The Story of Bahamut,
Tiamat,
and the Creation of Dragonkind

When the world was first born, the Gods knew of nothing but themselves,
They thought of their kind as ageless and supreme.
It is said,
the first Ones created a pair of reptilian, giant, lizards as pets to test their abilities in creating life.
One dragon was made of the finest metals of the world, forged in molten lava, toxic gases and fused together with pure thought and sound.
Bahamut.
The other was made of the rainbow and the primal explosive elemental energies of the world.
It was named Tiamat.

When the other Gods heard of this, there was great rivalry to create new beings for themselves, ones that could be more powerful than the first dragons.
Alas, the Gods created mortals and they were far from perfect.
These creatures had the ability to develop and evolve, something the Gods did not concern themselves with, for there was no need to worry about dying.
The fatal flaw soon turned into disaster.
The pets of the Gods became powerful as they aged in the centuries, soon their power rivaled the gods themselves and they challenged their creators' power.
The Gods at first tried to undo what they had done, but it was too late.
The Dragons reproduced.
The Mother Tiamat and the Father Bahamut created many offspring of many colors and types, eventually the Dragons claimed independence from the Gods dominion.
The First dragons chose the The Isle of Io as their domain.
The Island was pure and untouched by the lesser mortals. It was rich in minerals and gems, such wealth could make any man the richest in the world, but treasure was a source of power for dragons.
For a while, Bahamut and Tiamat lived a peaceful coexistence. Their offspring were already mature, but it became apparent that metallic, gem, and chromatic dragons did not have such harmony.

Gold Dragons grew into wise, judicious and benevolent wyrms.
Silver Dragons enjoy all creatures and many are helpful to lesser mortals.
Bronze Dragons were inquisitive types.
Copper Dragons grew to be pranksters.
Brass Dragons were the social spawn and loved to debate philosophical issues.
Amethyst Dragons were reknowned as regal and aloof.
Sapphire Dragons loved to be territorial and militaristic.
Emerald Dragons became great loremasters and collectors of information.
Topaz Dragons slipped into isolationism and xenophobia.
Crystal Dragons evolved into fun loving and mischievous creatures.
Red Dragons became vain and ruthless.
Blue Dragons developed to be diabolical and cunning.
Green Dragons grew to be downright cruel bullies.
Black Dragons became abusive, wreckless and deceptive.
White Dragons reared into wild and unpredictable dragons.

Obviously Bahamut and Tiamat held different views on what to do about their children.

Bahamut felt all could co-exist peacefully if they remained in a rigid, caste like system. All would play respective roles in dragon society and the race as a whole will grow.
An example would be;
the Gold Dragons would be responsible for making the laws,
the Red Dragons would enforce the laws,
the Amethyst Dragons would serve as judges, etc.

Tiamat felt that Dragons should not be restricted into such a system. She felt that the strongest should prevail - for the most powerful survive and the weak be culled. Then and only then, could the race truly survive and be strong.

It didn't take long before the dragons split into factions.
Good Dragons sided by Bahamut 's philosophy while Tiamat retained the influence of the Evil dragons.

In the beginning Tiamat gave birth to all the drgaons types. As Bahamut and her split, She destroyed any dragons that were not chromatic. Luckily Bahamut had forseen this and gave the orginal hatchlings the abilities to mate and spawn offspring themselves.
Epic struggles of the two dragons fighting to protect their young are told by the most ancient of sages and bards.
Because of their powerful followers, Bahamut and Tiamat soon became immortals themselves. Now they have left the world to their descendants, only to return if they are called or if the threat is great enough.



Tiamat's ethos:

Might makes right. Power prevails.
Success is Success, no matter any repercussions or harm to others.


Tiamat's Spheres of Influenece:

Major: All, Divination, Elemental, Combat, Healing, Astral
Minor: Protection, Charm, Plant, Guardian

Tiamat's Attacks:

Most dragons have a bite/claw/claw/spell or breath attack.
Tiamat has a five-bite/two claw/five-spell attack, or She has five breath attacks.
And, yes, these can be done in one turn of a battle, if She so deems.
She can target multiple opponents in one turn, each head targetting One "victim" or area.




References:

Many stories, legends and sites were used in the making of this page.
I would like to credit a few here:

Info on Tiamat, the Story of the Creation, and Tia's clerics.
Info on Bahamut and his allies, clerics, forms, etc.
Info on the various dragons mentioned came from my collection of books and from Windseeker's wonderful site.
Its where I found most of the pics I edited for use here.
Some info and pictures came from here
My entire collection of AD & D books, particulary the Monstrous Manual and Legends & Lore
(( They actually belong to Another in my family ))
I have read books on Dragons my entire life, and role-played with quite a few, and against some too. Some of the information that may appear on this page comes from that knowledge too. I may not be able to remember the Titles, the Adventure Names, or The Actual Gamers, but I do remember the delight in meeting, imagining and gaming with them all in my life.

Also, credit goes to Platinum Black Dragon, Dark Wolf, Bahamut,
and many O/others
( Jere, Dres, Vor, Thad, to hint at four )
for their input and encouragement over this page.