The Draconic pantheon is one of the major ancestral pantheons on Kishar. Followed almost exclusively by the dragons of the world, this ancient pantheon has seen little adoption by other populations. Rather uniquely the Draconic pantheon is dualist in nature, focused entirely around two deities in constant tension with each other.
Overview
Draconic religion is a dualist faith centering around the eternal battle between the forces of order and those of chaos. Dragons occasionally pay homage to other gods, but in general consider only two to be of central importance. Marduk represents the organized and lawful influence of creation, while Tiamat is the embodiment of chaotic destruction. They fight eternally yet neither can win. Not only are they perfectly evenly matched, but more fundamentally one cannot exist without the other. While some dragons worship one deity exclusively, most seek to maintain a balance in their veneration of both.
Both Marduk and Tiamat are thought to be creator gods who brought the world into being together, though not intentionally. They are said to have torn pieces of planar essence out of each other as they fought, which then eventually coalesced into something resembling the current universe.
Deities
| Name | Alignment | Areas of Concern | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marduk | LG | Order, rulership, healing, the sun | Marduk (pronounced MAR-duke) is the dragon god of order, rulership, healing, and the sun. Born alongside Tiamat from the primordial egg, he predates the known universe. It is through him that the cosmos was given structure and order. Marduk is thought to have granted the first dragon-princes their kingship after creation, later elevating them into the heavens as the stars. He then joined them there, turning into the sun to provide predictable and orderly cycles to the world.
The draconic god's followers do not always agree as to what defines his highest tenets. Some consider his lawful aspects to be centrally important, while others believe his good aspects to be the most fundamental and unshakable facets of the deity. Marduk's followers themselves are as equally varied, including those that wish to maintain order in the world, those who seek to do good, and those that simply see the god as a great divinity to respect. Most draconic healers are devotees of Marduk. Marduk is thought to take many forms. He is variously portrayed as a metallic dragon so massive that he coils around himself endlessly, a sun with draconic wings, or as the sky itself. Followers of the Draconic pantheon tend to be far more concerned with conveying the idea of their gods through their depictions than with any notions of accuracy. |
| Tiamat | CE | Chaos, violence, the night | Tiamat (pronounced TEE-ah-maat) is the dragon goddess of chaos, violence, and the night. She hatched from the same primordial egg as Marduk in the time before creation, before quickly turning to violence against her sibling as they attempted to imagine the universe that was to come in their own way. Through their struggles they tore apart the nothing and turned it into something, forming the cosmos as the ideals of both draconic deities were thrown together. After creation Tiamat retreated to the places out of the direct control of Marduk. She now resides in the night sky and the sea, untouched by Marduk's sun.
The draconic goddess' followers do not always agree as to what defines her highest tenets. Some consider her chaotic aspects to be the most important facets of the goddess, while others believe this role to be taken by her evil aspects. Though many of Tiamat's followers see her chaotic nature as liberatory, others observe her capacity for evil and wish to gain such power themselves. Still others venerate the goddess out of respect, even if they do not align with her ideals. As the embodiment of chaos, Tiamat has many appearances. To some she is a scar-covered dragon with two heads, one on her tail, while to others she is a shadowy illusion of a dragon or the sea itself. Followers of the Draconic pantheon tend to be far more concerned with conveying the idea of their gods through their depictions than with any notions of accuracy. |
Area of worship
Worship of the gods of the Draconic pantheon is not tied to any particular region of the world, but rather is found wherever dragons reside. Some non-dragons have adopted the faith as well in certain areas, most notably in Ishtar, but this remains highly uncommon.
Connections to other pantheons
The dualist nature of the Draconic pantheon is very unlike any other major pantheon. It pulls little obvious influence from other faiths, besides the general role of its two gods, and others in turn have not been greatly shaped by the Draconic pantheon in turn.