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Dragon Worship or Dregodar is commonly believed to be the world’s oldest Religion, which at the same time is one of the smallest Religions in the world, even being outclassed by the Ailor-lead Cult of Evoltion and some of the more obscure Unionist Sects. The nickname Dregodar dates back to the earliest Dragon Worship cults among the Altalar during the days of the Allorn Empire, a name specifically used to refer to their cult. While Dragon Worship is thousands of years older than the Altalar, the last major group of people who worshiped the Dragons were a sect of Altalar, hence it carries their name. Dragon Worship is a somewhat unusual Religion in that it does not require active worship, merely the firm belief in a couple of core tenets. Furthermore, there are heavy implications that while for example Estel was strongly involved with the Faith of Estel, the Dragons strictly avoided Dragon Worshipers and demanded or asked for no faith from the people of Aloria. This presents Dragon Worship as a somewhat unique religion where the very divine aspect seems to reject the idea of their own worship, something that definitely does not happen in any other religion.
| Dragon Worship | |
|---|---|
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| Religion | |
| Pronunciation | Dregodar |
| Origins | Unknown |
| Deities | |
| The Dragons | |
History
The history of Dragon worship is immensely unclear. It is commonly believed to date all the way back to Seraph civilization, and has persisted through the millennia in some form or another. This is curious, because no researcher has ever been able to pin down the actual Religion of the Seraph, just understand through ancient tablets that Dragon Worship existed as a small cult among them. The existence of Dragon Worship has been verified in the Meraic and Third Civilization also, while the Second Civilization is suspected to have had some of it also. The Altalar created a cult around it, which was eventually prosecuted by the Estellian mainstream population, and fled north after the Dragons started dying in large numbers. Dragon Worship eventually went underground around the time of Cataclysm when the Isldar disappeared from the world’s stage, and when the remaining Dregodar in the Allorn Empire went into hiding. It remained relatively local and unnoticeable among the Ailor, only widely adopted in thinly populated backwaters around where the Dragons used to live. Dragon Worship has been steadily on the decline until around 306 AC during the reappearance of the Dragonbloods. Now in present times, Dragon Cults are rapidly appearing, and the fortunes of the once-thought extinct Dragons is turning around.
The Dragon Thrones
Dragons as divine beings are split up based on their species, with each clade of species referred to as a Throne, while one Crown Throne sits at the head of all. Each Throne has a different standard of belief, so while there exist core beliefs in Dragon Worship, any individual Dragon Worshiper will choose one of the Thrones to put their faith towards, and largely ignore all other Thrones. While they certainly still acknowledge the divinity of the other Dragons, they stylize themselves more after the Throne they have chosen. Within a Dragon Worship congregation, it is very possible for a preacher to enforce a single Dragon Throne as their main center of faith, but many congregations also allow members to freely choose.
Blue Crown Dragon
The Blue Crown Dragon is seen as the steward of all the Dragon species, being chiefly responsible for communication between the Dragon Thrones, and also ruling them by making decisions that affect all other Thrones. They are mediators, rulers, administrators, bureaucrats, and their main colors are blue and purple. Blue Crown Dragons are known to have four limbs, two bat-like wings, an average Dragon body type, are of a large size, while their powers dominate the Soul Rivers and the weather. Blue Crown Dragons were known to communicate with Ailor, and live in the mountains of the Regalian Archipelago before their disappearance. Those who believe in the Blue Crown Dragon as their chosen Throne have faith synergy with Unionism, a common belief shared among those who worship the Blue Crown Dragon is that the Imperial Spirit is real, but that the Spirit is an inherited collective of Blue Crown Dragon souls that continues to protect Ailor kind through the Emperors. Blue Crown believers are diametrically opposed to Void and Estel Worship and have a burning hatred for anything Void or Exist related. Blue Crown followers believe strongly in bringing about the return of the Dragons through whatever means.
