TiaMa’at

TiaMa’at; known as the Dark Lady, the Dark Sorceress, the Queen of Chaos, and the Nemesis of the Gods, is the Untheric goddess of Chaos, Rebellion, Dark Magic, and Dragons.

Considered a Demi God at best by most sages of all things divine, TiaMa’at has long been absent from Unther, although whispers about her activities and defiance against the rest of the Untheric pantheon never ceased completely.

Recently rumours have begun to resurface that TiaMa’at has returned to Unther to finish her fight against the God King.

Mythology

The origins of TiaMa’at are claimed by her clergy to begin when the Godship of Unther arrived and delivered the god-kings to Faerun. It is believed that the Godship brought a variety of god-kings and monsters to Faerun, but it is unclear whether TiaMa’at was one of them.

Legends held by those with Turami ancestry in eastern Chondath and Mulhorand speak of a woman named Tlaa (this translates into sorceress in Chondathan) who lay with dragons and mastered their power. The dark skin of the Turami and her evil (from the viewpoint of the god-kings of Unther) could be the origin of the name TiaMa’at (meaning dark or evil one) and her monikar The Dark Sorceress.

Regardless of her origins, TiaMa’at has fought against the god-kings of Unther since the inception of that nation. Her early efforts involved rallying the native Turami people against the invading Untheri and their god-kings. When those efforts failed and the Turami were eradicated or enslaved in Unther and Akanu by the god-kings and their armies, TiaMa’at started fomenting insurrection among their subjects.

History

The history of TiaMa’at begins in -2087 DR when the Mulan people and their god-kings arrive on the southern shore of the Alamber Sea and begin slaughtering the native Turami that were already living there. The battles between Mulan and Turami were one sided except for a single incident somewhere north of the present site of Unthalass where the god-king Amar-Du’uk was nearly slain and his elite Masate were burned to ashes by a fiery conflagration of immense size.

After the loss of her family, her people, and her homeland, TiaMa’at wandered the outskirts of the Mulan lands looking for anything that would help her destroy the invaders. It took her almost a century of wandering the ruined remnants of the Imaskari Empire before she found her desire.

With powerful magic in hand TiaMa’at managed to garner an alliance with a family of blue dragons from the Raurin Desert (sealed by mating with the Suzerain she helped to install). These were the first of her dragon allies that she used against the growing Empires of Unther, Akanu, and even Mulhorand (all Mulan are guilty in her eyes, its just that some Mulan are more guilty than others and deserve to be destroyed first), the dragons wreaked havoc on the fledgling empires and prompted the Mulan to purge their lands of all draconic presence.

With her dragon allies defeated, TiaMa’at changed tactics and started to work against the Mulan from within their own Empires. She used her magic to awe the weak and oppressed into following her (having much success among the slaves) and founded a number of cults spread throughout Unther and Akanu. Slowly she bided her time waiting for the right moment to strike.

That moment came in -1076 DR when a  large portal opened on the plateau of what is now Thay and disgorged hundreds of thousands of orcs into Mulhorand’s most northern province. Unther and Akanu mobilised their armies to aid the kindred Empire of Mulhorand (and hopefully recover their own territories lost to the orcs) and sailed their forces across the Alamber Sea while Mulhorand’s armies marched north.

TiaMa’at and her cultists were well placed among the slave regiments who broke ranks at inopportune moments and spread poison and disease to slow the advance of Unther and Akanu’s armies and helped the orcs win some key battles and destroy a few of the more minor god-kings. TiaMa’ats greatest achievement however was in the deciding battle of the Orcgate Wars campaign when the forces of the Mulan cornered the majority of orc forces between escarpments. As the god-kings engaged the orcs and their summoned Avatars in battle TiaMa’at finally struck against the Mulan from behind, her surprise attack divided the Mulan and allowed the orcs to cut off Re (the ruler of Mulhorand) from his allies while Gruumsh delivered the killing blow. Meanwhile TiaMa’at pounced on Amar-Du’uk and Gil-Geamesq (who were already fighting Avatars of the orc gods) while in dragon form and succeeded in seriously wounding Gil-Geamesq, and incinerating Amar-Du’uk as he drove his spear into her heart.

The Fane of TiaMa’at: The Fane of TiaMa’at is an ancient fortress hidden inside the Wyrmbones, constructed by TiaMa’at into the very rock of the mountains using her magical skill. The entrance to the Fane is via a sheltered valley and a hidden trail that leads up into the mountains where three huge dragon skulls extend on long necks out of an entrance into the mountain (one green to the left, one blue to the right, and one red hovering over).
Inside, the passageways and chambers are lined with dragon bones (usually ribs) from hundreds of dragons of enormous size that litter the Wyrmbones and give the mountain range it’s name.
The Fane was abandoned by TiaMa’at over a millennia past in order to preserve its secrecy in the face of increased activity in the region from Unther and the Shoon Imperium. She never returned to the Fane and it is now rumoured to be inhabited by goblinoids of all kinds.

