been planning, or what he has been doing, remains a mystery to many, including his own Slizzar. Some however have posited that sometimes, these plots have no purpose, and that Nox much like other Dragons is subject to mortal desires and free will, and that his plots can in fact be for the simple reason that he enjoys feeling like a God and outsmarting everyone, or being an unseen hand that has guided history. There are even some so bold to claim that Nox was in fact responsible for the Essa Empire folding so rapidly, as he puppeteered the Mai-Allar to rebel against the other Allar and Slizzar, and aid the Regalians in knowing where all the military installations were, and helping the Regalian Empire crack another Empire in record time. The most sinister of plots that Nox is speculated to have engaged in (but for which no hard evidence exists), are the Yellow Dragons. There are in fact no Yellow Dragons, and while the entity called Zanobi was very real to the Allar, and the events concerning the Yellow Dragons were also real with regards to their society, it remains the fact that they are not part of the Dragon pantheon and don't exist in the historical context. Dragon Scholars have speculated that Zanobi and the Yellow Dragons were in fact a deceitful manifestation of Nox and the Silver Dragons, to create more compliance in the Allar to abandon their Evolist ways, and shy away from the corruption of the Void. The Allar who fled Sendrass did so because of the cruelty of the Sendrassian Allar, but the majority of them still observed some relation to Evolism and the Void Gods, which Zanobi was instrumental in weening them off of. It is thus reasonably possible, that one of the most traumatic events in Allar history, the diseased death of the Zanobi, was a skilled piece of gaslighting propaganda by Nox to firmly press onto the Allar that the Void is bad.
===Old Believers===
===Marik===
Draconism has a variety of smaller regional Cults called Old Believers. The Old Believers hold onto the [[Draconism Radicals]] as they were before The Advancement. Choosing to play an Old Believer is not recommended, because it cuts a Character off from the other Draconism worshipers. Even though Old Believers are not strictly heretics, they might be excluded from social activities or Pantheon-related quests. Old Believer information is preserved specifically for Character who felt betrayed by The Advancement, or sensed a sinister intention in the actions of Umbra, and want to continue Caius's Burning Extermination.
Marik as a figure is somewhat enigmatic, even for Draconism faithful who generally act smug about knowing more about the world than non believers. Marik prior to the Sariyd conflict was a very recluse Dragon who lived mostly on uninhabited lands, tinkering with mineral compositions and rare earth metals in the world. Even when the Machinist started investing in the early Sariyd in Marik's backyard, he seems to have taken a backseat role in doing nothing about it, up until the point that the [[Machinist]] took its revenge and crept its way back in power among the [[Qadir]] through the priests unknowing use of Machinist equipment. There are some that speculate that Marik assisted the Sariyd in their original rebellion against the Machinist, but since the soul of Al-Muqallid being eaten by the Beyond, and Marik dying, there is no person left alive who might remember, except perhaps for Triton who won't say. Marik created the [[Bralona]] Race as part of his intelligent artificial lifeforms used in the war against the Sariyd. Historical telling completely negates the existence of the Bralona on [[Ard-al-Nur]], primarily because all Sariyd who would live to tell the tale died in the [[Great Storm]], and because Regulus wiped the memories of all Bralona, and dumped them all on the island [[Justinia]] after refusing to kill them due to his belief that all living things deserved a chance at life. Marik was eventually killed by the Ordial Death-Lances even before the final siege that initiated the Great Storm occurred. Historical telling among the Sihai and Qadir has it that Marik was with the Dragons up on the mountain, but once again Regulus wiped the memories of everyone involved to try and hide the fact that Dragons could be killed in the physical sense by Ordial weaponry. Marik's soul however could not be killed, because the existence of Dragons in Aloria is inherent to its natural laws and because Daiana still dreamt of him, as she does of all the Dragons. As such, Marik's soul was reborn in the body of Al-Asir, who would later go on to become the God of the Qadir and become part of Unionism under the auspices of the Everwatcher. A studious reader might observe however, that the Qadir are universally Agnostic or Unionist, never Draconists. This is because the Qadir still have societal trauma towards the concept of Dragons, and because Al-Asir (or Marik, depending on the naming chosen) has made an active effort to distance himself from Draconism, and be closer to the Qadir in the spirit of redemption for his greatest failure, being that his soul and his Dragons permitted their minds and bravery to falter and cause the Great Storm, causing the deaths of tens of millions of Qadir. In a way, his life as Al-Asir is atonement, though the Draconists can still experience the soul of Marik through him. Al-Asir still loves all the same things Marik did, and still has the same powers as Marik. In such a way, Marik and Al-Asir being the same entity mean that this is a God shared by two Religions, which is a rare occurrence in the world. Marik's identity in that regard is complicated. He is primarily the patron Dragon God of the Songaskians, and the leader of the Bronze Desert Dragons who gave up their souls and bodies to birth the Songaskian Race. The Songaskians know and ackowledge Al-Asir is the bearer of Marik's reincarnated soul (just like Cedromar is the reincarnation of Regulus), but this is not accepted fact among the Unionists, or the wider Qadir Race. To the Qadir, Al-Asir is their God alone, they actively reject the notion that he is Marik's atonement, and may get violent to press that point. This is because for Qadir, the notion of accepting a Dragon as God when Dragons were (from their optics) part responsible for nearly wiping out their Race, even if deceived and puppeteered by the Machinist Ordial God. For Songaskians, the war with the Qadir is fresh in the mind, but they don't have the baggage of 40 million of their Race choking to death on sandstorms. It is speculated that the Qadir will not accept Al-Asir as Marik's alter ego, will only occur, when the Qadir individually or as a society can let go of the racial trauma of the Great Storm. Al-Asir is also not exactly Marik. A good analogy is that al-Asir is a clone approximation of Marik through which Marik can be experienced in his powers and wisdom and interactions, but that the original Marik is dead. That does not however make the Songaskians agnostics or atheists either, as those who want to actively worship living Dragons can just swap patronage, and those who do not care can continue to worship the qualities of Marik as they were known in past ages. Just because a God is dead, does not mean their message is no longer valid, and Marik's message still lives and breathes in Al-Asir.
 
