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 Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:04 am
History
Long ago, in a fair and beautiful valley on the border of Northern and Mountain dragon territories, lived a peaceful group of dragons. The Valley of Primus was so large and the food so plentiful that there was no need to go anywhere else. But nothing can stay the same forever. The food began to run out and, at a great gathering of the residents of the valley, they tried to come up with a solution.
One proud, arrogant dragon named Megatron stood up and spoke of a bold new future for the Dragons of Primus. They could go out and conquer other packs, enslaving the dragons and hunting on their lands. After all, they were the largest pack in the area—their need was far greater than their puny neighbors’. Many dragons murmured in agreement; his argument made sense, and drastic times called for drastic measures.
A dragon of noble birth, Optimus Prime, swiftly stood up and spoke out to his people. He reminded them that just because they were larger didn’t mean they were better; that if there were a larger pack trying to conquer them, it would not make it right. He asked them to think of the good of the maximum number of packs.
Violence broke out after days of inner seething. Brothers turned on sisters, children on parents. So great was the rift between the opinions that the fighting was fierce and, in many cases, fatal. Optimus and Megatron urged their sides to fight. Thinking quickly, Optimus ordered the dragons who agreed with him to chase the dragons who agreed with Megatron out of the valley. He would not allow such “evil” dragons to remain. When they had been banished, he re-formed the pack and gave it a new name: the Maximals.
Megatron’s dragons scattered quickly in their flight; it was weeks before they could regroup. When they did, Megatron boldly laid out the plans for a new pack: the Decepticons. They would deceive their targets into believing that they were friendly or weak. Then, when they least expected it, they would turn on their victims. They agreed, and the pack was formed. They wandered across the land, wiping out other packs, staying in one place until they felt the need to go on. A warlike pack, one that could not be easily stopped.
Until that fateful day that Optimus heard news of Megatron’s whereabouts. He sent a patrol of his greatest Maximal warriors out to once more scatter the Decepticons. Weakened by a recent loss against the Omaticaya Clan, the Decepticons were scattered again after a valiant attempt to fight off their ancestral foes. Megatron was left with only one of his dragons: Starscream, his second-in-command, who was well known for his traitorous nature. Starscream showed his treachery when he led his leader into a dangerous area, then left him for the fury of a bunch of rabid squirrels.
Starscream is now rebuilding the pack, hoping to bring it, not to its former glory, but to the glory it should have had. He hopes to put more emphasis on civilian life, an aspect that Megatron neglected to the death of many a child and femme. Let us see how he does in the most challenging leadership position of any pack of dragons…
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:07 am
Ceremonies and Traditions
There are two main ceremonies among the Decepticons—other than that, all matters are either very private or so violent they don’t need ceremony.
Branding— When either a) a dragon comes of age or b) a dragon wishes to join the pack, all of the Decepticons gather together as the new members swear an oath of allegiance to the Commander. Then a brander steps forward and brands the Decepticon symbol on the pad of their left front paw. From that moment on, they are awarded a civilian rank (command ranks must be earned, of course).
Sludge: [Repeats the oath] I pledge my unquestioning loyalty to [Commander's name] and the Decepticon cause. I will devote my spark to achieving our goal of a Decepticon-controlled Primus Valley by any means necessary and annihilate all who have driven us from our rightful home. Surrender is not an option.
Commander: Welcome, brave Decepticons—your destiny awaits. Rise up and serve your new master!
Brander: [Sticks their claw into the left front pawpad of the sludgie and brands them]
Brands cannot be removed and can be tracked by branders.
Hatching—All eggs are laid in the same place. The mother (or more feminine father) and one of the Teachers lay the hatching spell on the eggs and the parent resumes active duty. From that moment on, the eggs are cared for by the Teachers. When they hatch, the parents are brought to the eggs to visit with their children in an informal ceremony.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:22 am
Life Among the Decepticons
In any new area, the Decepticons establish a “base”—usually a small valley outside any territory with a water source and a cave roomy enough for several clutches of eggs as well as most of the higher ranking members of the pack in case of bad weather. They will usually set up a base if there is a need to stop due to injury or a femme needing a place to lay her eggs. They will stay there until the rest of the pack can move. Any abandoned eggs that are found are usually adopted by the pack. (This was not the case during Megatron’s reign; he was more concerned with conquests and insisted they kept moving.)
Eggs are guarded by teachers—who have some combat training. Sparklings remain in the care of the teachers, who feed them and give them history lessons and science lessons (from what they themselves learn from the scientists). Younglings are trained in their future ranks by the holders of the ranks they wish to fulfill (Seekers are trained by Seekers, teachers by teachers, etc.). Newly hatched dragons are called sparklings; and teenagers are called younglings.
When another pack is found that the Commander sees fit to attack, a few dragons, usually Seekers, are sent in to scout out the other pack, pretending they need help or posing as friends. Or they might form a pact then break it violently, scattering the enemy pack and moving into their territory for a while before continuing on their way when the prey starts to run out. The Decepticons usually also try to recruit members of the other pack.
There are very few rules about romance—basically, the biggest rule is don’t mate with a member of another pack. Especially a Maximal! If a homosexual couple needs to visit a Guardian to have children, they must first attain permission from the Commander. They are then sent out with a soldier escort to protect them and ensure they and their children return safely.
Once a dragon joins the Decepticons, leaving is very difficult. One must either be banished—and thus be treated as an enemy of the rest of the pack—or very, very, very fast to escape the rest of the pack.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:29 am
Beliefs
Unlike most dragons, the Decepticons do have a religion. They believe that in the beginning, Primus created everything, including dragons. When he had created everything, he curled up around a patch of land—this land became the Primus Valley, and all the dragons who lived in it were the greatest of the dragons and the most loved by their benevolent creator. Some Decepticons also believe in a destroyer, the monster Unicron who will devour everything he comes across, but not all believe this.
It is believed that every dragon has inside of them a spark—a fire that Primus lit in them to give them life. The spark is both the heart and the soul, and contains everything about a dragon that is individual to them. If their spark is extinguished, they die.
“When a Spark goes online, there is great joy. When one is extinguished, the universe weeps.” --Rhinox, Beast Wars, Season 1, Episode 15: The Spark
It is believed that all sparks come from Primus’s spark, otherwise known as the Allspark, and that the Allspark is a deep pool in the heart of the tallest mountain surrounding the Primus Valley. When a dragon dies, their spark joins Primus’s, to be born anew someday. (Maximals also sometimes call the Allspark the Matrix.)
While all Decepticons believe in the Allspark, only a few of them—usually the same ones who believe in Unicron—believe in the Pit, where evil (or at least unfortunate) dragons go when they die. As there’s no real place they’ve found that’s anything like the tales of the Pit, most scientists have shrugged off the belief as pure myth. The Pit is sometimes said to be inside Unicron himself—perhaps what he has instead of a spark.
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