The Cult of the Dragon

Cult of the Dragon

Notes on The Cult of the Dragon
(Written by Dazrin Drak'arden, Master Harper.Year of the Staff, 1367 DR.)

"My journeys have led me far and wide and, as you have seen from previous volumes, I have gleaned much information from friends (and foes) concerning those who feel threatened by us [The Harpers]. Needless to say it is important that we know as much about them as is possible, and I have written as much as I can to help others understand their mindset. Yet there is one group whom I have left for last: The Cult of the Dragon. I find it fitting that they be last, for they are different from others that I have discussed. Probably the greatest reason why we must understand this group is the fact that they were formed through the teachings of Sammaster, a former Harper. Now you see why "The Unstrung Harpers" is such a fitting title for this volume. While Sammaster is, of course, a dark shadow upon the Harpers, we must often look deep into the darkness in a hope to find some way to dispell it.

It is painfully obvious that there is little that is known as true fact where the Cult are concerned. Everything that follows from this point onward are the result of first and second-hand information I have obtained from ex-cultists, other Harpers, rumors, etc. Some is pure speculation on my part based on guesswork and ideas. Therefore treat the following information with caution.

Background

It is believed that Sammaster is in fact mad, however his basic theory is that Dragons would be even more powerful than they are already if they can become powerful undead. Thus, his goals had always been to convert any dragon into a dracolich by persuading them that it was a good thing to do.

Dragon worship is not new to the Realms by any means. Therefore, when Sammaster started his teachings and developed the Cult, he had a huge pool from which to draw his following. There were several problems that he faced however. Firstly, isolation. Many of the existing dragon-cults were isolated due to their secrecy and location of lairs. To unify them would be difficult indeed since they were spread over such a wide area. The second problem was (and still is) devout loyalty to a particular dragon/dragon colour. Many worshippers hate other dragons as they have sworn fealty to their particular dragon/dragon colour. Lastly, the concept of turning a cult's dragon into a dracolich often resulted in anger amongst worshippers. Some (in particular, those of low intelligence) could not comprehend the idea of "life through death".

So how did Sammaster deal with the problem of unifying these people? From what I have gathered, he did and he didn't. Early successes in around 902 DR were the result of Sammaster (and the few followers he had at the time) making contact with dragons directly. All of these dragons had no cult following. All attempts to go through and convince dragon worshipers had failed. Sammaster quickly realised that if he were to succeed in obtaining his goals he would have to deal with the dragons directly. He then lay the foundations of future attempts where dragon-cults were concerned:

1) Infiltrate the worshipers,
2) Rise to power and status among them (becoming favoured by the dragon),
3) Speak to the Dragon directly and in secret.

If the dragon was convinced, it would be an easy task for it to "convert" its followers to the idea of it becoming a dracolich. Also, with key Cult figures holding top positions, it would ensure these dragon worshipers would become supportive of the Cult of the Dragon over time.

The years that followed 902 DR were not extremely successful in the sense that few dragons underwent transformation. However it was an extremely important period as the foundation was laid for the future. Old dragon- cults were being infiltrated and, in around the 920's DR, more dracoliches has been created. More importantly, the following of the Cult had grown considerably, ensuring it's continued existence.

Organisation

At the head of the Cult is, of course, what I term "The Inner Circle". These are the most powerful members of the Cult that are "voted" to their position by existing members. I place voting in parenthesis for it is a joke to consider that Cultists gain this position through voting. Positions are opened in the Circle by the death of an existing member, so murder (or other subtle ways) are often accepted as ways to enter the Inner Circle. Of course, other Inner Circle members will not just let anyone enter the Inner Circle, so it is not out of the ordinary for a prospective Inner Circle member to be disallowed entry (at best). All Inner Circle members can be identified by "the Ring of Dragons" (I discuss these rings and other Cult items later on). It is interesting to note that the number of the Inner Circle (as well as exact identities) are often kept from other Cultists to ensure secrecy. All dealings with lower Cultists are done through magic and/or a "right hand man". It is for this reason that it is very hard to track down members of the Inner Circle.

The next step down the organisation chart is what I have termed "The Chosen Ones", or "The Scaly Ones". These are what I see as the core of the Cult following, the body of the Cult. They are divided into the factions dealing with each chromatic type of dragon: black, blue, green, red and white. I am unsure if other dragons are represented (such as the Deep Dragon or the Brown Dragon) as I have found no evidence as yet to indicate this. Each different faction wears a pin to show what "sect" they belong to. These pins are designed to represent the emblem of the Cult: a dragon's claw holding a black flame with eyes. Depending on the "sect" in question, the colour of the eyes of the pin represents the chromatic dragon in question (more on the pin is discussed later on in the items chapter). I can only speculate as to why these different "sects" came about, but there are two logical reasons. Firstly, different "sects" were needed to deal with different dragons. That way they "specialise" in talking and dealing with a particular dragon and would not have to worry about the behaviour of other dragons. Secondly, the early days when dragon-cults were being subverted resulted in different factions being developed, and thus the different "sects".

It is important now to look at the effect of geological location upon the organisational structure. The Cold Lands and the North are the areas where Cult influence is strongest. As a result, organisation here is at it's best. Interaction between the different "sects" is common practice, and little rivalry (except perhaps on a "power gaining" level) exists. The further one travels away from these areas, the less is the interaction between the groups. More rivalries exist, and disputes and hatred between the "sects" is common place. I have also found that the further away from the Cult stronghold areas you get, the more instances there are of total worship of one particular dragon. I can only put this down to one or two things. Firstly, it is possible that, because of the weak influence of the Cult in areas further from The Cold Lands and the North, some small pockets of Cultists have "changed" from worshipping all dragons to worshipping a particular type. I think however that the second reason is more probable: these small groups away from Cult-strong areas are in the process of being infiltrated by the Cult. It is also highly likely that some are just dragon- worshipers who allowed their dragon to become a dracolich (or are going to) but refuse to follow the Cult per say. As I have said this seems highly likely, but I have found little evidence to support this theory. It does seem strange that in a few reports I have come across from Harper agents that they talk of finding only one or two Cultists among standard dragon worshipers. It is because of such reports that I have these theories.

Also note that only those infiltrating dragon-worshipers would have the pin of the Chosen/Scaly ones. I found it logical to introduce the dragon-specific worshipers at this point.

So to use a dragon to represent organisation, we have the head (the Inner Circle) and the body (the Chosen/Scaly Ones) with the different sects representing the scales, but what of the tail? Who is the lowest denominator amongst the Cultists? As the tail, or what I laughingly call "dragonfodder", I have several groups: humanoids (such as goblins et al.) and Cultist recruits. First let me discuss the humanoids.

While humanoids like orcs, goblins and the like seem like a strange choice to have as your base, it is highly logical if you think about it. These humanoids were among the first to worship dragons, and so Cultists would often come across humanoid dragon-worshipers. To destroy them would take time and manpower, something the Cult could not really afford. If the Cult got them on their side however, they would have a huge group that would be expendable. Issue an order through their "god" and they would not stop until that order is either carried out or they all died. Either way, the Cultists don't care. Again, this is speculation, but Harper reports of humanoid attacks just before Cult attacks suggests this to be the case. Joining the humanoids in the "tail" are the recruits: the young hopefuls who wish to join the Cult for some reason or other. One could also include the dragon-cult worshipers who are being infiltrated or subverted into the "tail" but I thought it was more logical to include them in the body since they are similar to the Chosen/Scaly ones in that they are specific in their worship.