Draconian Pantheon
Semi-draconic, semi-human, these faceless and jealous elemental gods reign throughout the Dragon Empire. The draconic gods are all elemental and rather strange, each said to be comforting and familiar to the dragonkin but looming, distant, or even dangerous to the eyes of humans, dwarves, and other less-scaly races. Nevertheless, given the number of non-dragonkind within their realm, these gods have allowed new rites, new sacred lore, and new festivals that appeal to the human throngs of the empire. In time, the dragon gods might seem less alien and might make inroads beyond the Mharoti lands. For now, though, Torians rarely encounter their worship except among the dragonkin, kobolds, and the Mharoti legions. Its practices involve ringing bells and burning huge clouds of incense, and some of its followers believe in various schools of mysticism, meditation, and a form of inner enlightenment. Others focus rapaciously on the earthly and the present.
The wild faith of Veles’s children includes astronomy and deep mysteries of the heavens and the stars, and some say even the stars follow of the dragon gods. Scaled heralds descend from the Void by night or by day, trailing comets or plumes of bright smoke. The various faces of the gods have competing cults riven by strife and competition, but their followers are certain that their gods are greater, stronger, and vaster than any human pantheon.
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Domains: Arcana, Light, Travel, Trickery
Prime Deity: Alizaxis
Symbol: An compass rose
Favored Weapon: Shortbow
Comparable To: Tykee in Lados; Baccho in the elven pantheon; Oneiros in the High Houses.
Even among the eastern gods, Azuran seems especially strange. Azuran is a unity of conflicting forces, four great strands of an elemental faith in the wind and the sky. These four gods represent a single god, but they are also the Gathering of Winds, each a separate interpretation of Azuran. The Winds disagree on the finer points of faith, but all agree on the founding ideals: breath is life. Wind and sky are the ultimate expression of divinity. Azuran is a creature of the roof of heaven, soaring beyond all heights, a calm fury of storm. All who breathe are his creation, and each last breath is an invocation to Azuran. The god of wind sees all things, all fates, and knows all things spoken on the breath; his eye is everywhere and yet invisible. To understand Azuran’s mysteries is to pierce the veil of illusions and ascend to the heights where wisdom dwells. Physically, Azuran is represented by a circle or a glass sphere, an emptiness. Some of the more wildly anthropomorphic views of the god depict a four-faced figure without eyes, nose, or features, only four blank ovals. Azuran’s believers include humans, gaians, orcs, and all manner of scalykind, divided into four primary rival sects: the Gamblers of the Eastern Wind, the Savants of the Southern Wind, the Warriors of the Western Wind, and the Wanderers of the Northern Wind. The aspect of the east controls fate and fortune and must be respected by all easterners as a result, especially merchants and gamblers. Warriors seek the western wind’s aid in battle, and wizards, oracles, and scholars seek the southern wind’s wisdom from beyond the mortal sphere. Sailors and travelers ask for good wandering from his northern aspect. As the patron of Sikkim, Azuran is the foremost among the gods of that distant city of wonders. Its mighty artificers, priests, and wizards are the most devoted and pious worshippers of Azuran. Other prominent priests include Basha General Azladdan ir-Rahullah, war-cleric and commander of the Dragon Empire’s Windrider Legion and Windspeaker Dariosh of Parthia. Anyone who seeks luck or the blessings of helpful winds invokes Azuran, and the call strengthens him. The mages of Sendrellar and sages at the Great Library find the Azuran teachings intriguing. Over time, the enlightening winds of Azuran blow far into uncivilized lands. Azuran’s faith invites a remarkable number of symbols: four most important ones, and a dozen more for the various factions. The most prominent are a compass rose and images of wind that consist of waving lines, spirals, clouds, an arrow, and concentric circles. Both compass and wind icons sometimes include draconic motifs such as wings or fangs. The core teachings of the Lord of Winds and Victory appear in The Azuran. However, this collection is in dispute, since it contains divergent sections and apocryphal writings. Well known but poorly understood books include the Prophecies of the Wind, the Ephemeral Whispers of Aahuz, and the Invisible Tome of the Unseers. Azuran temples and shrines stand throughout the Dragon Empire and beyond, and with more than one shrine per city to allow each sect its own place. The grandest is the Open Temple of Harkesh, a peak-top edifice near the imperial capital. The temple includes 50 colossal pillars holding up an enormous roof over an ivory statue of the four-faced god, but it is otherwise bare. Azuran’s temples remain austere despite his follower’s massive donations. The second-greatest shrine of Azuran is the Ringing Temple of Qiresh, a cliffside place known for its hurled sacrifices into the Bloodscale Sea. The most famous holy site is the Singing Chantry at Sikkim where the air flowing into the structure chimes and whistles, creating the music of the winds. Each of the Winds is said to maintain a sacred shrine at the four corners of the world, but each location is secret and the goal of lifelong pilgrimages for true adherents. Azuran is cordial with Baal and Seggotan, because air feeds flames and can also carry rainclouds far across the earth. Azuran pities Khespotan and his antagonistic followers, for that lesser being must be forever earthbound and limited by rigid fate. Azuran teaches his worshippers to trust the Winds that they will shower you with fortune and victory. Breathe deep the air, travel far and wide to discover the world, and tell your tales to all who listen. Silence is no virtue. Walk the world as the Winds walk above it, proud, bold, and swift. Your voice belongs to Azuran and you must return it after your final breath, well used. Store up wonders and stories worthy of the telling. Speak well when you must speak, and sing at dawn and dusk. Gamble, preach, and tell others of the strength of the True Wind.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Death, Forge, War
