Varkadian Faith

The predominant religion of all human nations of Terra is Varkadian (Draconic) Faith. Followers of this religion worship the Draconic Pantheon.

## Scriptures of the Old

The *Scripturas Veritatis* that later became known as the *Scripturas Veteris* were written by settlers in low Gurdal, Bravoure. They are divided into multiple "poems" that recount the creation of the universe, the birth of the dragon-gods, the rise of Terra and its civilizations, and lesser deities. Although most see the scriptures as accurate historical records, others, like the magi, see it as mere embellishments of the more boring truth.

## Myths

### Storms of Creation

At the Storms of Creation, five dragon-gods were born. They were called the Titans. There was Varko, the great white dragon. His skin was the clouds and his eyes were the sky. Dracuuria, the Mother, the creator of mountains, forests, and plains. There were D'hjaak and Bishet, the siamese dragons of unity who represented similarity and difference in one entity. Guan, the victorious horned dragon that symbolised hope and the endurance of hardship. And finally, there was Sabys, the serpent under the sea and preserver of life.

### Birth of Terra

In the Domain of Stars, **Varko**, the Solar God, created Terra because he believed the universe was empty and needed life. Then he created Luna, Terra's moon, so that this new domain would never be alone. His wife **Dracuuria** gave birth to the first mortals, the builders of the first civilization known as the Erudites. Varko appointed **Sabys** to tend to the waters of Terra for the mortals to live without worry. **D’hjaak and Bishet** made all mortals followed a path of peace and tolerance, and **Guan** was their inspiration and sponsor of faith.

Dracuuria loved her children dearly, she gifted them with a piece of the gods' powers. However, the Erudites abused that power and forsook the gods. Dracuuria, heartbroken, unleashed her rage into a cataclysm created to destroy the first civilization. But when Dracuuria was about to strike, she realised the Erudites were already gone. Dracuuria then used the cataclysm's power to start anew and created four different races, all equal under divine law, but she vowed never to share her power again.

Her new creations were the humans, the elves, the sindurs, and the dwarves. The humans were proud, the elves were wise, the sindur were peaceful, and the dwarves were ingenious. In the light of Terra's new dawn, silenced energy still remained from Dracuuria's cataclysm. This energy gathered into Terra's second moon, which was later revealed to be a dragon egg. **Morxairen**, the silver dragon, was then born.

### The Silver War

Dracuuria’s creations did not all appreciate each other and some had begun to tear themselves apart. The elves were divided, the humans were at war, and the dwarves threatened to control the world from below. Sindurs were banished by the others and a darkness began to infect the world. This disease gave birth to another race, the relentless sithrax, who built a vindictive army hungry for space.

Growing up, Morxairen never really fitted in with the other dragon-gods, but he saw the potential of mortals for peace. Unknowing of Dracuuria's past mistake, he sought to give mortals the power to understand the universe a little more so that they could, once again, unite. Moreover, Morxairen's intrinsic love for the Mother inspired him to grant a part of himself to her creations. This is how the magi came to be. Varko, angered by Morxairen’s transgression, banished the silver dragon to the Chaos Dimension, also known as the Abstract Plane. Morxairen's disappearance caused desperation in Terra.

Later, Dracuuria gave birth to Ghydra, son of Varko, the god who chose to live among mortals to repair the world and guide them to eternal peace. Ghydra was the one to succeed in bringing order back to Terra. Some occult believers are convinced that Ghydra was actually Morxairen and Dracuuria’s son, but most argue against that theory.

### Chaos God

In the shadow of the dragons, the demon-god **Khor** rose from the ashes of mortal desperation. Khor represented everything the gods did not. Mortals who sided with his power became vile beings seeking power. They began raging on the surface of Terra. Dracuuria implored Varko to absolve Morxairen so he could help save her creations. The god-king did so, and Morxairen forced Khor’s disciples to retreat below the surface. Morxairen was welcomed back in the Domain of Stars.

## Lesser Deities

The dragon-gods gave birth to many other divine creatures. Dieties outside the original Varkadian Faith have even become part of the newer scriptures to satisfy Draconic worshippers, often depicted as children of the original titans.

* Amarynth
* Vicarinth
* The Devas
* Sun and moon gods

### Eve

Another lesser deity, which was removed from the Scriptures of the Old, is the Crimson Star. Her name was Eve, and she was the daughter of Dracuuria and Varko (or arguably Morxairen). Eve was supposed to fulfil Ghydra's task before his birth. She came down to Terra to live among mortals and teach them to respect nature and themselves. It is said that mortals deceived Eve and waged wars despite her warnings. Eve, distraught, chose to kill herself in desperation. There was nothing she could do to set mortals back on the right path.

Religious groups who worshipped Eve were excluded from the Varkadian Faith and sometimes even exiled from their cities. Those groups became practitioners close to the forest and devoted their lives to serving nature. They essentially became known as *druids*, who revere nature above all, gaining their spells and other magical powers either from the force of nature itself or from a remnant of Eve's power. However known, the existence of such druids has never been proven.

## Death

Dead souls go to the Underworld. They follow the river of stars to the Divine Justice, who decides whether the soul goes to the Heavens, the Domain of Stars, or Hell, into the Serpent's Maw. The Serpent's stomach is bent into the Nine Layers of Hell. Once the sentence is complete, the soul is cleansed and sent back to live on Terra and seek redemption.

No one escapes the Underworld. Some have tried, but they get lost and begin to rot. Rotten souls get picked up by "cleaners", who send the waste to the **Hollow Earth**, the Waste Plane. Hollow souls keep on rotting away, or get over it and turn their undying rage into power. That is when they become demons.

Those who did escape the Underworld through the Shadow Realm become voidwalkers, pawns of the Shadows, and are deemed the unholiest of creatures.

## Prophecies

The legends state that passerine birds sing the melodies of prophecy. Where golden eagles go, death follows, and a flock of swans soaring into the sky is a symbol of renewal. These are example of prophetic omens in the Varkadian Faith.

The Halls of Prophecy reside in a realm between the world of mortals and that of the divine. It is the divide where gods leave fragments of probable futures, and where only the most gifted of creatures may seek insight. Time in the Halls of Prophecy does not flow the same as in the tangible world. What one may perceive as eternity can be contained within the time of a single, deep breath.

Only the most experienced of clerics can venture down the Halls of Prophecy through deep meditation.

## Children of the Gods

The naming of a Dragonborn is an ancient ritual from the older world. The tales of the dragon-gods foretold the birth of mortals with dragon essence at the darkest times of war. When a chosen one is to come forth, the most devoted clerics receive prophetic visions of the one they must name.

One of each of the three axes of the Fabric of Realms must bear witness to the ritual: the arcane, the sacred, and the natural. The natural prepares the chosen. The sacred binds the body to the divine. The arcane opens a rift between the world of mortals and the Domain of Stars, where dragons came from.

The scriptures describe a piece of Ghydra’s soul, the first dragon to live among mortals, descending from the Heavens into its tangible vessel and fusing with the mortal’s soul. The chosen, now named Dragonborn, carries the power of all dragonborn before them.

## The Omitted One

There are ancient texts, older than the Scriptures, that mention an additional dragon-god. However, it is unclear whether this god is related to the others. The only information available is a description of metallic beast that awoke during the Erudite Dominion and set out to wage war against the other titans. This beast was stopped by unknown means. There are references to *freezing the beast in time*, in a place whence no one can escape. Historians have theorised that this omitted god is trapped in the ice, north of Iskala, in the Bankis. In this text, the beast is referred to as *Deus Occisor*, or god killer.