Draggoneth

Draggoneth orginates in Arad, and was the official religion of the Sultanate of Aradia when that country existed. Elements of the religion are practices (in a somewhat diluted form) in modern Winlan, in the Tasnica Republic. In the Scandian League this religion is officially persecuted; however, the underground practice of this religion is a significant anti-Travin Rumanski movement.

Background and History

The exact date of Draggoneth’s origins is unknown, but is was certainly during the Time of Titans. The Time of Titans refers to the period in Dragon Dimension history lasting until about a millennium ago that Dragons, Giants, Dragon Clans, Gryphons, and other powerful creatures warred for control of the land. Some time during the Time of Titans the Six Prophets appeared and began to preach that the rule of the Titans was illegitimate, and that the people could be free of them if only they submitted to the laws prescribed by a true God, the Dragon God. They supposedly amassed quite a large following, so large that the Giant King who ruled Arad at the time, called Aluqah, became very alarmed and ordered the Five Prophets tortured and executed. The story of the Prophets’ lives, teachings, and (in great detail) their grisly deaths are recounted in the religion’s central text, The Legend of the Six Prophets (actually five books, one for each prophet). Despite the death of the prophets (or perhaps because of it), Draggoneth continued to spread and helped found one of the Great Mortal Empires that helped draw a close to the Time of Titans. Its power would wax and wane throughout the Dragon Dimenion’s history, however, and today it seems to be at a nadir as the religion is actively suppressed by the Communist government of the Scandian League. Draggoneth shares some aspects with other religions of the Dragon Dimension, such as a belief in reincarnation its concern for law, and its relative acceptance of violence. It is unique for its monotheism and its belief in the total fusion of church and state.

Main Figures

The One Dragon God is central to Draggoneth in a way only the god of a monotheist religion can be. He is described as omnipotent and awe-inspiring. Followers of Draggoneth are at once filled with love and fear of the One Dragon God. Many of the rituals of Draggoneth are intended to show sacrifice and submission to God. Each of the five books of the Legend of the Six Prophets begins with the same line, “There is no god but the Dragon.” Followers of Draggoneth believe all other gods are, at best, infidels’ attempt to comprehend the One Dragon God, and, at worst, fictions or imposters. The Six Prophets are the next most important figures after God Himself. They are called Yryadyr, Enkhepsis, Drythma’ar, Shilzaer, Pyreen, and Tl’uguthra. Their teachings and the examples of their lives, particularly their sacrifice and suffering at the hands of Aluqah, form the core of the tenets of Draggoneth. Other gods, such as Bleu and Tyr are regarded as mere charlatans; powerful magicians masquerading as God. Some other gods (such as UL) are regarded as non-Draggonethi's imperfect attempts to comprehend the awesomeness of the One True God.

Beliefs and Tenets

The One Dragon God is everywhere, is all-powerful, and all-knowing. Only through abject submission to His law can any improvement be gained. People are born tainted, and are only purified through sacrifice and suffering. Draggoneth clerics have written large volumes interpreting His law as revealed through the Prophets teachings and lives; Draggoneth is in some respects one of the Web’s more puritanical religions, forbidding sodomy (homosexuality), imbibing alcohol, or any sex outside marriage. Draggoneth followers are required to pray three times a day, and ‘give blood to the Dragon’ about once a day by spilling a few drops of blood on a piece of paper and burning it. At each meal part of the food must be set aside in honor of the Dragon. Part of the harvest is always burned as part of the Dragon. Draggoneth clerics are eunuchs. People are required to tithe a percentage of their income to the Dragon; these are essentially taxes. People are also expected to spend between the age of 12 and 14 living in total poverty and doing charitable works, to learn humility. In the eyes of the One Dragon God, all humanity is equal. Covetousness and greed are considered sinful. In fact, some have speculated that Draggoneth is an early version of the more modern Scandian collectivist ideal, only know all accomplishment is done in the name of the State rather than God. In ancient times, Draggoneth were accused of human sacrifice. There is no evidence to substantiate this. Although sometimes maligned as misogynistic, Draggoneth actually represented a step forward for woman when it first appeared. It was the first major religion in Dragon to support monogamy; as there was One God over the earth, a man should have only one wife. It also allows a woman to divorce an abusive husband. Reincarnation factors heavily in Draggoneth’s belief system. Humans, Arad dwarfs, and other sentient mortal life is considered near the top. If you disobey the tenets of the Dragon, you will be reincarnated as something lower, like a roach. If you are a good Draggonethi, though, you can work your way up. Dragons are considered to be a step between mortals and the One Dragon God in Draggoneth. The highest level is oneness with God Himself. Draggoneth calls for the total fusion of church and state. The law of the land must be the same as religious law, and the head of state is also the head of church. Draggoneth clerics have, over the years, produced a large body of work to allow the Legend of the Six Prophets to function as a code of laws (religious opinions and interpretations issued by clerics are known as Rulings). However, this can cause problems when there are different interpretations of religious law, which can lead to schisms. Probably the largest of these was a dispute over private property law and its attendant mercantilism, which lead Auria to declare itself independent under its own Shah in a break with the Aradian Sultanate. The Shah of Auria believed in a capitalistic interpretation, but the Sultan clung to a belief in austerity and the evil of greed. The head of state is also the head of the church. Draggoneth has a special term for nations that are not in accordance with the laws of the Dragon: jahili . Nations that are jahili are illegitimate, fictitious constructs, creations of man as opposed to creations of God. Although the Legend of the Six Prophets doesn’t say to do so, historically Draggoneth have not been shy about using the sword to extend their religion. In fact, considering some of its stringent provisions, Draggoneth seems relatively accepting of violence. This is not surprising; the religion, after all, comes from the war-torn Dragon dimension. The Legend contains specific rules for the conduct of combat, notably a prohibition on the targeting of noncombatants. A view often attributed to Draggoneth is, “War is a part of God’s creation,” but that is nowhere stated in the Legend itself. It is unlikely that a pacificistic religion would have flourished in Dragon.

Clergy and Places of Worship

Shrines to the One Dragon God used to be everywhere in the Dragon Dimension. They were often little more than obsidian Dragon Statues, but some of them were large halls. All of them were generally very simply built. Draggoneth Clerics (used to) have special schools, where they were trained from a young age. Up to the Great War, they were arguably the most educated group of people in Scande, and they performed many of the functions in Arad and Auria of a state bureaucracy. They also spent a great deal of time in philosophy and contemplation. A great work to reconcile the teachings of the Dragon with the advent of modernity was underway, however the Great War and subsequent communist revolution all but snuffed it out.

Days of Worship

The Prophets’ Time is a month of fasting and prayer. Some sects culminate this in self-mutilation in honor of the Prophets’ torture. It is the final month of Draggoneth’s solar calender. Each Sunday is also a day of fasting and prayer.

Following

Formerly widely practiced in Southeastern Dragon, Draggoneth is now actively suppressed by the Communist government of the Scandian League. Although pockets of Draggonethi exist outside the dimension, there are currently no states rules in accordance with the laws of the Dragon.