Mythos of the Scalykind
"The worshipers of Bahamut and Tiamat are not so different. The scalykind gods are beings of perfection, of married mental, physical, and magical power. The simple fact is: we cannot attain their level of perfection. That is no excuse not to try."
~Vizzerdrum, Proctor of the Iridium Shrine
Structure
The heads of the priesthood of the Mythos are exclusively dragons, and their immediate subordinates are half-dragons. The priest class of the scalykind, the Yuan-Ti, serve most of the temple bureaucracy on both sides of the religion. Below them are dragonborn, and finally non-scalykind.
Exceptions can be made, of course, but as a rule this is how the hierarchy plays out; metallic dragons may be good, but they're still dragons and prone to pride and arrogance.
Public Agenda
Seeking perfection in ones' self and marrying all of ones' disparate parts together.
Mythology & Lore
Aeons ago, in the beginning of time, Io the Time Dragon was the First of Scalykind. He existed, serene and primal, until Doubt occurred. He was perfection until this flaw. Doubt came in the form of a Question, and this Question had no true answer. The lack of answer called into Doubt Io's perfection, and the internal debate raged so terrible and mighty that it split him into two halves; lesser gods than He but still greater than most.
Bahamut was goodness and justice, while his counterpart was Tiamat the Scaled Tyrantess. Io was no more, yet he was these two and when one has prevailed over and consumed the other, Io will be again and more Perfect than He was before.
Cosmological Views
Ionism views the world as an expression of the convergence of the elemental planes, which themselves are convergences of stranger, more unknowable planes. Perfection, therefore, is a being that marries within themselves all of these planes in mind, body and soul.
Tenets of Faith
Seek perfection, recognize and encourage perfection in others, and have one's own virtues recognized.
Obviously, each of the two branches interprets these tenets in entirely different ways.
Ethics
Both sides value adherence to the hierarchy and authority.
Worship
Regular prayers (to the sun for Bahamut, to the moons for Tiamat) are observed by worshipers at either noon or midnight. Each will oppose or slay any dragon representing the other side, thwarting their schemes, or at the very least (when clearly outmatched) they will seek to annoy and expose.
Sacrifices to the scalykind gods come in two forms: living sacrifices of enemy Ionians in the name of one's patron deity are common, even dedicating victories to the divine after the fact.
The second, mostly observed by humans for obvious reasons, are Contributing to the Hoard. Both Bahamut and Tiamat maintain near-infinite extraplanar vaults in their respective realms, and an Ionian can pray to donate some or all of their own wealth to this vast sum.
Priesthood
The Yuan-Ti make up the bulk of the priesthood, with dragons at the top as direct representatives of the divine (as other religions may view angels or devils) and other races fulfilling specialized tasks in the periphery. In particular, dragonborn are the most common among the priesthood.
Being a priest of the Mythos is a matter of who and what you ARE rather than who or what you KNOW.
Political Influence & Intrigue
On the continent of the dragons, Shelor, Ionism is the primary religion and is one of the Three Estates, the other two being Warrior-Kings and Laborer-Serfs.
Outside of Shelor, dragons tend to be unwelcome and their worshippers almost equally so. Among The Maecodian Confederation which started with refugees from Shelor, Ionism holds almost no influence and any hint of that changing would likely bring violence and pogroms.
Sects
Ionism is split into two sects: Church of the Platinum Sun (For Bahamut's side), Temple of the Rainbow (For Tiamat's Side). Neutral worshipers DO exist, but are extremely rare and rarely survive very long.
The Church of the Platinum Sun
-They believe that perfection is in seeking the greater good. They believe that the hierarchy is a benevolent one, a system of mentors and disciples where the lesser seek to learn from the greater, and both seek to elevate themselves and each other to perfection.
The Temple of the Rainbow
-They believe that perfection comes with competition, where the strongest rule over the weak and the weak serve to support and elevate the stronger. Fierce competition on every level must be observed to ensure that the fittest rule over all.
Ionian Unionists
-Ionians worship both of the scalykind gods. Their reasoning is that each is half of the whole, and Io was given Doubt as a poison to break His power. As such, Unionists pray to both, sacrifice to both, and seek to end the genocidal war between dragons.
Ocuir bens'velkeen - Seek perfection
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
Ionism
Demonym
Ionian, Bahamite, or Tiamite
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments