Perseverance

The spear within our Goddess reminds us one thing; we are all going to die. Yes yes. Some of us may depart soon, others later. Accept Death as a part of us, only then can you learn how to help others.

— Maya - Archpriestess of Perseverance

The strikingly odd followers of Perseverance are not always welcomed with open claws, as their habit of wearing skull-like headdresses, masks or even actual draconic skulls on their heads make them appear far more sinister than their teachings are. Perseverance herself is portrayed as kindly smiling elderly red and grey dragoness with long golden horns that have one or more spears piercing through her body. In spite of this, her domain is considered that of maintaining life and helping others endure. Those that believe in her guidance favor selflessness, self-sacrifice, protection of the weaker and bringing new life into the world. As such, Wingbinders and expecting parents tend to be most commonly favoring her over other deities, although some tribes Clawstoppers also pray to her before venturing into battles.

Followers

As mentioned earlier, followers wear masks that symbolize death and obscure their faces. There are several tiers of masks that emphasize rank and importance within the circles of Perseverance, from Apprentices to Archpriestess. Followers of Perserverance tend to form self-sustaining nomadic groups that travel from around civilized and non-civilized territories to propagate their faith and to help the sick, poor and injured, oftentimes also recruiting those they helped into their ranks. There is no age restriction on who can join.

1. Apprentice - Self-crafted mask made out of wood, worn over the upper part of muzzle with two holes for eyes. These can sometimes be painted if its wearer wants to.
2. Preserver - Self-crafted mask made out of wood or bone, worn over the upper part of muzzle with two holes for eyes. These can be painted as well. A pair of animal or dragon teeth hang from each corner of the mask as a charm to protect its wearer against Weirds from Dreamscape.
3. Priest - Mask inherited from the previous Priest, or expertly commissioned from crafters. This bone mask covers the entire upper part of the Priest's face, sometimes even portions of the lower jaw. While it is primarily made of bone, it can have added details made out of other materials. Two pairs of animal or dragon teeth hang from each corner of the mask.
4. Archpriest - This mask is made out of a previously departed Archpriest's skull. As such, it varies wildly how it is worn, as the previous arch-priest may be smaller or bigger than the current one. The mask should completely cover the entire face of the Archpriest. A respected follower of Perseverance skilled in bone crafts is tasked with the gruesome task of constructing this mask. The bone mask will have three pairs of teeth hanging from each of its sides, all taken from departed dragons.

Apprentices

Anyone that wishes to dedicate themselves to Perseverance is first given two simple tasks. First need to make themselves an adequate mask, and secondly, they must stay in an enclosed tent to meditate and self-reflect on the topic of Death for a full day and night, prohibited to leave it. During that meditation, they are not allowed to talk to anyone but are provided food and drink. These two simple tasks are made to test their dedication, and possibly rule out anyone too impatient to pass it.
Apprentices are the lowest tier in the hierarchy of Perseverance followers, their duties extended to anything that needs to be done. Collecting resources, hunting, protection or caring for eggs and young dragons. Apprentices are directly assigned to Priests and report to them, who in turn are responsible for their education.

Locals and Tribes

Of course, some dragons adhere to the teachings of Perseverance without ever dedicating themselves to become a follower and give up everything to live a nomadic life. Many civilized tribes have built temples to Perseverance which are frequented by those that share the same ideals. These temples can be attended by anyone and tend to be maintained by dragons who were given blessings from any of the nomadic Arch-priests. Temples such as these are then inhabited by the nomadic followers whenever they venture by.
The relations between various tribes and Perseverance followers can be complex and unique. Whereas in one place they are revered and welcomed, in other, they can be shunned and not allowed to stay. The terrifying masks that hide identities were actually first invented by a long-forgotten fire dragon tribe, as they used similar design whenever they raided their enemies but took them off and wandered in peace amongst those they considered their allies. Currently, there are those that still believe these masks being worn means Perseverance followers are up to something nefarious, but usually, this fear is fueled by leaders who simply don't wish their own tribe members would defect to them, which would weaken the tribe.

Slaying should never be done without a forethought. You can fix helping someone who shouldn't have been saved. You can't fix killing someone who deserved to live.

— Walnut, Mud huntress of Wheel Tribe.

