Bahamut

Icon of Bahamut

## History

#### Yedria Temples

Bahamut (pronounced bah-HAHM-ut, ba-HA-mut, or BA-ha-mut) was the dragon god of justice and god of law. As a deity of good dragons, metallic dragons, wisdom, and enlightened justice (justice tempered with mercy and punishment with forgiveness).

His natural form was that of a platinum dragon, said by many to be the only one of his kind. He was also the eternal rival of his sister Tiamat, queen of the chromatic dragons.

## Description

In his natural form, **Bahamut** was a massive dragon (approx 180 feet (55m) long) with a tail the same length as his body, with platinum scales tougher than any shield and blue eyes, the exact color 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 dressed in peasant robes

## Realm

Myths claimed that the great fortified castle that **Bahamut** called home was somewhere "behind the east wind" and many scholars believed **Bahamut**'s castle was located on the Elemental Plane of Air. However, "Bahamut's Palace" was actually located on the plane of Celestia. This castle, built entirely from **Bahamut**'s enormous treasure hoard, with walls made of mithral that reflected the eternal light of Celestia like a beacon on the horizon, and with windows composed of huge gemstones inlaid in silver and gold, was protected by **Bahamut**'s seven gold great wyrms.

**Bahamut** was able to move his castle between the first four layers of Celestia at will. For those friendly to the Platinum Dragon, the palace was an alternative method for traveling the first layers of the plane without using the common paths.

## Personality

**Bahamut** was stern and very disapproving of evil, always arguing with neutral deities about his crusade against it. He accepted no excuses for evil acts, and didn't tolerate even minor offenses 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.

By draconic standards, **Bahamut** was neither vain or desirous of treasure. He valued wisdom, knowledge, prophecies, and songs instead. 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 the 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.

## History

For ages, sages debated whether **Bahamut** actually was a deity or not. Many believed he was the archetype of good dragonkind, the avatar of another deity, or even a mortal dragon so powerful that other dragons revered him like a god. Whatever he was, sages knew for certain that he was powerful, was venerated by many good dragons as their king, and was even respected by evil ones

It wasn’t until the Codex of Heritage was found that many sages placed **Bahamut** in his rightful place in the Pantheon. While little is known of the significance of **Bahamut** and Tiamat being named at the start, it is said there is much to learn of this in the world.

## Relationships

**Bahamut**’s allies include most of the gods in the draconic pantheon, good dragons, metallic dragonborn, and other champions of justice such as Iomedae. **Bahamut** is close an ally of Torm, often willing to take up almost a position of a knight along side the god. **Bahamut**’s antithesis is Tiamat, as both of them represent opposing values, and this enmity was reflected in the attitude of each deity’s worshippers as well.

## Worshipers

The majority of **Bahamut**'s worshipers prior to the appointment of his position in the pantheon was solidified were mostly metallic dragons. While he was revered by all good dragons, gold, silver, and brass dragons held him in particularly high regard.

His worship grew in the decades following the 3rd Redimere, when he regained his divine status, as non-dragons began to take interest in his teachings. When he became an ally to Torm, after the The Herald's First Assault, many Tormites also paid homage to **Bahamut** as well, and it wasn't uncommon for both gods to lend their strength to worshipers of either deity at the same time.

Followers of **Bahamut** often took quests to oppose the schemes of Tiamat and to stop or destroy her followers. They were allies of worshipers of Torm, Moradin, Yondalla, and other lawful good deities.

### **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.

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.

### **Orders**

* Talons of Justice
* Platinum Cadre
* The Platinum Guard

### **Dragons**

* Children of Bahamut
* Bastions of Bahamut
* Greater Neutral Dragons

## Temples

Temples to **Bahamut** were extremely rare, as the Platinum Dragon didn't appreciate being honored by objects, taking into account deeds instead. 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 few temples that were made to honor him were beautiful and elegant buildings with simple furniture and no embellishment or adornment. Those temples had meeting rooms where followers could gather to plan their next campaign against Tiamat, and few smaller rooms where individuals could pray, meditate, or rest in privacy.

## Dogma

**Bahamut**'s dogma was based on justice, nobility, protection, and honor. He taught his followers to always uphold the highest ideals of honor 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 the Ptarian Code, a draconic code of honor created by the gold dragon Ptaris in the ancient past. Originally intended as a code of conduct for the lords who attended the King of Justice, the Ptarian Code eventually was adopted by many gold and silver dragons. The Ptarian Code was similar to the codes of chivalry adopted by knightly orders of humanity. It included paying homage to **Bahamut**, as well to the draconic deities Chronepsis and Tamara. 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 Fate (Chronepsis), to Her Mercy (Tamara), and to the Justicemaker (Bahamut).*
* *Honor and Protection to the Lesser Races.*
* *Honor and Correction to the Enemies of Justice and Good.*
* *Honor and Forbearance for oneself.*

## Rites

**Bahamut**'s worshipers and clergy had no formal rituals or ceremonies. Those who followed the Platinum Dragon believed in the philosophy of "praying through their deeds". The only activity that was considered as something like a ritual was the *Rite of Rebirth*, the magical process by which non-dragon humanoids transformed themselves into dragonborn. This is considered a secret ritual within the temple and guarded by only the highest priests.

This stub was created from the information at the Forgtten Realms Wiki, and reshaped for Phrelle.