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: A horned dragon head
Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Comparable To: Solanus in Lados; Asura in the Atlantean pantheon; Amaterasu/Yamako/Jade Dragon in the Emerald Empire.
Cloaked in smoke, fire, and incense, hugely fond of gold, blood, and jewels, and the favored patron god of dragonkin everywhere, Baal is a figure of celebration, raucous festivals, and powerful impulses of noble sacrifice and even martyrdom in the cause of dragon conquest and glory. The jaws of Baal are huge and fanged, and—as his scriptures frequently repeat—“fires must be fed.” All his worshippers make sacrifices of gold and jewels, and most of all the sultan, who is believed to be under Baal’s special protection. The god is sometimes male and sometimes female, matching the ruling sultan or sultana, but always resembles a red-orange dragon with golden teeth, eyes, claws, and horns, and black wings streaked with green and gold. The current incarnation of Baal’s visage is male, though many of his followers still use the female form from recent habit. The Mharoti are the devoted followers of Baal, and they consider it an honor to have a son or daughter join the priesthood. Dragonkin make up the majority of his devotees, but humans and even some orcs are fond of Baal’s extravagant confidence and sure protection. Baal watches over more than the sultan: he also protects every hearth in the empire, every child is his child, and every lantern, candle, or torch burns through his divine will. Professional mourners and funeral attendants are also his followers, as are all the titled nobles of the Mharoti, for Baal protects authority and the divine rights of draconic ruling class. In that vein, all true dragons and most drakes worship Baal as their patron and protector. Thirty or forty orders of cavaliers, paladins, wizards, and priestly warriors revere Baal, from the Golden Lanterns of Harkesh (an order of fire wizards) to the Humble Knights of Searing Truth (zealous paladins). Thieves, merchants, dwarves, necromancers, and scribes are all banned from his temples. Baal’s symbols are a horned dragon head and a leaping flame (rarely combined). His priests wear red, gold, black, and orange. The teachings of the Lord of Fire are never written down, but instead are held in the memories and recited daily by the Baal-Shek, the learned priests who have memorized all 444 of the sacred stories of Baal. The final 44 of these are secrets unique to the priesthood of Baal, and it is said that those who learn them are all dragonkin who were raised from infancy by the dragon lords. The greatest temple of Baal is the Sultan’s Fire Shrine, which might once have been a modest chapel for the sultan’s private use but has since been decorated, ornamented, and expanded over the years with a dozen tall towers (set with jewels on their balconies and bell towers, to catch the light) and with a ceiling of pure hammered gold. Even dragons grow silent when first entering Baal’s sacred precincts. Also justly famous is the Shimmering Temple in the province of Kalpostan, the heartland of the Mharoti Empire. The priests of Baal are the empire’s tax collectors, its front-line paladins and martyrs, and its financiers, for the Counting House of Baal is also the Sultan’s Treasury. The coin given to the priests of Baal is both a sacred obligation and a payment for the betterment of empire. Who could refuse to give the dragon his due? Hasibe al-Harkeshi serves as the current chief of the priesthood of Baal. Elementalists and tophet guards and attendants accompany her everywhere, and she is said to sacrifice bars of pure gold to the god each week. Baal finds the slow rhythm and washing tides of Seggotan tedious, and the Fire Lord is a more active god than the other three elemental lords. Baal despises most human gods, especially the ancient and weak Atlantean gods as well as the vile gods of the Crossroads City, schemers and tricksters such as Volund and Rava. The greater rivalry, though, is with Khespotan over the proper treatment of souls and earthly remains. Baal favors cremation for the dead and Khespotan favors burial, and the two priesthoods fight street battles over the right to officiate at the funerary rites of major officials. Baal’s priests are quick to point out that all drakes and dragons insist on cremation. Baal's worshippers sacrifice gold, blood, and treasure to their dragon masters. They are taught to pray before a fire every day, and burn fat, meat, paper, and incense in his name. Avoid water; never swim or sail if you can walk or fly. Rage is a righteous and proper form of worship, but protect the innocent, unless their hour of sacrifice is at hand. Never write down the lessons of Baal, but keep them pure in your heart.
