“Strength and scale guide us, for alone we are mighty but together we are unmatched.”
Current Leader: Zartyth Icebreath
Notable Members: Gowain the Librarian, Cyrill, The Warmaster
The Dragon’s Crest is devoted to the Firstborn, particularly Physignathus, who they honor through rituals and symbolic attire. They have a tense relationship with the Tidebringers, viewing them with disdain for worshiping Eindridil over Physignathus. Despite this, the Dragon’s Crest remains a powerful and influential faction, loyal to the Firstborn as the true guardians.
Followers of the Firstborn
The Dragon’s Crest is a dedicated group of followers who revere the Firstborn, the Draconic beings of near unrivaled power. The Firstborn that most of their ranks follow is Physignathus, who is known for her pivotal role in driving back the brood from the lands, an act that earned her the loyalty of many, even those who do not hold dragons in higher esteem than gods. The Dragon’s Crest spends a great deal of their time honoring the Firstborn, drawing strength and inspiration from their vast wisdom and might. Their devotion is symbolized through their attire, as members traditionally wear colors that mirror the scales of the Firstborn they follow, and often don scale mail as either armor or adornments, displaying their allegiance with pride.
The Dragon’s Crest holds a complex and tense relationship with other factions, particularly the Tidebringers, a group that worships the sea itself and the goddess, Eindridil. Members of the Dragon’s Crest view the Tidebringers with a mixture of disdain and confusion, struggling to understand how anyone could forsake Physignathus for who they believe to be a false deity. This ideological clash has led to a long and spotted history between the two groups. They rarely engage in outright conflict.
Despite their friction with the Tidebringers, the Dragon’s Crest remains a formidable and influential faction within their world. They are driven by a deep-seated belief in the power and protection of the Firstborn, who they see as the true guardians of the world. Their gatherings and rituals are both a celebration of their shared beliefs and a strategy to avoid their rivals. Through their unwavering devotion and strategic approach to their beliefs, the Dragon’s Crest continues to grow in strength, ever faithful to the Firstborn who they believe hold the key to their survival and prosperity.
The Sea Was Only the Start
The Dragon’s Crest traces its origins back to the earliest days of conflict between the island’s inhabitants and the brood, a monstrous force that threatened to overrun the world. Physignathus, the Firstborn Dragon of the ocean, emerged as a powerful ally, using her might to help push the brood back from the shores. In gratitude, those who witnessed her power began to worship her, forming the initial core of what would become the Dragon’s Crest.
As the years passed, the Dragon’s Crest grew in numbers and influence, attracting those who admired Physignathus’s strength and saw her as the true protector of the seas. The group solidified its identity through rituals and attire, with members donning aqua blue clothing and scale mail to honor their dragon matron. The Crest’s gatherings at low tide became a key aspect of their tradition, ensuring their ceremonies were in harmony with the ebb and flow of the ocean they revered. Before long followers of other firstborn started joining their ranks and sought safety and camaraderie among their ranks.
Throughout its history, the Dragon’s Crest has maintained a contentious relationship with the Tidebringers, another sea-based faction with opposing beliefs. While the Tidebringers worship the sea and the goddess Eindridil, the Dragon’s Crest remains steadfast in its devotion to Physignathus and to the Firstborn, viewing them as the rightful rulers of the world. This ideological divide has led to ongoing tension, with the Dragon’s Crest often seeking to challenge the faith of the Tidebringers, solidifying its reputation as a powerful and zealous group.
Duties and Responsibilities
While the majority of the faction worships Physignathus, many other Firstborn are also worshiped among their ranks, such as the likes of Kaltraxis, Tezoth, and Isana. Each of which hold different places within the functionality of the duties of the group. As time has gone on, more and more followers of different Firstborn have begun associating themselves with the group.
The Kaltraxis followers spend much of their time sorting and delegating where different resources are to go. This includes when the faction or one of their allies are in dire need of assistance. The Isana followers are often documentarians and sages, telling portents of either good or bad times to come. They also often act as both negotiators and advisors to temper emotions and avoid acting in a way that may hurt the group’s reputation.
The militant force is mostly made of followers of both Physignathus and Tezoth, a deadly combination of strategic knowledge over land and sea. During times of war, they often use various rituals and magics to protect themselves and strike down their enemies. Though even when without a Dragon Knight in their midst, they still use many ceremonies and chants to increase morale among their numbers. All things combined, with the tools available to them they are a powerful force on and off the battlefield.
Recent Events:
Prior to the last three years much of the history of the dragon’s crest was lost, as well as most of their ranks. Due to a cataclysmic event that the faction had attempted to stop, most of their previous acting members saw their final rest leaving none but the strongest of their ranks alive and with just enough strength to retreat. This toppled the once strong system that they once held leaving the few that survived to either leave or attempt to rebuild.
Since then most of the faction has been ruled and maintained by primarily Physignathus worshippers. Some of the interactions of these members with the town have been highly beneficial to both sides though some have left the town wondering what the true intentions of the faction are. A zealous decision was made and demands were declared, though the cost was too steep in the eyes of the town, especially during a time of war. The longstanding and strong bond the faction held with Dark Harbor was nearly severed by this disconnect, leaving old leadership to pick up the pieces and try to salvage what was left.