The Way of the Dragons/Arexi Dragon

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Way of the Arexi Dragon

The Way of the Arexi Dragon is a religious variation of the The Way of the Dragons. It is localized to the region of the Sallowsitte Cape. From the semi-historical semi-legendary collection Sallowsitte Dawn, the fusion of the local traditions and customs found in that text with the religion of the D'Harans has spawned this faith.

Beliefs

Followers of the Way of the Arexi Dragon believe that the legendary Prince Sallow, first arexi dynast, transcended his human spirit upon death and ascended as an immortal great dragon. The Dragon Sallow is more powerful and more glorious than all the other dragons (at least he is if you ask a devout worshipper). It is believed that when his followers die, if they have lived a worthy life, they too will transcend death and become immortal and then serve as the ministers and servants of the Dragon Sallow in his ethereal court. As a minister or a servant of the Dragon Sallow, one would gain a special relationship with the Dragon and will be able to manipulate many things for the living world. The living followers worship their ancestors through ritual offerings and supernatural contracts hoping to get their benign influence in life.

To join the celestial court of the Dragon Sallow as a minister or servant, a follower must be considered worthy at the time of death. Worthiness is qualified to be those who embody and teach the Arexi Virtues as well as the Virtues of the Dragons during life. Worthiness grants one spiritual immortality. This goal is the root of the complex rituals and magic systems of the Way of the Arexi Dragon. If in life one does not adhere to the Virtues, then they are condemned in death to become Aimless Ghosts. The difference between ministers and servants depends on how worthy you were in life, and is judged by the Dragon Sallow himself. It is said that the clergy of the faith are automatically ministers (a better position than being a servant) and the laity are automatically servants, but that may be a prejudice installed by the clergy itself.

The belief that the dead in the court can influence life for the benefit of the living has created a system of rituals designed for ancestor worship, pleasing the ancestors in death. The laity and clergy of the religion may make offerings and contracts with their ancestors asking them to speak to the Dragon Sallow in their behalf, and the Prince of Sallowtown may make offerings directly to the Dragon Sallow himself. The clergy's offerings are more potent than the laity's and the Prince's offerings are the strongest of them all. If the ancestors are pleased with the worshippers actions in life and with the offering made, then they will grant them positive results. If the ancestors are not happy with the behaviour of the worshippers or their offerings, then they will respond negatively. Should the ritual be done improperly, that is incorrectly or without the proper attitude, then the ancestors may be offended and curse the worshipper.

Additionally, the Prince of Sallowtown is revered as the living successor of Prince Sallow as he is the only one with the mandate to rule. The Prince of Sallowtown is the highest station in the realm and is the only one with direct access to the Dragon Sallow by ritual offerings. Through this connection, he earns his authority to rule the Sallowsians and power to govern their lands. Should he misuse his powers, the Dragon Sallow will revoke his mandate and pass it to someone else. The current Prince with the mandate is Lord Bowie Ironsides, who received the mandate from the Dragon personally and is considered the incarnate of Prince Sallow by the Sallowsians.

The Arexi Virtues

In addition to the Virtues of the Dragons, the Sallowsians included some virtues that they had always believed to be integral to living morally correct.

Piety: One must always have faith in their ancestors, their families, and themselves. To shrug off faith is to sever your ties with the Dragon Sallow.

Sacredness: Respect that which causes awe and deserves reverence. The major sacred things are our city, our Prince, our glorious Dragon, our ancestors and our relationships.

Dignity: One must always act in the proper manner, according to the dignified etiquettes, as Prince Sallow did in his life, in order to transcend mere humanity.

Station: Our ancestors, in addition to ritual offerings, require us to behave properly in life. One must act in their proper station in life lest you disrupt the natural order of the realm. A disruption of order is caused by the feigning of these virtues leading to the disapproval of our ancestors. This inevitably severs our ties with the Dragon Sallow (and thereby our immortality).

Rituals

Certain days of the months are sacred days where no battle or work of any kind must be done. These days must be dedicated to the ancestors absolutely. These are days that are numbered 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The ritual for these days is known as the ‘rite du jour.’ While by dogma all faithfuls must stop to revere the ancestors on these days, some are lax and leave the work to the clergy. This is seen as being disrespectful to the ancestors and the Dragon Sallow, and the younger generation are usually the ones being blamed for insulting the dead.

On these days, the clergy are required to perform a public offering to the city ancestors, the laity are required to perform a private offering to the family ancestors, and the Prince is required to do a public offering to the Dragon Sallow. This ritual must be done on each sacred day in order to assure the ancestors that we will continue to revere them, care for them and respect their supernatural positions in the celestial court.

Once the ritual is performed, and if it is correct and approved of, the supplicant may then ask their ancestor to bless them, to grant them favour, to influence the coming week, or anything else they would like to discuss. The priests and priestesses may use this to ask for benefits to the religion, the realm, or the people. The followers may use this to benefit themselves in their personal lives. The Prince may ask the Dragon Sallow for any benefits to his reign or his people or to gain whatever he needs at the time of this ritual. If the ritual is done incorrectly, apologies to the ancestors must be made the following week before the rite du jour can be done again, sort of like a required cleansing ritual before the offerings are made. Every week an apologetic ritual is done anyway before the esoteric one can begin.

Twice a month on the 7th and 21st the Prince must perform a public offering to the Dragon Sallow. This ritual is commonly known as ‘Feeding the Pit.’ Usual sacrificial items are fruits, vegetables, sometimes goats or sheep, and the finest wines. The ritual requires the Prince to drop some or all of these items down a deep hole in the middle of the city. A hole in which the Sallowsians believe is the mouth of the Dragon. If the ritual is done incorrectly, that is the Dragon dislikes the offerings, the city will be cursed and left vulnerable until the apology is made by the Prince during the upcoming rite du jour, which has to be done to the approval of the Dragon Sallow. No one knows the exact combination which will satisfy the Dragon, and often it is believed that variety is key. If the ritual is done correctly, then the city will be defended from monsters, undead and enemies by the Guardian Breath of the Dragon Sallow.

Rituals Performed

Temples

Temple of Sallow in Qubel

Temple of the Great Dragon in Sallowtown

Blessings and Charms

Followers of the Arexi Dragon may bless others or themselves by using these fortune sayings:

“Breath keep you.”

“In the service of Sallow.”

“May the Pit be nourished.”

“You serve the ancestors well.”

“The ancestors favour you.”

“The Dragon favours you.”

“I offer to the ancestors for your blessings.”

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