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Domains: Grave, Knowledge, Law, Nature
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: The draconic omega rune etched onto a stone or clay tablet
Favored Weapon: War pick.
Comparable To: Muir in Lados; Perun in the Endhavian pantheon; Thor in the Northlands; Bishamon in the Emerald Empire.
The priests of Khespotan tell a tale of their god’s strange fate. Once a primordial deity, the original Khespotan recorded the fate of the world on clay tablets. When a divine dragon swallowed Khespotan like a pebble, the chthonic god fought back from inside the dragon’s belly. Absorbing the dragon from within, the current Khespotan emerged as the dragon god of the earth. Gods are unfathomable. Khespotan lives deep within the earth in a vast subterranean vault. He keeps worthy souls there, millions of them, each resting peacefully within a flawless gem of great size and brilliance. Statues and paintings depict him holding a gemstone. His priests say the great stony wyrm carves out the destinies of every being on these gems. Though his faithful seem subdued compared to followers of Baal or Azuran, Khespotan is nevertheless influential in the Dragon Empire and shapes the empire’s spiritual foundation. His priests and mourners provide the funerary rites and burial of most Mharoti, especially the poor jambuka and kobolds. Builders revere the Lord of Stone and Destiny and ask him to help their works withstand the ages. Miners seek his blessing for safe passage beneath the earth. The clergy trains architects, scribes, and scholars who design public works and record royal edicts. In addition, most of the empire’s duty-bound army worships Khespotan. In particular, the Silent Sentinels and the Gray Janissaries view their fate as sealed, and thus they face each battle fearless and resolute. Khespotan’s symbols are specific letters of the Mharoti alphabet etched on stone or clay. Sometimes the first letter to represent the entire writing system or “khes” falling in the middle, but often just the last letter to signify the final destiny of all things. Wealthier worshippers wear precious stone or metal ornaments inscribed with a rune. Khespotan’s holy text the Tablets of Fate contains his entire ethos clearly and completely. Some claim major destinies can be deciphered from the tablets. Khespotan’s clergy maintains that the only prophecy foretold is that all will one day return to the earth. Splinter groups see deeper knowledge in the Tablets. Worshippers dedicate shrines to Khespotan in badlands, mountain peaks, limestone arches, and other distinctive stone features. His larger temples include cemeteries or catacombs. The Seminary of the Stone trains architects, sages, and scribes. Khespotan’s most opulent temple is the Golden Cavern, frequented by mining moguls and gem traders. Devotees make offerings to appease the Lord of Stone at the Rift of Zasamra in the Dragoncoil Mountains, where a city was swallowed by the earth. Priests say the city committed a great transgression against patient Khespotan. Due to their focus on duty and literacy, the priests of Khespotan make up the bulk of the empire’s bureaucracy and manage its daily affairs. They include royal archivists, royal scribes, messenger units, and the quartermasters of the army. Khespotanites enjoy the patronage of the merchant class. Khespotan leaves the other dragon gods to their squabbling and machinations. Since the beginning, he quietly bears their weight as he does the weight of all. Though Seggotan laps incessantly at stone trying to wear it away, Khespotan knows that stone becomes sand, and that same sand forms the bottom of the sea, containing it. The fickle voice of Azuran can likewise be ignored. Khespotan teaches that every fate is already been set in stone; accept this. Trace your path by following the commandments carved in the Tablets of Fate. Though your fate is unrevealed, proper adherence to the faith will ensure you never stray from the path. Do your duty, endure hardships, continue ever onward. Never complain. When your destiny arrives, you will know. Your destiny will end in the earthen arms of Khespotan.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Life, Seasons, Tempest
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A two-headed serpent
Favored Weapon: Trident.
