The Pantheon of the Dragon
Overview
The Dragon Pantheon is a religious belief mostly practiced in the nation of Estea. It worships the existence of three dragons that incorporate different aspects of existence in themselves.
Founding of the world
Before the world was created, there was a grand vastness of nothing. The only thing that roamed this vastness was the Ancestral Dragon. It was an immortal being, which incorporated everything in itself that should become existence itself later on.
This being was not bound by space, time or any other concepts that our human brains can comprehend. This was, until this Ancestral Dragon, the father of all existence, was torn apart. To this day, nobody really knows why it happened, and the different branches of the pantheon have opposing opinions on the matter.
The dragon was divided to two parts of itself. On one side, there was the Obsidian Dragon. It included everything bad, death, suffering, sorrow and darkness. On the other hand, there was the Golden Dragon, a being of light and life, that could be seen as the exact opposite of the dark being that opposed it. Those two dragons, as different as anything could ever be, fought against each other, but as time and room where still non-existent, and they were just as immortal as their father, their struggle was meaningless.
This eternal struggle, filled with pain and suffering for both combatants, eventually lead to the creation of the so-called "Blood Dragon". The Blood dragon was a melting of all the struggle both sides had endured, and therefore was neither good nor bad. It was all the things that are neither black or white, just gray, like fire that gifts light but consumes at the same time, like war that was waged by the living to create death. With the explosive creation of the Blood Dragon, the two dragons that had fought until this point, were hurt tremendously.
The very essence of existence, that they had held since they were created, bled into the vast nothing that was the battleground for the two sons of the Ancestral Dragon. With this, reality was created, every single one of the dragons bound to its one version of it. The Golden Dragon, bringer of life and nature, was bound to the so called "Overworld", where we mortal beings normally reside in. Dirt formed a ground, seeds led to growing trees and water filled the canyons. The Obsidian dragon was thrown into a dimension of darkness, without life or light, just vast darkness and emptiness. We mortals call it the "End". The third, newly created dragon was incorporated into his own dimension. Dominated by fire and dangers. There was life, but it was hostile and free of consciousness. The nether was born.
The Eternal Struggle
Even though the three dragons of existence were divided and bound to their own plane of existence, there was still a bond connecting them.
Their fight, even though not physical anymore, continued between the different dimensions. Mortals can use these bonds to travel between the different worlds, even though the dimensions of the Blood and Obsidian Dragon are not hospitable for them. However, the Dragon Pantheon states, that every mortal can witness the eternal battle, that these dragons are fighting. The Pantheon claims, that every day, the tides of eternal war shift between the three dragons.
During Dusk and Dawn, the Blood Dragon dominates the sky, emitting a red light into his surroundings. During the day, the Golden Dragon shines. Many followers of the Pantheon believe that the sun is the Golden Dragon himself, roaming the skies. During night however, the Obsidian Dragon reigns, unleashing his monsters of destruction into Alathra to cause death and destruction. The same goes for the seasons, where winter is a time of darkness, while during summer, the plants grow and the sun (Therefore the Golden Dragon) dominates the sky for longer. Spring and Fall however are times of reawakening or decay, where neither of the extremes rules. Therefore, all the dragons are bound to a repetitive, eternal struggle for power over existence itself, and there is no sign this will stop.
The three "Sons" of the Ancestral Dragon
The Golden Dragon
The Golden Dragon is the most worshipped one in the Dragon Pantheon. He is the creator of life, emits light onto his World and provide for the beings in his realm. While he is dominant, the Overworld is filled with peace and warmth, where everyone is mostly safe and live can develop itself.
As the Dragon Pantheon is mostly popular in Estea, the flag of Estea shows the golden dragon on a black ground. This symbolizes the dominance of the Golden Dragon over the darkness of the obsidian one. Many worshippers of the Pantheon believe that they are protected by the Golden Dragon and sacrifice food or other valuables for him, protecting them of the Darkness.
The Obsidian Dragon
The Obsidian Dragon is a cluster of death and darkness, and seeks nothing else than to spread these. He resides in the Ender dimension, where he has built himself a realm of darkness and death. Many Followers of the Pantheon believe that Endermen are servants of the Obsidian Dragon, made from the souls of those who rejected the light of the Golden Dragon. While the Obsidian Dragon dominates (night), he sends beings of construction to the Overworld, many made from the dead, like zombies or skeletons. He is the bringer of disease and death and there are no branches of the Pantheon that worship it.
The Blood Dragon
The Blood Dragon is the pure impersonation of the pain and suffering. He is neither good nor bad, created by the struggle of existence.
His dimension is dominated by duality. Half dead, half living beings roam the dimension, being peaceful or aggressive, depending on how you act. His dimension is filled with riches and the most durable material known to man, Netherite, but to get it you have to survive all the dangers that his dimension brings with itself. Some believers of the Pantheon worship the Blood Dragon instead of the Golden Dragon and emphasize war as a way of retribution to one's faith.
They believe that a perfect world can only be created by turning away of the extremes that the other Dragons represent. Followers of the Blood Dragon wear a banner with a red instead of a Golden Dragon. The followers of the Blood Dragon are of less numbers than the main branch, which worships the Golden Dragon as the best of the three dragons. The Blood Dragon represents struggle, duality and abolition of extremes.
Worship
The Pantheon and the three dragons are worshipped differently, depending on the branch. Similarities are that every branch burns parts of their harvest as an offering for their respectable dragon that they worship.
Depending on the branch, the Pantheons´ followers follow different ideologies on how to live. The followers of the main branch, the followers of the Golden Dragon are very connected to nature, cultivate a lot and rather seek to tame animals than killing them. The followers of the Golden Dragon embrace a peaceful and calm lifestyle, where they can use the land given to them by the Golden Dragon.
The followers of the Blood Dragon on the other hand embrace struggle and challenge. They do not fear a fight, but don't seek it either. They seek to establish a balance between the two extremes that the first two sons of the Ancestral Dragon incorporate, as they believe this is the only way to end the eternal Battle fought between them. By establishing this balance, they think they can somehow restore a state, which would be closest to what the Ancestral Dragon was.
The Pantheon is the official religion of Estea, other beliefs are accepted by the Pantheons followers however, as any life is valued by the followers by the Golden Dragon.