Urumaiar (the Pendragon, the Dragon Gods, the Dragon Faith) (updated 2004/03/15)

  Consorts of the Pendragon    Wyrms (Fallen Dragons, Linnorms, ... 

"The five who are one" are the Baal dragon gods Hruul, Mrmym, Pyrose, Xohm, and Suul. They are collectively known as the Urumaiar or Pendragon, symbolized by a pentacle or as an omnipotent five-headed winged dragon with scintillating, multicolored scales.

The sacred pentacle of the Urumaiar is always found in temples to the five dragon gods as a pattern between their five shrines. While all five are worshiped together, each temple typically has one of the gods ascendant--with its shrine opposite the doors. When drawn as a symbol, the ascendant dragon god would be the highest point of the pentacle.

Baal legends say that the dragons resulted from the sacred union of the dragon gods. The first incarnations of this joining was Tiamat, who was made in their image with five heads, and is often referred to as the Pendragon. Other multi-headed dragons were created to act as her consorts, for Tiamat was to be the mother of all dragons.

In the beginning, the gods joined and begat Tiamat, who was made in their image from the holy fyres of the Absu. Tiamat swam from the seas and gave birth to the first dragons. They claimed the lands as the Dragon Isles. On the Last Day, Tiamat and Pyrose will open the gates to the Absu, and all will be made clean as it was in the beginning.

A few heretics say that it was Tiamat who created the dragon gods rather than the other way around, claiming that the priests of the five dragon gods wrested power from the Pendragon priests long ago and changed the oldest myths to support their own positions. Others say that She is a goddess in her own right, equal to the five dragon gods. The Baal'Shem move quickly to silence such heresies.

The Baal'Shem sorcerer-priests worship and serve the Pendragon and her children, but hunt the evil dragons who broke the faith and were corrupted by the god Tark. During the reign of the "Draconian Empire", worship of the Pendragon spread to the lands and peoples all around the "Dragon Sea". After the "Great Dragon" began to sleep, the empire fell and worship once again became common only among Baal. Basalt shrines to the dragons can be found all over this region, only a few of which are maintained.

Worshipers: This is the principal faith of the Baal.

Gods Worshiped: Hruul, Mrmym, Pyrose, Xohm, Suul

Gods Opposed: Hypsiglena, Tark

Consorts of the Pendragon

The Pendragon had several consorts given Her by various joinings of the dragon gods. These consorts were divine in nature and had two heads, one to match each of their dragon god parents. [ more... ]

Wyrms (Fallen Dragons, Linnorms, Lindwyrms, Wyvern) (updated 2003/11/10)

Once glorious dragons, these vile creatures were tricked by the god Tark into betraying their sacred trust, releasing the Kaeden from their dark prison. They were since cursed by the god Hruul to crawl in the dust on their bellies. Their legs shriveled up to the point where they had to slither and crawl like worms. It is very common for cultures that hate dragons to smash the legs of stone dragon statues to make them appear to be wyrms.

The fallen dragons have been hunted extensively by the Baal, and most have fled to the far or dark places of Ambar such as the cold north, desert, mountains, or tunnels beneath the surface. Many wyrms wriggled off to dark places and deep caves, often chasing Dwur out of their golden halls. In the north, these ignoble beasts terrorize the land for many miles until they are hunted down by the fierce Kith.

Many wyrms have been further corrupted by the Kaeden or the Lord of Lies, and openly worship Tark.