The Draconic Pantheon

An Obscure Origin

The Draconic Pantheon is the oldest in the world but very few people actually know of it, save for scholars and theologists with access to very old elvish archives and of course the dragons and their kin. It is less a list of gods that dragons worship and more a list of the oldest gods that dragons recognize and hold a measure of respect for. Many of the gods originating here are worshiped by all races and cultures but most have been far removed from their original draconic mythology and context. Many of these gods are believed to be the same gods in other pantheons but going by different names- though many like Danha and Ilazran have managed to retain theirs. Dragons, being the proud beings that they are, think that all Real Gods are actually just immeasurably powerful dragons from the First World. In their original creation mythology, all of these gods are related to one another and they helped to shape (and destroy) the world in different ways.

Name	Porfolio	Domain	Alignment	Possible Aliases
The Infinite Stars	Creation & Dreams	Knowledge, Life, Twilight	NG	Ceralae
The Spiraling Dark	Destruction & Madness	Death, Tempest	NE
E'ah	Nature & Growth	Nature, Tempest, Life	NG	Fion, Hallar, Gwandela
Danha	Order & Balance	Order, Peace, Grave	LG
Nammu	Discord & Savagery	Death, War	CE	Bhagra
Kishar	War & Protection	War, Protection, Order	LG	Tirias
Ilazran	Law & Consequence	Order, Life, Light	LN	Aberdan, Balmir
Torav	Creativity & Luck	Forge, Knowledge	CG	Geirr, Oroh, Emaris
Izumir	Knowledge & Magic	Knowledge, Arcana, Twilight	N	Cyreda, Dolbrek
Eresh	Tyranny & Punishment	Trickery, Death	LE
Zhella	Instinct & Survival	Nature, Twilight, Life	CN	Elyra, Baerna, Nerys

The Draconic Creation Myth

The deities dragon-kind refer to as The Infinite Stars and The Spiraling Dark are the oldest beings known to the world and possibly its highest powers. The Infinite Stars- creation incarnate- is said to have told the story of the world by aligning their stars just the right way, which resulted in the First World. They then created E’ah, the world mother, to breathe life into it. Shortly after this World Mother came into being and her world was inhabited by plants and creatures, sentient creatures- prismatic dragons, were placed to roam the surface as well. These dragons grew and became wise and strong and a few of them rose to power much greater than the others. They had something extra- a divine spark of power which all other dragons recognized. Most dragons pledged allegiance to at least one of them. The greatest of these were Danha and Nammu. They were also great rivals. Danha was inspired by the light of the Infinite Stars and sought to make a wonderful, peaceful, civilized world where all were treated equally. A world filled with art and knowledge. Nammu, however, was drawn to the dark influences of the Spiraling Dark- the swirling chaos of the unknown and the fear it inspired. Depthless power, and empty hunger nothing could fill. He sought a world of chaos, ruled by the most powerful and the most cruel, a world of survival and battle and glory. It was the clashing between these two, the first ascendant gods, that caused the first world to sunder, shattering into thousands of other worlds and realities.
When the dust settled, it seems only Danha and Nammu remained- the only ones powerful enough to survive the sundering. The race of the prismatic dragons was gone- at least from the realm these gods themselves landed in. Their conflict was not over, however. The battle raged even here on this sundered world that would become E'ahna. Danha, resplendent and metallic, and Nammu in glimmering chromatic hues, would become the creators of dragon-kind in E'ahna. They fought, and as they did their scales of all colors were scattered onto the battlefield and watered with their divine, magic blood. Dragons of all colors sprang from them, joining their armies. In this way all of dragonkind is related to either Danha or Nammu. The only outlier are the gemstone dragons. A number of gemstone eggs survived the sundering deep within the earth, and every once in awhile one of them still hatches even now. The sundering of the first world also woke other powers- great elemental tyrants- the primordial giants. These wars raged on for a millenia, dragons and giants, all vying for control. Other dragons rose to divine levels of power- the children of Danha and Nammu, including Kishar, Ilazran, and Eresh and their grandchildren, Izumir, Zhella and Torav. Other draconic gods rose anew- though never reaching the same level of power as Danha and Nammu's bloodlines. These lesser godlike dragons included Ysunth (Blue), Nolzrud (Red), and Velasha (Green). They are seen more as historical figures than dragons that are still worshiped.
It seemed that the warfare would never end and so E'ah, for whatever unknowable purpose, made the decision to imbue this world with additional sentient beings in the form of the elves and dwarves, followed later by others. She may have even created other lesser gods to assist them in their survival. In her great wisdom she knew that this would veer the cyclical history of war onto a new course- and it did. An unfortunate but necessary result was that the numbers of both dragons and giants were greatly reduced- in fact they nearly went extinct. Many dragons ultimately fled to other planes or remote and isolated landmasses. The vast majority of giant-kind, however, stubborn as they are, nearly went extinct. Only the weakest and stupidest of their kind managed to flourish. As far as anyone can tell, the deity known as Nammu, was utterly obliterated, though some contend he is biding his time and power. Kishar is said to guard his imprisoned corpse. His daughter Eresh never forgot nor forgave the small races or the metallic dragons for this.

