Religion: Dragons

Religion for dragons, rather than being a strict and complex system, is a very fluid and often-changed concept. Their goddesses, who tend to be fickle and tampering when it comes to the events of their world, are merciful and lenient, though sometimes in a very frightening way. Once a year, for the two Holy Calendar weeks (two weeks=eighteen days) that both moons are full, dragons celebrate their birth, their nature, and the gifts of vitality they have been presented with. They honor their goddesses, who often walk among them, with ancient songs and spectacular celebrations throughout this Festival.

The Festival of the Walking Mountains occurs at differing times each year, because while the Holy Calendar is charted by the motion of the moons, the everyday calendar is very similar to our own, charted by the changing seasons and the planet's travel around the sun.

The Origins of the Universe

In the beginning there was Nothing. It is here, however, that generally accepted theory and reality begin to differ, for it was not the power of a greater being that brought this Nothing to an end, but the existence of Nothing itself. You see, Nothing had just one flaw, one imperfection that made everything in the world around you possible. Nothing, because it could never truly be Nothing, created a Something, and this Something was Balance. At this point, Nothing ceased to be, and Balance, which was fueled by a fiery drive to keep things equal and opposite, was left alone, the only Thing that existed. And so, driven by this will, this urge, Balance began to create things as the world sees them today.

But this was not enough for Balance. It wanted more.

What Balance wanted, after years of creating and keeping order among its new and growing world, was freedom. It had imparted free will into its greater creations, but now, after the primordial ooze had cooled and there was naught left to do but observe what it had made, Balance desired above all to take part in the world it had created. To keep itself and the universe in order, Balance split itself into two pieces, which, though they were the same, by their very nature conflicted and fought with one another.

For a time following the split, the new face of Balance was unseen, unrecognizable by any who did not have the power to discern its original identity. However, as time went by, each side grew much more distinct, exactly alike and yet exactly different. Before long, a conflict arose, and though it was only for a moment, Balance's orderly influence on the universe was broken, resulting in the happy accident some like to call the multiverse.

Though the worlds created by the multiverse are many and strange, developing on their own independent of one another, there is one world that is most certainly a point of origin. Called the Cradle of the Goddesses (or Cunabula Deae), it is a world where Balance's most prized creatures still reside.

Calyen and Shira

It was at this point that the young man realized he did, indeed, know the woman's name. He had forgotten it quickly in the face of her piercing gaze, but now, caught off his guard by this revelation, her absinthe eyes threatened to expose the bitter secrets hidden just beneath the surface of his soul. Tucked into a finely structured face of too-pale skin and surrounded by silvery-white hair, her eyes were an ominous symbol of a deeper nature, an animal nature. "What's the matter, pet?" she asked sweetly, her voice dripping like venomous honey. "Has the cat got your tongue?"

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She hadn't seen him yet, and for that he thanked his lucky stars. His knees were still weak from their first encounter, his heart racing beneath his ribs. Still, even in his anxious, frightened state, he couldn't help but notice that her voice seemed different in this haunting song than it had when she'd spoken to him. Perhaps there was more than one side to this woman after all.

After a moment, the heartfelt lullaby faded. "I see you've met my sister," the woman commented, her voice softer and more sincere than that of the woman he had just met. She turned to face him, a smile on what seemed to be the exact same face as before. Upon closer inspection, however, her eyes were darker, gentler somehow. "Don't let her frighten you; this is as much my realm as hers."

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For a time following the split, the new face of Balance was unseen, unrecognizable by any who did not have the power to discern its original identity. However, as time went by, each side grew much more distinct, exactly alike and yet exactly different. Before long, a conflict arose, and though it was only for a moment, Balance's orderly influence on the universe was broken, resulting in the happy accident some like to call the multiverse. From there, the rift could only deepen.

Calyen grew into a reckless, chaotic individual who acted simply for her own pleasure, choosing to create or destroy on a whim. She had always been the more antagonistic sister, and this trait made her unpredictable and argumentative where her sister was involved. To many, Calyen seems the more welcoming of the two siblings; to near an equal amount, she is intimidating and frightful. She often finds herself struggling against laws that she and her sister set down in order to better amuse herself.

Shira's self-assigned role as the responsible sibling was reinforced by Calyen's decision to take the role of the chaotic one. She is considered by many to be the gentler, more welcoming of the two, though many people she meets consider her cold and reclusive.

The Festival of the Walking Mountains

Information on the Festival and similar practices will be added as these things become relevant to the roleplay.