Draconic Scions and Celestial Dragons
The draconic pantheon is focused less around true worship and more about ancestry to true dragons, however some dragons and many kobolds, raeikyn, and other scalykind do worship them. Some are even represented among other pantheons under different names such as Bahamut and Tiamat among the imperial gods.
Compared to other pantheons, the draconic pantheon has few entities who are considered gods. The rest represented are powerful celestial dragons or dragonkin created by the gods who serve or have served as their heralds and servitors.
Compared to other pantheons, the draconic pantheon has few entities who are considered gods. The rest represented are powerful celestial dragons or dragonkin created by the gods who serve or have served as their heralds and servitors.
Draconic Scions
The beginning of the draconic pantheon stretches back to the First Ones, the first gods who were formed alongside the universe. In that time, the First One Ouroboros created universal law. Upheaval among Ouroboros' two parts cause their separation into the wingless serpent whose fall formed the Hells and the winged couatl, Cozamal, who remained in the heavens. When the primals, led by their creator Maulik, rebelled against the other First Ones, Cozamal met them in battle. Maulik was able to defeat Cozamal, but from their corpse rose two (or three) new gods: Marduk, Tiamat, and (depending on the myth) Jalkain. Together, these new deities defeated the weakened Maulik and turned the tide of the war. These three deities would come to be known as the draconic scions and creators of the dragons. A fourth would join the ranks of the draconic gods millennia later, after the fall of the Reaper Tyrant Nerul.Marduk
Marduk is the embodiment of Cozamal's sense of justice, wisdom, compassion, pride, and fairness. They are depicted as a dragon with shining, pearlescent scales. Deemed the "Dragon King" and "Grandfather of Dragons", Marduk is associated with metallic or good dragons as well as justice, compassion, wisdom, healing, magic, pride, fairness, and sacrifice. They are usually benevolent, but when faced with evil they can become zealous in their desire to eradicate it. Marduk is believed to have a deal with the Lord of Hell to watch his former mate, Tiamat after he defeated her and banished her from their realm into the Hells. An aspect of Marduk known as Jazirian is the deity served by couatl.Tiamat
The Dragon Queen Tiamat is the reverse of Marduk, embodying Cozamal's - a being of neutral ideals in their time - deception, fury, greed, and destructive nature. They are depicted as a fiercer looking dragon to her companion Marduk with black iridescent scales, however her avatar often takes the form of a many-headed dragon. Though she successfully deceived Marduk for millennia into believing she was of same mind as he, her true nature was eventually revealed. She is associated with chromatic or evil dragons as well as deception, strength, fury, destruction, greed, war, tyranny, and vengeance. Tiamat desires to rule, and believes herself deserving of that goal. She is vengeful toward her former mate Marduk, and manipulative of any she sees as useful until such a point as that usefulness runs out.Jalkain
Jalkain, also known as the Ruby Scion, is believed to either have been created by the death of Cozamal, or ascended from one of the original celestial dragons. They are believed by some to be the creator of gemstone dragons and are associated with neutral dragons as well as discovery, curiosity, hunger, communication, and secrets. Jalkain is attributed with creating the draconic alphabet and written language. A scholar and pursuer of the unknown, Jalkain - much like the gemstone dragons believed to originate from them - is not a social being, preferring isolation. They have never participated in the war between their fellow scions Marduk and Tiamat, nor have they picked a side.Kulminen
The twin-headed dragon god Kulminen is the newest of the dragon gods. They were born of the power vacuum of Nerul's death, the tyrant god of death and the dead. The belief is that Kulminen is a god created from the joining of two opposing celestial dragons who desired the power of death for different purposes. Kulminen is depicted as a twin-headed dragon with one head of silver scales dotted with black, and one of black scales dotted with silver. Sometimes the two heads are given different names due to their wildly differing representations. The black head is half-rotted, skeletal head with curling, wicked horns and jagged teeth that drip acrid poison. This half is associated with death, murder, disease, rot, plagues, and poison. The silver head is one of dull-sheen, almost pale white, but gleaming eyes of gold. The silver half is associated with rebirth, healing, second chances, cures, and revival. Due to their wildly differing ideals, the church of Kulminen is unpredictable. They are in charge of collecting dragon and dragonkin souls and sending the souls of dragons back into the world to be reborn.Celestial Dragons
