Dragons

Dragons are an ancient race of very powerful and magical creatures. There are several different types, most notably the chromatic dragons (generally evil-aligned, with some exceptions, and associated with the dragon goddess Tiamat) and metallic dragons (generally good-aligned, with some exceptions, and associated with the dragon god Bahamut). Few species that still exist can claim longer lineage than the dragons, who existed in another realm before arriving in the world we now know. They are the mortal enemies of Giants.

## History

Dragons have existed on the continent for millenia, having been led to this world by the god of all dragons, Garyx, several tens of thousands of years ago. Upon their arrival, they found themselves within the Giant empire known as Ostoria; they, however, refused to bow to Giant rule, and the two ancient races soon went to war in a conflict that lasted for over a thousand years. There are differing accounts of its conclusion, although the giants believe it was a result of a stalemate in a game of *wah-ree* between Garyx and the Giant god Annam the All-Father, while dwarven accounts say that the dragons needed to declare peace to conduct a civil war in which the metallic dragons fought the chromatic dragons. A third account stated that the war ended as a result of a curse that struck the evil dragon goddess Tiamat after she slew an unknown giant deity, dooming her to imprisonment in Avernus (the first layer of the Nine Hells), whereupon she was only able to leave if summoned by a powerful ritual.

In recent years, a large and powerful group of dragon worshippers known collectively as the Cult of the Dragon attempted to revive Tiamat in the mortal realm once more, and allow the chromatic dragons the chance to take over the world in a new era of dragonkind. This plot, according to cult infiltrator Petra, involved a ritual requiring the sacrifice of Tiamat's most powerful Children to complete. This plan was foiled by a combination of adventurers, faction leaders, and cult infiltrators, including one of Malazan the Red's most trusted followers.

## Types of Dragons

### Chromatic Dragons

The chromatic dragons are generally aligned with evil, and include dragons of the red, blue, green, white and black varieties, most commonly. Currently, the party have encountered a mysterious, enormous ancient blue dragon, who attacked the party while atop Zephyros' tower, as well as a group of cultists opposed to Giants who follow Malazan, a powerful red dragon. The party also learned that Anzin Underbough met his apparent demise to the Monarch of Black Magic, revealed to be a powerful black dragon and Child of Tiamat.

### Metallic Dragons

The metallic dragons are generally aligned with good and include gold, silver, bronze, brass, and copper dragons. So far, the party's interactions with metallic dragons have been few, consisting only of the bronze dragon Felgolos, an ally of the Lord's Alliance and King Bruenor Battlehammer, who came to Zephyros' tower with Torzak Cragshield at the behest of Lady Laeral Silverhand.

## The Children of Tiamat

The Children of Tiamat are a group of ancient chromatic dragons- one of each type- sired by Tiamat at the height of her godly power. They were to be incredibly powerful beings whose might and innate magic exceeded that of even the most ancient dragons, but their mere existence is largely considered only speculation. The failed ritual attempted by the Cult of the Dragon was going to rely on the sacrifice of some of the most powerful chromatic dragons- rumoured by some to be the Children of Tiamat themselves. Bahamut himself confirmed to Impression the Children of Tiamat's might was not only that of ancient dragons, but that of demigods.

The five Children of Tiamat, as confirmed by Bahamut, are:

* Khaxaarax, The Monarch of Black Magic, First of Tiamat's Brood
* Iymrith, The Doom of the Desert, Second of Tiamat's Brood
* Malazan, The Flame That Razes the Land, Third of Tiamat's Brood
* Jar'kath, The One Who Wakes the Winter, Fourth of Tiamat's Brood
* Giliensharr, The Plague That Sweeps the Nation, Fifth of Tiamat's Brood

## Trivia

* Silix is a draconic bloodline sorcerer, tracing his power to that of silver dragons
	+ It is later revealed that Silix's bloodline traces back to Tiamat herself, through The One Who Wakes The Winter
* Kobo the kobold seems to believe that Impression and Scrap also have some kind of draconic energy to them, despite not being draconic in nature nor having had any known additional experiences with dragons
* Bean's home village was burned to the ground by The Flame That Razes the Land, Malazan the Red, after her mother Ashai attempted to hide away her second child to avoid having to sacrifice her to stopped the deadly droughts plaguing their woods
	+ Lord Delphize claims that, as a result of this broken oath and blood payment left unpaid, Bean is living on borrowed time
	+ Ashai's first child, Petrichor- born out of wedlock- was sacrificed years earlier
* When navigating the labyrinth inside Blimey's mind, the Heroes of Happenstance discovered a *Gilienshard*, a fragment of the essence of The Plague That Sweeps the Nation, buried deep within his psyche