Tiamat

Tiamat is the goddess of ambition, greed, and conquest. A being of overwhelming power who once ruled the world with fire and fang. Born from the scales of Behemoth, she is the counterpart and eternal rival of her brother Abzu. When she last descended upon the mortal world in glory, she forged the empire of Aurix and crowned herself empress of all dragonkind. Her descent marked the beginning of the Age of Dragons. A time of dominion, splendor, and fear. Though defeated and cast back into the Nine Hells by Abzu, her power remains vast, and her hunger for sovereignty endures.

Appearance

Tiamat is depicted as a colossal, five-headed dragon, each head bearing the color and fury of a chromatic lineage, red, blue, green, black, and white. Her body is draped in molten burgundy and crimson flame, her wings unfurling like torn banners of conquest. Her tail always adorned with a poisinous stinger. In mortal form, she appears as a regal, many-eyed empress cloaked in scaled robes, her presence suffused with menace and majesty. Her gaze is said to reduce the willful to ash and elevate the cunning to thrones of their own, before devouring them in turn.

Dogma

Tiamat teaches that power belongs to those bold enough to seize it. Her doctrine exalts domination, cunning, and the absolute right of the strong to rule over the weak. Mercy is a lie told by the timid. Loyalty is currency, not virtue. She offers no pretense of justice, only the promise of supremacy. To worship Tiamat is to believe that the world was made to be bent beneath one’s claw, and that fear is the most enduring form of love. Her worshipers are expected to pursue influence, wealth, and subjugation without apology. Failure is shameful. Victory is divine.

Worship

Tiamat is venerated by tyrants, warlords, dragons, and mortals who hunger for dominion. Her cults often operate in secret, plotting in shadows and gathering wealth in her name until the time is right to strike. In places where power reigns over justice, her influence spreads quickly through gold, flame, and terror. Her greatest temples lie in ruins beneath the old empire of Aurix, buried beneath sand and shame. The most devout offer treasure in exchange for her favor, casting it into abyssal pits said to echo into her lair in the Nine Hells. Her chosen relic, the Crown of Scales, is rumored to grant divine right to rule, but only to those strong enough to wear it without burning.   Tiamat’s holy day is The Emberborn Night, a shadowy celebration held in secret. On this night, followers perform rites of ambition, assassinations, blackmail, and power grabs. All in pursuit of her blessing. Clerics of Tiamat prayed for their spells at dusk, in hopes she will return the sun the following morning, as part of a ritual known as Tithing. The Tithing required a small tithe, typically several gold coins or a small gem, which were hidden in the cleric's cupped hands while praying, then buried.

History

Origins

The Fivefold Tyrant came into existence alongside her brother Abzu from the body of Behemoth, and together they created all of dragonkind. Tiamat created the chromatic dragons in her image. Horrified by the evil spawn his sister had created and fearful for the future of the world, he created his own metallic brood. Abzu then left the material plane with his children and went to the upper planes. Tiamat however, intrigued by the exploits of Ashmedai, left her children behind on the material plane and left for the Nine Hells.   Upon entering the Pit, Tiamat was greeted with much splendor. Asmodeus who had long admired Tiamat's power offered her a position as Archdevil of Avernus in place of Zariel. Convinced he would give her immeasurable power, Tiamat instantly agreed. She signed the contract proposed to her by her new master. Unbeknownst to her, a position as an archdevil binds one to the will of Ashmedai who not only controls the Nine Hells but also all devils in it. Infuriated by her sudden enslavement she lashed out towards Ashmedai who punished her by demoting her from her position as archdevil, trapping her in Hell under his command.  

The Rise of Tiamat

In the year 1AD Tiamat finally managed to break the shackles that bound her to Ashmedai's will and reentered the material plane. When she saw that the world was ruled by non-draconic races, she flew into an unfathomable rage. The cities and towns surrounding the area were the rift opened were completely destroyed and turned to ash. Tiamat spent the coming hundred years gathering her children, the dragons that had been separated by their inherent pride and hatred for one another. Together they waged a war on the great empires of the world until they were stopped by Abzu.   After being reaching a stalemate with her brother an accord was made. She was forced back into the Nine Hells where she currently resides in her layer, a giant cave on the edges of Avernus. There she rests on top of her enormous hoard always being pampered by her consorts, who enter her layer through a dimensional gate.

Relations

Tiamat’s hatred for Abzu is both personal and eternal. His wisdom is a chain. His mercy, an insult. Their war tore the sky asunder, and though their truce holds, her contempt festers. She despises Velkareth for his whispering manipulations, favoring brute force over secrets, though she tolerates his cults when they serve her ends. She finds kinship in Xel’Vakar’s hunger and respects Nyxarion’s obsession. Both understand what it means to want the world entire. But where they hoard power, Tiamat wields it. She does not hide her ambition. She is ambition, waiting in fire and silence for the final war. The god of the kobolds, Kukulmak, is her servant most trusted servant, for his fear makes him useful.   Having once been an archfiend living on Avernus, Tiamat is loosely allied with Belial and lend him many of her forces to fight in the Blood War. She resents Mammon for converting some evil dragons away from her. She developed an enmity with Ashmedai and the archdevil Belial after realizing that they had fooled her into servitude, a betrayal she will never forgive. She maintains several male consorts from each of the chromatic dragon races. She has children with each of them and they serve her as mortal agents.