The Cult of the Crimson Scale

A secretive, immortal brotherhood who drink the blood of dragons and are remade into their thralls.

🕯 Origins

When the Sovereign's sealed the Saint Estes, a handful of fanatics betrayed humanity by drinking the spilled ichor of Veythar and Nyxara.
Instead of dying, they mutated — their blood became molten, their skin pale and veined with shimmering scales, their eyes glowing like dragonfire.
These “first brood” swore loyalty to the Sovereigns, serving as prophets and assassins in the shadows while the dragons slumbered.

Transformation: One drop of true dragon ichor turns a human into a “Scaled One.” The process is agony, their body convulsing as veins harden into glowing fissures.
Powers:
- Enhanced strength & speed, far beyond mortals.
- The ability to grow scaled ridges, horns, or claw-like talons temporarily.
- A fiery hunger: they must drink human blood to stabilize their mutation, or else they risk combusting from the ichor inside them.
- When feeding, victims’ blood briefly turns to vapor as if boiling.
Weaknesses:
- Sunlight weakens them (not burns them) — their dragon blood thrums best at night.
- They are compelled by dragon influence. A Sovereign’s whispered command is irresistible.
- Weapons blessed in the name of Saint Estes or forged from wizard relics cut through their scales like paper.

The Embered Fathers (Arch-Brood): Ancient dragon-blood vampires who drank ichor directly from Sovereigns. They serve as immortal bishops of the cult, each tied to one dragon.
Scaled Priests: Mid-rank cult leaders who receive diluted blood, enough to mutate partially but not live forever. They lead rituals, oversee blood-rites, and command lesser thralls.
The Brood (Vampiric Thralls): Humans turned through diluted blood. Their transformations vary wildly — some sprout tails, wings, or glowing reptilian eyes. They serve as assassins, spies, and enforcers.
Supplicants: Human dragon-worshippers who have not yet received blood but devote themselves in hope of initiation. They are expendable cannon fodder.

They believe humans were only ever “feed stock” and dragons are gods made flesh.
Blood Baptism: Initiation involves drinking from a chalice of dragon-infused blood while reciting the “Scale Oath.”
Hunger Rites: Every solstice, they abduct innocents for mass feeding, their screams echoing like hymns.
The Offering of Scales: Cultists flay their own flesh to tattoo scale patterns, marking loyalty. Some are so devout they graft real scales from dragon remains onto their skin.

Unlike “classic vampires,” these are not independent monsters—they are extensions of dragon will.
They can walk among humans but are always serving a Sovereign’s agenda: sowing chaos, hunting wizard relics, preparing cities for dragon return.
Some dream of overthrowing dragons, becoming the “true heirs of the scaled gods.” This rebellion brews among younger vampires tired of servitude.

Saint Estes Boy’s Home Threat: They know the ring exists beneath the Home. They send thralls disguised as social workers, donors, or even adopters to scope it out.
Black Market Control: They dominate parts of New Haven’s underworld, running blood dens where addicts trade their life for coin.
Dragon Prophets: In the Lakes District, whispers of glowing-eyed priests promising “ascension” lure in desperate runaways and orphans.