Cult of the Three Fangs

The Cult of the Three Fangs is a mostly elusive religious group following the religious teachings of three Dragon Gods. No one really knows when or where this group came from, or even if they ever truly existed, but one thing is certain about the group: that they are always around. Some liken them to be the World's Underbelly, while others view them as a harmless group of religious scholars.

## Pantheon

The Cult of the Three Fangs primarily worships three Dragon Gods, but there have been reports of members supposedly following the teachings of the direct descendants of each god, who are little more than demi-gods in comparison. The three Dragon Gods are viewed as a family: the father, Niddrog, the Merciless; the mother, Irsel, the Benevolent; and the son, Divin, the Reborn.

Niddrog, the Merciless has always been depicted as a black dragon and the creator of the Chromatic Dragon variant. Do to this he is worshiped primarily as the Father of Destruction and is believed to be the cause of the world's inevitable end. Those who do not actively follow the religious teachings of Niddrog pray to him to keep their destruction at bay. Avid followers of Niddrog, however, also worship him for the traits he is said to embody: Loyalty, Absolute Judgment, and Warfare. It is also believed the he Rules over the Night and is the cause for the Autumn and Winter months.

Irsel, the Benevolent is depicted in multiple Metallic colors ranges from Platinum to Copper, however, she is primarily depicted as either Gold or Silver and is believed to shape shift at will. Within the various cult legends she is never stated to have created the Metallic Dragons, but rather birthed them at the beginning of time. Nobody really knows where the association with Creation came from, but many believe that because Niddrog embodies Destruction she, being his opposite, should embody Creation itself. Irsel's worshipers primarily  worship her as the Embodiment of Motherhood, however, she is also look at as embodying Order, Innovation, and Mercy. According to most texts, Irsel is the most forgiving of the three. Some, though, find it ironic that she is believed to be the cause of the Summer months, but it is not widely debated.

Divin, the Reborn is the most mysterious of the three as he tends to keep to himself. Divin is believed to be the most unique dragon in all of existence due not only to his long serpentine body, but also his prismatic scales and a clear, unknown gem that rests on his forehead, though some depiction do remove the gem for artistic reasons. He is believed to be the Ruler of the Earth Elemental Plane, which led to the creation of the Crystal dragons. The only other known knowledge of Divin is that he embodies: Rebirth/ Reincarnation, Balance, and Arcane Magic. He is also known as the Herald of Spring.

## Cult Hierarchy

Within the Cult there are three main "ranks," those being the Fangs, the Priests, and the Followers. It is believed by most historians that study the known history of the Cult that a fourth rank existed back when the Cult was at its apex, and that would be the rank of Paladin or Soldier, depending on translations.

Within the Cult their are three leaders, one presiding over the religious teaching of each god, and they are referred to as the "Fang of" whichever god they serve. For example, the High Priest of Niddrog is called the "Fang of Niddrog" within Cult texts. Some Followers of Divin have devoted themselves to the belief that each Fang is merely a reincarnation of the original three Fangs.

Each Fang is personally attended to and guarded by three to four Priests, and it has been stated among multiple historical circles that each major city also has three to four Priests of each god inhabiting them. Nothing is really known what truly separates the Priests and the Followers, as rumors have been spread that all Followers are Priests, but the majority of historical scholars have agreed that this pretty stupid and improbable.

Paladins are thought to no longer exist within the Cult after a complete shift some odd 400 years back. During that time, the Cult was substantially bigger and had its own standing army. It should also be clarified that within historical texts, this is the only confirmed sighting of the Cult. No one truly knows why they disbanded, but it is believed the Valenzi Pantheon brought together a massive army to decimate the Cult in hopes of completely destroying the Religion. Of course, there are sources that state the Graces were behind it, and multiple others believing it was a different Pantheon. Nobody truly knows why the Paladins were stamped from history, but it is know that a Cult Paladin was oft viewed as a demigod.

## History/ Race Interactions

No one truly knows the exact origin of the Cult or the Religion they follow. What is known is that humans in the current Era are believed to make up pretty much the whole Cult; however, some texts point towards a variant of the Religion being observed among Kobolds in the First and Second Eras. Some time after the Third Era, this Religion fades from existence before reemerging with a standing army in the Fourth. Most scholars concur that this army ended up vanishing about 200 years before the start of the Fifth Era, with the Cult now comprised mostly of Humans.

It has been hinted that during the Fourth Era, elves, dwarves, halflings, and a mysterious race, dragonborn, also made up their numbers, though with anything concerning the Cult, nothing is ever really known for certain. What can be surmised is that Dragons themselves do not really worship the Three, but rather view them as the pinnacle of Dragonkind. That is, of course, among the dragons who even believe such beings even existed.

## Theories of the Cult

While not much is known of the Cult or the origins of the Religion, there are theories in regards to the various aspects of the Cult, though a true scholar would view most of these as little more than unsubstantiated rumors.

The largest supported theory at present is that the Standing Army, rumored to be comprised of 400 Paladins, was never destroyed, but rather scattered to the winds. Though most scholars agreed that at least one would have been found, which led to another theory surrounding an island that pops up with in religious texts, the Isle of Rinascita, those who subscribe to this theory believe that the Paladins as well as a large chunk of Followers and Priests were relocated to this island to avoid future religious discrimination.

Another theory on this topic states that the Army had been disbanded as the Cult wished to be viewed as a peaceful organization and so they would assimilate into society, forever hiding their true beliefs.

The final of the notable theories is that the Cult was actually just a boogeyman created to scare children into behaving. The supposed island, having never been found, was nothing more than fluff added to make the story more plausible.