The Department of Adventuring

-Chapter 1- ‘There are many versions of the creation myth, but this is how the Dragons tell it. Before the Universe, there was nothing: no light or darkness. Things very rarely stay empty for long. From the nothingness came two primordial beings whose names and visages have been lost to even the oldest of Gods. They were beings of contrast, of Light and Darkness, Order and Chaos, Good and Evil, Equals and Opposites. The moment they spawned into being, each fought to destroy the other, but they were at a stalemate for they were equal in power. To break this stalemate,both brought forth soldiers to fight the other. The being of Light created angels; beautiful, powerful, ordered. The being of Darkness created demons; fierce, elegant, chaotic. The war between the two beings and their armies was so fierce, it created the Astral Sea. The endless realm of blazing stars and beautiful cosmos. After uncounted eons of battle, the two contrasting beings disappeared, shattered into pieces. Their armies continued to fight, not recalling why they still battled, not knowing that their creators had been destroyed.’ ‘From the pieces of Order and Chaos came two Gods; Bahamut and Tiamat—the first of the dragons. Bahamut was unmatched in wisdom, patience, mercy, and compassion. Tiamat was unmatched in intelligence, honor, fury, and cunning. When they first came into being, they were disturbed by the endless fighting of the angels and the demons. Tiamat’s anger boiled over and she let loose a torrent of fire from her maw that caused the battle to stop. Angels and demons recoiled from the shock and terror of the sudden, blazing inferno. Before Tiamat could tear the angels and demons apart, Bahamut quelled her temper and then spoke to the angels and demons, asking them why they fought. When they did not know the answer, Bahamut asked them why they continued fighting as the bloodshed was nonsensical and destructive. And so the angels and demons lay their weapons down, humbled by the wisdom of the God, and the ones who were not swayed required just one furious look from the Goddess to be cowed. Tiamat was also humbled by Bahamut’s words; she decided that she would follow Bahamut wherever he went. Bahamut also saw something in Tiamat, he saw that when words failed then action was called. Understanding the wisdom of action, he decided that he would stay with her as well. The Gods told the masterless angels and demons that their destinies were now up to them, only they could choose which paths to follow. Many angels chose to follow the orderly and peaceful Bahamut, while many of the demons chose to follow the wild and chaotic Tiamat.’ ‘The pair of Gods chose to explore the Astral Sea, searching for a lair to call home. When they could not find a place to reside, they decided to make one. Forging an endless cavern from the stars, they built a home. The pair listened to the singing of the angels and watched the dancing of the demons. After a time, the pair heard a loud crashing clatter over their songs. Unbeknownst to them, the angels and demons had brought into being many worlds with their song and dance. But that was not the noise they heard, the source was other Gods who were fighting over the worlds and the worship of potential creatures in those worlds. Some of the Gods were noble and honorable, others were bloodthirsty and cruel, some cared little for whatever they claimed was theirs and only for the endless games they could play with them, and yet others deeply loved whatever they decided that they had dominion over. At first, Bahamut told Tiamat to ignore the endless din of shields and swords clashing against each other while they investigated the worlds they had inadvertently created. Each world the pair visited was teeming with life, but not intelligence. Bahamut and Tiamat decided to remedy that. They forged creatures resembling themselves, with large talons, armored scales, lashing tails, elegant horns, colorful feathers, and glistening teeth. Bahamut decided to give some of these creations wings to ride on the wind while Tiamat gave some of these new creatures the ability to swim in the endless waters. Bahamut and Tiamat gave many of their children the ability of breath weapons and a natural aptitude for magic so they could pursue the knowledge of the universe just as they did. After creating dragons on many worlds, they decided to take new titles fitting for this endeavor. They were now Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat.’ ‘During this time, Gods came and vanished into the firmament while others took root and grew in power. Eventually, the pair could no longer take the endless noise of the petty battles of the Gods. Could these new Gods not see there were better things to do? Could they not see the beauty of the worlds they fought for? Father Bahamut let out a roar that rang out through the cosmos and rattled the stars themselves, causing the Gods to stop fighting. He admonished the petty Gods for their destructive behavior. Some of the Gods were not impressed by Father Bahamut and others were furious at this intrusion, resenting being scolded like children. Mother Tiamat joined her partner, lashing her tail and spitting fire at the despondent Gods, swatting at them as though they were obnoxious flies. The angry Gods were cowed by the sudden fury of Mother Tiamat while Father Bahamut’s words calmed the more agreeable ones. After stopping the battles, Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat returned to their lair and curled up with their angels and demons. Occasionally, the Gods would resume their petty wars, then Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat would intervene when the battles became too destructive or the clash of weapons became too obnoxious. Beyond that, Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat saw no reason to intervene. If these petulant children in Gods’ clothing wanted to spend eternity fighting, they could do so until the last star in the sky was snuffed out. Many of the angels and demons who did not join the pair in their lair had chosen what their destinies were. Many of the angels chose to follow Gods of Order while many of the demons chose to follow Gods of Chaos. They took up the symbols of these Gods and became Marked, serving their new leaders loyally. Many angels and demons choose to live unaligned to a God, these were the Unmarked. These angels and demons spend their time in the Material world among the mortals, just living their lives however they choose.’ ‘From then, the children of Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat, the Dragons, would emulate their parents' behavior and actions. Rarely would they involve themselves in the affairs of non-dragons, unless those affairs came to their door. When words of mercy would fail, the Dragons would unleash their fury. Only a fool would challenge a Dragon, and there have been many who deluded themselves into thinking they deserved to have the world bow to them. A Dragon would easily show them they were mistaken. Thankfully, like Father Bahamut and Mother Tiamat, Dragons have no desire to conquer. They have better things to do than waste their time on such endeavors.’ -Excerpt from the Book of Alduin of Mu