===Severena===
===Dragon Types===
Severena is most political and temporal of the Dragons, having taken a role in mortal society in a way quite unlike many of the others deigned to do until very recently. She and her Clade, the White Dragons, are responsible for the origin point of Sihai civilization and almost all Sihai political and cultural structures that have persisted to the modern day, where they are recognized as the ultimate arbiters of morality and maintain a degree of staying power and ability to give orders in exchange for the extensive benefits of their protection. When [[Cataclysm]] struck the rest of the world and many other Dragons engaged in the Denial of Immortality, choosing their own ways to perish, the Sihai Dragons chose to self-sacrificially enter a slumber they could not leave to maintain the Jade Wall, a series of complicated fortifications enchanted to help the Sihai fight off against the waves of Demons which have assailed them since that time. Very recently, in the process of reversing the Denial, other Dragons traveled to the Sihai lands and awoke the White Dragons once again. Amidst political chaos related to their awakening and a civil war caused by the realization that a terrible fate had befallen a portion of the Sihai homeland, with the Dragons unable to protect them (read the Sihai page for the fate of the Sheng Empire to learn more), it is unclear how many of them are awake, whether it is just one or all. But Severena herself, at least, is known to be awake once again. Severena stands for the virtue of transcendence: her "Radical Ascension" philosophy stands for the idea that Occult persons themselves do not commit a sin by existing, but rather that Occultism is begat by sin, that there would be no Renegade Mages or evil sorcerers if the same impulses that created murderers no longer existed, and that the key to victory over Demonic forces is cultivating virtue in the people rather than any arcane-related solution. To this end, Severena's worshipers tend to adopt a very detached, self-perfectionist attitude where they meditate on abandoning their own flaws and attachments in the hopes that others will follow their example and turn to the beauty of Draconic creation. Not just Sihai worship Severena, as well: her immortal concept that the war against the impure starts within the self is popular with many ascetic types, leading to her having a syncretic following among many Dragon Monks, even those who worship other Dragons as primary, as someone whose advice is simply wise to keep. It is also important to understand that Severena's philosophy does not encourage apathy and doing nothing, because sometimes other people do not know what is good for them and have to be guided to the 'correct' spiritual solution. Her worshipers are more than happy to lend their ancient wisdom to all sides of the Draconic cause (though usually Regulus) in their shared goals.
Dragons are not singular, there exist not just 15 Dragons in the world, but technically hundreds, and even different categories. To make sense of the various categories, this section will explain the differences.
===Aurora===
* '''Dragon-Gods''' are the leaders of so-called Clades. Clades are groupings of Dragons that are all of the same type. For example, the Blue Clade belongs to Regulus the Blue Dragon. All of these Blue Dragons control time and rain and storm, but only the Dragon God Regulus is considered a God. The other Clade Dragons are still considered divine, but their power is inherited from the Dragon-God, who holds absolute authority. The other Clade Dragons should be considered like right-hands because Dragons are not omnipotent or omniscient, and can't be everywhere at once.  
Aurora is the most anti-social of all the Dragons, who sometimes shows active contempt for her own creations (especially the sentient mortals), with the sole exception being the [[Urlan]], who she considers the perfect creation and beyond anything she has ever made. The Urlan refer to Aurora as Valerius or the Hunt-Mother, even if they are not Draconists. She fulfills a more secular creationist role for them in the same way that Daiana is a mechanical aspect of god-birth to other Religions. Aurora created the Urlan because she lacked faith in the other Races to live up to her expectations of the apex creature at the top of the food chain, and acting as her representation in preserving the eco system by culling over populations and hunting over-active predators, as well as disrupting factors. Urlan to Aurora, are self-perpetuating creation, especially because they