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[[Category:Book]]
=Isth'hhtaw'hhs Shh'oiyvh-ur=
'''The Ways of the Dragon'''
Written in the original [[Eth'ral'khh]] by
a humble nomad and Dragon Priest Scholar.
Translated to Common by [[Leyhan]] Mentin.

	For all the ages of my life and for a good deal of time  before that it has been known that the Dragon Priests have been a  plague upon the face of Elanthia.  However in the oft forgotten  past in the days of Shorka and Lanival, and in more recent days  there have been the rare few who listen to the teachings of  Sh'kial and understand the true purpose of the Dragon's followers. This writing is not intended to teach history to the eager  and uneducated young, however.  It is my desire rather to shed  much needed light on the practices of the Priesthood.  As my late father would often say (or so I have been told), "Though they may  not hear what you say or watch what you do, they will feel your pains if they can be made to walk in your shoes."  I invite all  whose eyes will find these pages to walk in the shoes of this  weary traveler.  I have preached in your streets and prayed in  your abbeys.  This is perhaps the least I can offer in exchange. <br>

=Chapter 1 Before [[Sh'kial]]=
	To properly understand what has made the Dragon Priests what  they are today, or rather what they once were, you must under-  stand the practices with which young S'Kra Mur like the boy who  would later be called Poho'adu Sh'kial were raised.<br>
	In the days before formal Dragon worship had been conceived,  S'Kra Mur had already begun to comprehend the scope of the World  Dragon, and what was required to keep her* in slumber for the  good of all.  Such example can be found in specific detail with  the Ru'atin Peri'el, but can be seen in a broader sense in archi-  tecture and practices of the times.<br>
	Tt was not uncommon for a family to keep an ornamental  dragon statuette in its home.  The figurine would commonly be  present at prayers or taken to a shrine for holy days.  Many  times the statue would be brought out at meals, and a small  bit of food would be left for it, owing to the belief that the  -----------    *Editor's Note There seems to be no commonality between different practitioners and their opinion on the gender of the [[World Dragon]].  A majority of Dragon Priests do seem to recognize a masculine dragon, however.  World Dragon would somehow be sated by this meal, and would not  need to wake to feast as it once had.<br>
	The draconic influence on early S'Kra Mur architecture is  likewise easy to identify, but the true significance behind the  placement of dragons and draconic emblems is more difficult to  understand.  To fully appreciate the purposes behind the S'Kra Mur building patterns you must understand some basics about their social structure.  I will attempt to cover enough to make my  point understandable without exploring the tangent too rigorously.<br>
	To an individual S'Kra there are several levels of import-  ance in which those around them fall.  First and most important  is the ru'at.  By the time S'Kra Mur reach adulthood they have  formed a unique ru'at among those with whom they have spent a  considerable amount of time, but to a youth, ru'at is little  more than another term for family.  As such it is the first  priority of S'Kra Mur with immediate families to protect and  revere them, especially in the case of new parents.<br>
	Therefore images of dragons (and specifically the heads of  dragons) were commonly found carved into doorknockers or placed  above the threshold as a way to ward off malevolence from the q'alri (outsiders) and protect the home and household.  Often  the more battle-worthy of the parents would have a favorite  chair carved or stitched with images of dragons, indicating  indicating that he or she was the "dragon" of the household,  protector to those therein.<br>
	This view of the World Dragon of a protective figure is  regrettably but quite likely the origin of [[Dzree]]'s way of  thinking.  The belief that the S'Kra Mur are somehow the people  of the Dragon, rather than the people of [[Hav'roth]], surely finds  some root in the practice of revering the dragon as the champion  of the race.  It is proof that even the noblest of intentions can  give rise to great evils, if they go unchecked.<br>
	As the generations of the S'Kra Mur passed, the practices  changed and grew into greater following.  In time the Dragon  would be recognized in formal religious gatherings apart from  those of the [[Ru'atin Peri'el]], and prayers would be said to  encourage its continued slumber.  The term of Dragon Worship  would not come to being until many years later, but there was a  quiet reverence for the World Dragon, and a respect for her in  the same way one respects a fire; destructive though it may be,  its gifts grant us a continued and comfortable existence.<br>

