Creation myths
Details of exactly how the world came to be are heavily disputed by scholars of various religions and regions. Many of the world’s creation myths heavily overlap, however, with common primordial forces and themes: Chaos* and/or Order*; Time* and/or Causality*; Thought* and/or Desire*; the Earth*, Sea*, Heavens* and/or Sky*; the Abyss*; and Darkness*, Night* and/or Day*.
Draconic
According to the dragons and dragonborn, existing outside time is Io* the Infinite, consisting of two aspects: Aion* and Chaos*. The current world of Aecus is but one iteration of the infinite cycle of time. At the beginning of this iteration, Aion’s dual aspects of Time* and Causality* created the physical world, including the Sky*, Sea*, and Earth*. Concurrently, from Chaos emerged Night*, Darkness*, and the Abyss*. The two deities Bahamut and Tiamat act as the divine manifestations of Aion and Chaos respectively. Their struggles for power yield the balance needed for the world to continue developing. Finally, a third but lesser dragon deity, Sardior, acts as the divine manifestion of Night, a patron for those seeking a third path: one of explicit balance between order and chaos.
There are variations of this myth amongst dragonkind:
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Some dragons believe that Io and Chaos are separate entities, with Chaos being the endless void outside the universe, to which Io brings balance and order (i.e. reality). Those who subscribe to this view often see Bahamut as Io’s manifestation directly, rather than Bahamut and Tiamat as Io’s dual aspects. But there is bitter disagreement regarding which of the two dragon deities is more worthy of devotion. Some followers of Tiamat claim that Chaos is the only truly timeless—and therefore greatest—force.
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Another variation believed by some dragons is that Tiamat is but one aspect of Chaos, the Abyss, with Sardior/Night being the other aspect. This view puts Tiamat and Sardior on equal footing, and beneath Bahamut in terms of seniority and importance.
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Some followers of Sardior elevate It to the prime position of importance, believing that Sardior represents the pinnacle of the cosmos’s evolution: a being of perfection sculpted from the cosmic genesis. In this view, Sardior represents the ultimate in personal apotheosis, a balanced and self-reliant power. But many dragons find this perspective to be heretical, reserving their primary reverence for the most ancient powers.
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A common belief among dragons is that the goddess Ioun is the personification of divine Causality, and secretly a dragon herself, making her worthy of draconic reverence.
One thing most dragons do agree on is that the three (or four, counting Ioun) draconic deities are the only true gods: the others are younger, lesser powers that emerged from the world itself, of little concern to dragonkind. Some even go so far as to claim that the other gods commonly worshipped throughout the world are nothing more than aspects of Bahamut, Tiamat, Sardior, Ioun, or some combination thereof.
GM’s note: draconic philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from Hesoid’s version of ancient Greek mythology.
Human
GM’s note: human philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from Stoicism.
Dwarven
GM’s note: dwarven philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from Anaximander (610 - c. 546 BC).
Selvan
GM’s note: Selvan philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from Etruscan religion and shamanic dualism, with some elements of bipartite theology.
Elven
*GM’s note: Elven philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from the Pentemychos cosmogony of Pherecydes of Syros (6th century BC)
Arallu
GM’s note: Arallu philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from tripartite traditions: triple deity, maiden/mother/crone, three fates, etc.
Trell
GM’s note: Trell lore is adapted from Cainism, Satanism, and Luciferianism.
Gnomish
GM’s note: gnomish philosophy and religious tradition is adapted from Pythagoreanism as well as Orphic ancient greek mythological tradition.
Halfling
GM’s note: halfling philosophy and religion tradition is adapted from Finnish paganism, and other sources.
Merfolk
GM’s note: merfolk philosophy and religion tradition is adapted from the ancient Greek first principle of Arche, formalized by Plato and Aristotle, among other sources.