Marshall Gatten
First Post
Keeping them out of sight but showing the consequences of their presence increases the mystique.
They are truly powerful, and truly rare. I imagine anyplace with a gold dragon living nearby will have cults dedicated to worshiping it as though it was a deity. The priests of these cults won't have the powers of clerics, of course, since the object of their worship doesn't have the ability to grant divine powers. But that will just make their worshipers more ardent. They see other clerics as selfish, and just in it for the power. These priests truly dedicate themselves without expectation of anything in return. Very pious.
Being nearly the very embodiment of Lawful Goodness, a gold dragon will of course try to disillusion these cultists, but such efforts will just be seen as lessons in humility from their beneficent god.
Seeing the good works of dedicated lawful good cultists of the dragon without seeing the dragon will demonstrate that this creature is truly a force in the world. Its influence affects entire regions even though it has perhaps been decades (or even generations) since anybody ever even saw the dragon himself.
If the PCs are ever to meet the dragon in person, it should be a very slow build where they get used to the idea that nobody, including themselves, ever meets the dragon.
Once they know that the dragon is an unseen force for good, and they are confident that it is a theme-creating set dressing background item never to be confronted and parleyed with, THEN it will be a powerful unveiling.
But that's just me.
They are truly powerful, and truly rare. I imagine anyplace with a gold dragon living nearby will have cults dedicated to worshiping it as though it was a deity. The priests of these cults won't have the powers of clerics, of course, since the object of their worship doesn't have the ability to grant divine powers. But that will just make their worshipers more ardent. They see other clerics as selfish, and just in it for the power. These priests truly dedicate themselves without expectation of anything in return. Very pious.
Being nearly the very embodiment of Lawful Goodness, a gold dragon will of course try to disillusion these cultists, but such efforts will just be seen as lessons in humility from their beneficent god.
Seeing the good works of dedicated lawful good cultists of the dragon without seeing the dragon will demonstrate that this creature is truly a force in the world. Its influence affects entire regions even though it has perhaps been decades (or even generations) since anybody ever even saw the dragon himself.
If the PCs are ever to meet the dragon in person, it should be a very slow build where they get used to the idea that nobody, including themselves, ever meets the dragon.
Once they know that the dragon is an unseen force for good, and they are confident that it is a theme-creating set dressing background item never to be confronted and parleyed with, THEN it will be a powerful unveiling.
But that's just me.
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