=Chapter 2 The Near Waking=
	Other books written by far more talented authors have already detailed the first recorded incident of the World Dragon  stirring, and the subsequent rise of the Ru'atin Peri'el.  I will  not attempt to bore you with an additional history lesson, but I  will offer some insight into events that perhaps were not  explained fully.<br>
	Approximately 2125 years before the Victory of Lanival the  Dragon, the Ru'atin Peri'el was formed after a conclave of Resh-  alian High Priests and Priestesses to protect Elanthia from the  threat of the waking World Dragon. The High Priestess Maligen Shanati was the wise woman who proposed the idea that would later become a revered Order of S'Kra Mur songstresses, but it should be noted that hers was not the only solution offered.<br>
	As I have thus far indicated, the rituals associated with  the Dragon Priests played an active role in S'Kra Mur society for  many generations before the religion was officially founded.  It  should cause no surprise then for you to learn that at the time  that the Singers of Aesry Surlaenis'a were first warbling their  songs of renewal and sustaining, other priests and priestesses  were busy at work feeding sheep and grains to the World Dragon by  way of fire and chanting their own prayers.  Peri'el was praised  for her efforts to lull the dragon, Hav'roth was thanked for  giving the S'Kra Mur the insight to see the threat and Ushnish  was beseeched to not wake the beast with his fires.  Most  importantly however, the World Dragon itself was extolled, in  hopes that like the Immortals the dragon could be soothed and  appeased by the collective respect and fear of a nation.<br>
	The names of the great minds that devoted their lives to  quietly and thanklessly appeasing the World Dragon through  peaceful sacrifice and praise have regrettably been lost.  For as  the smoothskins say, "History is written by the victors," and it  was ultimately the Ru'atin Peri'el that King Sarkhhl Smo'neh  chose to keep watch over his lands.<br>
	Despite the namelessness of the founders however, these  traditions of Dragon Worship were kindling for the fire of the  Dragon Priests.  Books (not unlike the one you hold now) were  written detailing the proper way in which the dragon could be  appeased, and generations of S'Kra Mur were educated in The  Way of the Priests of the Dragon "Isth'hhtaw'hhs poho'adu'hhs  shh'oiyvh-ur." <br>

=Chapter 3 The True Priests=
	Over the two millennia following the trembling of Reshalia  there were two wars waged, a corrupt empire rose and fell, and  Elanthia's people saw dragons with their own eyes.  Warnings of  the great beast slumbering beneath the world seemed now like  stories told to frighten children.  Even the Ru'atin Peri'el had  faded from the minds of most non-islanders.<br>
	Street preachers gave warnings of the coming World Dragon,  but few would listen to a sermon if it did not accompany a holy  emblem and a tithe box.  Hope for the practice of Dragon Worship  was not altogether lost, however.  In fact the true savior of  the faith was none other than the famous Redeemer, as Humans  called him.<br>
	The greatest foe to the Dragon worshippers of ages gone by  was their disordered nature.  Though most priests agreed on  matters of practice and ritual, they had no formal gathering to  call a church.  However, when [[Lanival]] forged an alliance with [[Shorka]] the Cobra, a known Dragon worshipper, he sent a message of  acceptance to all S'Kra Mur.<br>
	Sh'kial, not young but perhaps still naive in the ways of the world, saw this opportunity to unite others like himself and  create a formal church of the Dragon.  With the aid of his  student Dzree and other priests whose names now seem irrelevant  by comparison, they carved the first Temple of the World Dragon  out of the caverns beneath Wyvern Mountain in Ilithi.<br>
	The Dragon Priests thrived near the young city of Shard,  preaching with one voice of the terrible and awesome World  Dragon.  And for a short but glorious time, the Priests of the  Dragon enjoyed acceptance from the world about them.<br>

=Chapter 4 Dragon Worship=
	I will, in as much detail as I am able, outline the most  common rituals of the Dragon Priests.  I hope in earnest that  these, the teachings with which I was raised, may some day once  more be spread across the Dragon's Realms, and that the title of  Dragon Priest can again be worn with honor, rather than hidden in fear.  <br>

