@
Reiyn
I'd like Zinaida here to be the new priest of blood.
"In the darkness, we see the light of truth." (Not sure I like this quote)
As the Rotrock Refuge's head researcher, Zinaida had read about dozens of deities and their followers, and had spent hours upon hours studying and documenting them. At this point she was probably more devoted to the gods than many of their worshipers. However, sometimes she wondered if the primary objects of her research, and the clan's main purpose even existed. During times of hardship, many dragons of the clan, Zinaida included, would pray and send offerings to the deity (or deities), they worshiped. And yet, it rarely seemed to change anything. To the fae's knowledge, the gods had never responded, didn't even seem to actually help them, usually their problems were solved by the desperation of mortal dragons.
So, Zinaida slowly became more and more disillusioned with her work. Did any of it matter? Was she just discovering and recording ancient fairytales? Even if the stories were true, none of them appeared to have any bearing on the present. If the gods were real, they didn't care about their 'children', and Zinaida didn't know which possibility was worse. Still, she carried on with her research, trying not to think too much about how meaningless said research might have been.
Things continued on in this manner, until one day Pavla, one of the clan's founders and leaders approached her. "I notice you've been a little down lately, what's up with that?" The mirror said, tilting her head curiously.
Zinaida sighed heavily. Perhaps too heavily. "I've hit a bit of a snag in my research," she said with a shrug."It happens sometimes. That's all."
"Sounds like there's more to it than that." The older dragon replied
"So what if there is?" The fae said defensively.
"Calm down. I think I can help you. Have you heard of The Nightstalker?"
~~~
After some quick training by Pavla, the young dragon preformed her first sacrifice to The Nightstalker. The next day, she made a groundbreaking discovery. Though she at first believed it to be a fluke, all sacrifices to the elusive deity produced results, though not always the expected ones. Eventually, she ventured out to meet the cult itself, where she went through her initiation, receiving The Mark of Blood, a lily, broadsword, scythe, and battleaxe carved into her chest.
Returning to The Refuge proudly displaying her new faith, she returned to her work with renewed vigor, eager to find long forgotten civilizations and reveal their truths to the world. During the day, she is a normal member of the clan, the strange scars on her chest barely earning a second glance from most of her clanmates. Once darkness falls however, she is one with the shadows, preforming rituals alongside her brothers and sisters of the night.