can convert other Races to their own ranks, and have unique defenses against the Occult that Aurora considers design flaws in other Races for being absent. Aurora did not always favor the Urlan so, as she was a fervent supporter of the Dragon Cultists among the Allorn Empire who acted as protectors of the Craters of Creation where she experiments with life forms. She eventually perished in the wars against the Elves and Dwarves (and took a good portion of Dwarves with her), in an event not too dissimilar to how Marik's soul was abused by an Ordial Entity to cause death. The [[Glacial]] Ordial Goddess used Aurora's Magic to birth the Isldar and kill hundreds of thousands of Dwarves and Elves, while also putting an Ordial entity called Frisit in her corpse to deceive the Isldar into secretly worshiping her while they thought they remained faithful to the Dragons. This deceit was eventually discovered when the Dragons revived Aurora, unmasking the Frisit beast, and the Glacial's plot, which would result in the Isldar civil war where one side reconnected with Draconism, while the other side threw their lot in with the Glacial as their true protector and became the Death Isldar. While Aurora still shows some favor and connection with the Life Isldar, her pride and glory goes to the Urlan, who have since also become stalwart allies of the Life Isldar as two perfect halves of preserving eco systems in a way that Aurora is perhaps too shortsighted to appreciate. After all, while the Urlan are the apex hunter, the knowledge and information gathering as well as the analytical insight of the Life Isldar is unmistakable, and the two of them combined make an undefeatable combination.
* '''Clade Dragons''' are the afore-described right-hands of the Dragons. Clade Dragons do not have a consistent number, for example, Regulus has only 6, while Marik has 30 (though many of them remain dead). Clade Dragons appear identical to their Dragon-Gods, but there is no common trend between what certain Dragons look like. The only true commonality is that all true Dragons are massive, sometimes as large as mountains, and thus compare with the Primeval Beings in size. True Dragons can have four legs, only two, six, or none at all. Sometimes they have wings, other times they do not. Sometimes they are long, or stubby, or slither around.  
* '''Drakon''' are mortal versions of Dragons that nonetheless live for centuries. It is somewhat unclear if they are directly related to Dragon-Gods or Clade Dragons, or were created to come too close to them in appearance. Drakon always appear like the traditional understanding of a wyvern with two large wings which it can support itself on, two hind legs, a long neck and a long tail. Drakon are large but never quite as massive as true Dragons, being about the size of a Regalia Frigate. Drakon have no inherent Magic, but do have an elemental breath that depends on the Dragon they belong to. For example, Regulus Drakon can breathe lightning, while Cinerius Drakon breathe fire, and Silas Drakon breathe sharp silver shrapnel, and Felicular Drakon breathe ethereal Magic. Drakon are primarily war beasts used by the Dragons to fight Arken and Demons. Only in very rare cases will a Dragon send a Drakon to act as mount for a chosen person for their task.
* '''Drakes''' (often also called Wyverns) are mortal versions of Dragons that live for several centuries but are much smaller than Drakon. Wyvern are just larger than a war-horse, allowing them to comfortable carry multiple persons on their back, but not able to tear down whole buildings like Drakon could. Drakes were created specifically as flying mounts for the Archon and Dragon Champions, and usually bond with mortals as their personal mount. Drakes do not possess any Magic, appear with the same appearance traits as Drakon, and also do not have an elemental breath.  
* '''Draconet''' are small mortal versions of Drakes that are no larger than dog-sized. What their exact purpose was is unclear, unlike Drakes and Drakon they have four legs and thus can move around like most mammals, but rarely fly despite being able to do so. Draconets are occasionally kept as pets by worshipers though they are exceedingly rare to find, and usually have to be raised from an egg to acquire the right calm temperament. Draconets were considered a prized possession during the Allorn Empire, but overhunting of their native populations has effectively driven them to extinction in the wild, with only select eggs being held onto for centuries until they hatch for the right person in unclear conditions.
 
