Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 spellweaver May 22, 2005 3:00:34	Has anyone ever done anything on these priesthoods? Rituals, the style and decorations of their temples, the extend of their worship in the Known World etc. ? I had a few interesting thoughts the other day about high priests with the half-dragon template or Dragon Bloodlines from Unearthed Arcana maybe... I'll be working some more on this but for now I am lacking official or fan generated info on the churches or cults of the dragon rulers. :-) Jesper
#2 Hugin May 22, 2005 21:44:13	I was wondering about these myself just a few days ago. Would they be followed mainly by dragons? Would they be petitioned by folk that were being threatened by a dragon in the hopes that it would be sent away? I too would love to see anything done with these Immortals.
#3 agathokles May 23, 2005 3:09:24	Has anyone ever done anything on these priesthoods? Rituals, the style and decorations of their temples, the extend of their worship in the Known World etc. ? I had a few interesting thoughts the other day about high priests with the half-dragon template or Dragon Bloodlines from Unearthed Arcana maybe... I'll be working some more on this but for now I am lacking official or fan generated info on the churches or cults of the dragon rulers. There's something, but not much. Other than being worshipped by in the draconic society, the Great One is worshipped as Agundji by the Wallara (Chameleon Men) of the Savage Coast together with the Sun, Moon, and Star Spirits (i.e., the three lesser dragon rulers). I think this are the only canonic cults of the dragon rulers. In James Mishler's version of the Hulean pantheon, Pearl appears together with Thanatos: Buyulome (Thanatos) is said to ride the back of Guzelik the Great (Pearl) and bring death and destruction upon those who do not follow the Way of Chaos and revere the Great Ones properly. Buyulome and Guzelik are generally not worshipped per se; rather, they are placated by those wishing to be passed over by their wrath. The priests of Buyulome are generally shunned by even the devout peoples of Great Hule; Guzelik herself has few priests and no temples dedicated specifically to her service (at least, none within the structure of the Hagiarchy). Buyulome's symbol is a skeletal hand holding a golden orb, while the symbol of Guzelik is a pale dragons claw holding a silver orb. Together, their symbol is a bleached-white skull with bat wings and red eyes. According to Kit Navarro's article on Ochalean Immortals, the four dragon rulers have a large following in Ochalea: Long Wang, The Dragon King. (The Great One) Dragons have always been a symbol of power and mysticism in Ochalea, and it is no wonder that Long Wang is one of their most revered Immortals. Ochaleans believe that the Dragon King rules alongside with the Three Dragon Rulers: Yue Long, The Moon Dragon (Pearl), Ruler of Chaotic Dragons; Ri Long, The Sun Dragon (Opal), Ruler of Neutral Dragons; and Xing Long, The Star Dragon (Diamond), Ruler of Lawful Dragons. I've used Pearl as the (mythical) mother of the three Bhut progenitors in my Bhut article (http://pandius.com/bhutimm.html), and the four Dragon Rulers appear in the Sindhi Immortals list (http://pandius.com/sindhimm.html) by Solmyr. Pearl also appears in Captain Scaevola's work on the Klagorst Region (Endworld Spine, north-western Brun): PEARL, the Dragon Aliases: - Description: Pearl is the Dragon of the Serpent Triad and the Spiller of Tears. It is recognised as Patron by the varkha (who consider dragons as messengers of Pearl, and thus holy creatures), and it is a deity widely worshipped among soldiers and adventurers. In its role as the Spiller of Tears, Pearl is considered the divinity responsible of suffering and pain, and is invoked to bring havoc to the enemies. Pearl is heavily opposed to Yegshuta, and is in always changing relations with Charun, but is neutral to most other divinities. A note: in the Klagorst and Brasov areas, there are no neutral or good dragons. Only chromatic dragons are present, so Pearl is the only Dragon Ruler involved in the area. Worshipper's alignment: Any non good. Cleric's alignment: Any non good Other than these, I'd say that the Draconic Immortals have little interest in humans or demihumans, so there should not be major cults of these Immortals, except where Dragons are prevalent -- e.g., in the Wyrmsteeth region, if you go by the Mystaran Almanac version.
#4 spellweaver May 23, 2005 4:03:25	Wow, lots of good information there. Thanks! I am wondering there aren't any secret dragon worship cults out there trying to bring about the dominance and return of the dragons in great numbers or some such. The dragons could also be worshipped in more primitive societies such as the broken lands or Atruaghin or on the Isle of Dawn as a sort of manifestation of the raw and brutal forces of nature; fire, earth and death. These people might recognize that the dragons are their superiors in both wisdom and magic and placate them with treasure and seek them out for advice? :-) Jesper
#5 zombiegleemax May 23, 2005 6:00:44	Well, as Uncle Aggie said, dragon rulers are not so much KNOWN outside the draconic communities to be worshipped, and where they are by canon (Wallara) the explanation comes from the racial connection between dragons and said race (i.e. wallara). Therefore I would be very surprised to find dragon worshipping Atruaghins for one, since they're one of the few cultures who have restricted their worship to "native" immortals. On the IoD likewise I wouldn't see a lot of draconic cults because of the lack of raw material (not lotsa dragon there, m'lord!). If I had to pick some cultures who could worship the Great One I'd pick Ochalea and maybe some non-human civilizations in Davania and Skothar. Sind and Azca are prolly two other nations where the dragon rulers are worshipped as embodiment of some aspect of nature, and I'm expecting some draconic cults in Wendar, Denagoth and Hule too, but that's it for me (add Limn in Alphatia if you're willing to broaden the spectrum, although it's a bit far-fetched).
#6 agathokles May 23, 2005 6:13:29	Wow, lots of good information there. Thanks! You're welcome, but I just reported stuff from the Vaults. I am wondering there aren't any secret dragon worship cults out there trying to bring about the dominance and return of the dragons in great numbers or some such. Well, depends on the region. In the Known World, the Dragons do have their own kingdoms and societies, so there's really no "return" needed. In the Savage Coast, it would be possible, considering the relation between the Great One and the Curse. A (highly secretive) secret society devoted to the Great One could appear as an opposition to the Aranea, especially in a campaign where the PCs are Aranea themselves. The dragons could also be worshipped in more primitive societies such as the broken lands or Atruaghin or on the Isle of Dawn as a sort of manifestation of the raw and brutal forces of nature; fire, earth and death. These people might recognize that the dragons are their superiors in both wisdom and magic and placate them with treasure and seek them out for advice? Yes, but they would worship (or simply be ruled by) mortal dragons. Some dragons of the KW do have goblinoid followers/servants, and the Orcs of the Orc's Head are controlled by Pyre, the Crimson Dragon. It is possible that some Shamans of the Moon Dragon may be present among these goblinoids.
#7 Traianus_Decius_Aureus May 23, 2005 9:21:13	Our campaign has Diamond as a co-sponser of a clerical sect that crusades against undead (and a few other inherently evil types). The reasoning is Diamond would loathe the perversion of dragons becoming undead, and her sponsership helps the clerics and paladins cleanse the taint of undeath from dragondom, if that makes any sense.