The Sixth God Society
"Welcome Initiates. Tonight, you drink the dragon's ichor." The hooded man held up a flask of green liquid. Deep shadows hid his face. "This is your last chance to leave. Once you partake of the mysteries, you are a part of us. Tonight, you shed your ignorance and join us as servants of the Dragon God." Around the room, the other initiates shuffled and coughed nervously. Parth glanced about, wondering if any of the others would go.
One of the cloaked figures to his left asked, "Will we have to do vile things as his servants?" Everyone had heard the terrible deeds the Dragon God's worshipers performed. While the Church of All Gods told story after story, Parth thought them too gruesome to be completely true.
"He has never asked me to do something I wasn't willing to do," the figure told the initiates.
"But he is evil."
"More misunderstood. Those who remain ignorant label him evil. If they could see and understand him as you will after tonight, they would worship him as they worship the other five." The leader stared at each of the initiates one at a time. Parth gulped and looked down. Did the hooded figure know his secret?
When none left, the man brought out a tray of gleaming silver cups. Slowly like honey, the liquid poured into the goblets one by one. "Drink and join an order who will change the world in the Dragon God's image."
Parth took a sip from the cup he was given. At first, it tasted extremely sweet, but that only partially disguised the profound bitterness underneath. He quickly gulped the rest, hoping the foul taste wouldn't linger in his mouth. That hope was quickly dashed. As he stood there waiting for the leader to continue, a pleasant warmness wrapped his brain in cotton. The bitterness in his mouth, the chill of the air, the smell of the dirt floor, all drifted into an obscure part of his mind. Dizzily he half fell half sat on the floor as everything faded to black.
To many, it seems unfathomable that anyone would want to join a group worshiping the Unnamed Dragon God. All the histories agree this being is at the heart of unimaginable destruction and loss of life at the hands of the dragons. Yet, thanks to the work of some very brave agents, it has come to the attention of the Patriarch that a cult has sprung up in the Highlands. It has spread through the Principalities and perhaps as far south as the White Fenn. As can be surmised by their choice in deity, this group is ruthless. They will torture and kill anyone who is inconvenient.
Divine Origins
According to the cult, its first leader, known only as the first oracle, was contacted by the Dragon God in a dream. Digging in the location that he had been told, he found a series of clay tablets. His translation of these tablets form the cult's scriptures. Over a period of years, he formed a secret religion dedicated to the "misunderstood" god.
Those outside of the cult believe that the founder found some type of document from an earlier cult of the Unnamed Dragon God. Despite this, they don't believe that the leader was contacted by the deity. He simply used the texts he found to create a religion to suit his desires.
Tenets of Faith
The first and controversial tenant of their faith is that the Unnamed Dragon God isn't evil. According to them, the history that is currently taught is a malicious lie. Saint Tedelis's Crusade and the Crusade of Epipole happened, of course. Unlike common belief, the Dragon God didn't start the war. He was just trying to improve the lives of the common people. So the elites banished him to protect their station.
The second major tenant is secrecy. Since worship of the Dragon God is illegal everywhere, it is necessary that its membership and activities don't get out. It is said that those that break this tenant are killed. Though leaders insist if such a thing was done, it would only be to protect the members.
In the same vein as secrecy, there is the idea of secrets. The Dragon God has some secret knowledge available only to members. Without reveling that knowledge, members hint that it is this information that the other gods fear and why the Dragon God has been repeatedly banished.
The cult expects its members to follow the dictates of the oracle without question. Much of the time, the requests are harmless, like dues or assistance with preparing meals. Some are less wholesome, such as driving a merchant out of business. With these kinds of orders, reasons are rarely given. Only that it is necessary to fulfill the Dragon God's plan.
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