===Dragon or Primeval===
To cast aside presumptions, Dragons are distinctly not Primeval. While Dragons rarely speak about the pre-Seraph history and existence of the world, they have made clear statements about the idea that when they first awoke, that the Primeval Beings were already there. The only Primeval Beings that the Dragons have ever spoken about, were the Everwatcher, the Blind One, and the Covenant, though for the Covenant she went by a different name and appearance. Dragons believe Primevals to be more powerful than them, and some speculate that in the eternal cycle of creation, that the Primevals actually created Dragons, who in turn created mortals and other Gods, though this is exceedingly hard to prove. There is effectively no communication between the Dragons and the Primeval Beings. The Everwatcher only speaks to the Vessel of Unionism and does so cryptically, the Blind One is in a state of eternal unconscious binding by its followers to prevent it from awakening, while the Covenant seems lost in some higher state of being that makes her interactions with the world seem more instinctual than calculated. The Dragons urge utter caution when attempting to interact or learn more about the Primeval Beings, because what is unknowable to Dragons, will surely spell doom for the mind of mortals.  
 
===God Dreams===
Dragons create Gods, flat-out. It is necessary to discuss this topic to dissuade furthering logic that because Dragons create Gods, that other Religions are fake and that Dragons should be worshiped instead as the only correct Gods. This is far from the truth, and actively against the intentions of the Dragons even. To first examine how other Gods are made, they are barely tangentially made by Dragons. When enough people on Aloria wish or crave for something, it is often through the optic of divine protection or saving. People generally gravitate in situations of despair and suffering, to wishing for a higher power to wisk them away and protect them, and this naturally becomes a desire for a savior-god. When enough people wish for this, all that emotional energy is felt by the planet itself, which is Daiana. Daiana dreams, but her dreams are never decided upon by herself, they are affected by the emotional energy that permeates the crust from the people living on it. And so, when enough people wish for a God, Daiana dreams of their desire, and Daiana's dreams become manifested reality. Nearly all Gods are thus born from Daiana's dreams by the template and wish provided by the people. There are some corner cases. For example, some Fornoss Gods were Arken who refracted into Godhood, and some Unionist Gods were made Gods directly by the Primeval Being the Everwatcher, but generally speaking this logic holds true.
 
It is necessary to express that even though Daiana takes a direct role in the creation of Gods, coupled with the fact that Aurora has indirectly created all species and peoples of Aloria through biological experimentation, that this does not mean anyone owes them their life or obedience or indeed worship. The Dragons primary directive is to create and preserve life, but they take a very apathetic role towards this life after it is created and is able to survive. While the Dragons indirectly aid certain societies by sending Archon or other Dragon forces to fight The Presence, this isn't really to protect specific groups of people, but rather just to counteract The Presence. In many ways, Gods that are dreamed up by Daiana are found family, while Dragons are the actively rejecting family that wants nothing to do with mortals, unless they specifically choose to worship them. Dragons are welcoming to worshipers, but do not demand or expect worship from those who feel stronger kinship with the Gods that were born from their ancestor's wants and needs, and that have always been present to guide them and their ancestors, and will continue to be around for their descendants. This doesn't necessarily stop some Dragon worshipers from acting smug about the technical superiority of Dragons over other Gods, and it is certainly true that some Gods are very weak compared to Dragons and actively hide away from them, but that these persons are never ontologically correct with their attitude.
 