Yellow Dancing Dragon
The Yellow Dancing Dragon is seen as the playful and mischievous jester, interacting with creation by teaching them kindness, communication and social skills. They are entertainers, playwrights, writers, teachers and caretakers and their main colors are yellow and orange. Yellow Dancing Dragons are known to have a snake-like neck with a small head, no legs, but 4 bat like wings and humanoid-size. They are slender and their powers dominate the oceans and fish. They were known to communicate with Allar in Hadar and Sendras until they were wiped out by a plague that the Allar were unable to cure. Those who believe in the Yellow Dancing Dragon have faith synergy with the Great Alchzech on common ground of inclusivity and all-kindness. They are strongly opposed to Unionism however, because of Unionism’s strong xenophobic and racist tendencies. Yellow Dancing followers strongly believe in the need for kindness between others, and solving everything with compromise.
Black Desert Dragon
The Black Desert Dragon is seen as the soldier breed of the Dragons, martial, strong, and battling the forces of what Dragon Worshipers call infection. They are soldiers, generals, tacticians, guards, protectors and weapon experts. They have two legs and two wings, appearing more like wyvern, have a long neck and a bulky body while they control sand and heat as well as metal. Their primary colors are black and white. They are not known to have ever entered a humanoid form, and were very numerous (as opposed to the other Dragon Thrones), but disappeared during the Great Storm in Farah’deen that saw the collapse of the Sariyd Empire and the rise of the Songaskians. It is commonly believed among the Songaskians that they were created by the Black Desert Dragons, but that the Black Desert Dragons ascended to the sun of Shambala, and that actually the sun is divine. As such, Black Desert Dragon believers have a lot of synergy with Shambala, but are strongly opposed to the Dark Savants of the Faith of the Dark Ancients and its inherent darkness. Black Desert Worshipers are strongly in tune with martial skill and prowess.
Red Mountain Dragon
The Red Mountain Dragon is seen as the passionate debater, a tinkerer of the world and crafter of volcanoes. They are engineers, logical thinkers, debaters and public speakers. They were known to have four legs, two bat-like wings, a long neck and a bulky body, while their size was similar to that of the Blue Crown Dragon. Their powers presided over Magnetism and Fire, and their primary colors were red and yellow. They were not known to enter humanoid form or communicate with what the Dragon Worshipers identify as creation, and were presumed slain by the Dakkar during their great rise from the bellows of Aloria before they made contact with the Dwarves. Red Mountain Dragon believers have no synergy with any faiths, and are in fact opposed to the Great Alchzech. They believe firmly in logical thinking, and perceive religion itself as an illogical variable (though still acknowledge Dragon Worship as real due to their sense of evidence). Red Mountain Believers are always critical thinkers who challenge any notion without empirical evidence.
White Long Dragon
The White Long or White Loong Dragon has a somewhat dubious position in the Dragon Pantheon. Technically the Throne of the White Loong Dragon is not acknowledged in the west (geographically speaking beyond Farah’deen) because many of the Dragon Cults in the west never made contact with the Sihai, and as such were not aware of the existence of the Loong Dragons. Even after acknowledging their existence, many find the idea that Loong are (albeit dormant) still alive in the east, which goes against common doctrine that the Dragons went extinct. The fact that the Loong Dragons still exist but do not interact with, or seem to show any concern over the death of all other Thrones leads many to conclude they probably actually aren’t real Dragons. For those who do acknowledge them, Loong Dragons are commuters of things, whimsical like the wind, and chaos in unpredictability of life. They are wing-less leg-less Dragons with a snake-like body, and their primary color is just white. Those who believe in the Loong Dragons have a special relationship with the moon, as well as Sihai Dragon Worship, which is essentially synonymous to Loong Dragon Worship.
Green Nature Dragon
The Green Nature Dragon is seen as the tender of nature, the guardian of all evergreen, the flourisher or life on the fields and forests, and the wiser of trees and groves. They are gardeners, tenders to flocks of animals and creators of gardens of plenty. They were known to have two feathered wings, four legs, and have a slender and somewhat smaller size, capable of moving through streets without causing any damage to property. Their powers presided over life giving in the plant realm, but also disease and herbal medicine. Their primary colors were green and yellow. They were not known to enter a humanoid form or communicate with Dragon Worshipers, and were slain entirely by the Altalar during the Green Hunt, a chapter of the wider Great Hunt. It is commonly believed that the Altalar decided to hunt the Dragons because they could, but a more sinister reason has been implicated that they discovered Dragons were instrumental in de-powering their Archmages, and thus wanted to get rid of the tool used to negatively affect the Altalar. Green Nature Dragons have synergy with Faith of Estel in that both the Green Nature Dragon and Estel are stewards of nature, and govern the same realm. To a degree, the Estel Pantheon can also be acknowledged as allies of the Green Nature Dragons. Green Nature believers seek out to find or create the perfect garden of nature, and hone their tending skills.