Preservers

Those that established themselves amongst the Apprentices for a cycle or more will eventually be elevated to the position of Preservers on a merit basis. Convinced that they truly mean to stay on the path of Perseverance, their responsibilities will now extend towards establishing communication with other tribes on behalf of the Followers. For the most part, they are now introduced to greater insights into how to help the sick, sorrow-struck and injured but no longer have to report to Priests for duties. Preservers are expected to be fully self-sufficient, developing in the craft or profession that they fit the best or is currently needed the most. Preservers especially proficient in teaching others may even assist Priests with new Apprentices.

Priests

Well-established and long-serving Preservers can eventually become Priests of Perseverance. If the group of Followers grows too much to maintain by current Priests, a new one can be elevated to this position, their mask crafted finely and decorated to stand out but more often than not, their masks are old, inherited from the previous Priest that already passed away. Priests are rarely young, oftentimes have even one or more families of their own, and are primarily tasked with less physical tasks, focusing instead on teaching the young, offspring of their own or of other followers, and newly-initiated Apprentices.
Nomadic groups of Followers that large enough can split off, this decision can be temporary (for the purpose of visiting more tribes) or permanent (as sustaining very large group can be problematic in certain areas of Midrast), in these cases a selected Priest is elevated by the Arch-Priest to lead the new group. The newly elevated Arch-priest doesn't get to wear a skull, but his mask will have a third pair of teeth added to signify this temporary arrangement.

The half-dead goddess is equally fascinating as she is dreadful to outsiders eyes. This is true of us for a reason, many raiders and poachers will avoid us, for they do not fear us. Who would fear an old Jungle like me? No. They fear what we represent. Yes.

— Maya - Archpriestess of Perseverance

Arch-priests

Only a single Arch-Priest ever is elevated to lead a group of Followers at a time. There can never be more or less, the three pairs of teeth are worn to signify this individual to stand out amongst the others, and their mask is created from the upper part of a cleaned skull of the previous Arch-Priest or Arch-Priestess. This otherwise gruesome tradition is set to serve as a constant reminder of two main truths:

• Death is a part of us
• We live thanks to those that came before us.

Arch-priests are in part revered as the closest embodiments of Perseverance and thus are approached for their wisdom by Followers and those from Civilized tribes alike. While their actual duties are mostly symbolic and advisory, they ultimately guide the Followers and make decisions on important matters. Arch-priest is also tasked with elevating each and every follower to the status of Preserver or Priest, they can also name who the next Arch-Priest will be, if they want to. If they do not, as soon as an Arch-Priest passes away or becomes incapable of leading, current Priests decide among themselves who will become the next Arch-priest.

Passing

While the passages of Followers oftentimes lead them to places where they can help those that need helping, there are oftentimes many dragons that can no longer be helped. Outside of simple trade of crafts, the primary source of income for most Followers is organizing burials and holding speeches for departed within the territories of Civilized, to help their Dreams avoid Weirds in Dreamscape.
Given the very dragon-centric nature of this religion, Perseverance has not yet developed a great following amongst Gryphons, however the first recorded Passing performed for a gryphon has been observed recently in a mixed settlement of Opportunity.
While Passings are openly held for the dead, it is actually meant to elevate the spirits and give time to grief for the living. As such, the departed one's greatest accomplishments are highlighted and their loved ones are listened to patiently and if needed, discreetly.

Origin

Faith within Perseverance is traced back towards the events of the first War for Independence which was sparked by the death of Air dragoness Aperseventh at 217 AA. Sacrificing herself to protect her daughter, the banners that featured spears were used as a symbol of resistance against the king Krakath, who was eventually deposed two cycles later.
After that, to honor her sacrifice that banded all the draconic species together, a small group of older individuals formed that called themselves Followers at the time. Primarily composed of Fire dragons, Followers traveled from tribe to tribe and retold the events for generations to come, and for them to remember that selfless sacrifice is more powerful than the sharpest spear.
Over the course of many cycles, the original purpose shifted from preserving knowledge of the event, which is still to a smaller degree a part of the religion, towards preserving the lives of others. The habit of wearing masks was introduced much later, around 400-450 AA. According to the tale, the masks were cut from trees and painted red to frighten a family of greedy Jungle dragons who refused to give the Followers safe haven within their tribe and allow Passings of the recently departed. Posing as angry Dreams of those that passed away, this 'disguise' was so effective, that the Followers started wearing them whenever they visited Jungle territories.
Eventually, the masks themselves were made more ornamental and were used even outside of Jungles, reinforced as part of the religion. Now, it is strictly prohibited for a Follower to take off their mask whenever they are in territory of Civilized tribes or performing their duties for others. Some have grown so attached to them, they wear it even in their sleep or share an intimate moment with their partner.