The Path of the Great Dragon

While the orginal texts are still lost, there are several accounts of the history and ideals of The Path of the Dragon. Documented here are the accounts of Deschain Occam.

In the Beginning

The story behind our belief is a complicated one; I am not as learned as some in my family about it either. Essentially, there was, long ago, a Great Dragon who lived in the central mountains of Atamara. It claimed dominion over all the lands, between the snows of the North, to the warmth of the southern sea. It is unclear as to what kind of ruler the peasants saw The Great Dragon to be; there are stories of it demanding unwavering fealty, and committing terrible atrocities on those who opposed it, but there are also tales that it held the first free elections, spoke the first just laws, and forgave even those who sought to destroy it. It is clear that the Dragon had the best interest of all mankind at heart, but that those who strayed from its path would be smitten ruthlessly.

After thousands of years, but before even realms existed, nay, even before there were turns, a brave group of nobles set out to slay the dragon. While wise and just, The Dragon had ruled too long, they reasoned. Mankind could not advance itself while under the rule of such an old and admittedly strict leader. They fought heroically, but were no match for the Great Dragon. In one stroke of His terrible claws, they were torn asunder.

“Why throw your life away like this?” Asked the Dragon, but since he was all-knowing, he knew the answer.

The mark of a great Being is being able to be swayed by logical argument. And the Dragon was certainly great. The Dragon, in a divine revelation, realized the heroic Nobles were right; mankind could not become as great as Him while he ruled them; only by facing challenges on their own could they one day gain wisdom and strength.

So, the Dragon made a great sacrifice. He allowed one of the heroic Nobles, with her dying breath, to strike him down with her sword.

But the Dragon would not leave mankind alone in the night. From that day forth, he would watch over mankind. Occasionally, he would guide events; choosing Kings and Queens, adding his hand in battle, coming in visions to give men guidance. He also sent his servants out to the world to help mankind, both by guiding them (I personally suspect some of the other Gods, like Da Goat, for instance, are not false, but instead merely sent by The Dragon) and by giving them a chance to prove themselves (I believe Undead and Monsters to be servants of The Dragon, albeit evil ones).

As of yet, and unless the Dragon one day returns to create one, there is no formal structure of this religion. There is no single man who can claim to speak for the Dragon. There is no single realm that can claim to be The Dragon’s favorite. To join The Path of the Dragon, one must merely decide for themselves to be just, righteous, and to work for the betterment of mankind.

Teachings of the Dragon

The Dragon’s Teachings are actually very few; he expected mankind to find its own wisdom. But, ages ago, it did pass down several lessons onto its subjects. Most of these are written down somewhere, and consist mostly of witty parables (“Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from a friend’s forehead, and the like) but I am not a scholar, and only remember the substance of them. There are three things a follower of the Dragon must defend, and three they must attack.

Under the guidance of the Dragon, Noble must:

• Defend your honor.
• Defend the honor of your friends(there is some debate as to if this refers only to Women or any friend.
• Defend your home. (Realms did not exist so long ago, but this is generally thought to apply to them as well as your actual home region)

• Attack injustice with justice.
• Attack those who would do you harm.
• Attack those who would harm mankind.

Apart from that, the religion tends to incorporate whatever wisdom its followers discover on their own. Different followers tend to do this in different ways. Some build temples and write poetry, some study warfare and tactics, some practice diplomacy and try to spread their religion. All I do is go about my duty, and pray for The Dragon’s guidance every once in a while.