Draconic Rebirth

Draconic Rebirth is a reincarnation belief held almost exclusively by the Raptor tribes of Latani. Draconic Rebirth is one of the oldest known religions in Latani's history, dating further back than even the emergence of the gods and demigods. The Raptors themselves resemble humanoid dragons without wings, so the belief was that the mighty dragons that towered and soared above them were their greater superiors came naturally to them, and even today the Raptors think they should be worshipped and respected. All Raptors dream of having wings one day, which is why they strive to appease and mimic them. They wear steel wings on their battle armor, they have mountain temples specifically to worship and make offerings to the dragons, and they make art depicting dragons to decorated throughout their villages.   When someone who is part of the religion dies, they are put through a great ceremony, for the Raptors believe that death is a grand and joyous occasion, where the souls of the dead can finally reincarnate into true dragons. These ceremonies of death are nothing like the somber and sad funerals of other religions, revelries go on for hours on end with feasts, games and grand retellings of the dead's life. The final event of the celebration is the burning of the dead, where the skin on the back of the body is cut down the spine and unfolded upward to resemble crude wings, the body is then set inside a stone chariot and pulled by an entourage of close friends and family on mountback to burn the body and billow the smoke upward to the sky where their soul can feel the free air before being rained down to the unborn dragon eggs later on to be reincarnated. It is believed that those who were courageous, strong and respectful can ascend to dragon-hood after death, those who remain cowardly, weak and disrespectful in their lives are said to reincarnate into lesser reptiles and amphibians after death, such as toads and lizards, which is why calling a Raptor as such is one of their greatest and most profane insults, taken with upmost offence.   The Raptors of this rebirth religion strive to be the best they can in their lives, lest they live a pathetic one in their second lives. They strive to become artists, warriors and builders for the respect of their communities, but also for the respect of the great dragons they hope to become one day. There are very few from the other races of Latani that actively partake in Dragon Worship and rebirth, however those do are welcomed warmly and encouraged by the larger groups of the religion. Those of Draconic Rebirth are not known to force or even pressure their religion onto others, and are simply content to live their lives as they see fit hoping to become great beings of the skies.