The Deities of the Dragonkin

THE INFINITE STARS

Archetype: The Weaver
Portfolio: Creation, Dreams, Stars
Alias/s: Song of Creation
Symbols: A Line of Five Stars
The Infinite Stars are an archaic deity, not often worshiped by the draconic world at large though still held with deep respect. They are said to have formed all things into existence simply by telling a story with their arrangement back when they were all that existed. According to dragons they did this with a guiding song sang in unison by all of them. They created the other gods and guided the first humanoids in the direction of creation, creativity, and civilization. They were the divine patron of Danha, the first metallic dragon and later deity of cosmic order. Short of this origin story, this deity is not often a subject in many other draconic myths. This is a deity that is said to have the answers to all questions, as they are the being that writes the story of history itself, however they are also known for being very aloof with this information, sharing it only to those who must know it and guide this ‘play of life’ in the correct direction. There are monasteries (Order of the Infinite Stars) dedicated to The Infinite Stars- diviners and wielders of starlight dedicated to protecting the machinations of destiny, spreading prophecies, and searching out important figures that may have important destinies to fulfill. They are said to receive omens and messages from the Infinite Stars both in their dreams, and by reading or meditating on the stars. When elves began worship of this being they likened them to a weaver and ascribed many other things, like form and gender, upon them- something humans copied. The dragons consider that version of this power as a ridiculous falsehood as the stars are simply what they are- the stars.

THE SPIRALING DARK

Archetype: The Beast
Portfolio: Madness, Insatiable Hunger, Oblivion, Fear
Alias/s: The Calling Void, The Endling God
Symbols: A black circle with Spiral
No one sane would consider worshiping the entity known as The Spiraling Dark. It is a deity of endless destruction and one of the oldest beings known to anyone, including the other gods. The only being as old as The Spiraling Dark is it’s antithesis- The Infinite Stars. The original source of evil and chaos to some, no one knows the face or form of this being and some see it as a plane of darkness rather than an entity- perhaps even what cosmologists call The Negative Plane. Most consider it a deity of ceaseless hunger- a great yawning emptiness that cannot be sated and longs only to devour. According to ancient stories, The Spiraling Dark will only stop feeding when there is nothing left- then and only then, it will consume itself and that will truly be the end of all things. It reaches its dark tendrils into the world and touches the hearts of those weak of will but full of fury and instills them with madness and initiative. Its worshipers know only one command- Destroy and Feed. Many of them are cannibals and violent barbarians and all of them are quite mad. Few of them are organized into proper cults.
The first worshiper of The Spiraling Dark was the father of the chromatic dragons, Nammu. Though the first real champion of The Spiraling Dark and its intent to unmake all of creation, Nammu evolved, seeking destruction only of the civilized world and the notion of order. He became his own god and followers of the darkness swapped their allegiance to him. There are some ancient dragon cults, however, that never swapped allegiance; these dragons still want to bring the end to the world completely- to allow the Spiraling Dark to consume all and return it to nothingness. This need to devour has given this deity another name primarily among humans- The Insatiable Beast. The human myth of the eminent future apocalypse is called The Great Feast; when the tapestry of the stars goes dark, eaten by the beast, it means the end of history, the death of the stars. The Spiraling Dark is not well known across cultures except in draconic societies and among human doomsday cults. Though historically the dragons have never connected this being with the denizens of the Far Realm, human theologists have slowly begun to win over some draconic scholars who can see the similarities between worshipers of this being and the aberrations that sometimes manage to enter this realm- particularly the aspects of madness and insatiable hunger.