Comparable To: Kamien in Lados; Tiamat in the Atlantean pantheon; Jormungandr in the Northlands.
Seggotan is an ancient power who claims to have seen the beginning and the end of time. All oaths sworn to Seggotan must be kept, for he never forgets. Mortals might dare to bargain with Seggotan and his servants, though he fulfills such bargains in mysterious ways or with unintended consequences. Enigmatic and unpredictable, Seggotan holds the sea and all in it as his for eternity. If you have eaten one fish from the sea or taken one step in the surf, Seggotan has claimed you for his own. Seggotan speaks through his servants, a species of capricious, aquatic shapeshifting sea drakes called the Kyree who can speak with his voice. When he appears he resembles an enormous shadow beneath the surface of the waves. On other occasions, Seggotan appears as a gigantic dragon with two heads, one green and one blue, which speak in perfect unison. For centuries, most coastal regions favored Seggotan’s rival, Nethus. Seggotan was primarily venerated in the Dragon Empire, and he favored the dragonkin greatly. After Nethus was chained in Kammae Straboli, Seggotan became master of the sea, and his attention shifted to grander ambitions, or perhaps more esoteric issues. His Kyree drakes fell silent. After the Mharoti navy suffered a string of unusual defeats in skirmishes with Capleon and Triolan navies of the Seven Cities, Mharoti sailors coined the curse, “Spit on Seggotan.” Nevertheless, Seggotan is still their official patron and given full respect by the naval officers, who fear spurning the ancient deity and seek to restore his favor. Seggotan is commonly represented as a two‑headed serpent, a trident, a loop, or a combination of icons. Seggotan’s wisdom is recorded in verse on sheets of silver foil, called the Song Eternal. Various sects fight for control over these records, and paper drakes and rivals steal some of them. As a result, no clear number or sequence of the Song exists to declare Seggotan’s will. Unknown to all but the highest priests, the sheets are transcribed from ancient Song Pearls Seggotan created. The complete knowledge is dangerous to all creation, so the priests have scattered and hidden the pearls. The Ageless Spire soars above the Mharoti city of Prezhan and casts its shadow over the seat of Mharoti naval power. A great sacrificial pier extends half a mile from the temple into the sea, and locals make their offerings there. The Mharoti navy executes any recruits who fail to serve the empire adequately. Outside the Mharoti Empire, shrines to Seggotan rise in coastal towns and seafarers make perfunctory appeals to the god. Only two other regions have sizable, organized priesthoods. The Great Library in Friula contains several foil pieces of the Song Eternal, which have given rise to the Order of Renewal that emphasizes rebirth and eternity over the god’s more martial aspects. In Bemmea, a small cult of mages bargains with Seggotan for elemental boons and argue for their interpretation of the god’s will. Some believe they have recovered a Song Pearl and wish to unleash its ancient knowledge. The tiny priesthood of Seggotan that had established itself in Capleon, southernmost of the Seven Cities, was driven out of town and its temple destroyed by an angry mob. The faith seems unable to find purchase in human lands. Seggotan pays little attention to other faiths, though Mavros and Perun claim the title of storm lord and this irks Seggotan. Storms come from the sea, and the title is rightfully his. Mavros and his followers must drown. Likewise, Baal’s arrogance must sometimes be humbled. Few other gods concern him overmuch. Seggotan demands sacrifice of gold, jewels, and blood to the sea. Uphold any oaths sworn to him. Drop a coin into the sea each time you enter the sea, or prick your finger for a drop of blood. Light no fires, and watch the stars. Never fail to bathe when water is near. Seggotan rewards the victorious, those who send their enemies’ ships and treasure to a watery grave. Seggotan is most pleased with deaths by drowning.
