Wyvern's Fall
Courage is the power to stand up for what is right in a sea of wrong, even if it means sacrificing everything.
Summary
Before the first founding of the Council of Fangs but after dragon kind began living in clans, we fought for what we needed with each other. A clan of Plains Drake, peaceful natured, did not subscribe to this way of life and shared the pure water streams with other clans. But this was not enough for a clan of Wyvern who lived in the mountains near them. Ruk-taal, leader of this wyvern clan, rallied their numbers against these peaceful plains folk. In the dead of night one summer day they took flight to attack with the intention of leaving no survivors.
While many Wyvern did not like this plan, they dare not stand against Ruk-taal, for he was ruthless and a veteran of many battles. Tiamat, a white wyvern, inexperienced and young, refused to stand idly by. But what could she do? She knew she could not defeat Ruk-taal in combat, for he was far larger and far stronger than she. If strength could not win, then cunning must. The day before they were to take flight, Tiamat reached out to her kin, brothers and sisters unsettled by this plan and schemed together against Ruk-taal. By sunset, she volunteered her band to kill the young and the mothers, for the mothers would be the fiercest to fight back, proving grounds for herself and the young band. Ruk-taal encouraged this malicious tactic and approved of her plan. "Let the unproven bathe in the blood of cornered animals!" he cried.
The night came and the Wyvern took wing. They descended upon the unsuspecting plains drake and began their slaughter. Tiamat and her band spread out in the chaos. The smallest of her band, fledglings swift approaching their adulthood, took wing and scattered to the winds to seek help. The rest of the band set to their task of gathering the gravid and young they could to corral them to the nesting grounds where mothers already defended eggs.
Here, the band betrayed their clan, led by the courage of the white wyvern. They formed a circle around the gathered plains drake to defend them to the last. Ruk-taal took notice of the band's formation and realized what they intended to do. He roared out in anger and ordered the circle to be broken and the drakes inside slaughtered. Two small wyvern began to circle over head, ululating defiance and sorrow to the world.The wyvern charged. The band held fast under Tiamat's unwavering courage and roars of defiance.
The charging wyvern were thrown back by an unseen force. Ruk-taal himself stepped forward and lunged, only to be driven back as the others had by a wall of heat and wind. He cried his rage into the night and beat on the wall with tail and claw. Two more wyvern joined the circle above, crying defiance and fury. Ruk-taal continued to lash out at the barrier, ordering more and more wyvern to join the fight. By dawn, six wyvern circled above and the band bellow began to falter with exhaustion. Tiamat, however, held the line alone.
The sun rose to the angry cries of dragons of all kinds. Two more clans of wyvern descended upon the frey, joined by river serpents and salamander. From the ground in front of the circle, just behind the barrier, Mountain drake emerged and renewed the line, creating an impenetrable wall of scale and muscle. Ruk-taal's clan suffered heavy losses before finally retreating with his death.
With their retreat, Tiamat gave one final joyous cry of victory before she collapsed. The echoing cries of the gathered dragon kind fell silent, interrupted by mournful from above cries above. They looked up to see the six ever circling wyvern with confusion, for none recognized them, and were the most peculiar coloration never seen in a wyvern before. The red, gold, blue, and pale wyvern remained circling in their cries. The other two, one black with pure white eyes and one white with pure black eyes, descended slowly, ever circling with their mourning song.
The band joined the chorus, followed by the mothers, the young, and the rest of the gathered dragons as realization dawned upon them. Tiamat had given everything to defend the gathered drakes. The chorus dropped off as Tiamat's body began to glow. She became solid light before their eyes before shattering into a million motes of light that drifted up through the column of circling dragons. When it reached the descending pair, some scattered out and drifted down among the gathered dragons, one mote touching each of the living and dead who had not been among the fallen wyvern clan.
The dead turned to light and shattered as Tiamat did, joining the column. The living experienced something so deep that it moved them to tears. The warmth of a perfect summer day, the swelling of pride within their chests, indomitable courage overcoming fear that shook to the bone, and love so deep that they wept. The wounded were healed by this light, those that were thought to be too far gone to save were made whole, and the exhaustion was lifted from the shoulders of those who had fought.
When the motes of light reached the four circling dragons above, it spread far and wide to all dragons of the world, save the cursed clan. When the last mote of light was sent on it's way, the four circling above vanished in front of their eyes, as if they had never been. The white and black landed where Tiamat had lain and lowered their heads in reverence. Light gathered and warped between them, forming a pale gray-blue and transparent wyvern between them. Tiamat's soul looked around the glade with tears in her eyes before she bowed her head before taking flight with the two unknown wyvern and disappeared into mist.
You see my children, these six mysterious wyvern were the gods, come to lend their aid to the courage of Tiamat. They gave her band the first magic our kind had seen. While the others heeded the voices they heard when they were told to stop, Tiamat held fast. She told the gods she would gladly sacrifice her life to protect the others. When she died on the field from her exhaustion, they used her body to grant magic to the others who had stood with her, and the dead to spread the blessings to all dragon kind. That year, no offspring were lost. No eggs were bad, and because of the bravery and cunning of Tiamat, the Council was born.
Historical Basis
This myth is born through an actual historical event, though participation of the gods is greatly exaggerated. While the myth claims that all six gods participated, only Bahamut and Tiamat interfered by opening the aethyr sense to the band. Furthermore, Tiamat's barrier gave out and she was wounded by Ruk-taal. She survived long enough to see the battle to it's end before passing.
Spread
This is common knowledge among dragon kind, their most precious story. It is passed down to every generation verbally.
Date of First Recording
28/4/4513
Date of Setting
27/4/4513 - 28/4/4513
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