If I’m throwing out the
good-dragons-evil-dragons idea for this setting, I also want to throw out good
and evil dragon gods. Frankly, I
think that dragons see good and evil as quaint fancies dreamed up by the
insignificant humanoids over whom they rule.
Io and the Twin Aspects
 |
| (Probably) Not Dead |
The Empire of Dragons
is monotheistic, sort of. The dominant religion of the Empire reveres Io, the
Dragon-God. Io is the perfect ideal of a Dragon, so magnificent that even the
greatest of mortal Dragons cannot truly comprehend Io. The story of Io’s death
is extant in this universe, but it is dismissed by authorities as a
misunderstanding of the nature of the god, or perhaps even a malicious
blasphemy.
The Dragon-God exists
in twin aspects, Bahamut and Tiamat, sometimes siblings, sometimes rivals,
sometimes mates (it’s best not to think about that bit too hard). They are the
patrons of metallic and chromatic dragons, respectively, but such distinctions
are ultimately unimportant. More importantly, the twin aspects are said to
represent the duality in the nature of dragonkind, as creatures blessed with
both physical power and vast intellect. The Twin Aspects take on a variety of
roles, and various cults spring up around different individual roles. Any pious
practitioner, however, will be quick to insist that after all they are really
worshipping Io, and that, this is not
that blasphemous polytheism those
humanoids go on about.
However, for the sake of simplicity of terminology, Bahamut and Tiamat are referred to as gods even though they are both "really" part of Io.
Tiamat
Tiamat is a god of
prosperity (some would say greed), and so she is god of the harvest. Because of
this, she
If either of the Twin
Aspects, separate from Io, is referred to as a creator deity, it is Tiamat. She
is said to have conquered the Primordial Chaos, and so she has become
identified with it. While Tiamat’s depiction in scripture and myth is never
particularly chaotic, she is nevertheless called the god of chaos.
She takes on a host of
lesser domains associated with the broad themes of prosperity, change, and
chaos. She is the god of luck, patron of merchants, travelers, and foreigners
(and unofficially, of criminals and outlaws). She is also god of the nature,
the wilderness, and the elements. In some depictions, her five heads are
associated with parts of the natural world: the sun (red), the moon (white),
the sky (blue), the earth (green), and water (black). Others describe this
connection as tenuous at best, and while a useful metaphor for remembering
Tiamat as aspect of the natural world, not to be taken literally.
Bahamut
Bahamut’s main role is
as the god of justice. Through this and in opposition to Tiamat, he represents
order and civilization. He is the god of commerce
even though merchants are the purview
of Tiamat.
Bahamut acts as a sort
of cosmic judge. Ioan mythology portrays him acting in this role in a variety
of situations. Sometimes, impossibly enough, stories have him brought in as the
“impartial” judge in a dispute between Tiamat and himself. His most prominent
role is to judge the dead, and in this capacity he became Ioism’s all-purpose
death god. Bahamut is sometimes depicted as ruler of the hereafter, except when
this role is given to Io as a unified god. He is also a psychopomp, although
this role is sometimes given to an underling of Bahamut’s, acting as an “angel
of death.” The form Bahamt (or his angel) takes when fulfilling this role
varies. Sometimes he is said to resemble a beautiful member of the dead’s own
race, who gently guides them into the next world. Other sources describe him as
an immense dragon, entirely black, who descends from the sky in silence to
devour the dead.
The Afterlife
Dragons are known to
collect treasure. Some amass gold, others land, still others arcane knowledge.
But Io’s treasure is made up of worlds. Every plane is said to exist in Io’s
horde, as shimmering crystal spheres suspended in his palace. Io’s own realm is
made up of the best pieces of every universe he has created, so that when
walking around in his realm you may one moment be in a magnificent temple, and
in a vast open field the next.
Io is not concerned
with “good” and “evil.” For Io, what matters is whether or not you fulfilled
your function. The orthodoxy is that the function of a Dragon is to conquer and
to rule, and the function of anyone else is to serve them. However, this view
is starting to fall out of favor as a relic of Dragons’ more prejudiced past.
After all, anyone can be a Dragon (more on that later).
Most souls are
effectively annihilated upon death. The “substance” of the soul is reused and
made into something new, but it is not reincarnation as such. Only the
exceptional few are preserved. Some are said to live perpetually in Io’s realm.
Curiously enough, Ioism preaches that you can take it with you. When Io considers a soul to be worth preserving in his realm, he will also sometimes transport the treasure that the soul amassed in life there too. If a dead person's treasure disappears shortly after death, it is said to be a sign that Io has favored them in the afterlife, although more cynical parties might argue that the treasure was simply stolen.
Others, Io considers too valuable to destroy and remake, so he returns them
intact to a new body. For these individuals, memories of their past life are
like a half-forgotten dream, resurfacing only rarely, but still ever-present in
the mind. When the Twin Aspects are
depicted in the context of the afterlife, Bahamut judges the dead and when he finds a soul
unworthy (which he usually does), gives it to Tiamat to be destroyed and
remade.
Religion and Society
Ioism is ingrained in
the culture of the Empire, but the actual society is fairly secular. Worship
and offerings are not compelled by the state, and many people—Dragon and
otherwise—profess openly atheistic beliefs. There is a wealth of mythology
surrounding Io and Io’s aspects (this will be detailed as the setting is expanded, probably) but most of it is considered non-canonical by
religious authorities.
The religion of the
Dragons is not entirely the same as that of the common people. The Empire is religiously tolerant
and claims to always have been so, but there is evidence to suggest otherwise…
Next time: The Religion of the Subjects
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