The first dragons made were not physical beings. In fact, the first dragons rarely made their way into the mortal world, remaining on the celestial planes (and eventually some on the infernal planes) until they were sent to the mortal world following the Void Epoch at the direction of the Dragon King and Queen to guide the surviving inhabitants of those worlds. Those who left their place among the celestial planes became mortal, albeit inherently magical, beings while the rest remained celestial servitors of the dragon gods. Those celestial dragons are sometimes given homage for what they represent in the way a servitor of any other god would be praised.Annessh, the Debased Heir
The first son of Marduk, Annessh the Shining was the most righteous and zealous of his siblings. His righteous fervor and loyalty to his father led him to the front lines of any conflict. In the Void Epoch, he fought back hordes of Outsiders even after being wounded gravely. He later was sacrificed in a last ditch attempt to turn the tides of battle and believed dead until the discovery of the shadow dragons, dragons corrupted by the magic of the Withering. These dragons view Annessh as good dragons view Marduk and evil dragons view Tiamat. The Void Dragon, he is called, and whether he exists within the universe or outside of it, he was undoubtedly changed by his exposure to the Void but has not lost his righteous idealism, now targeted towards both Marduk and Tiamat, as well as any dragon created by them.Draconic Predecessors
The first dragons to remain among the mortals during the Age of Heralds when Marduk and Tiamat sent emisaries, were meant to be teachers and guides out of the darkness of the Void Epoch and protectors from those dangers that would restrict mortal flourishing. However, the first to arrive were eventually twisted in to conquerors by Tiamat while Marduk created a second brood to challenge them, aided by the smith god, Nabashakh. These broods began the species of dragons and led to its many offshoots. The first were known as the Primeval dragons, the second were known as the Metallic dragons. Jalkainen also created their own brood after a time, but they have majorly remained neutral regarding the Primeval and Metallic dragons' conflicts. It is said that all living dragons can trace their lineage to one or, more likely, several of these ancestor dragons.Primeval Ancestors
Sytal, the Invisible Flame. Sytal was the most agressive and physically powerful of the draconic ancestors. Ancestor to flame dragons, Sytal was said to burn so hot that lakes and oceans would boil from it. Her breath and the fires that surrounded her form were invisible to the naked eye. She was known as the Invisible Flame, the White Flame, and the Devastation. Artwork often depicts her as a piece of or the embodiment of the sun brought down to the earth. There are legends that state that Sytal was later known as the Bleeding Sun for their appitite for blood later in their life. It is even suggested that she succumbed to vampirism during that time of her life.Mythology & Lore
Creation of the Dragons
The first dragons were the greatest of celestial beings created by the draconic scions. They acted as their advisors, servitors, and warriors of the scions, and were considered their children - mainly of Marduk and Tiamat. Following the Void Epoch and the Reformation, the gods withdrew much of their power from the Mortal Realms, restricting themselves to avatars and servitors alone to act for them. Understanding that in the aftermath of the Void Epoch, the creatures of the Material World would need assistance to rebuild, many gods sent servitors - servants and messengers - to assist and act on their behalf. Marduk did more than this, he sent forth those celestial dragons who served himself and Tiamat who wished to guide mortals in their pursuits. These dragons shed their immortal, celestial forms and were granted mortal bodies so that they may have children who will continue their duty.The Dragonsong War
The first dragons on the Mortal Plane were instrumental in the defeat of the giant overlords who moved to subjugate the smaller races, but following their victory, something awoke inside them. A desire for power granted to them long ago by their mother, Tiamat. The dragons no longer wished to "guide" mortals. They saw themselves as the true heirs of the plane, and soon the dragons replaced the giants as overlords.Grieved and angered by this betrayal, the heavenly realm of Marduk and Tiamat erupted into war, celestial dragons serving Marduk clashed with those loyal to Tiamat. Meanwhile Marduk went with a number of his own loyal to the realm of Nidavellir, the home of the god of creation Nabashakh, and requested he armor his chosen children for battle, with resilience against the machinations of their mother. Each of these shining, metallic dragons was granted a new mortal body and sent to challenge their siblings...
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