Golden Feather/Reeds Sermon
We worship a single God, known as the Golden Dragon. He is the creator of all life, but mankind was singled out for special favour. We are each gifted with a small piece of the Golden Dragon’s essence. This Shard provides a tangible link to the divine and separates us from mere beasts. Through our actions we can cultivate this connection and imprint our own character on the Shard. After death, our Shard is reunited with the Golden Dragon. Sadly, many make little impression on the divine and are condemned to mere oblivion. But those who follow the path laid down by our divine father will achieve unity with the Golden Dragon.
The greatest amongst us will ascend even higher, becoming Heroes or Aspects of the Golden Dragon. These few who embody the traits favoured by the divine. In recognition of their deeds they are invested with a measure of the majesty of the Golden Dragon, allowing them to subtly influence the mortal world. While the Dragon Himself stands aside from our lives so as to let us prove our worth, the Heroes are charged with guiding us towards the right path. A killing blow averted, a sudden wind scattering the arrows of your foes, a change of plans that avoids a waiting assassin, these are the ways the Heroes ease our progress.
Foremost among the Heroes is Lady Melian the Golden Feather. During her mortal life she was Queen of Old Grehk, leading the land through the terrible Second Invasion. After her death and ascension, she granted a vision to my predecessor, Lord Dominicus the Silverhawk. While prior to this some men had seen glimpses of our divine origin, it was only through Lady Melian that the truth was finally revealed. She explained to him the truth of the Golden Dragon and entrusted him with a mission, to lead mankind toward unity with the divine. Thereafter Lord Dominicus founded the Order of the Golden Feather to fulfil this command.
The Order devotes itself to spreading the knowledge imparted to Lord Dominicus by Lady Melian. We recognise four qualities that bring us closer to the Golden Dragon; Clarity, Courage, Duty and Zeal. Clarity is understanding the divine intent for mankind. Courage because there is no achievement without facing adversity and triumphing over it. Duty for we must always seek to do what is right, not to take the easy, the simple. Zeal calls for us to embrace the great gifts we have been given by the Golden Dragon and constant strive towards the ultimate goal of unity with the divine.
Just as there are four virtues, there are four paths that brothers and sisters of the Order walk. Those who follow the Path of the Owl are our clerics, spreading the truths handed down to us by Lady Melian and Lord Dominicus and constantly seeking Clarity. The Path of the Eagle is walked by defenders of the priests and temples of the Order, embodying Duty. Those who seek to eradicate evil undertake the Path of the Hawk, crusading against the forces that would deny mankind its place with its divine father and armoured with Courage. Finally, we entrust the care of the dead and the protection of Order from spiritual corruption to the Path of the Crow, brothers and sisters who have the Zeal to undertake these heavy tasks.
We are the Order of the Golden Feather. From our heartlands in Old Grehk and Thalmarkin we now ready ourselves to go forth and guide mankind towards its true destiny. Through the words of Lady Melian our divine nature shall be unlocked!
