Dragon Order

The Sacred Order of the Dragon was an ancient cult from the Before dedicated to the worship of the dragons ruling the continent, chiefly Inver and Areksa. It is likely the oldest religion in Yaleakasardia.

History

Dragons first came to be following a protracted war between the Barbarian kingdom and the Naderān Empire. Rising from the ground, dragons swept the continent and swiftly conquered it.

Doctrine

The Dragon Order's doctrine had very little time to develop, as it is theorized that the Dragon Order's (and by extension dragons') hold of the continent lasted for only a century or two. Despite this, the religion was very widely spread.

Doctrine and practices of the Dragon Order were never written or officially dictated, but carried out and by example propagated through dragon priests.

Nature of the Dragons

Within the doctrine of the Dragon Order, it was held that dragons were variously godly and godlike figures. Where this holding never varied was on the great dragons Inver and Areksa, who were said to have been the co-creators of the universe and thus the only true legitimate rulers of it. Overall, dragons were treated and discussed as divine figures who came to roam the Mortal Plane (led by Inver and Areksa) in order to pacify the chaos which had been present without them. While all dragons were treated this way, this view came to be less enforced and faded in the final years of the order, with Inver and Areksa being the primary subjects of worship.

It was believed that Inver and Areksa were chief among the dragons as divine beings, and both ruled the continent practically as equals. Words and commands from either were treated by the Elves and First Men as directive tantamount to their basic needs. The actions of both Inver and Areksa were widely understood to have been just and righteous due to their divine standing, contradictory to any individuals' personal moral beliefs.

In the opinions of both the Order of Inver and the Order of Areksa, Inver and Areksa respectively never took any actions that could be considered wrong (despite mountainous historical evidence) and were unjustly killed by the Anti-Keepers.

Nature of the Dragon Order

Dragon Order doctrine was treated as infallible, and whether what was preached by dragon priests was actually given by either Inver or Areksa didn't matter, as the dragon priests knew the commands and will of the dragons. The Dragon Order's purpose in the view of dragons and the order itself, was to spread the word of the dragons, and enforce their rule in Yaleakasardia.

Within the order after its formation, there existed a Keeper of the Dragonlord that personally served Inver (Areksa never took servants) and dictated his thoughts and commands to other dragon priests. The final keeper, Shatar, became a widely-reviled figure for his dictums that increasingly proclaimed Elves and First Men as inferior beings, and for his role in various atrocities during the Dragon War, both directly and indirectly.

Liturgy