The Mother Dragons
The Faith held close to the hearts of those born and raised in the country of Agartha. Legend has it that a family of matronly Dragons gave their lives to energize the world of Edda after The Tower had passed. It is a faith based around Generosity, and divine values.
Structure
Priesthood is something that someone will spend their entire life devoting themselves to. For each order there are different ranks of priesthood. From the neophytes and up, they are refereed to as Claw Priests, Fang Priests, Wing Priests, Scale Priests, and Heartscale Priests. From there, there are general leaders of the faith, instead of just the specific orders. Wyrm Priests, Wyvern Priests, and the head Dragon Priest are those ranks.
When someone reaches Wing Priest is when they will typically to host sermons and other such duties.
For those who are not interested in preacherhood but still work in the bounds of a clerical order are known as Shed Scales.
Culture
The Mother-Dragon Faith prides itself on many values, but the most common one is generosity in one way or another, with a couple of exceptions. It's a faith based on giving and assisting those around you to rise up everyone in the end.
Public Agenda
To spread the teachings of the Mothers and give to all of Edda.
Assets
The Morte family, Knopp family, and Estrade family all have massive amounts of wealth in one way or another, so The Mother Dragon followers are always well funded, provided they follow as the families decree.
History
Stories of The Mother Dragons have existed for millennia, what's been dated as the oldest depiction of the dragons, a cave drawing of Heliotrop killing Smaragd, goes back as far as 22,300 BC (Before Countries), and the religion proper began to organize within what is now Agartha in 8,200 BC.
Mythology & Lore
When the world went mad following The Tower, The Mother Dragons flew above the world and saw the chaos and disarray it was in. As they flew above, they wondered what they could possibly do to help them, as their own powers were not so grand. One of the elder Dragons, Heliotrop of Exploration and of Justice, flew around the new Edda, canvasing what needed to be done and what they could do, to ease the worries of her sisters. However, one of the younger sisters, Smaragd of Shadows and Growth, snaked behind out of her sight, observing the same as her and saw that for all of Heliotrop's observations, she always doubted they could do anything.
Before she could make a full canvas, Smaragd flew back to where the sisters gathered, and went in secret to Safir, who tremored the earth and exposed its gems. The oldest, largest, yet most fragile of the sisters, Smaragd divulged the situation to her in full.
Feeling guilt and sorrow for the mortals, Safir took the next action upon herself. Using her powers to soar into the earth, she went to the middle of Edda and spread her mighty wings, covering all of what would become Agartha, as she sacrificed her body, soul, and magic to invigorate the land, bringing up gems, jewels, and stone for the new mortals, as it was something Dragons treasured.
As the sisters saw her energy go through the land, all but Heliotrop knew what had happened. Smaragd flew to the rest and proclaimed that Safir knew this was the only thing to be done for the mortals, and that there was no other way for their power to help them.
Only one did not believe the lie, Kattguld of Secrets and of Espionage, as her eyes were everywhere, but wanting to see how her sisters reacted, she said nothing. As they looked over the mortals, they saw that many had no idea what to do with the materials given. So, the next oldest and largest, Jade of Alchemy and of The Fields, dove into the earth as Safir did, where the remnants of her body made a visible mound.
Jade did the same as her sister, and her energy flowed through the land, making soil and sediment fertile and soft enough to be tilled, so that the errant seeds of the ground could grow and be planted. The sisters sorrowed once more, but knew now that it was for the betterment of the land.
After this, many others went, the elders sacrificed themselves so the younger ones would prosper. Topas of Learning and of Jewelcrafting dove to bestow knowledge of Agriculture and Craftwork to the people, Obsidian of Rebirth and Farming gave her life so mortals may create new life, be it fellow mortals or plant life, Kalcedon of Animal Rearing and Music gave them knowledge of companionship, and songs to fill their hearts. Rubin of Fire and Creation gave them their forges and their light, and Jern of Iron and Love gave them the metal to arm and maintain themselves, and the drive to do so.
Helitrop, for all of her sisters sacrifices, did not know what was happening. Her form was smaller and took longer to fly, as her wings were not the mightiest, but with each new development of Arcanoterra, she grew more optimistic of the sisters goal, until she noticed the mighty mound in the middle of Edda.
When she returned home, she saw the two youngest dragons, Ametist and Citrin, with the final sister, still unhatched, along with Smaragd and Kattguld, perched on the mighty mound. Smaragd tried to lie about the situation, but Kattguld let loose the truth, that Smaragd had tricked Safir, and the other sisters fell afterwards.
With divine fury, Heliotrop first lobbed off Kattgulds head blindly, tossing it into the vast sky, and scattering her scales among it as well. Then, as Smaragd tried to flee, Heliotrop rended her in two, and her dark inky blood was used to paint the sky pitch black, as the light of Kattgulds head and scales shined on Edda.