Azuran
Lord of the Four Winds; Arbitrator of Victory; Lord of the Skies Beyond the Sky; the Four-Faced Compass; the Gambling God; the First and Final Breath
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Chaotic neutral
Domains: Arcana, Light, Travel, Trickery
Prime Deity: Alizaxis
Symbol: An compass rose
Favored Weapon: Shortbow
Comparable To: Tykee in Lados; Baccho in the elven pantheon; Oneiros in the High Houses.
Even among the eastern gods, Azuran seems especially strange. Azuran is a unity of conflicting forces, four great strands of an elemental faith in the wind and the sky. These four gods represent a single god, but they are also the Gathering of Winds, each a separate interpretation of Azuran. The Winds disagree on the finer points of faith, but all agree on the founding ideals: breath is life. Wind and sky are the ultimate expression of divinity. Azuran is a creature of the roof of heaven, soaring beyond all heights, a calm fury of storm. All who breathe are his creation, and each last breath is an invocation to Azuran. The god of wind sees all things, all fates, and knows all things spoken on the breath; his eye is everywhere and yet invisible. To understand Azuran’s mysteries is to pierce the veil of illusions and ascend to the heights where wisdom dwells. Physically, Azuran is represented by a circle or a glass sphere, an emptiness. Some of the more wildly anthropomorphic views of the god depict a four-faced figure without eyes, nose, or features, only four blank ovals. Azuran’s believers include humans, gaians, orcs, and all manner of scalykind, divided into four primary rival sects: the Gamblers of the Eastern Wind, the Savants of the Southern Wind, the Warriors of the Western Wind, and the Wanderers of the Northern Wind. The aspect of the east controls fate and fortune and must be respected by all easterners as a result, especially merchants and gamblers. Warriors seek the western wind’s aid in battle, and wizards, oracles, and scholars seek the southern wind’s wisdom from beyond the mortal sphere. Sailors and travelers ask for good wandering from his northern aspect. As the patron of Sikkim, Azuran is the foremost among the gods of that distant city of wonders. Its mighty artificers, priests, and wizards are the most devoted and pious worshippers of Azuran. Other prominent priests include Basha General Azladdan ir-Rahullah, war-cleric and commander of the Dragon Empire’s Windrider Legion and Windspeaker Dariosh of Parthia. Anyone who seeks luck or the blessings of helpful winds invokes Azuran, and the call strengthens him. The mages of Sendrellar and sages at the Great Library find the Azuran teachings intriguing. Over time, the enlightening winds of Azuran blow far into uncivilized lands. Azuran’s faith invites a remarkable number of symbols: four most important ones, and a dozen more for the various factions. The most prominent are a compass rose and images of wind that consist of waving lines, spirals, clouds, an arrow, and concentric circles. Both compass and wind icons sometimes include draconic motifs such as wings or fangs. The core teachings of the Lord of Winds and Victory appear in The Azuran. However, this collection is in dispute, since it contains divergent sections and apocryphal writings. Well known but poorly understood books include the Prophecies of the Wind, the Ephemeral Whispers of Aahuz, and the Invisible Tome of the Unseers. Azuran temples and shrines stand throughout the Dragon Empire and beyond, and with more than one shrine per city to allow each sect its own place. The grandest is the Open Temple of Harkesh, a peak-top edifice near the imperial capital. The temple includes 50 colossal pillars holding up an enormous roof over an ivory statue of the four-faced god, but it is otherwise bare. Azuran’s temples remain austere despite his follower’s massive donations. The second-greatest shrine of Azuran is the Ringing Temple of Qiresh, a cliffside place known for its hurled sacrifices into the Bloodscale Sea. The most famous holy site is the Singing Chantry at Sikkim where the air flowing into the structure chimes and whistles, creating the music of the winds. Each of the Winds is said to maintain a sacred shrine at the four corners of the world, but each location is secret and the goal of lifelong pilgrimages for true adherents. Azuran is cordial with Baal and Seggotan, because air feeds flames and can also carry rainclouds far across the earth. Azuran pities Khespotan and his antagonistic followers, for that lesser being must be forever earthbound and limited by rigid fate. Azuran teaches his worshippers to trust the Winds that they will shower you with fortune and victory. Breathe deep the air, travel far and wide to discover the world, and tell your tales to all who listen. Silence is no virtue. Walk the world as the Winds walk above it, proud, bold, and swift. Your voice belongs to Azuran and you must return it after your final breath, well used. Store up wonders and stories worthy of the telling. Speak well when you must speak, and sing at dawn and dusk. Gamble, preach, and tell others of the strength of the True Wind.