E'AH

Archetype: The Gardener
Portfolio: Nature, Growth, Plant Life, Animals, Weather, All Mortals
Alias/s: The World Mother
Symbol: Mountain & Sun
E’ah is the oldest deity that exists short of the Infinite Stars and the Spiraling Dark, according to dragonkind. This world is named after her, after all. She was the first thing brought into existence by the Infinite Stars- life itself- specifically plant life, without which nothing else could ever have survived. The dragons view all plant life as one connected, living, being- the deity herself as a physical manifestation- the mother of all that provides all that is needed. The World Mother provides the food for the herbavores, which is the food of the carnivores, which in turn keep the herbavores in check in a perfect circle of life that all relies on. This is an important concept among the dragons- cycles of nature, time, and cycles of peace and war. E’ah is believed to have created dragonkind and later on the rest of the races as well, though none as grand and wonderful as her first born. She is a passive deity, given respect and admiration, but rarely is anything asked of her directly. Some would consider this a rude gesture, as everyday she already gives one all that they need- food, air, water, and shelter. Though one is free to indulge in the fruits of the world and to utilize the materials she provides for the betterment of ones self and others, it is important among many cultures who respect her not to exploit the natural world. Hunting animals to extinction or deforesting huge areas are major offenses to this deity and could result in her anger which is far more terrifying than anything the other draconic gods are liable to punish with. Her anger results in volcanoes and tsunamis which wipe entire cities off the map. It was her anger that nearly caused the extinction of the dragons, afterall. The dragons and dragonborn understand that transgressions against this generally passive and peaceful deity can result in the worst of disasters and as such are sometimes the stewards of nature (this is less common among dragonborn in the past millennia however). Many draconic druid circles following E’ah can still be found, generally on the continent of Kharza.

DANHA

Archetype: The Warden
Portfolio: Order, Balance, Natural Laws, Pacifism, Metallic Dragons
Alias/s: Order Incarnate, Bahamut (dragonborn only)
Symbol: Ouroboros

Danha, also going later by Bahamut in some cultures, has become somewhat of an “Old God” at this point in history. He is still one of the most widely worshiped deities on the material plane. Danha, according to dragon myth, was also the father of Ilazran, deity of consequence and Kishar, deity of protection. In early history, those who sought to civilize and build up the world looked to Danha for guidance and he protected them from his evil counterpart, Nammu, and his followers. He is the patron of metallic dragons as they are all said to be descended directly from him. This is likely why so many draconic mortals take issue with non dragons stripping him of his draconic origins. The Elderlight Circle, the elite pantheon of the massive human Marasen Empire, have Danha as their figurehead- something they find completely outrageous. That said, though culturally significant, actual dragonborn worshipers of Danha have become rarer and rarer over the past centuries. Many who live in the Western Isles consider him to be a dead power or in divine hibernation, as few been able to show his direct influence or power for many years. Others with a wider view see how influential he is outside of dragonborn society and realize that they have slowly driven him away. Danha is a deity of cosmic balance and order, which many consider to be lofty ideals removed from the needs of day to day life. Still, there are some followers left who seek to reign in those who would try to bend the rules of natural law or disrupt order. These lingering followers are often peacemakers, civil rights activists, and pacifists who revere logic and reason over violence.

