Bahamut

Bahamut was the lawful good god of justice, law and peace within the pantheon of the Ogdoad. Often called the first of the eight, Bahamut is said to be the one who rallied the forces of the living during Harmonic Convergence, his legendary ‘Thunder Call’ the battle cry that bolstered the hearts of all those who heard it and turned the tide of the war.

He is widely regarding as the head of the Ogdoad and also noted for his eternal rivalry with his sister and twin Tiamat.

He carries many titles, including 'Thunder Caller', 'Justice Maker' and 'The Loyal Fury'.

Description
In his natural form, Bahamut was a massive dragon approximately 180 feet (55 meters) long, with a tail the same length as his body, with platinum scales tougher than any shield (said by some to be virtually indestructible) that glowed with a faint blue sheen, and blue eyes, the exact colour of which was hard to specify and may have depended on Bahamut's mood.

When he wished to wander the mortal world, he usually took the appearance of an old human or demi-human dressed in peasant robes sometimes accompanied by seven canaries. Some sages believed Bahamut used this humanoid guise to not frighten non-dragon beings. They also believed that while Bahamut was fond of his old man guise, he had other guises as well. Other recorded apperances included that of a prince with a carriage drawn by seven horses, an urchin accompanied by seven friends, and a beggar followed by seven dogs.

Personality
Bahamut was stern and very disapproving of evil, ever vigilant of the machinations of his sister and his crusade against her. He accepted no excuses for evil acts, and didn't tolerate even minor offences by evil creatures.

In spite of his stance, he was also considered one of the most compassionate beings in the multiverse. He had limitless empathy for the downtrodden, the dispossessed, and the helpless. He usually preferred to polymorph those who had offended him instead of killing them, although it was also said that Bahamut loathed to sully himself with the blood of evil creatures.

By draconic standards, Bahamut was neither vain nor desirous of treasure. He valued wisdom, knowledge, prophecies, and songs instead. He used the great wealth he had amassed over the ages to help those in need, while using the magic items he had gathered to further his goals. However, he also pursued viciously (usually sending his champions and followers) those who tried to steal the hoard from his palace as, after all, he was a god of justice.

Bahamut also liked to prove the strength and worthiness of his followers by battling against them in his dragon form, halting the combat when his followers were injured or when they overcame him. However, he was prone to get carried away by his zeal, and had powerful healers on hand in case he had gravely injured one of his followers in those battles.

While his court comprised only gold dragons, Bahamut enjoyed the company of all good dragons, delighting in their differences and varied personalities.

Powers
Bahamut disdained combat, and he preferred to talk with his opponents and convince them to surrender using his legendary diplomatic skills. Bahamut spoke many languages, including Draconic, Celestial, Auran, and Common, although he had the ability to speak to any intelligent creature thanks to his ever-present, receptive form of telepathy.

Despite his aversion to battle, he was easily capable of defending himself. Along with all the standard powers and godly senses of a deity of his rank, as well as the natural abilities of an ancient dragon,

History

Seemingly present since the dawn of time, Bahamut features in the history of all cultures prominently. His inherent goodness seemingly a marker for a peoples morality, he is seen being called upon by all that seek justice since records began.

Yet if Bahamut is the light of history, his twin sister is the darkness and frequents just as prominently. It is therefore inevitable that countless examples of the two locked in conflict appear frequently. In the First Age, when gods were numerous and roamed the material plane, Tiamat struck out at her brother in a great battle. In her desperation at her seemingly unconquerable foe, she unleashed the full ferocity of her malevolence towards him. Bahamut turned the attack aside and the subsequent stream of energy destroyed a moon high above.

His sister weakned, Bahamut set to work righting her many wrongs yet in time even her darkness was overshadowed. When Harmonic Convergence came and swept over the world, gods and mortal alike fell in quick succession. Bahamut, arguably the strongest defender was overwhelmed by this foe from beyond the stars and slowly even he began to lost ground. When all hope seemed lost he uttered his famous Thunder Call;

When the black breath blows

And deaths shadow grows

And all lights pass

Come brother

Come sister

Life to the dying

In mortal hands lying!

This act rallied the remaining forces of gods and mortals and with one last charge the forces of the calamity were beaten back. After the devastation, the remaining deities, now numbering only eight agreed to form the pantheon of the Ogdoad and though equal, many see the dragon king as their leader.

Church of Bahamut
The majority of Bahamut's worshipers were all good dragons, gold, silver, and brass dragons held him in particularly high regard.

His worship grew in the years following Harmonic Convergence, as non-dragons began to take interest in his teachings.

Followers of Bahamut often took quests to oppose the schemes of Tiamat and to stop or destroy her followers.

Clergy
Bahamut accepted only clerics of good alignments. Whether they were dragons, dragonborn, half-dragons, or other beings attracted to his philosophy, clerics of the Platinum Dragon always had to strive to take constant but subtle actions on behalf of good while trying to do as little harm in the process as possible.

