Order Of The Dragon

The Order of the Dragon is the National Chapter for Romania. It originally began as a medieval order of holy knights, founded by a powerful but mysterious Black Knight who fought under the auspices of the Church. Renowned for their use of shock troops, sneak attacks, and dark magicks, the Order of the Dragon was something of a scandal for the church in their later years, but no one ever denied their effectiveness. 
Following the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic invasion of Europe, and the gradual decline of the Holy Roman Empire; the Order of the Dragon switched from being solely a league of knights fighting for the Church to founding their own nation state. The OotD is responsible for the modern state of Romania, and the Dragonists will defend their homeland to the death, time and time again. 
== Facts: ==
-The Order of the Dragon was an Eastern military order founded by Crusaders, Resurrectionists and Abominations. It was renowned for its tenacity, determination and ferocity in war. OotD members were drawn from a wide berth of Orders but all of them were devout fighters with an intense love of their homeland.
-And yes, Vlad Tepes Dracula was a member of the Chapter.
-The Order's strange name is tied up with its equally strange founder. A Serbian Black Knight, famous among his people but unknown to the wider world, was said to be of monstrous physical proportions and had been fathered by a 'dragon from the clouds.' Given these two historical attributes, it is fairly likely that the Serbian knight was in fact a Dracon (a human with partial Dragon lineage). 
-The OotD was formed primarily for nobles and men with titles. For the first few centuries, it had members all across Central and Western Europe, including Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. While today those strictures have been left behind, the Order does have a heritage of leadership and nobility which continues to guide it. 
-The Order of the Dragon had a dark reputation among the Crusader Forces as being a group of knights willing to do whatever any of the Church leaders might ask of it. The Order of the Dragon had fought many heroic wars against invaders and oppressors, but they also committed terrible atrocities against heretics and rivals to the Church's authority. 
-Following the Fall of Byzantium and the Rise of the Sultanate into Europe, the people of Eastern Europe found themselves on the defensive against Turkish encroachment. The Order of the Dragon rose to the occasion and embedded itself among the people, forming a solid bastion in Southeastern Europe which the hordes of invaders bashed themselves against to no avail. 
-It was during this time that the OotD underwent its transformation into the modern Chapter we know today. While never officially renouncing service to the Church, the OotD began taking in new members, native fighters whose loyalty was primarily to their homeland and who had never sworn oaths of fealty to the Priests. 
-After many, many years of dark and terrible fighting, the OotD drove off the enemy and soon rose from the ashes of a devastated land to unite its people under the banner of a single nation. Thus was the true beginning of the country of Romania. 
-The seat of the Chapter is in Budapest where the 'Dragon Court' (the leading Knights of the Chapter) work together to lead the OotD to victory over their enemies. 
-The OotD is thoroughly infused throughout the government of Romania. Because of this, the Chapter has access to international agencies such as the United Nations, Interpol and NATO. 
-The traditional colors of the Chapter are black and red with gold trimmings. The traditional heraldric symbol of the Chapter is a red dragon in a circular position with the tip of its nose touchin its own tail. 
-"Dragonists" are Dracons, half-human/half-Dragon hybrids who are actively sought out by the OotD for membership in their elite fighting force. Draconists are physically larger than most humans and they have the added benefits of increased stamina and a natural aptitude for the powers of Chaos. 
-The land of Romania is a dark one, steeped in ancient myth and thick forests. It is also one rich in natural resources, from fertile agricultural lands to wood, gold, metal ore and petroleum. 
-The Order of the Dragon is probably the biggest user of Blood Magick outside of the Lords of the Night. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering that it was the Lords of the Night who taught the OotD how to use Blood Magick in the first place. 
== Dragon Or Demon?: ==
Vlad Tepes was the first on record to use the Title of Dracula, which means 'son of a member of the Dragonists.' It was a term of honor, and was quickly absorbed by the Chapter where it eventually became the official Title for the regional leaders of the OotD. 
However, after rumors of dark practices and brutality circling the Chapter were fermented by their political enemies, the OotD's Title was intentionally mistranslated to mean 'son of a demon.' It was a smear campaign to ignite fears about the secret dealings of the Chapter. 
== Fallout With The Church: ==
During the height of the war with the Turkish Empire, the Order of the Dragon began using strange powers and what appeared to be exotic forms of magick. None of this was new, and in fact much of it had been passed down from the original knights of the Chapter. 
But once the war with the Turks was over, many of the OotD's political enemies gleefully took hold of these accounts to use against the Chapter. The dark defenders of Eastern Europe were soon defiled in the public square as men paid to spread rumors and lies worked their craft. 
The problem for the OotD was that, technically, much of the stories were true. The Turkish Empire was gigantic and powerful, and Romania at that time was quite small. To defeat the Turks the OotD had had to resort to barbaric and cruel measures. It was a dark and bloody time. 
Black magick, the Powers of Chaos, seeking out Dracons for use in their armed forces, and Resurrectionists forging alliances with the Lords of the Night were all true. But the OotD had done it to secure a homeland for its people. Not to oppress them, as their detractors were saying. 
Outside of Eastern Europe, these rumors were believed and to this day the name of the Order of the Dragon is reviled. However, within Eastern Europe, the lies were rejected and the OotD is still hailed as heroes and defenders of the land. 
== Origins Of The Order: ==
Secular history records Sigismund of Hungary, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, as being the first member of the Order of the Dragon. He supposedly inducted 24 other citizens into his Order, all of whom were of noble blood. 
Like much else said about the Chapter, this is a lie. 
The actual first member of the Chapter was a Serbian Black Knight whose name is lost to history. He died before he could found a proper Order, but Sigismund, then a military general who had met the knight, was so impressed that he took up the knight's quest to found a powerful Order of holy warriors. 
== References: ==
-http://midatlanticcommand.wixsite.com/societyofthedragon
-ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/dragon.html
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmgYxBpK-GY
Category:Ghosts Of Catholicism
Category:Church
Category:Destroyer
Category:Infernal
Category:Order Of The Dragon
Category:War