NAMMU

Archetype: The Conqueror
Portfolio: Discord, Savagery, Slavery, Destruction, Hate, Fear, Chromatic Dragons
Alias/s: The Chromatic Desolation, Herald of the Dark
Symbols: Dragon Claw on Fire
Nammu is the embodiment of evil and nihilism and the father of all chromatic dragons. It is said that in the beginning he deeply resented his own creation and the misery of existence, so when The Spiraling Dark reached out a knowing tendril, Nammu tore a path of destruction through the world. He fought endlessly against the valiant Danha, his philosophical counterpart, for much of primordial history. He relished in the suffering and pain he caused and through this process found a zest for life and he realized that he no longer resented being born. He turned from The Spiraling Dark and became his own god- one whose purpose was not the end of all things- only the end of civilization and the laughable notion of order. He rained terror on all that dared hope, all who attempted to build a better world. According to many he was destroyed in ancient times by Danha and his children. Other's claim he couldn't be destroyed but he was put into some kind of sleep- his body locked away and guarded by Kishar. Nowadays Nammu is considered one of The Old Gods and his worshipers are not widespread- at least not among the dragonborn. There are dragonborn barbarian tribes and groups of kobolds in some areas that still remember him and would love to bring him back into power.

KISHAR

Archetype: The Soldier
Portfolio: War, Protection, Duty, Bravery, Sacrifice
Alias: The Silent Guardian
Symbol: Shield Surmounted by Dragon Wings
Kishar is one of the older gods in the world but currently one of the widest worshiped ones in draconic societies. Kishar is a protector deity- a guardian of cities and patron of those to take up his charge in the mortal realm. Soldiers and Paladins alike bear his crest proudly as they protect their respective countries, cities, and people from the threats and savagery of war and the wilds. The average person worships them as well- praying for protection in a dangerous and unpredictable world. It is said that Kishar was the first proper son of Danha (and an unknown gold dragon) and became the general of his army. In his first battle against Nammu, Nammu ripped his tongue from his mouth so he could not give orders to his troops. Despite this, he still managed to lead his soldiers to victory. When civilization was finally established, and Nammu banished from the material plane, Danha designated him the guardian over all dragonkind and over the civilized world they fought so hard against savagery to create. He guards the gate that keeps Nammu at bay. He is the main draconic deity of combat, honor, bravery, and sacrifice. In some myths he is especially protective of children and widows of war. Compared to other draconic gods, Kishar is said to be one that interacts the most with their followers in a direct way- though obviously speaking to them is out of the question.

ILAZRAN

Archetype: The Judge
Portfolio: Law, Consequence
Alias/s: The Reckoning
Symbol: Balance with Eye & Tooth
According to draconic myth, Ilazran was the child of Danha (with an unknown copper dragon), sibling of Kishar, and placed in charge of civilized lands. The sex or gender of Ilazran is varied among dragonkind and many consider them genderless. Of all draconic deities, the Cult of Ilazran has by far spread the furthest- particularly among humans who are naturally drawn to the virtues of law and order that they exemplify. To the dragons, Ilazran is less about upholding law with an iron fist and more about the consequences to ones actions. They are a karmic deity, sometimes cruel, but never mistaken, for he (or she) sees the truth of all things. Ilazran sees all hidden actions and agendas and always makes sure that these actions are followed by the correct punishment or reward. They are a lover of dramatic ironies and to many dragons they are also a fickle deity of luck. They double as the closest thing the dragonborn have to a death god, as they are the one who decides when one’s time is up. If a person does not reap what they sow in life, it is said that Ilazran has decided to exact punishment in person in the afterlife- a fate far more terrifying than any misfortune one could meet in the living world. This is why they also call them The Reckoning. This is very different to how many humans see them - a romantic view of him as a champion of good who fights for justice and punishes criminals- something dragons would laugh at. Dragonborn of both good and evil worship Ilazran because to many of them, morals and taboos are not concrete nor universal. There could never be a true set of laws denoting what is right and wrong because the world lies in shades of gray. There are only these: Causes and Effects. Ilazran simply facilitates the Effects- usually in whichever way amuses them the most.

