| The Sixth Dragon | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Book |
The Sixth Dragon is a book about Tiamat rise to power.
Location[]
- Tiamaranta
- Accord Square
Document[]
The Sixth Dragon
- The Lost History of Tiamat's Ascension -
Time draws a veil over all memories, and what is history but the memories of many? Pride leads us to believe our histories unfallible[sic], but wisdom recognizes the need to question even our dearest beliefs.
I beg your patience and pray, dear reader, that you will not turn your mind away from the truth simply because it has never before been told.
As the first blades and spells of the Millenium War crossed, the final two Dragon Lords Ascended together.
They completed a council whose power threatened the very balance of Atreia. Their names were Fregion, Meslamtaeda, Ereshkigal, Beritra, and Apsu.
Authority was divided between the five Lords, and Fregion declared their power perfect. The five-armed star would tolerate no further additions.The declaration was not welcomed by a young soldier of Apsu's Protectorate.
This was Tiamat, as yet only an Ascended Drakan but already showing signs of his ambition and jealousy.
Historical sources obtained from the enemy say nothing of Tiamat's ultimate goals, or mention if his bloodlust and greed were inborn.
Nor is there record of the secret discord Tiamat almost certainly sowed within the ranks, given what would shortly come to pass.
All that is recorded is Tiamat's rapid and brilliant ascent through Balaur ranks, his many remarkable victories and achievements as he gained Apsu's trust, and his eventual appointment as Apsu's personal bodyguard.The records of what happened next are scarce, probably intentionally so, and much of the players' motivations must be pieced together through conjecture.
There are indications that Apsu was an extremely proud creature, unwilling to compromise or entertain advice.
Perhaps it was this pride that sowed the fatal frustration among his generals.
What is clear, however, is that as Tiamat's power grew, he built a loyal and secret following.
When his allies were many and strong enough, Tiamat turned against the Dragon Lord Apsu.
Whether it was circumstance, luck, or Tiamat's remarkable strength that prevailed, we cannot say. But when the dust settled, Tiamat stood upon Apsu's corpse and declared himself the Dragon Lord's successor.The real succession, of course, was not that simple.
Tiamat's actions enraged the remaining Dragon Lords.
He was driven from the known realms of Atreia, allowed to survive in exile only because the attention of the Dragon Lords was so wholly occupied by the Millenium War.
In exile, Tiamat grew strong, his armies vast.
And as the Empyrean Lords gained advantage in the War, the four Dragon Lords tasted fear for the first time.The Dragon Lords almost certainly intended to kill Tiamat when they had triumphed in the Millenium War.
But they had not expected the fighting to be so fierce, nor to continue for so long.
And so it came to pass that the War saved Tiamat from the wrath of the Dragon Lords and secured his place in Atreia.
Tiamat's return to the battlefield was at first barely tolerated. There are many reports of skirmishes between Tiamat's forces and the Balaur armies.
But as Tiamat proved his might and tactical prowess, a begruding[sic] alliance formed.
Still, in the early centuries of the Millenium War, it seemed Tiamat would never earn the recognition or title that he so jealously coveted.Five hundred years Before Cataclysm, long into the gruelling[sic] war that Atreia did not yet know was only half fought, something unexpected happened.
Fregion declared Tiamat's legitimacy.
This declaration nearly rent the Dragon Lords apart. Ereshkigal's love of order and reason told him that if one Balaur's treason won him the title of Lord, then countless others would follow the same path in hope of similar success.
Beritra, Apsu's bereaved lover, turned his rage to the battlefield, leaving scars upon history in the shape of the fiercest battles of the Millenium War.
But Fregion's absolute rule and the Empyrean Armies' constant threat forced their alliegance[sic]. It was not a happy union, but it held under Fregion's eye.Fregion's recognition of Tiamat remains unexplained, one of Atreia's great mysteries.
But it is clear that Tiamat's position among the Dragon Lords is tenuous still. His ambitious violence, for example, can be read as a constant and ostentatious reaffirmation of his right to rule.
Though it cannot be proved, he is likely still shunned by Ereshkigal and Meslamtaeda, never forgiving creatures. And the withdrawl[sic] of Beritra from Atreia's histories indicates that the resentment may go very deep, indeed.
The rediscovery of this information after a millenia of oblivion has been my life's work, dedicated to Aion's bright Lady of Time.
I pray that those whose patience I have tried will see the use in this history, and carry it with them to the battlefield and strategy table.