Tiamat, in her dragon form
Tiamat is the goddess of greed and envy. Known as the Chromatic Dragon, Tiamat was born when the dragon god Io was split in half, the other god created in this process being her brother Bahamut. She is the mother of the evil chromatic dragons. Her followers, both dragon and non-dragon, are encouraged to conquer as much land and hoard as much wealth as they can. Few dragons keep shrines to her in their lairs for fear she will demand part of their treasure hoard.
Appearance[]
The Chromatic Dragon can appear as a beautiful human female wearing a red dress and jewelry, but her true form is a terrifying wrym with five heads, each the head of one of the five chromatic dragons (black, red, blue, green and white). Each of these heads can use the breath weapon that is associated with that type of dragon. Her body is a blend of each of the five different chromatic dragon scale colors, and has a long tail with a poisonous stinger.
Following[]
Tiamat embodies the jealousy and greed of the chromatic dragons, and she is primarily concerned with spreading evil and propagating the chromatic dragons as a species. She holds grudges and never forgives slights. She demands reverence and tribute from her subjects. Blue and green dragons obey her most readily, and kobolds are also known to worship her.
Tiamat's priests are known as Wyrmkeepers or Wyrmlairds, and are usually evil. Her church has a very rigid hierarchy, and her priests are often preoccupied with undermining other faiths and hoarding vast amounts of wealth. Her temples are often built in the lairs of deceased dragons and are filled with piles of gold and silver to be offered to her, as well as traps to deter the unfaithful.
Forgotten Realms[]
In the Forgotten Realms setting, Tiamat is a lesser god and a servant of Bane. Her realm is located in the Nine Hells, and she tried to grow more powerful in order to obtain a realm of her own; however, after she succeeded, it was destroyed. She now resides in the realm of Banehold. [FRCG:62,80]
Trivia[]
- Tiamat was named after the dragonlike Babylonian goddess of saltwater.