==The Tools==
	Altars used for Dragon worship are generally similar to those used to honor the Immortals, with some minor stylistic  differences.  They are almost without exception made from stone  (of either common or semiprecious sort), and typically have  images of whole or partial dragons carved into or from them.  The  dragons in these sculptures are usually depicted as slumbering.<br>
	The ceremonial blades and staves used in Dragon Priest  rituals have no far-reaching common construction.  A staff is  usually of specific significance to the priest who uses it, and  can be made from any wood they choose.  Some are even constructed  of rarer materials, such as bone, amber, cambrinth or other  metals or even on occasion a lightweight stone.  Daggers are, by  necessity, usually made of steel, but the hilts are most often  gold or some other precious metal and are typically made to resemble awakened dragons. This practice helps remind the ritualist of their purpose, and also symbolizes that like the  dagger, the dragon will consume all it encounters.<br>
	In the time of Sh'kial, ritual dress was very similar to the  vestments worn by worshippers of the Immortals.  Gamantangs with  slumbering dragons, sashes embroidered with hymns of Peri'el, and  elegant headdresses fashioned like cobra's hoods were all common.  In the modern era however, priests must fit in with the world  about them, and so the practice of wearing small, unobtrusive medallions and jewelry has become more popular.<br>

==The Rituals==
	Most commonly when one thinks of Dragon Priests, they  envision the ritual sacrifices to the World Dragon.  Incorrectly,  of course, the first image that comes to mind is the sacrifice of  one of the seven (now eleven) intelligent races.  This is not the  true ritual the Dragon Priests of Sh'kial originally devised.<br>
	The preparation for the most formal sacrifice actually  begins the day before the ritual is enacted.  A basin is filled  with undiluted vinegar, a number of pearls of varying size and  quantity based on location, and fresh petals from local flora  (see below).  The mixture is placed at the highest point of the  temple at dawn, and allowed to sit in the sun undisturbed until  nightfall.  As day wanes on the vinegar consumes the pearls,  which represent Grazhir, and causes the flower petals to wither  and darken to a deep brown -- nearly black -- coloration.<br>
	The petals used are as important to the symbolic gesture as  the pearls.  Roses are the widely accepted choice of flower, but  truly any red plant would do.  They are intended to represent the  life-fire that burned within Elanthia before the World Dragon consumed it, and the withering of the petals represents that fire  going out.  In some areas of the world, the local Dragon Priests  also add yellow petals (such as from cactus blossoms, honey-  suckle, or goldenrod) to represent Katamba being blackened by the  dragon's fire and further add to the analogy.<br>
	At dusk the remaining mixture of wilted blossoms and vinegar  is taken into the temple and decanted into a long, shallow pan  containing the stretched skin of a goat or sheep, which is then  placed above a bed of coals where it will rest for the night and  all of the following day while the remaining vinegar disperses.<br>
	At the next sundown the now dried skin is placed in a  brazier on the high altar of the World Dragon, where it is burned  until only ashes remain.  As the flames consume the goat flesh,  the Dragon Priests of the temple recite a prayer to invoke the  essence of the World Dragon, that it may feed on the skin as it  is consumed by flame.<br>
	There are many variations on rituals, including this one,  and prayers passed down from priest to priest.  I will provide  the prayer with which I was raised, written in the proper  Sharaanpon'u, for I feel it is the most fitting version that I  have yet been witness to.  <br>

:Kho, Shh'oiyvh-ur.
:Aensmo'ku'par gamant'oshu,
:Peh'grkhh'a saarpahamin.
:Zhratal, paha'hhyssk'et.
:Hat'hhs kho'lohogi.
:Uraan kapo'hhs Peri'el ku
:Aggahh'hhs em tu malk.
:S'sa ku'hhrkhi'hhsigen re'halen.

	The prayer is first intoned by the High Priest of the temple, and then echoed by the congregation.  After the first  completion of the chant, the next highest ranking priest begins  it again.  The prayer is repeated until the offering has fully  burned, with each new recitation being led by the priest directly  below the one previous.  Should the lowliest priest be reached,  then the next verse will begin again with the High Priest.  The  priest who is leading the chant when the skin is fully consumed  by flame is considered to be honored by the World Dragon; it was  their voice that inspired the dragon to accept the sacrifice.<br>
	There are a number of other similar sacrificial rituals  performed by Dragon Priests across Elanthia, but they all bear a  resemblance to this one.  In more traditional ceremonies, live-  stock is slain on the altar while a prayer is intoned, after which the carcass is doused with sacramental wine and set aflame.  Herbs and flowers are typically thrown onto the burning sacri-  fice to season the food and encourage the dragon to accept it.<br>
	In areas where Dragon worship is forbidden, priests have  taken to simply carving pelts with Eth'ral'khh prayers of a  nonspecific tone, and leaving them at altars of one of the S'Kra  Mur deities.  The hope is that the dragon will understand that  the sacrifice is for her, and the Immortals will not interfere as  they understand the necessity of the offering.<br>
	Apart from this the Dragon Priests have a long history of  other ceremonies, including weddings, funeral rites, and divining  rituals in which the priest attempts to gain insight from  listening to the thoughts of the dragon as it slumbers.<br>
	While these rituals are not exactly secrets, the priesthood  would prefer that they not be used too frequently.  To constantly  beg the attention of the World Dragon for trivial matters, such  as assuring safe passage through Urrem'tier's gates, is sure to  agitate the creature, and in the worst case could waken it.  It  is of course the intent of all true Dragon Priests to ensure long  slumber for the World Dragon, and an age of Golden Peace for  Elanthia.<br>