Silver Majesty Dragon
The Silver Majesty Dragon is seen as the master of illusions, mirrors, smoke and deception. They are the illusionists, politicians, public figures and crafters of jewelry. They were known to have six limbs and no wings, yet capability to fly, with a long neck and slender body. Their primary colors were silver and dark blue. The Silver Majesty Dragons were a proxy victim of the Great Hunt, dying along with the Violet Night Dragons and the Green Nature Dragons. There is no faith synergy with Silver Majesty, though the Nessrassian Faith is sometimes used in combination with the deceitful Deep Sea Serpent. Silver Majesty believers seek out the silver tongue and perfect speech skill, endeavoring to become the greatest deceiver with words.
Violet Night Dragon
The Violet Night Dragon is seen as the master of creation and living things, to be able to give shape to life, and stewarding all creation. It is generally believed among the Dragon worshipers that the Violet Night Dragon created all Races by their designs, and also created all creatures on the world, and then gave them the ability to continue reproducing themselves. They are teachers, philosophers, breeders and caretakers. They were known to have two legs and two bat-like wings with a long neck and a normal body. Their wings were known to appear as if they were the starry night sky, and they were about the same size as the Crown Dragons. Their primary colors were Dark Violet and Burgundy. The Violet Night Dragons were not known to mingle with their creation, but were also extremely limited in number. Only the Crown Dragons are known to have been 7 in number, while all other Dragons were believed to be more than two dozen per throne, Violet Night Dragons were only 3. Two of the Violet Night Dragons were killed during the Great Hunt, the last survived all the way to Ellador, shielded by the Dregodar Cult of Altalar, but died during a pitched battle with the Dwarves, and was resurrected as the undead Ice Dragon Frisit, who is not officially part of the pantheon of Dragon Worship. Violet Night worshipers are fond of body modification, evolution, mutation and improvement. They also believe in the preservation of life, and combat death wherever they can, while trying to cross-breed other animals to produce new species and combinations not thought of before. There is no faith Synergy for the Violet Night Dragon.
Rubine Breath Dragon
The Rubine Breath Dragon is seen as the master of poison and blood as well as crystals and gems of the earth. They are alchemists, brewers, tunnelers and sparkling glory of the deep. They were known to be absolutely massive, much larger than the Crown Dragons, and have no legs or wings, but rather be snake-like but immensely distinct from Deep Sea Serpents in their more bulky and bony appearance. Their powers were over poison and acid. Their primary colors were Rubine and Orange, while they were not known to communicate with creation. The Rubine Breath Dragons were killed by Void worshiping Sendrassian Allar before the flight of the other Allar to Hadar, ostensibly to poison the great lakes of Sendras. Their skeletons remain exposed to open air to this day, massive bone structures that continue to poison the land and water around them as they rot, while the area itself is so toxic that even Races who are immune to standard toxins would melt away approaching the bones. The Rubine Breath Dragons have no faith synergy. Those who believe in them, have a strong connection with gems and crystals and their beauty, while enjoying the creation of alchemy and the collecting of shiny and alchemical things.
Gray Stone Dragon
The Gray Stone Dragon is seen as the master of the earth, of stone, of minerals and underground caves and lakes. They were the explorers, the miners, the forgers, and storytellers of endless legends. They were known to have four legs, no wings, and be relatively small, almost as small as a jungle stalker, though with a bulkier body. They were not known to interact with creation, and their exact demise is relatively unclear. It is known that they lived in Ceardia, and only really around Ailor during a time when they caused many earthquakes in the land, presumably being their power over earth and mountains. It is commonly believed that the primitive Ailor killed them all to move into the caves that they lived in, or to just rid themselves of the near constant earth tremors produced by the Gray Stone Dragons. Some further stories state that in the Great Hunt, the last of the species were killed off by Altalar. Gray Stone Dragons have no faith synergy. Those who believe in the Gray Stone Dragons believe in self-enrichment and chase after an opulence and wealth standard they can never achieve, while also wanting to have a place of extreme self-isolation and comfort, a really personal “me” place.
