Cult of the Wyrm
Eldest they are. The first primordial beings were dragons and the dragons were their children. Without them we are lost.
When the dragons went mad, many lost hope, but some of the clergy of the Church of Eternal Dawn refused to despair, and yet also rejected the call of Shalim to begin storing up the best of our civilization against the coming darkness. They sought to defy the darkness and return civilization to its zenith by another path. The partnership between the Empire and dragons had been the key to unlocking the mighty works of magic and technology that had characterized the Istragan Golden Age, and so the obvious path forward was to find a way back to that kinship between dragons and people. So was born the Cult of the Wyrm, a group of dedicated - some say fanatic and delusional - researchers, priests, and adventurers, seeking a way by means arcane, alchemical, or miraculous to bring about a rebirth of the "True Dragons" - those with true intelligence and arcane mastery.
When the dragons went mad, many lost hope, but some of the clergy of the Church of Eternal Dawn refused to despair, and yet also rejected the call of Shalim to begin storing up the best of our civilization against the coming darkness. They sought to defy the darkness and return civilization to its zenith by another path. The partnership between the Empire and dragons had been the key to unlocking the mighty works of magic and technology that had characterized the Istragan Golden Age, and so the obvious path forward was to find a way back to that kinship between dragons and people. So was born the Cult of the Wyrm, a group of dedicated - some say fanatic and delusional - researchers, priests, and adventurers, seeking a way by means arcane, alchemical, or miraculous to bring about a rebirth of the "True Dragons" - those with true intelligence and arcane mastery.
Structure
As all organizations are in these darkening days, the Cult of the Wyrm is decentralized in operation, even if all its member serve a single goal. Individual members gather in cells whenever possible, and seek to pass important information or valuable finds back to the central Council in Ekbata.
Culture
The Cult is willing to take extreme measures, but they fully believe there actions are in the interest of civilization. They do not see themselves as any different from the Scholars of Emberhold. Like them, the Cult sees itself as trying to restore civilization, but they fervently believe that their way is the only way to guarantee that anything will rise from the rubble of the Empire. Without dragons, they believe, the accomplishments of the Istragan golden age are lost forever.
Public Agenda
The Cult's agenda is not public in the same way that Emberhold's is. In the generations since the Madness, dragons have ceased to be creatures of wonder and awe in the perception of most people. They are destructive and ravenous monsters, and so an organization dedicated to restoring a relationship between dragons and people is not well thought of in most places. To be sure there are Havens where the Cult of the Wyrm holds sway, but these are few and far between.
In fairness it should be noted that the Cult does not actually wish to restore the dragons who are currently alive. They believe those dragons living today to be lost beyond recall. However, they hope that through arcane manipulation, a new race of dragons might be born. They see two primary opportunities for this, and are pursuing both with every resource at their disposal.
First is the possibility of hatching a 'true dragon' - one with the intelligence their kind once possessed. To do this the Cult tries to find and capture dragons eggs to experiment with using powerful magic and alchemy.
The second possibility is for the greatest among the Cult to actually become dragons. Some of the High Council of the Cult believe this to be possible. Some suggest that the first dragons were ascended humanoids. To fuel their arcane experimentation, the Cult is always seeking items and materials that resonate with powerful magic. And because this search is so fraught with danger, they are always recruiting the bold and competent to try to achieve this.
Because they see this mission as essential to the recovery of civilization, the Cult is willing to go to extremes to achieve it. They will steal, deceive, and even kill if they must, though they usually try to begin by bargaining. Some among the High Council argue for militancy - that the Cult should begin seizing Havens by force and building up enough military might to capture the wealth of one of the larger towns and cities.
In fairness it should be noted that the Cult does not actually wish to restore the dragons who are currently alive. They believe those dragons living today to be lost beyond recall. However, they hope that through arcane manipulation, a new race of dragons might be born. They see two primary opportunities for this, and are pursuing both with every resource at their disposal.
First is the possibility of hatching a 'true dragon' - one with the intelligence their kind once possessed. To do this the Cult tries to find and capture dragons eggs to experiment with using powerful magic and alchemy.
The second possibility is for the greatest among the Cult to actually become dragons. Some of the High Council of the Cult believe this to be possible. Some suggest that the first dragons were ascended humanoids. To fuel their arcane experimentation, the Cult is always seeking items and materials that resonate with powerful magic. And because this search is so fraught with danger, they are always recruiting the bold and competent to try to achieve this.
Because they see this mission as essential to the recovery of civilization, the Cult is willing to go to extremes to achieve it. They will steal, deceive, and even kill if they must, though they usually try to begin by bargaining. Some among the High Council argue for militancy - that the Cult should begin seizing Havens by force and building up enough military might to capture the wealth of one of the larger towns and cities.
by MidJourney
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