Dragon clerics were usually nurtured from birth, trained by a senior dragon cleric, usually a parent or close friend of their parents, although it was not unusual that a dragon of any age heard the call of Bahamut and sought out clerical training. As with any dragon deity, dragons who wanted to become clerics of Bahamut had to first acquire an appropriate holy symbol. This holy symbol became the most prized item of their hoards after that, as it was a symbol of their status in dragon society and of the cleric's devotion to Bahamut, and to lose it was considered a blasphemy. If a dragon cleric didn't try to recover a stolen or lost holy symbol, he or she would lose their investiture. Usually a dragon had to acquire his or her holy symbol on their own, but Bahamut also bestowed a holy symbol to a dragon he wanted to be his cleric.

The holy symbol used by dragon clerics of Bahamut was a small dragon claw (about the size of a human hand) usually made of platinum or some other metal plated with platinum, although younger (and relatively poorer) dragons made theirs of their own metal type. They carried their holy symbol at all times, usually around their necks on a stout chain. One of the main goals of a dragon cleric was to acquire their most preferred type of holy symbol; in the case of Bahamut's worshipers, this was one made of platinum. In some instances, Bahamut blessed some of his clerics for services rendered by upgrading their holy symbol to one made of platinum.

Bahamut was known to work with his clerics more often than other dragon deities, and he asked his clerics to oppose the greatest weaknesses of dragonkind, which in Bahamut's point of view were the tendency of good dragons to perform questionable acts because of greed or cowardice, the chance to be subdued, and the existence of evil dragons.

Clerics of Bahamut were expected to perform three key functions alongside any other tasks he asked them to do: to act as role models for other good dragons, to function as emissaries of Bahamut in a given area, and to spread Bahamut's will to other dragons in that area while collecting sacrifices from Bahamut's worshipers. Those sacrifices were usually a small part of their dragon hoards, and dragon clerics were allowed to take a small share of this sacrifice as well, making this third function the favourite of many dragon clerics. Dragon clerics were also expected to sacrifice a part of their treasure to Bahamut once every year.

If a dragon cleric transgressed Bahamut's dogma, committed questionable acts, or was subdued, either voluntarily or by force, he or she would lose favour with him and would need to atone by sacrificing part of their treasure or by performing special tasks, or they would lose part of their clerical powers. Repeated transgressions would earn them the loss of all their clerical abilities, a merciful punishment compared to how other dragon gods, such as Tiamat, punished their failed clerics.

Non-draconic clerics of Bahamut typically learned his teachings at the foot of a wyrm, usually a gold or silver dragon in humanoid form. Teacher and student often traveled to see the effects of injustice and cruelty firsthand. Bahamut's wanderings gave rise to many bard tales about an unassuming old man with canaries who helped people on the roads that were well known among his faithful, and many of his human and demi-human priests undertook pilgrimages in the company of trained canaries, seeking to emulate their god.

Orders
The Talons of Justice was an order of dragon paladins dedicated to Bahamut that followed the Ptarian Code. No one knew exactly how many Talons there were, but the group probably numbered in the scores. Group members were spread throughout Aletrias.

The Platinum Cadre was an order of dragonborn knights from descended from those that had been led astray by Cargunth - The Lady of the Red in the Fourth Age, who believed that not all dragons were evil, and that dragonborn were the ancient children of Bahamut. They worked actively to change the prejudices about dragons, and although they were feared by humans, they were also acknowledged as some of the best warriors Aletrias had to offer, even if grudgingly. They maintained an active presence in the region of the Shield Mountains but the exact location of their home was a mystery to all but a few.

Temples
Temples to Bahamut were widespread, though understood to be refuge more than place of worship. Bahamut put value on good deeds, not prayer. Many gold, silver, and brass dragons maintained small shrines to Bahamut in their lairs, usually nothing more than Bahamut's holy symbol engraved on a wall.

The Church of Bahamut exists in every corner of the continent and places of worship for this much-respected god can be found in most places ranging from simple wooden huts to the majestic Hall of Wings in the wealthy human capital of the Hexan Confederacy, Vinay Del Hexan.

Dogma
Bahamut's dogma was based on justice, nobility, protection, and honour. He taught his followers to always uphold the highest ideals of honour and justice; to be constantly vigilant against evil and to oppose it from all fronts; and to protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order. Bahamut advocated a "greater justice" that included fighting against evil and toppling oppressive regimes. He also liked to reward strength of purpose and character in his followers.

His dragon adepts followed a draconic code of honour called the P'tan created in the devastating wake of Harmonic Convergence. Originally intended as a code of conduct for the lords who attended the King of Justice, the code eventually was adopted by many gold and silver dragons. The P'tan Code was similar to the codes of chivalry adopted by knightly orders of humanity. It included paying homage to Bahamut. The major precepts were:


 * Justice and Good above all.
 * Honor and Fealty to the King.
 * Honor and Respect to Righteous Innocence.
 * Honor and Duty to the Balance
 * Honor and Protection to the Lesser Races.
 * Honor and Correction to the Enemies of Justice and Good.
 * Honor and Forbearance for oneself.