Carmine Thorn

The Carmine Thorn are the dracon followers of the ancient red dragon Mordurus. By itself, it is not unusual for a dragon to amass some following of dracons who lack the instincutal drive for independence of their ancestors who rebelled against their creators in the Draconic and Mithril Eras, but the Carmine Thorn is by far the largest such group dedicated to an individual dragon, revering their master to a near-fanatical extent.

Membership

Initiation

The Carmine Thorn exploits the instinctual desire of dracons to be more like their creators, promising prospective members a taste of draconic power. However, unlike many dragon cults of the past, this is not a false claim. Part of the initiation involves the prospective member having their scales on their arms, legs, and tail painted with a concoction whose main ingredient is the blood of a dragon belonging to Mordurus' brood. This first dose has the effect of recoloring the initiate's hair and eyes to bright red and orange, respectively, in a process that takes between three days to a week to complete. After that, the initiate is considered a full member of the Thorn.

Advancing the ranks

The paint eventually fades, but is reapplied periodically as a member advances the ranks.

After the second application of the concoction, the scales that were painted grow larger and thicker, and resemble those of a dragon more. The third application deforms the subject's nails into claws. The fourth augments the subject's draconic breath weapon, and changes one of its their elemental alignments to Fire. The fifth sees the pigment of the concoction finally taking permanent hold on the subject's scales, taking on a salmon pink color, and further enlarges and changes the shape of the scales, giving their limbs and tail a slightly jagged appearance.

The final dose is administered via ingestion, which before that point would have been toxic to the subject, which has built up tolerance to the concoction by absorbing it in much smaller quantities through their scales. The scales that had previously been painted will take on a sharp, bright red color, and fully grow into the spiny scales characteristic of red dragons. At this point, a member can expect to have many of the same traits as a typical authentic dragon-blooded dracon.

Uniform

Initiates are given dark red hooded robes, which they wear until they start showing signs of mutation, such as the red scaling. Then, they have their robes replaced with a set of an elbow-length hooded cloak and a knee-length skirt, displaying their altered extremities with pride. A fully transformed Thorn discards their uniform entirely, as their body, perfectly molded by Mordurus, is considered sign enough of their allegiance to him.

Leadership

The Thorn is led by Candra, a full-blooded dragon sired by Mordurus who usually takes the shape of a white dracon.