Dracule

''“In her form I beheld both life and death, fury and majesty, the growth and end of all living things. They say that the dragons were once keepers of the gates to her realm- now the doorways are breached unchecked- undead run rampant, vampirism a perversion of her form, lichdom a cold mockery of her domain, and she seeks to restore her realm at any cost.”''

Dracule is an ancient god linked to the origins of life and death. She guards the gateways that lead to the underworld as well as the ethereal realm and the planes between life and death where souls await ordered resurrection or rebirth. She mothered the first dragons and her brood were to help her guard the many gateways scattered across the material, ethereal, and higher planes which act as passageways between the realms. They were long lived, but not immortal in their own right- she could not give the power to deny the order which she was created to protect. The Red Scaled who would later become the god of death and war, The Black Scaled the god of Lichdom and Magic, both disappointments in her own eyes- failures of corruption and malice.

She sought allies among mortals to help her guard the ways and some remained faithful building temples and cathedrals. Others watched the gates of the wild, carving sigils and wards to help guide the lost souls to her realm so that they may finally find the underworld. Yet others abused her patronage stealing her blood and drinking it- forever cursed for their sins they became the first vampires. She found others to bless with the power of the moon meant to be guardians to hunt down the thieves of her blood- the first lycanthropes.

Tirelessly she has worked and fought to maintain her duty- striking back at those which would desecrate the precious life that they are afforded with the profane sickness of undeath. The great calamity struck yet another blow to her rule- she’s tired- yet continuously resilient. She would fight to maintain the path to the ending of the universe itself.

Her followers share her same sense of duty. Loyalty and stalwart stubbornness are adored in her servants and she does what she can to return the loyalty in kind. Many festivals and rituals exist that pay respects towards her and her realm. Marriages, births, funerals, coming of age ceremonies, and many other important events that share symbolism for the passage of life and the growth and death of mortals fall under her watchful eyes.

Yet she has unwanted worship too. The vampires revere her for their creation, dragoncults revere her children and her as symbols of power and destruction, others make decadent offerings in the hopes that she’ll shepherd them to an afterlife that they don’t deserve. It is unknown whether these mixed worshipers have had an effect on her being, whether she’s become more harsh, more fervent, or even corrupted.

All that is known for certain is that these enemies of hers that worship the Scaled Mother continue to draw upon divine power from somewhere. With so many enemies and so much weight upon her shoulders it's difficult to say what the future holds for her and her realm.