Thankfully TiaMa’at had prepared for the eventuality of her death. Her lifeforce was splintered among three chosen vessels that were compelled to seek the others out and consume them. After decades of cat and mouse games the three dragons were finally one and TiaMa’at was reborn as a three headed dragon. In her absence, TiaMa’at’s cult was eradicated in Unther and Akanu, and TiaMa’at retreated to her last and greatest stronghold; The Fane of TiaMa’at in the Shaar. From here she directed her remaining cultists to re-establish cells in Akanu which was undergoing a period of turmoil as Unther and Akanu merged to become just Unther, with Gil-Geamesq as the God-King of both Empire (E-Nlil having seemingly abandoned his people and empire). This met with some success as Gil-Geamesq all but abandoned Akanu and its people and then taxed them into poverty as he descended slowly into tyranny and madness.

Her guerrilla war met with mixed successes over the coming millennia as an alliance with a fledgling realm of barbarian cultists from the south weakened Unther with another failed invasion of that land. She was forced to abandon her stronghold in the Shaar when the Shoon Imperium and the Untheric Empire went to war over territories in the Landrise (which ultimately both empires failed to secure and resulted in the decline and loss of all territories in the Shaar).

TiaMa’at returned to Akanu and discovered an ancient hidden fortress filled with magic which she altered with her own magic to better suit herself and the dragons she was breeding. Her cult cells in Akanu (now rapidly becoming Chessenta) were destroyed in a conflict with a potential ally; the Cult of the Dragon. Finally in 1018 DR, TiaMa’at (in her dragon form) was driven mad by the King Killer Star (her human mind was unable to cope with the baleful influence, making her permanently mad).

It took centuries before TiaMa’at recovered her mind and it was thanks to a resurgence in her following in Unther. The cult cell in Niz’Jaree (Firetrees) summoned TiaMa’at in her human form and snapped her out of dragon form and the madness that held her.

TiaMa’at has since spent her time hiding, rebuilding her power bases, and waiting for the time to strike. That time is rapidly approaching.

Allies

As a Demi-God, TiaMa’at exists on the Material Plane and has amassed many allies over the millennia. After spending centuries waging a war against Unther and Akanu that she eventually lost, TiaMa’at changed tactics to gathering allies from amongst the slaves of Unther so as to battle the god-kings from within it’s own Empire.

The Cult of the Dark Lady: The first incarnation of TiaMa’at’s cult was known as the Cult of the Dark Lady, it spread throughout Unther and Akanu and was little more than a spy network which TiaMa’at used to gather information, steal precious items and wealth, and sabotage public works. TiaMa’at ultimately used the Cult of the Dark Lady to sabotage the Mulan armies during the Orcgate Wars. She was successful in causing the death of several god-kings and contributing to the deaths of several more, but TiaMa’at herself was slain and as a reprisal the god-kings of Unther and Akanu slew every single slave in their Empire, eradicating the cult in a month.

The Cult of the Nemesis: The second incarnation of TiaMa’at’s cult was known as the Cult of the Nemesis. It operated out of her secret redoubt in the Wyrmbones Mountains and was dedicated to destroying the god-kings by any means possible. The actions of TiaMa’at and her agents were a contributing factor in increasing the paranoia of Gil-Geamesq the now God-King of Unther, and resulted in a number of god-kings being exiled. Ultimately the Cult of the Nemesis was ended after being driven from the Wyrmbones, and then destroyed in Akanu after TiaMa’at was driven made and the cult entered into a disastrous war with the Cult of the Dragon.

The Cult of the Queen of Chaos: The final incarnation of TiaMa’at’s cult is known as the Cult of the Queen of Chaos and is dedicated to overthrowing Gil-Geamesq and destroying him and his faithful. It is based in Niz’Jaree, with multiple cells across Unther in every major settlement.

Equipment

Temmesk (Dragon’s Skin): This robe is made of dragon scales of many colours. The larger scales cover the back and front portions while tiny dragon scales are used to make up the more mobile areas of the robe such as the arms, sides, and hood. The effect is a shimmering robe that makes TiaMa’at resemble a reptilian humanoid.

This robe grants the wearer a +4 Item bonus to Damage Resistance against Acid, Cold, Electricty, and Fire damage.

Enhancement Level: +4

Slot: Body

Magical Properties: Energy Resistance (x4) Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire; Uses (Permanent); Activation (Passive); Target (Wielder): Cost 328,000 gp