=Chapter 5 The False Priests=
	It is common knowledge in the corrupt world in which we live  that evil is often young, beautiful and seductive.  Such was  Dzree when she apprenticed under Sh'kial.  History also teaches  us however, that in the end when evil has lost, it is hideous and  wretched.  Such was Dzree as she died on her throne, defeated by  cowardice and fear.<br>
	The combination of cowardice and fear is perhaps the point  here.  Fear by itself can be a good thing -- it was fear that  inspired Sh'kial to unite the priests -- but when a coward fears  something they seek only to protect themselves, often times at  the expense of others.<br>
	The image of the World Dragon strikes fear into all who are  not too foolish to understand the scope of the creature.  But  where other priests saw the need to pacify the dragon for the  good of all, Dzree saw an opportunity to realize her sinister  desires.<br>
	Dzree believed that the World Dragon, being a creation of  the Ushnish the Serpent of Discord, was sent to Elanthia to  purify it of the imperfect races.  Its task was left incomplete when Phelim and Peri'el devised a way to incapacitate it, but the  Hag would see to it that the work was done after all.<br>
	At first the practice of mortal sacrifice was put forward as  the only true way to hold the dragon in slumber.  Dzree and other  priests who shared her twisted vision of a pure Elanthia quietly  sent orders throughout the land that the World Dragon was  dissatisfied with the sacrifices that had been made, and was  growing hungry.  Fearful, the priests of course accepted any  solution presented.<br>
	Dzree's heretics were all too happy to propose the sacrifice  of living non-S'Kra Mur, preaching firmly that it was the only  way to placate the great beast.  Dzree's mentor was at first  ignorant of this, but discovered the grim practices before long.  Sh'kial's fate would be the same as many others after him, a  death without ceremony or purpose, but he would survive as a  martyr to inspire the faithful S'Kra Mur to resist Dzree's lies.<br>
	After Dzree's forces swept the Dragon Priest nation,  cleansing all opposition that could not hide swiftly enough, she  was able to openly announce her intent.  It would be far too  difficult a task for the Dragon Priests to exterminate all impure  life on Elanthia.  Only an Immortal wields such power...or a creature very much like an Immortal.<br>
	This is the true purpose of the sacrifices made by the  Dragon Priests of Dzree.  Their aim is to awaken the World  Dragon, so that she may complete her original objective and  consume the mongrel races in fire.  The dragon would then move  on, having finished its task, and Elanthia could be the property  of the S'Kra Mur.<br>
	At best these beliefs are optimistic.  The truth is that the  World Dragon is the lifeblood of Elanthia, for the heat of the  Dragon's body warms our land and sea.  Were it to awaken it would  leave our world a barren and frozen wasteland, at best.  It is  important to not forget the sacrifice of Grazhir.  The pearl moon  was torn asunder in the throes of the Dragon's waking.  There is  no question that Elanthia would fare no better.  Chapter 6 The Dark Ritual       Like all Dragon Priests, I have a devotion to the collection  and preservation of knowledge.  Even so, it is with great reluc-  tance that I share the following information.<br>
	The hag Dzree grew infamous by way of her sacrifices,  ushering Humans and Elves along the Starry Road in attempts to  wake the World Dragon.  It is my hope that no one should ever  witness such an atrocity, but still I fear that without knowing  what evils the Fanatics are capable of, many will not move to  stop them.<br>
	And so here I will detail the dark ritual the Dragon Priests  of Dzree use to sacrifice sentient mortals.  May all who read my  words understand the horror that was the Dragon Priest Empire,  and know why you must never allow it to rise from the ashes of  its destruction.<br>
	Dzree's tradition, as one could expect, contains none of the  ceremony and reverence that the rite performed by Dragon Priests  of Sh'kial is known for.  Instead it seems to be a mockery of  proper worship, resembling more a pack of ravenous beasts devouring a corpse rather than an assembly of devout attendants making a humble offering.<br>
	Though here I will explain the ceremony upon which these  haphazard practices were based, today's Dragon Priests commonly  engage the ritual slaughter in nearly any location or circumstance.  Often it is even carried out on the battlefield at the hands of warrior priests who slay particularly challenging foes.<br>
