The Cult of the Celestial Dragon is the official religion of Imperial Cathay, and is worshipped by the entire Imperial Family in Cathay. The Cult of the Celestial Dragon worships a god of Law, and is one of the forces that support the rigid social order in Imperial Cathay.
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The Cult of the Celestial Dragon is the official religion of Imperial Cathay, and is worshipped by the
entire Imperial Family in Cathay. The Cult of the Celestial Dragon worships a god of Law, and is one of
the forces that support the rigid social order in Imperial Cathay.
The religion first began under the influence of philosophers known as the Legalists. The Legalists first
appeared during the time of the Warring Kingdoms, advocating strong leadership. The first man to conquer
all of Imperial Cathay and proclaim himself Emperor was Quan Long Fei, and he heralded in the Quan
Dynasty, the �Dynasty of a Thousand Emperors�, although it ended upon his death. Emperor Quan was
influenced by the Legalists and all of his administrators were Legalists as well.
Emperor Quan and all of the Emperors that followed were compelled to give offerings to their ancestors
to appease their spirits and ensure success for the coming years. The Imperial family traced its lineage
back to the Celestial Dragon, who is known in the Old World as Solkan, and worshipped him as both god
and ancestor. Like Solkan, the Celestial Dragon is viewed as the god of vengeance, striking down any who
oppose the will of the Celestial Dragon and his descendents, the reigning Imperial family.
Although Quan�s dynasty ended and others would follow, all claimed the Celestial Dragon as their
ancestor, and continue to practice the rites to both appease the god and to validate their claim as reigning
Imperial family.
Most of the people in Imperial Cathay do not worship the Celestial Dragon, but rather practice Simcism,
also known as Vimtaoism, or they worship their ancestors. The Cult of the Celestial Dragon is only really
worshipped by the Imperial family, noble families, Imperial Bureaucrats, and the Imperial Dragon Order
of Vimto Monks.
There is one other group that worships the Celestial Dragon, and they are the Imperial Censors.
Members of the Imperial Censorate, they report directly to the Emperor. The Censorate are responsible for
maintaining law and order throughout the land and ensuring that Imperial Bureaucrats are not taking
advantage of their position. They also are to root out Chaos wherever it can be found, and since they have
the complete support of the Emperor and his government, the practices that the Censorate use are often
draconian, including the execution of entire families or villages for marks of mutation or those suspected
sympathizers of the Chaos gods. Those usually opposed to the Emperor by the Censorate are usually
assumed to be these Chaos sympathizers and are usually killed along with their family and friends.
Alignment
Lawful
Symbol
A sinewy jade dragon is the most common representation. The Celestial Dragon is also worshipped
through idols or effigies of past Emperors. A flame, representing the breath of the Celestial Dragon is often
used as well, frequently in shrines, symbolizing both vengeance and spiritual illumination.
Area of Worship
Limited to Imperial Cathay and the social elites within the Empire.
Temples
The greatest temple is within the Sacred City where the Emperor resides. This temple is believed to be
the biggest temple anywhere in the world, and the Emperor Quan spent years constructing it and his palace
at a cost so great that thousands upon thousands died of starvation induced by the massive taxation to fund
Emperor Quan�s monuments. The temple is a sight to behold, although few ever see the insides. It is here
that the Emperor and his family perform the sacred rites with the assistance of the Priests of the Celestial
Dragon.
All major cities in Cathay have a large and elegant temple, and it is here that Imperial documents are
kept and where the Imperial Bureaucrats worship. The vast majority of people stay away from these
massive architectural edifices and choose to worship at family cemeteries and shrines, or at temples to
Orange Simca. All Imperial functionaries must also maintain a shrine to the Celestial Dragon.
The militant order of the Cult of the Celestial Dragon are the warrior monks of the Order of the Imperial
Dragon, and each of their monasteries is a temple to the Celestial Dragon. Many of the most devout and
fervent followers of the Celestial Dragon hail from these monasteries.
Friends and Enemies
In the past the Cult of the Celestial Dragon was hostile to the Simcists and Vimtaoists that worshipped
the Orange Simca. The presiding Emperor at the time, Cao Chen put up considerable resistance before
finally allowing the faith to flourish. Despite the militancy of the Vimto monks, he realized that much of
the doctrines advocated by Orange Simca would not pose a threat to the Emperor and would actually help
keep the population content and quiescent. There is still some hostility between the martial Order of the
Imperial Dragon and the other Vimto monk sects, occasionally violence erupts between the two groups and
monks are killed or monasteries burned to the ground.
The Cult of the Celestial Dragon is on good terms with the followers of Annu Minato, and both Cults
cooperate extensively to maintain their hegemony over the society. The White Monks, as followers of
Annu Minato are known, often archive information and provide many of the Legalist philosophers that are
used to legitimize and uphold the Imperial court.
The Cult of the Celestial Dragon ignores ancestor worship, and takes a slightly hostile stance to most of
the other religions, except for the proscribed Chaos Cults whom they hunt down mercilessly.
Holy Days
Holy days include the day that Emperor Quan first united Imperial Cathay and was proclaimed Emperor.
Other holy days include the first day of the New Year, summer and winter solstice, and the birthdays and
coronation dates of the existing Emperor and other prominent Emperors of the past.
Cult Requirements
Complete and utter dedication to the Emperor is the first and most important criteria. The candidate
must have no criminal history and not one sign of mutation as well.
Strictures
Obey all of the orders of the Emperor
Display proper reverence to the Emperor and all of his ancestors
Allow no violation of the Emperor�s edicts to go unpunished
Tolerate no chaos-root the evil out where found
Practice the Sacred Rites everyday
Dedicate oneself to the Emperor�s will
Spell Use
Priests of the Celestial Dragon have access to all Battle Magic as well as all fire-related Elemental spells.
Skills
All Priests and Initiates must take one of the following skills each level:
Etiquette
History
Intimidate
Law
Philosophy: Legalism
Torture
Trials
Trials for the Imperial Dragon may take different forms, some are exile from Imperial Cathay for a
number of years preaching amongst the barbarians beyond the borders, some require exclusion to a
monastery to study the wisdom of past Emperors, but most trials demand that the priest seek out
wrongdoers that have evaded the law and returning them to justice.
Blessings
Blessings of the Celestial Dragon are often gifts such as Hand of Fire once a day for an hour, or bonuses
to Cult related skills, including enlightenment resulting in a permanent +10 bonus to the Law skill.
Favored characteristics include Intelligence and Will Power.
Cheers!
Rev. Garett Lepper