===Heritage Alignments===
Dragons generally fulfill their own functions and have their own authority, and while technically Aurora has created most people of Aloria's ancestors, that does not fully hold up. Some heritages were created without Aurora's direct hand, and others yet were adopted by specific Dragons as their favored people. Dragons have preferences to specific heritages, like how Regulus for example always appears as an Ailor, and holds specific favor towards Ailor in particular. This section does not have any bearing to how your Character should worship the Dragons (or not worship them), it is merely added flair that allows you to build or develop a Character around the preferences of for example a patron Dragon God. It is natural that through preferences, some heritages like Kathar have no favored Dragons. This can't be helped, as not all Heritages are created equal, and just because a Dragon shows favor to a specific heritage, does not mean they hate all others. It just means their themes and symbolism can be found in these cultures, and that their cultures also inform the behavior of the Dragon in question.
* '''Regulus''' appears as an Ailor, and holds particular favor towards Ailor, particularly those from Anglia, Kintyr, and Solleria.
* '''Triton''' appears as an Elf, but holds no particular favor to anyone, rather favoring anything with Void Alignment instead.  
* '''Marik''' appears as a Skyborn, and holds particular favor for Dragonkin and Skyborn alike, though with some preference for Skyborn.
* '''Gaia''' appears as an Ailor ex-Aelrrigan Knight, and holds particular favor towards Ailor, particularly those from Anglia, Kintyr and the Velheim lands.
* '''Silas''' appears as an Urlan and holds particular favor towards Urlan, Dwarves, and Eronidas. Despite appearing Urlan, he did not make the Urlan.  
* '''Severena''' appears as a Sihai, and holds particular favor towards the Sihai. She is also directly responsible for creating the Sihai.
* '''Aurora''' appears as an Isldar, and holds particular favor towards the Isldar. She created all heritages not specified otherwise in this list.  
* '''Nox''' appears as a Mai-Allar and holds particular favor towards the Slizzar and Allar. He created the Slizzar, which is why he was imprisoned.
* '''Orion''' appears as a Sihai, and holds particular favor towards the Sihai and Lanlath, though he was not related to the creation of either.  
* '''Julianus''' appears as a Narim, and holds particular favor towards the Narim and Urlan. Though, he did not make the Narim, the Meraic Civilization did.  
* '''Daiana''' appears as an Eronidas, and holds particular favor towards the Eronidas and Velheim Ailor. She is also very fond of Spirits of any kind.  
* '''Cinerius''' appears as an Eronidas, and holds particular favor towards the Eronidas and Maquixtl. He is somehow related to the Maquixtl creation, but it is unclear how.  
* '''Umbra''' appears as an Ailor or Elf, but holds no particular favor to anything. Umbra is fairly mysterious, and seems to shapeshift around a lot.
* '''Felicula''' appears as a Minoor Elf, and holds particular favor towards all Elves and Allar, though she holds no part in the creation of any.  
* '''Luna''' appears as a Half-Asha, and holds particular favor towards Asha, but has no role in their creation, as the Meraic Civilization made them.  


==Priestly Activities==
To be Expanded.
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
To be Expanded.
* Draconism is technically the oldest religion, but due to constant changes in its dogma, it is now actually the youngest Religion, being exactly 1 month old at time of this article writing.
* Sometimes non-named Dragons are very important. It was not by ordaining from Regulus that Dragons returned, but due to the rebellion of Renita, one of his subordinate Dragons.
* Dragons should be considered a form of an advanced civilization that has acquired godhood, but inevitably, there are very limited numbers of them. The Gods just happen to be the leaders of the "Clade".
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[[category:Religion]] [[category:Other Religions]]
[[category:Religion]]

Revision as of 05:35, 2 September 2024

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 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 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 Daiana is Dragon and Aloria 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.

Priesthood

Priesthood for Draconism is more complicated than one might assume at first glance from a Religion that was effectively dead for 300-odd years while most Dragons were either in slumber, or in a near-death state. At the end of the Immortal War, the Dragons decreed that the Mantle of Creation (the theoretical stewardship over the world's functions) was to pass to mortals, and that they too would become mortal (explanation on why they did this is further below). As this occurred around Cataclysm, Draconism as a Religion was effectively dead for 300 years except for among the Sihai where the Dragons could still be visited, or the Isldar who were deceived. Still, when the Dragons returned centuries later, they found that much of the priesthood had survived their absence and that in some places, the faith had even grown. The Religion had always been considered more of a curiosity by the Dragons, who never asked to be worshiped, or set out to have a Religion specifically ordained by them. They fully expected everyone to give up on the Religion when they left, but the fact they had not, caused a change to occur.

The structures that were still very much in place, were the hierarchy set out before the Immortal War that had more or less survived. At the head of all the priesthood were the Matrons (a non-gendered term) that applied to the single most favored of each Dragon God. Each God had their own Matron, a mortal who would have their favor, and know most personally their wishes and ambitions for the world, and could translate them to the other faithful. This position was often elective, but some Matrons passed their lineage from generation to generation, which became especially common after the Denial of Immortality. The only Matron succession that had not survived, was Regulus's Matron, who was eventually chosen from the Isldar to be Gwenyth Zylmoira, leading the faithful into a new era.

Below the Matrons, are the Dragon Priests. Dragon Priests represent the whole religion, but usually specialize in the teachings of a specific Dragon God as their patron, and emphasize their qualities and teachings above the others. Generally speaking though, Dragon Priests should be aware of all other Dragons just as much, and be able to hold their own in theological discussion on the merits and values of the other Dragons too, but also understand the overarching narrative of Draconism as a whole. It is possible to be a Dragon Priest and hold other occupations, as Dragon Priesthood is more of a personal choice than an ordained position. There is no official academy or place of teaching for Priests, the only real requirement is that each self-ordained priest takes a pilgrimage to the Matron of their Patron God, and seeks approval from them.