	Capture is on the other hand an uncommon, but not entirely  unheard of practice.  Dzree's followers tend toward more immed-  iate forms of gratification, but in rare occurrences a sacrifice  is perhaps too difficult or valuable to waste on a death without  witnesses.  When such a prize is found, the Priest leading the  raid or excursion will often enough cage the creature and display  it as a trophy until it can be returned to the Empress for  approval.<br>
	Occasionally the skeletons of sacrificial bodies have been  found lacking feet, lower jaws, or with deep gouges to the eye  sockets of the skull.  Contrary to popular belief, this is not  actually part of any ritual; the practice in fact began with such  captive sacrifices as noted above.  Priests that were parts of  large, moving convoys began the tradition of removing certain  parts of their captives (viewed as unimportant from a ritualist's  point of view), to prevent them from escaping or calling for help  before their scheduled executions.  At some point it became a  common occurrence, but it is still not recognized formally as a  ritual act.<br>
	The sacrificial mortal is typically bled shortly before the execution.  Their blood can often be used for other rituals, but  the primary purpose is to weaken them, and to increase the flam-  mability of their body due to loss of moisture.  In cases of  captive sacrifices they are also sometimes fed a diet of sugary  and fatty foods for the same reason.<br>
	Once the victim has been bound to the altar, one priest is  charged with keeping it awake for the majority of the ritual,  which does not last an entirely long time.  Another is given the  honor of leading the ceremony, but in truth it will matter little  once the other priests in attendance join in.<br>
	The slo'lata, or blood knife, is brought forth and shown to  the assembly as a short monologue is recited.  The gesture has no  real significance other than to rile the crowd into a state of  pre-frenzy.  After the posturing is complete, the priest address-  es the sacrifice and snarls a final phrase, usually of particular  relevance to the captive, and plunges the blade into the victim's  abdomen.  This is the cue for the surrounding priests to charge  the altar and begin to disembowel the sacrificial mortal with  talons and fangs.  The priest still wielding the slo'lata must  work around the writhing mass, dismembering the body with ceremonial precision.<br>		Limbs are typically fought over and shredded  by the others.  The head is the last portion of the body removed, and once it has been done the priest holds it aloft to signify  that the slaying is complete, though the sacrifice has, of  course, been dead for some time.<br>
	In the rare cases when a S'Kra Mur is chosen to sacrifice,  the ritualist takes great care to remove the tail before their  victim dies.  More sadistic priests follow this with taunting and  irreverent gestures using the tail, even so much as to feed a  portion of it to the sacrifice as they struggle to take their last breaths.<br>
	The desiccated remains are collected and placed on the  altar once more, where they are burnt, sometimes with the aid of  oil or naphtha.  Mocking those in Sh'kial's rituals, a prayer is  intoned by the bloody jaws of the leading Dragon Priest as the  flame consumes the offering.  Though I am a chronicler of  knowledge, I refuse to commit those words to paper.  The chants  of Dzree should have died with her, and it pains me to know that  they live on even in my own memory. <br>

=Epilogue=
	I have played many roles in my lifetime, not all of them  noble.  I am hopeful however that in the role of a teacher I have  been successful, at least.  I fear that when my flesh has decayed  in the soil I will be forgotten, for I leave no legacy of blood  behind.  If however, you are able to read these words from Sh'kial as they have passed through me, and you see the wisdom of the ways, it may be that the role I have ultimately played has  been one of purpose, and memorable.<br>
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='''Translator's Note'''=
:Hark, Great Dragon.
:We gather in the House of Spirit,
:Humbly bringing a food offering.
:Take now, taste this fire.
:Be satisfied by your children.
:Hear the songs of Peri'el and
:Have golden dreams of peace.
:Be eased by the spirit of the found, forever.