TORAV

Archetype: The Tradesman
Portfolio: Creativity & Luck
Alias/s: The Elder Smith
Symbol: a hammer on fire and a star at it’s center
Torav, the son of Ilazran and a nameless brass dragon, started off his life as a demigod- lesser, and unappreciated. It wasn’t until he discovered his unique talent as a blacksmith and eventually became known worldwide for his superior weapons and armor, that he caught the attention of his divine family members. He eventually ascended and outfitted all the gods with divine armor and weaponry, as well as many of the gods’ finest champions. It is said there are relics made by Torav still out in the world, hidden in plain sight or within lost tombs of ancient and mythic heroes. Though primarily a patron of blacksmiths and, by extension, miners, Torav is also the patron of all artisans and makers of all things. Over time this has extended to being the patron of the economy at large and to some he is more the deity of coin than of craft. Most guilds in both draconic and human societies pay homage to this god in hopes for luck in business, trade, and renown. Some view his personality as shrewd and callous, while others hold true to the older myths that he is kindly and appreciative of talent and unrecognized genius just as he was in his semi-mortal life. One thing that all understand is that this deity is fickle and unpredictable (much like his father/mother). One artisan may have boundless talent and simply never make the right connections to make it big because he did something that Torav found unpleasant. Others might be incredibly mediocre in talent and become wildly successful because Torav simply found them to be charming. In many ways he is a Luck deity- at least among dragons.

IZUMIR

Archetype: The Archivist
Portfolio: Knowledge, Magic, History, Language, Discovery, Art, Literature
Alias: The Lorekeeper
Symbols: Book & Star
In draconic mythology, Izumir is a younger god, grandson of Danha and the son of both Ilazran and a nameless silver dragon. He was born when so much history had occurred that passing it down to the next generation orally was becoming impossible. He was said to bring written language (draconic) and paper-making to the world and he guided his earliest followers in building the first archives of history and knowledge. Izumir was a very important deity in early history. Much evil that was done was a result of fear of the unknown and as he spread knowledge and understanding the world became far more peaceful, and the night with its spiraling dark less frightening. He is considered a very serious deity with no sense of humor and to be easily angered if disturbed from his studies without good reason. He does not involve himself much in world affairs or divine ones, keeping to himself and recording all that happens and all that becomes known as an objective viewer. Like the elvish variant of this god, he does not just freely give his worshipers information most of the time. It is their job to bring knowledge to him. Though knowledge is this deity’s forte, he is also an appreciator of art and creative pursuits which are in their own ways intellectual. For the dragons he is the patron of both magic and art as well as the patron of diviners. There are sects of his cult who see Izumir as an intermediary between them and prophetic knowledge of the Infinite Stars. To his devout he may give knowledge of what is to come- if he deems it important enough.

Eresh

Portfolio: Tyranny, Punishment, Manipulation, Absolute Power, Enslavement
Alias/s: The Great Enslaver
Symbols: Whip or Cat-o-Nine-Tails, Crown & Skull
Eresh is the most hated and feared in the entire draconic pantheon. She is the daughter of Nammu, and no less cruel and sadistic as he was, (her mother was a nameless black dragon). Out of all Nammu’s children, Eresh was the only one born to proper godhood. When Nammu was banished from the material realm by Danha, Eresh saw the opportunity to eclipse him and in many ways stole most of his worshipers. She did not seek to raze all of civilization- but to dominate it through cunning and manipulation. She was the first of the dragons to procreate with humanoids to create half-dragons and dragonborn who in turn could infiltrate the ranks of her enemies. Her worshipers and children worked from within a given civilization to seize power through trickery and once that power was won they oppressed and dominated their people, enslaved and tortured their enemies and the weak and then looked for the next area to expand their empires to.
Eresh is called the Great Enslaver because there was a period of time when she had conquered and enslaved nearly half the main continent in ancient times. The metallic dragons were nearly annihilated during this time until they too began procreating with humanoids to save their species and mount a rebellion against Eresh’s tyrannical reign. They did succeed in this (in some stories she was only defeated because she enslaved her own dragonborn children and they rebelled), and Eresh was banished much like her father, to another plane. Her worshipers, mostly chromatic dragons and dragonborn, have never stopped working tirelessly to return her to the world and pick up where they left off. They have not forgotten the times when they nearly ruled all and they hunger for it still. These Cults of Eresh are widespread but also there are several large country-islands full of dragonborn (particularly black, blue, and red) dedicated to returning her to her former glory- The Chromatic Isles.
Eresh is depicted as a mostly black dragon with opalescent rainbow scales on her underbelly and wings. Her eyes were coal black like her fathers and her features were long and snake-like a lean. She was nearly three times the size of an ancient dragon and said to fly faster than any dragon known. She is often depicted in a humanoid form- but not as other draconic gods are- she is sometime depicted as a human or elf, as she so often paraded around as one. This humanoid was generally a gorgeous female with angular features and long black hair that grew white at the ends. Her eyes were still coal black.