Below the Dragon Priests are the Dragon Champions. Unlike Dragon Priests, Dragon Champions do not widely act as priests, they are more akin to lay-priests but hold an extreme emphasis on specific Dragon Gods. Anyone can be a Dragon Champion, it is in most cases self-declared, but 9 out of 10 Dragon Champions are warriors because they enforce the might and will of their Dragon usually by the sword. This may lead to some comical arrangements, with Felicula Dragon Champions forcing participants to have a party and be happy, with the threat of physical harm if they do not. Dragon Champions can administer religious services, but only specifically to their own patron God, while Dragon Priests can perform more general and wide-spread religious services.

Expanded Lore

The Expanded Lore section contains additional contextual information about the Draconist faith. This section is not necessary to read to get a good understanding of the lore, just the background information.

Festivals and Worship

The Draconism Expanded Page contains information on Draconism Holy days (one each month), as well as basic rituals performed by Draconism Priests for the faithful. This Page is useful to read for upcoming festivals, but is not necessary to fully explore unless an event is actually upcoming and pinned to the calendar. The bottom of the page contains information relevant to Draconism Priests.

The Advancement

The Advancement as an event began with the death of Caius. Caius had been suffering from the Void Infection for millennia, and his eventual demise was guaranteed and even foreseen. For all this time, it was Umbra who ordained that the only way to solve Caius's condition, was to remove all Magical things form the world, so that the connection between the Void and Aloria could be severed. Indeed, historical events implied that this was correct, because after each Void Invasion, Caius's condition would improve for some time as most Magic was seeped from the world, only for it to return as Mages became more prevalent. There is some healthy room for discussion to determine whether Umbra was right, whether he was wrong, or whether he obfuscated the truth on purpose. This theory would not imply that Umbra is specifically malicious or treasonous to the Draconic cause, but that he might have stretched the truth to keep the Draconic cause busy with the wrong type of cure, to guarantee Caius's death just to see what would happen if he did die, which would be consistent with his death-god obsession with the beauty of death.

Whatever the motivations or circumstances, the event of Caius's death and Cinerius's rebirth from his corpse was cause enough to call for a full conclave. With the beginning of the conclave, it became evident that Regulus was not satisfied with a partial conclave, and so he called down Orion, something that had not been done for thousands of years. Following this, the conclave was convinced to rescind the punishment of Nox. It had become pretty clear in the past few millennia that being punished was part of Nox's plan all along, and that being trapped in the mirror dimension as he was, that he was difficult to keep tabs on by the other Dragons. His habit to be secretive and have plots detached from the common Draconic cause was considered a liability, and perhaps in part, Nox was proved right by the endless cycles of free-will causing the same outcome one way or another. Indeed, the very reversal of the Denial of Immortality was reason enough to claim that the rhetoric used by Nox to create the Slizzar was at least in part right.

With all the Dragons re-convened, the conclusion was made that the impassioned guidance of the Dragons was in part to blame for the chaotic existence of their followers, and that their unclear and mysterious attitude to the sequence of history in the world, also had a part to play in the repeating cycles of destruction. As such, Regulus decreed that all Dragons should contribute to formulating a dogma, and that the Radicals that had come about because of his chaotic return to power, should all be dismissed. Despite these lofty and ambitious intentions, the conclave wasn't a complete success. The Dragons still could not decide on a common policy towards the Infection, even if they chose a more benign term calling it the Presence instead. While the intention had been to unify all Dragons under one policy, Regulus's mediated middle ground wasn't radical enough for either the pro, or anti-Magic side, and so the conclave was split three ways, which all things considered was an improvement over a 15-way split.

Old Believers

Draconism has a variety of smaller regional Cults called Old Believers. The Old Believers hold onto the Draconism Radicals as they were before The Advancement. Choosing to play an Old Believer is not recommended, because it cuts a Character off from the other Draconism worshipers. Even though Old Believers are not strictly heretics, they might be excluded from social activities or Pantheon-related quests. Old Believer information is preserved specifically for Character who felt betrayed by The Advancement, or sensed a sinister intention in the actions of Umbra, and want to continue Caius's Burning Extermination.

Dragon Types

Dragons are not singular, there exist not just 15 Dragons in the world, but technically hundreds, and even different categories. To make sense of the various categories, this section will explain the differences.