Baal
Lord of Fire and Master of Noble Sacrifice; King of All Dragons; Guardian of the Sultan; Lord of Soldiers; Scarlet Protector of the Innocent; the Supreme Fire Dragon; Patron of the Empire and Dragonkin
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Death, Forge, War
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: A horned dragon head
Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Comparable To: Solanus in Lados; Asura in the Atlantean pantheon; Amaterasu/Yamako/Jade Dragon in the Emerald Empire.
Cloaked in smoke, fire, and incense, hugely fond of gold, blood, and jewels, and the favored patron god of dragonkin everywhere, Baal is a figure of celebration, raucous festivals, and powerful impulses of noble sacrifice and even martyrdom in the cause of dragon conquest and glory. The jaws of Baal are huge and fanged, and—as his scriptures frequently repeat—“fires must be fed.” All his worshippers make sacrifices of gold and jewels, and most of all the sultan, who is believed to be under Baal’s special protection. The god is sometimes male and sometimes female, matching the ruling sultan or sultana, but always resembles a red-orange dragon with golden teeth, eyes, claws, and horns, and black wings streaked with green and gold. The current incarnation of Baal’s visage is male, though many of his followers still use the female form from recent habit. The Mharoti are the devoted followers of Baal, and they consider it an honor to have a son or daughter join the priesthood. Dragonkin make up the majority of his devotees, but humans and even some orcs are fond of Baal’s extravagant confidence and sure protection. Baal watches over more than the sultan: he also protects every hearth in the empire, every child is his child, and every lantern, candle, or torch burns through his divine will. Professional mourners and funeral attendants are also his followers, as are all the titled nobles of the Mharoti, for Baal protects authority and the divine rights of draconic ruling class. In that vein, all true dragons and most drakes worship Baal as their patron and protector. Thirty or forty orders of cavaliers, paladins, wizards, and priestly warriors revere Baal, from the Golden Lanterns of Harkesh (an order of fire wizards) to the Humble Knights of Searing Truth (zealous paladins). Thieves, merchants, dwarves, necromancers, and scribes are all banned from his temples. Baal’s symbols are a horned dragon head and a leaping flame (rarely combined). His priests wear red, gold, black, and orange. The teachings of the Lord of Fire are never written down, but instead are held in the memories and recited daily by the Baal-Shek, the learned priests who have memorized all 444 of the sacred stories of Baal. The final 44 of these are secrets unique to the priesthood of Baal, and it is said that those who learn them are all dragonkin who were raised from infancy by the dragon lords. The greatest temple of Baal is the Sultan’s Fire Shrine, which might once have been a modest chapel for the sultan’s private use but has since been decorated, ornamented, and expanded over the years with a dozen tall towers (set with jewels on their balconies and bell towers, to catch the light) and with a ceiling of pure hammered gold. Even dragons grow silent when first entering Baal’s sacred precincts. Also justly famous is the Shimmering Temple in the province of Kalpostan, the heartland of the Mharoti Empire. The priests of Baal are the empire’s tax collectors, its front-line paladins and martyrs, and its financiers, for the Counting House of Baal is also the Sultan’s Treasury. The coin given to the priests of Baal is both a sacred obligation and a payment for the betterment of empire. Who could refuse to give the dragon his due? Hasibe al-Harkeshi serves as the current chief of the priesthood of Baal. Elementalists and tophet guards and attendants accompany her everywhere, and she is said to sacrifice bars of pure gold to the god each week. Baal finds the slow rhythm and washing tides of Seggotan tedious, and the Fire Lord is a more active god than the other three elemental lords. Baal despises most human gods, especially the ancient and weak Atlantean gods as well as the vile gods of the Crossroads City, schemers and tricksters such as Volund and Rava. The greater rivalry, though, is with Khespotan over the proper treatment of souls and earthly remains. Baal favors cremation for the dead and Khespotan favors burial, and the two priesthoods fight street battles over the right to officiate at the funerary rites of major officials. Baal’s priests are quick to point out that all drakes and dragons insist on cremation. Baal's worshippers sacrifice gold, blood, and treasure to their dragon masters. They are taught to pray before a fire every day, and burn fat, meat, paper, and incense in his name. Avoid water; never swim or sail if you can walk or fly. Rage is a righteous and proper form of worship, but protect the innocent, unless their hour of sacrifice is at hand. Never write down the lessons of Baal, but keep them pure in your heart.