Feeling sadness and remorse at the loss of her sisters, Heliotrop decided to join them, realizing that for all they had gained, mortals were missing something vital. Heliotrop gave them the desire to explore and expand, and a sense of justice and righteousness.
The world stayed such as this for a long time, but soon the remaining two sisters found that the night stayed on the land, and did not end. Seeing this, Ametist of Magic and of Decoration gave her power to teach mortals the way of magic, so they may use it to brighten their life, along with their dour outfits and homes.
But it was not enough, and mortals were beginning to waste away. Finally, the last sister, Citrin, gave her life not to join the mound, but instead to be the Sun. Citrin of Sunlight and of Performance sang a song and danced her way across the sky, as her fire and light blotted out the night, for a while.
And that left one last piece. The Egg, who hatched as Citrin gave her own life. She had not been ignorant during the time she was an egg, and knew of what her sisters had done for the world, even if they did not know they had to.
As she hatched, she already had given up her body.
Opal of Order and of Paint gave her life and soul so that mankind would have a sense of correctness, a sense of balance, and so that they would know of a way to properly capture the beauty her sisters had left them behind, and her body scattered into hues of sunrise, sunset, and the white clouds.
Cosmological Views
Once the Mortal Forms were made flesh, those who follow The Mother Dragons believe that there were many entities that were born from this act, powerful gods of draconic scales and shape, and that they gave their lives to establish the land for the Mortal Forms, collecting in the middle and spreading outwards.
Tenets of Faith
The main credo of The Mother Dragons is generosity. Those who live were given the opportunity, power, and resources by The Mother Dragons, and to waste it on oneself, or to let it go to waste, is incredibly sinful. However this has turned the act of giving into something more performative in the aristocratic levels. Additionally, for each of the main Mother Dragons worshiped, they each have their own tenants.
- Safir: Make Tremors (Never be complacent), Dig On (Never give up), Unearth (Build yourself up)
- Jade: Till the Fields (Develop yourself for growth), Worship Life (Don't cause unneeded death), Create Anew (Develop new things)
- Topas: Solitary Thought (Think for yourself), Preach Truth (Don't tell lies), Cut and Shape (Don't leave unnecessary details)
- Obsidian: Accept the End (Don't deny death), Harvest for All (Don't hoard resources), Reap what you Sow (Accept your actions as your own)
- Kalcedon: Unite (Work together, not against each other), Harmonize (differences are better than similarities), Growth (Become the best version of yourself)
- Rubin: Blaze (Be passionate in all things), Temper (Control your emotions), Have Pride (Enjoy that which you create)
- Jern: Love for All (Don't hate senselessly), Generosity (Be willing to give your all), Steadfast (Never waver in your decisions)
- Kattguld: Hush (Speak only when necessary), Loose Lips (Know the danger of your secrets), Perfect Time (Sometimes the truth is better than secrets)
- Smaragd: Harsh Truth (Don't harbor false hope), Be Selfish (Focus on your own problems), Have Pride (Be the most important person to yourself)
- Heliotrop: Be Just (Constantly have Justice in mind), Be Courageous (Don't give in to fear), Be the Shield (Protect the weak)
- Ametist: Solve the Mystery (Always look for answers in life), Shimmer and Shine (Be the most dazzling in the room), Never Cheat (100% effort, no shortcuts or easy ways out)
- Citrin: Share Light (Be a leader to others), Light the Fire (Inspire others to be better), Shine at Night (Wear a brave face, morale should never falter)
- Opal: Paint Wildly (Don't hold yourself back), Know Your Art (Have a goal in mind), All Canvas (There's no wrong way to make art)
Worship
Worship is carried out by blessing and assisting those who follow the capacity of The Mother Dragon served, in any means. Public Sermons and blessings are typically applied.
Priesthood
Priesthood is something that someone will spend their entire life devoting themselves to. For each order there are different ranks of priesthood. From the neophytes and up, they are refereed to as Claw Priests, Fang Priests, Wing Priests, Scale Priests, and Heartscale Priests. From there, there are general leaders of the faith, instead of just the specific orders. Wyrm Priests, Wyvern Priests, and the head Dragon Priest are those ranks.
When someone reaches Wing Priest is when they will typically to host sermons and other such duties.
For those who are not interested in preacherhood but still work in the bounds of a clerical order are known as Shed Scales.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Many who are high ranking Priests in the order are also aristocrats, those who have more to give to the lesser, even if it's just a show. One such family is The Morte Family, an extremely affluent family of Halflings whose matriarch is the current Dragon Priest, Emile Morte.
Sects
There hasn't been much division in The Mother Dragons religion, however there is theological argument over the morality of Smaragd and Kattguld over the years, and many who follow Heliotrop do not find the current War Domain Orders hands-off method to be satisfactory.
Give, and be given to.
Founding Date
>22,300 BC
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
The Church of Scales, The Dragon-Hearted
Demonym
Dragonics
Leader
Deities
Divines
Location
Notable Members
Comments