ZHELLA

Archetype: The Ranger
Portfolio: Instinct, Survival
Alias: Queen of the Wilds
Symbol: Clawed Footprint
Zhella is to many dragonborn not a deity worshiped by respectable or civilized people. She is the daughter of the very much hated and feared goddess Eresh- sower of torment and enslavement, and an unknown white dragon. Zhella is not much like her mother however. She is a deity of the wild and often savage. The deep forests and blistering outlands are her domain and she is considered a mother of monsters and beasts. She is not evil, but she is also certainly not kind. She is a deity of hunting and survival and is without any kind of agenda. Those who prefer a life away from the civilized world often worship her- sometimes out of fear or respect. She is the embodiment of natural instincts of all kinds - from killing prey to procreation. Unlike Elyra, her elvish equivalent, Zhella is less a deity that is helpful to rangers and hunters, and more so protective of the lands they dare trespass upon. Druids (generally Wild Druids) that follow her often spend large portions of their time shape-shifted and hunt in animal form. She is also worshiped often by those stricken with lycanthropy as well as monstrosities and beasts that are intelligent enough to worship at all. Zhella, much like her grandfather Nammu, might go so far as to wish for the destruction of civilization but she lacks the initiative and the number of worshipers to attempt such a feat. Of all her worshipers, green and white dragonkin and dragonborn are most common, though there are human barbarians and druids who also worship her. Humans have adapted this deity into many of their pantheons, in fact, though they see her as more helpful towards fellow humanoid hunters than dragons and dragonborn would ever expect her to be. They pray more out of fear of becoming prey than with the expectation of help. This wild and dangerous version of Zhella has also been compared by some to the deity orcs call Ulskari- a vicious deity of night and hunting. Elves, humans, halflings and gnomes would never even think to compare this goddess with their respective wilderness deities; Dragonkin see Ulskari as a natural and faithful adaptation of their god, and honestly, a more accurate one than the version worshiped by elves and humans to say the least. Dragonkin dont even see Baerna or Nerys as an equivalent.

Dragons vs Religion

Dragons are often not particularly religious due to their prideful nature, but most of them still recognize the existence and history of these deities - often called The First Deities. Most often, those descended from or related to dragons such as kobolds, half-dragons, and of course the Dragonborn are the majority of the worshipers of these deities in their original context, as opposed to dragons themselves. Young dragons may be worshipers early on, and upon the maturity of their own hubris, consider themselves to be on the same level as gods. Very few ancient dragons are god-fearing, seeing the gods as rivals.

The First Pantheon?

The draconic myths and origin story are the oldest in the world or at least on par with that of the Elvish ones. Dragons strongly believe their pantheon to be the oldest and truest of them all and their only rival in this matter is the Elves who may be as old as them or even predate them in the feywild. According to the dragons, they taught the elves and others of The First Gods. Naturally, the elves disagree.
Either way, the gods of this pantheon are some of the oldest and longest-lasting in existence and certainly some of the first in this world worshiped. To this day, many gods originating from this grouping still enjoy a high station in several pantheons, altered to fit the needs of the society that adapted them.