Khespotan
Lord of Stone; Decider of Destiny; Scrivener of Fate; Keeper of the Vault of Souls; the Earthen Emperor; Divine Minister of Gold and Jewels; Dragon Lord of Certainty
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful neutral
Domains: Grave, Knowledge, Law, Nature
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: The draconic omega rune etched onto a stone or clay tablet
Favored Weapon: War pick.
Comparable To: Muir in Lados; Perun in the Endhavian pantheon; Thor in the Northlands; Bishamon in the Emerald Empire.
The priests of Khespotan tell a tale of their god’s strange fate. Once a primordial deity, the original Khespotan recorded the fate of the world on clay tablets. When a divine dragon swallowed Khespotan like a pebble, the chthonic god fought back from inside the dragon’s belly. Absorbing the dragon from within, the current Khespotan emerged as the dragon god of the earth. Gods are unfathomable. Khespotan lives deep within the earth in a vast subterranean vault. He keeps worthy souls there, millions of them, each resting peacefully within a flawless gem of great size and brilliance. Statues and paintings depict him holding a gemstone. His priests say the great stony wyrm carves out the destinies of every being on these gems. Though his faithful seem subdued compared to followers of Baal or Azuran, Khespotan is nevertheless influential in the Dragon Empire and shapes the empire’s spiritual foundation. His priests and mourners provide the funerary rites and burial of most Mharoti, especially the poor jambuka and kobolds. Builders revere the Lord of Stone and Destiny and ask him to help their works withstand the ages. Miners seek his blessing for safe passage beneath the earth. The clergy trains architects, scribes, and scholars who design public works and record royal edicts. In addition, most of the empire’s duty-bound army worships Khespotan. In particular, the Silent Sentinels and the Gray Janissaries view their fate as sealed, and thus they face each battle fearless and resolute. Khespotan’s symbols are specific letters of the Mharoti alphabet etched on stone or clay. Sometimes the first letter to represent the entire writing system or “khes” falling in the middle, but often just the last letter to signify the final destiny of all things. Wealthier worshippers wear precious stone or metal ornaments inscribed with a rune. Khespotan’s holy text the Tablets of Fate contains his entire ethos clearly and completely. Some claim major destinies can be deciphered from the tablets. Khespotan’s clergy maintains that the only prophecy foretold is that all will one day return to the earth. Splinter groups see deeper knowledge in the Tablets. Worshippers dedicate shrines to Khespotan in badlands, mountain peaks, limestone arches, and other distinctive stone features. His larger temples include cemeteries or catacombs. The Seminary of the Stone trains architects, sages, and scribes. Khespotan’s most opulent temple is the Golden Cavern, frequented by mining moguls and gem traders. Devotees make offerings to appease the Lord of Stone at the Rift of Zasamra in the Dragoncoil Mountains, where a city was swallowed by the earth. Priests say the city committed a great transgression against patient Khespotan. Due to their focus on duty and literacy, the priests of Khespotan make up the bulk of the empire’s bureaucracy and manage its daily affairs. They include royal archivists, royal scribes, messenger units, and the quartermasters of the army. Khespotanites enjoy the patronage of the merchant class. Khespotan leaves the other dragon gods to their squabbling and machinations. Since the beginning, he quietly bears their weight as he does the weight of all. Though Seggotan laps incessantly at stone trying to wear it away, Khespotan knows that stone becomes sand, and that same sand forms the bottom of the sea, containing it. The fickle voice of Azuran can likewise be ignored. Khespotan teaches that every fate is already been set in stone; accept this. Trace your path by following the commandments carved in the Tablets of Fate. Though your fate is unrevealed, proper adherence to the faith will ensure you never stray from the path. Do your duty, endure hardships, continue ever onward. Never complain. When your destiny arrives, you will know. Your destiny will end in the earthen arms of Khespotan.
