(What struck Johanna first was that the word 'Tyranny'-which emblazoned the books title-was not in any way of negative-the idea embodied by 'Tyranny' was in fact, supposed to be the perfect form of existence, the ideal to strive for. To the Dragon cult, Tyranny and Utopia were ideas that entirely meant the same thing.)
...
In the beginning, there was only chaos-wind and howling darkness, bitter cold and ever-burning heat.
From this beautiful desolation, came the sound of great wings hammering the air-heralding the Age of the Dragon.
The world was so then shaped and peopled with lesser beings whose destiny was to live in fear-to be ruled as subjects, or hunted as prey.
All beings live under these Iron Rules.
She is the only true Goddess. She is the only Goddess that exists.
....
All other powers are merely fragments, of echoes, of former powers. In truth, the Heavens as we know them are a mirror of the desolation of the time before. She slew all her rivals eons ago. What 'Gods' exist, she allows other mortals to believe in, are merely extensions of her self-other heads, you could say. These 'Gods' are made so that her children and worshipers may not grow too complacent, so that they may have something to struggle against. Pity them, for they are not ready to take Her words to heart. In her pity, she has allowed them the comfort of delusion...while at the same time serving her. (Sort of chilling to read, that.)
If you must do so, or if you are commanded to-slay these unhappy fools as the sport she intended them to be, for you know the secret they never will.
All beings worship power, no matter their icon they wear, or the words they mutter, or the truth they hold in their hearts.
And, She is power made incarnate.
(Johanna noted that Tiamats name was more or less left out in the oldest excerpts, though there was always a reference to a single, powerful Female. She wondered if Dragons were Matchriarchal since ancient days, and the worship of Tiamat sprung out of previously 'pagan' beliefs...)
...
All Dragonkind are her beloved sons and daughters, even down to the smallest and weakest of them. Each Dragon has the spark of the divine within in them, and through them the Law of Tiamat, of the Greater Cosmos is manifest-thought Tiamat is the greatest of them all. The rule of claw, tooth, scale, and flame is unalterable. To hear the Dragon speak, is to hear the beat of the wings that shaped the Universe.
So.
If She commands you to slay another, do so without hesitation. Hesitation breeds fear. Fear breeds disloyalty. Disloyalty breeds suffering.
If She you to take your own life, do so without hesitation. Hesitation breeds fear. Fear breeds disloyalty. Disloyalty breeds suffering.
She embodies absolute Power, and to set yourself against Power can equal only suffering.
Only the mad and Daemonkind embrace suffering for it's own sake. No thinking being desires pain-only his meager pleasures and sundry amusements, freedom from fear and despair. Thus, the only real choice you'll ever have, is to worship the power that She encompasses entirely. And even that choice, she foresaw and planned for you.
Any other choice is heretical at worst, and insanity at best. (There was a logic here she grudgingly admitted to understanding, if not accepting)
...
But, what of those without this touch of divinity? After all, you were made to be ruled. That is why you exist. What hope can there be in this?
Understand that She made you as a flawed, imperfect being-you were not born as Dragonkind, after all, and so naturally it stands to reason all other beings such as you are inherently flawed. But She is wise, and kind-she also gave you the tools within yourself to transcend these flaws-your desire for submission, your great courage, your at times needful cruelty, and your unquestioning obedience. If you serve Her with all your being, She will one day allow you to transcend your mortal form-to shed that flawed clay you wear. Then you will rule over the Lesser Beings, as you were once ruled. (Johanna wondered what this meant.)
In this final acceptance of your true place in the cosmos, you can find peace, comfort-even joy, and love among kindred hearts. You may live a span of mortal life in relative happiness, insofar as much as you are allowed. There is no true despair or sorrow, in the love of Her warm embrace. Clutch to her bosom as you once did the person you called 'Mother', whom you now know means nothing-she was a mere vessel of Her endless powers of creation. She is capable of giving you far more love than the any 'social construct' ever could.
...
If you reject these things, only the mockery of false friends will you know, and the cold light of the false puppet Gods, and the cleansing flames (Johanna noted here that the space for the word 'flames' had been previously erased and rewritten over many times-no doubt every Dragon assumed their natural element was the best one to embody divinity, depending on the cult) of the true lords of Creation. Pity this unbeliever, and slay him quickly if he does not yield to truth. Be cruel if commanded, but remember-no mortal pain you could ever inflict would be equal to even one one thousandth of a moment of the pain She feels when her creations disappoint her. So do not disappoint her with failure, either.
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Topic: D&D 5e: The Tyranny of Dragons. OOC Thread. [Ended] (Read 102118 times)