Age Of Dragons: Orthodox Creation Myth
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The Orthodox Mythology[edit]
There are dozens of stories as to the origin of dragons, but by far the most espoused amongst dragons are the beliefs of the so-called "Orthodoxy".
The Orthodoxy are adherents to the Blessed Church of the Mother, and believe what is written in Her holy scriptures.
The scriptures begin as follows:
From stillness, Breath...[edit]
At first, there was stillness. The air did not move, and the world did not live.
The Mother Goddess inhaled, and by breathing she Became.
She was the first Dragon, Lady Sky, the Mother of All and the One Goddess.
She exhaled, and the World was Made.
She looked upon Her world, and saw that it was beautiful, yet unfinished. To assist her in shaping and ruling this world, the Mother breathed again, and created Twelve Children.
The Dragons of Springtime[edit]
First, in Springtime, she breathed and created the three Dragons of Order.
To the first of Spring, white of scale, She said "You are the Pure Dragon, my Eldest Son. You must lead the others as king and priest, and teach the world to worship."
To the second of Spring, silver of scale, She said "You are the Argent Dragon, the Judge. You must teach the rule of law, and guard society."
To the third of Spring, gold of scale, She said "You are the Solar Dragon, the Mediator. You must bring harmony to all dragons and all creatures, and ensure that all are as one."
The Three Dragons of Springtime understood, and said that they would obey.
The Dragons of Summertime[edit]
Second, in Summertime, she breathed and created the three Dragons of Life.
To the first of summer, bronze of scale, She said "You are the Hunter Dragon, and to you I give the open plains, and the rolling steppe. Remember the old ways and rule with tooth and claw."
To the second of summer, green of scale, She said "You are the Forest Dragon, and I give to you forest and jungle, and all that lies beneath their canopy. Guard this place, and tend the sacred woods."
To the third of summer, blue of scale, She said "You are the Storm Dragon, and I give you the seas and oceans, from the crest of the waves to the deepest abyss. Protect this place, and keep it as your domain, I give it to you alone."
The Three Dragons of Summertime understood, and went to their domains as instructed.
The Dragons of Autumn[edit]
Third, in Autumn, she breathed and created the three Dragons of Chaos.
To the first of autumn, gray of scale, She said "You are the Ashen Dragon, and I will teach you the secrets of sorcery. Use them wisely, but heed the danger within them."
To the second of autumn, purple of scale, She said "You are the Velvet Dragon, and I will teach you the secrets of the heart, and of cunning words. Be wary of this art, for it as deadly as any other."
To the third of autumn, multicoloured of scale, She said "You are the Chimerical Dragon, and I will teach you of dreams and of that which is not. Be careful not to lose reality as you delve into chaos."
The Three Dragons of Autumn listened, and learnt the secrets given to them. Some heeded the Mother's advice, and others did not, for that is the way of those born to Chaos.
The Dragons of Winter[edit]
Finally, in Winter, she breathed and created the three Dragons of Death.
To the first of winter, pale-scaled and sickly, She said "You are the Ghost Dragon, and I charge you to tend to the unquiet dead. Lead them to rest, but do not torment them."
To the second of winter, red of scale, She said "You are the Blood Dragon, and I charge you to learn the arts of slaughter. You must be the killing claw of dragonkind, and end lives when they must be ended."
To the third of winter, black of scale, She said "You are the Sable Dragon."
To her twelfth and final child the Mother could give no further advice, for the act of creation had worn her out, and with that final birth the last of her breath was spent.
The Mother died, and her children inherited the world.
The Dragons Sculpt the World[edit]
With their breath the Dragons shaped the world that the Mother had created.
They called life from the lands - animals and plants, as well as humans, elves and dwarves. They shaped a garden from the world, and for a time, all was well.
The Orthodox Creation Myth in Society[edit]
The Pure Dragons tend to be the most rigid adherents of the orthodox creation myth. This is to be expected, given the pre-eminent role it gives them. More cynical dragons often accuse the Pure Dragons of fabricating this myth to justify their self-appointed role of leadership.
Surprisingly though, the Orthodoxy has a great deal of support amongst many of the other Dragon Breeds. The majority of Argents and Solars believe in the Orthodoxy, as do most of the "Life Dragons" (Hunter, Forest and Storm breed), though these three breeds tend to recognise this as a story of origin rather than a reason to respect the Orthodox Church, and show more reverence to animistic spirits than to the Mother Goddess herself.
Ashen Dragons openly state that they follow the Orthodoxy when dealing with Orthodox dragons, but many are aware that they follow their own heresy in revering "Father Earth", who they believe was the other progenitor of Dragonkind.
Velvet Dragons similarly profess to the faith when it suits them, but it is unusual for one to show zeal or great conviction. Individual Chimerical dragons sometimes say that the Orthodoxy is truth, but more often Chimericals will say that this creation myth is "a good story, with a grain of the truth in it, though who knows what the truth is?"
The "Death Dragons" are somewhat split in their belief. Most Sable Dragons, with their strong ties to the Ascendancy of Endless Night believe that this creation myth is true, but incomplete, and that the last dying act of the Mother Goddess was to pass her divinity to her Sable children. Blood Dragons, who are often allied to the Ascendancy, will usually also pay lip service to this belief, though most have no time for religious debate and believe more in the immediate and visceral. Ghost Dragons are unusual in that they profess belief in the Orthodoxy, but that they also believe in the divine power of the Void Beyond. To them, the Void Beyond is an uncaring and nameless force that lies beyond creation, and that has already swallowed the Mother Goddess. They see worshipping the Mother as futile as she is beyond the reach of prayer. Indeed, they believe that the Void Beyond is destined to swallow the world eventually, and that only through study of death's secrets can this destiny be averted.
Mortals and the Orthodoxy[edit]
Dragon belief has shaped mortal religion over the ages, and mortal belief often reflects those of nearby dragons.
In the Kalarn Deserts where the Pure Dragons are strong, worship of the Mother of Dragons is endemic, and the Kalarni folk revere dragons (especially the Pure) as nothing less than demigods.
In Arrantis and the City States, the Sky Mother is but one deity in a pantheon of deities, albeit one of great importance. Arrantians often depict the Sky Mother as a humanoid deity, though they recognise that the entity revered by Dragons is one and the same.
In the Heartswood and the Central Plains, animism and druidism are the prevalent religions, and the Mother is recognised as the goddess of dragons, but nothing more.
On the Dream Islands in the Southern Ocean, the natives do not seem to have religion at all, but instead follow a philosophy based on meditation and enlightnment. If presented with this creation myth the Islanders will likely shrug, and agree that it may be true, but that the here and now matters more than distant history and dead deities.
Finally, in the Domain of Endless Night in the lands of the Ascendancy, worshipping the Mother is forbidden, and in many places persecuted by an organisation called the Watchers. Only worship of the Endless Night is allowed - all else is heresy.