Orange Marble Dragon
The Orange Marble Dragon is mostly shrouded in mystery because its existence cannot truly be verified beyond myth and legend. The Orange Marble Dragon was seen as the master of all things beautiful, of buildings, of homes, and of people’s beauty itself. They were the architects, the artists, the painters, the sculptors and those who revered vanity the most. They were very slender and elegant beings, seen as the only Dragons with a semi-humanoid form and dragon-like head, raising twice as tall as Seraph, from where their images are dated. They were capable of reshaping any unliving object into whatever they desired and could create the most beautiful and vivid depictions and visions in others. Their primary colors were orange and white, and they were thought to mingle with creation society more freely than any other Dragons. What exactly happened to them is entirely unknown, since they are presumed to have been extinct for thousands of years. Some theories remain that they were somehow related to the original event which the Dragon Worshipers call the First Infection, when the Seraph created a tear in the Veil and invited in the Void and Exist essences. It is presumed that somehow during this event, the Orange Marble Dragons perished. Those who believe in them chase after beauty standards, always trying to make themselves look more appealing and attractive, and seeking out new techniques to impress others. There is no faith synergy for Orange Marble Dragons.
Brown Death Dragon
The Brown Death Dragon is also somewhat unique in that they definitely did not exist, and are merely a metaphorical representation of all Dragons stewarding of the souls of the dead passing over into the Soul Rivers and being splintered and then reborn as many other souls. The Brown Death Dragon is usually just depicted as a shadow of a Dragon having combined visual features of all of them, with a brown hue. Their primary colors are brown and black, and they are depicted as the ferryman of the dead who guide their souls on. The Brown Death Dragon is traditionally not worshiped, but all Dragon Worshipers pay some lip service to them when a close relative or friend dies.
Beliefs
Dragon Worship beliefs are very simple. At a baseline, each and every Dragon worshiper, whether they be Dragon Dogma, Dragon Worship, Loong Worship or Frisit Worship, believe that Dragons are the all-creators, the first sentient race, the greatest sentient race, and the one who created all races who came after. They must set the bar for divinity, they are what is worthy of worship (even if no actual worship is done), and all other religions are pretending at divinity. The Dragon worshipers also believe that 300 years ago, the Dragons at the end of the Immortal War between them and the Infection (Void and Exist powers), engaged in an act called the Denial of Eternity, which ended their immortal reign, and caused their rapid decline and death. Many Dragon Worshipers as such uphold a standard of their dead gods, but many also believe they should be instrumental in bringing about the return of the Dragons as the true lords of the world, even if Dragons themselves have seemingly indicated not wanting to be worshiped, but also not going out of their way to stop it from happening. There is no worship of Dragons, besides the simple idea that if a Dragon comes down to meet a Dragon worshiper and tells them to do something, that they should do it, because that is a divine creature giving them a divine mission. Failing to do so results in expulsion from the Dragon Worship community and branding of being a traitor, which is not entirely a death sentence, since any mission granted by a Dragon afterwards can reinstate a worshiper. This may be hard when there are no Dragons to issue missions however.
Trivia
- Even within Dragon Thrones, worship of individual Dragons over the whole species can occur. For example: Within the clade of Crown Dragons, worshipers might support Rikkira or Raakhr, the Dread and Imperial Dragon respectively, and adopt traits of either that specialize their connection.
- Dragon Worshipers can change their preferred Dragon Throne, but tend to generally stick with one for their entire lives. Changing a Throne is not seen as something shameful, but continually doing it over and over is.
- Frisit Worshipers technically follow the commands of a dead Frost Dragon, which isn’t an official Throne. In the eyes of the other Dragon Worshipers however, they just follow the Violet Night Dragon Throne.
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