Seggotan
Lord of the Ocean and Eternity; Keeper of Time; Oathbinder; Counter of the Stars; the Great Water Dragon; Patron of the Sea Drakes; Maritime Overlord; Commander of the Tides
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Life, Seasons, Tempest
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A two-headed serpent
Favored Weapon: Trident.
Comparable To: Kamien in Lados; Tiamat in the Atlantean pantheon; Jormungandr in the Northlands.
Seggotan is an ancient power who claims to have seen the beginning and the end of time. All oaths sworn to Seggotan must be kept, for he never forgets. Mortals might dare to bargain with Seggotan and his servants, though he fulfills such bargains in mysterious ways or with unintended consequences. Enigmatic and unpredictable, Seggotan holds the sea and all in it as his for eternity. If you have eaten one fish from the sea or taken one step in the surf, Seggotan has claimed you for his own. Seggotan speaks through his servants, a species of capricious, aquatic shapeshifting sea drakes called the Kyree who can speak with his voice. When he appears he resembles an enormous shadow beneath the surface of the waves. On other occasions, Seggotan appears as a gigantic dragon with two heads, one green and one blue, which speak in perfect unison. For centuries, most coastal regions favored Seggotan’s rival, Nethus. Seggotan was primarily venerated in the Dragon Empire, and he favored the dragonkin greatly. After Nethus was chained in Kammae Straboli, Seggotan became master of the sea, and his attention shifted to grander ambitions, or perhaps more esoteric issues. His Kyree drakes fell silent. After the Mharoti navy suffered a string of unusual defeats in skirmishes with Capleon and Triolan navies of the Seven Cities, Mharoti sailors coined the curse, “Spit on Seggotan.” Nevertheless, Seggotan is still their official patron and given full respect by the naval officers, who fear spurning the ancient deity and seek to restore his favor. Seggotan is commonly represented as a two‑headed serpent, a trident, a loop, or a combination of icons. Seggotan’s wisdom is recorded in verse on sheets of silver foil, called the Song Eternal. Various sects fight for control over these records, and paper drakes and rivals steal some of them. As a result, no clear number or sequence of the Song exists to declare Seggotan’s will. Unknown to all but the highest priests, the sheets are transcribed from ancient Song Pearls Seggotan created. The complete knowledge is dangerous to all creation, so the priests have scattered and hidden the pearls. The Ageless Spire soars above the Mharoti city of Prezhan and casts its shadow over the seat of Mharoti naval power. A great sacrificial pier extends half a mile from the temple into the sea, and locals make their offerings there. The Mharoti navy executes any recruits who fail to serve the empire adequately. Outside the Mharoti Empire, shrines to Seggotan rise in coastal towns and seafarers make perfunctory appeals to the god. Only two other regions have sizable, organized priesthoods. The Great Library in Friula contains several foil pieces of the Song Eternal, which have given rise to the Order of Renewal that emphasizes rebirth and eternity over the god’s more martial aspects. In Bemmea, a small cult of mages bargains with Seggotan for elemental boons and argue for their interpretation of the god’s will. Some believe they have recovered a Song Pearl and wish to unleash its ancient knowledge. The tiny priesthood of Seggotan that had established itself in Capleon, southernmost of the Seven Cities, was driven out of town and its temple destroyed by an angry mob. The faith seems unable to find purchase in human lands. Seggotan pays little attention to other faiths, though Mavros and Perun claim the title of storm lord and this irks Seggotan. Storms come from the sea, and the title is rightfully his. Mavros and his followers must drown. Likewise, Baal’s arrogance must sometimes be humbled. Few other gods concern him overmuch. Seggotan demands sacrifice of gold, jewels, and blood to the sea. Uphold any oaths sworn to him. Drop a coin into the sea each time you enter the sea, or prick your finger for a drop of blood. Light no fires, and watch the stars. Never fail to bathe when water is near. Seggotan rewards the victorious, those who send their enemies’ ships and treasure to a watery grave. Seggotan is most pleased with deaths by drowning.
Structure
There is no clear ruler of the pantheon of dragons. Each would claim rulership over the others if asked.
Founding Date
65,000,000 A.E.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Parent Organization
Location
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