  • Dragon-Gods are the leaders of so-called Clades. Clades are groupings of Dragons that are all of the same type. For example, the Blue Clade belongs to Regulus the Blue Dragon. All of these Blue Dragons control time and rain and storm, but only the Dragon God Regulus is considered a God. The other Clade Dragons are still considered divine, but their power is inherited from the Dragon-God, who holds absolute authority. The other Clade Dragons should be considered like right-hands because Dragons are not omnipotent or omniscient, and can't be everywhere at once.
  • Clade Dragons are the afore-described right-hands of the Dragons. Clade Dragons do not have a consistent number, for example, Regulus has only 6, while Marik has 30 (though many of them remain dead). Clade Dragons appear identical to their Dragon-Gods, but there is no common trend between what certain Dragons look like. The only true commonality is that all true Dragons are massive, sometimes as large as mountains, and thus compare with the Primeval Beings in size. True Dragons can have four legs, only two, six, or none at all. Sometimes they have wings, other times they do not. Sometimes they are long, or stubby, or slither around.
  • Drakon are mortal versions of Dragons that nonetheless live for centuries. It is somewhat unclear if they are directly related to Dragon-Gods or Clade Dragons, or were created to come too close to them in appearance. Drakon always appear like the traditional understanding of a wyvern with two large wings which it can support itself on, two hind legs, a long neck and a long tail. Drakon are large but never quite as massive as true Dragons, being about the size of a Regalia Frigate. Drakon have no inherent Magic, but do have an elemental breath that depends on the Dragon they belong to. For example, Regulus Drakon can breathe lightning, while Cinerius Drakon breathe fire, and Silas Drakon breathe sharp silver shrapnel, and Felicular Drakon breathe ethereal Magic. Drakon are primarily war beasts used by the Dragons to fight Arken and Demons. Only in very rare cases will a Dragon send a Drakon to act as mount for a chosen person for their task.
  • Drakes (often also called Wyverns) are mortal versions of Dragons that live for several centuries but are much smaller than Drakon. Wyvern are just larger than a war-horse, allowing them to comfortable carry multiple persons on their back, but not able to tear down whole buildings like Drakon could. Drakes were created specifically as flying mounts for the Archon and Dragon Champions, and usually bond with mortals as their personal mount. Drakes do not possess any Magic, appear with the same appearance traits as Drakon, and also do not have an elemental breath.
  • Draconet are small mortal versions of Drakes that are no larger than dog-sized. What their exact purpose was is unclear, unlike Drakes and Drakon they have four legs and thus can move around like most mammals, but rarely fly despite being able to do so. Draconets are occasionally kept as pets by worshipers though they are exceedingly rare to find, and usually have to be raised from an egg to acquire the right calm temperament. Draconets were considered a prized possession during the Allorn Empire, but overhunting of their native populations has effectively driven them to extinction in the wild, with only select eggs being held onto for centuries until they hatch for the right person in unclear conditions.

Dragon or Primeval

To cast aside presumptions, Dragons are distinctly not Primeval. While Dragons rarely speak about the pre-Seraph history and existence of the world, they have made clear statements about the idea that when they first awoke, that the Primeval Beings were already there. The only Primeval Beings that the Dragons have ever spoken about, were the Everwatcher, the Blind One, and the Covenant, though for the Covenant she went by a different name and appearance. Dragons believe Primevals to be more powerful than them, and some speculate that in the eternal cycle of creation, that the Primevals actually created Dragons, who in turn created mortals and other Gods, though this is exceedingly hard to prove. There is effectively no communication between the Dragons and the Primeval Beings. The Everwatcher only speaks to the Vessel of Unionism and does so cryptically, the Blind One is in a state of eternal unconscious binding by its followers to prevent it from awakening, while the Covenant seems lost in some higher state of being that makes her interactions with the world seem more instinctual than calculated. The Dragons urge utter caution when attempting to interact or learn more about the Primeval Beings, because what is unknowable to Dragons, will surely spell doom for the mind of mortals.

God Dreams

Dragons create Gods, flat-out. It is necessary to discuss this topic to dissuade furthering logic that because Dragons create Gods, that other Religions are fake and that Dragons should be worshiped instead as the only correct Gods. This is far from the truth, and actively against the intentions of the Dragons even. To first examine how other Gods are made, they are barely tangentially made by Dragons. When enough people on Aloria wish or crave for something, it is often through the optic of divine protection or saving. People generally gravitate in situations of despair and suffering, to wishing for a higher power to wisk them away and protect them, and this naturally becomes a desire for a savior-god. When enough people wish for this, all that emotional energy is felt by the planet itself, which is Daiana. Daiana dreams, but her dreams are never decided upon by herself, they are affected by the emotional energy that permeates the crust from the people living on it. And so, when enough people wish for a God, Daiana dreams of their desire, and Daiana's dreams become manifested reality. Nearly all Gods are thus born from Daiana's dreams by the template and wish provided by the people. There are some corner cases. For example, some Fornoss Gods were Arken who refracted into Godhood, and some Unionist Gods were made Gods directly by the Primeval Being the Everwatcher, but generally speaking this logic holds true.

It is necessary to express that even though Daiana takes a direct role in the creation of Gods, coupled with the fact that Aurora has indirectly created all species and peoples of Aloria through biological experimentation, that this does not mean anyone owes them their life or obedience or indeed worship. The Dragons primary directive is to create and preserve life, but they take a very apathetic role towards this life after it is created and is able to survive. While the Dragons indirectly aid certain societies by sending Archon or other Dragon forces to fight The Presence, this isn't really to protect specific groups of people, but rather just to counteract The Presence. In many ways, Gods that are dreamed up by Daiana are found family, while Dragons are the actively rejecting family that wants nothing to do with mortals, unless they specifically choose to worship them. Dragons are welcoming to worshipers, but do not demand or expect worship from those who feel stronger kinship with the Gods that were born from their ancestor's wants and needs, and that have always been present to guide them and their ancestors, and will continue to be around for their descendants. This doesn't necessarily stop some Dragon worshipers from acting smug about the technical superiority of Dragons over other Gods, and it is certainly true that some Gods are very weak compared to Dragons and actively hide away from them, but that these persons are never ontologically correct with their attitude.

Heritage Alignments

Dragons generally fulfill their own functions and have their own authority, and while technically Aurora has created most people of Aloria's ancestors, that does not fully hold up. Some heritages were created without Aurora's direct hand, and others yet were adopted by specific Dragons as their favored people. Dragons have preferences to specific heritages, like how Regulus for example always appears as an Ailor, and holds specific favor towards Ailor in particular. This section does not have any bearing to how your Character should worship the Dragons (or not worship them), it is merely added flair that allows you to build or develop a Character around the preferences of for example a patron Dragon God. It is natural that through preferences, some heritages like Kathar have no favored Dragons. This can't be helped, as not all Heritages are created equal, and just because a Dragon shows favor to a specific heritage, does not mean they hate all others. It just means their themes and symbolism can be found in these cultures, and that their cultures also inform the behavior of the Dragon in question.

  • Regulus appears as an Ailor, and holds particular favor towards Ailor, particularly those from Anglia, Kintyr, and Solleria.
  • Triton appears as an Elf, but holds no particular favor to anyone, rather favoring anything with Void Alignment instead.
  • Marik appears as a Skyborn, and holds particular favor for Dragonkin and Skyborn alike, though with some preference for Skyborn.
  • Gaia appears as an Ailor ex-Aelrrigan Knight, and holds particular favor towards Ailor, particularly those from Anglia, Kintyr and the Velheim lands.
  • Silas appears as an Urlan and holds particular favor towards Urlan, Dwarves, and Eronidas. Despite appearing Urlan, he did not make the Urlan.
  • Severena appears as a Sihai, and holds particular favor towards the Sihai. She is also directly responsible for creating the Sihai.
  • Aurora appears as an Isldar, and holds particular favor towards the Isldar. She created all heritages not specified otherwise in this list.
  • Nox appears as a Mai-Allar and holds particular favor towards the Slizzar and Allar. He created the Slizzar, which is why he was imprisoned.
  • Orion appears as a Sihai, and holds particular favor towards the Sihai and Lanlath, though he was not related to the creation of either.
  • Julianus appears as a Narim, and holds particular favor towards the Narim and Urlan. Though, he did not make the Narim, the Meraic Civilization did.
  • Daiana appears as an Eronidas, and holds particular favor towards the Eronidas and Velheim Ailor. She is also very fond of Spirits of any kind.
  • Cinerius appears as an Eronidas, and holds particular favor towards the Eronidas and Maquixtl. He is somehow related to the Maquixtl creation, but it is unclear how.
  • Umbra appears as an Ailor or Elf, but holds no particular favor to anything. Umbra is fairly mysterious, and seems to shapeshift around a lot.
  • Felicula appears as a Minoor Elf, and holds particular favor towards all Elves and Allar, though she holds no part in the creation of any.
  • Luna appears as a Half-Asha, and holds particular favor towards Asha, but has no role in their creation, as the Meraic Civilization made them.

Trivia

  • Draconism is technically the oldest religion, but due to constant changes in its dogma, it is now actually the youngest Religion, being exactly 1 month old at time of this article writing.
  • Sometimes non-named Dragons are very important. It was not by ordaining from Regulus that Dragons returned, but due to the rebellion of Renita, one of his subordinate Dragons.
  • Dragons should be considered a form of an advanced civilization that has acquired godhood, but inevitably, there are very limited numbers of them. The Gods just happen to be the leaders of the "Clade".

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Last EditorBirdsfoot violet on 09/2/2024.

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