Tiamat's Fate

Tiamat Exinoris, the lovely dragon who has been staying next to my house, was talking with me today after my latest visit to see Nidhogg III. She was unhappy about the idea of going up to the mountains to stay with Nidhogg and wanted me to see if we could bring the young fellow closer to us here. The young ice dragon had been working his wings gently as I instructed and he was ready to fly again. I found his youthful brass and enthusiasm refreshing.

Tiamat was afraid of her own memories and the pain they evoked when thinking of her brother, Nidhogg III’s namesake. She was uncertain that being around the young Nidhogg would be something she could bear, but I persuaded her that helping this Nidhogg would help her to move through her grief and pain over her brother.

Tiamat then brightened, telling me she had good news. After Styajit joined us, she said that Ryuu was coming and that he had decided that he no longer wanted to fight these Dragon Wars. Then Ryuu appeared.

But Ryuu’s eyes were bright yellow. I found that disturbing and asked him if Garrick could be influencing him. He denied it saying that his eyes had always been yellow. He kept blinking his bright yellow eyes at us. They reminded me of the yellow eyes of the panthers in the mines that Garrick liked to manifest himself as often times.

Suddenly Fro Daddy showed up and though he had been banished, he walked right onto my island home. Fro Daddy began tossing around tak and killed both Stayjit and I. Worried about Tiamat, we both raced back to my home after reviving.

Halfway there I heard Tiamat shout, “He tricked me, its not Ryuu! It’s Garrick!” Dismayed that Garrick and Fro Daddy might do something dreadful to Tiamat, I ran faster.

I arrived at my island home moments later to discover a hideous scene. Ryuu had indeed turned into Garrick and he and Fro Daddy together had overcome Tiamat. Garrick tore her still beating heart from her chest and tucked it into his robes, saying something about how he now had the 7th dragon heart. Ashanrai was there then and urged me to use my bow to shoot Garrick which I was already doing. Laughing cruelly, Garrick shoved her body into the sea. He then proceeded to cackle maniacally and though I shot arrow after arrow into him while yelling at him to get away from Tiamat, he ignored me and killed Fro Daddy, snickering about how easy it was to fool such stupid mortals. Then Stayjit found Garrick was weak enough for him to kill him.

Together we hauled Tiamat’s body from the water. Ashanrai insisted I save Tiamat just like I did with Nidhogg and set out a lot of healing potions. I had Stayjit get towels and bedding from our homes and began to do what I could. I insisted that we needed divine intervention since I did not have the power to grow back organs that were completely missing. Between Ashanrai and Stayjit, they kept pouring health potions down Tiamat’s throat and I began the job of struggling to control bleeding using pressure, cloths and health potions. I begged Torrix and Ollopa for mercy since Tiamat had been so cruelly used by Garrick.

Ashanrai began praying while talking to his dying mother. I raced desperately to pour as many healing potions as possible into the wound and then Ashanrai used a methkarie crystal too, dropping it in. I watched it melt and hoped it would do Tiamat some good.

A light formed above Tiamat’s body in the shape of Torrix. He said that her time to serve on Korth was not yet over. I witnessed a small undersized heart form in her wound and attach itself correctly to the large major arteries, and thanking Torrix, I worked feverishly to pour more health potions in and around it. The bleeding slowed substantially. I stitched the wound shut, while Tiamat worked to take laborious breaths, her new heart beating very fast due to its smaller size. I washed the new stitches with more health potions. After wiping down her body, I stepped back to observe my handiwork and Tiamat’s overall condition.

I began explaining that she stood a good chance of surviving if she rested and was able to have a good supply of health potions. Her heart was beating very fast because it was too small and would have to grow. Stayjit had a growth serum and we gave that to her, hoping it would help. Her breathing began to ease and I warned them that she was not out of the woods yet and that her healing had only begun.

I was about to suggest hay piles under her head and neck to Ashanrai to make her more comfortable when Garrick showed up again. He muttered about having to do the job right and proceeded to stab Tiamat in the back repeatedly with a drow dagger. I could not shoot him with my bow; Garrick was already dead. I shoved him away but then he disappeared looking smug.

I immediately tried working healing potions into the stab wounds. But Tiamat was far too weakened from the first trauma and even I though I tried valiantly to press on her chest to get her heart beating and breathing again, she died quickly. I wept bitter tears leaning up against her body. Calming somewhat, I washed up and changed my gory clothing in a numb sort of stupor, my mind unwilling to accept what it had witnessed with the change of immediate scenery. Coming back out of my house, I struggled again to cope with the horrific scene and sat down abruptly on part of my house base platform and began to sob while touching Tiamat’s snout. Even in death, I thought her face beautiful, her unfocused eyes blank.

At some point Dr. Duke and Hitomi had shown up, I was not sure when. Dr. Duke assured us that Tiamat would be with her sister Scylla, her brother Nidhogg, her father Torrix and him in heaven. Ashanrai wept, and crawling up under Tiamat’s wing, he began banishing Fro Daddy and Garrick hysterically in his rage, grief and pain.

I apologized to them all for failing to save her and I wondered aloud how I would wake each morning and no longer have the chance to greet her. I cried how it was so unfair that Garrick should be allowed to steal the miracle that Torrix had given her. Torrix answered that Ranul had brought Garrick back to attack Tiamat again and that I could not blame him for the actions of brother.

Eventually Ashanrai and I calmed enough to deal with thoughts of what to do with her body. He transported it to the catacombs deep underground and we all stood sentry as the Prolixian fool known as Cernunos kept showing up to attack us and kill us repeatedly. Eventually he stopped showing up. I think Ashanrai had to ban him.

I arrived as Ryuu showed up and thought it was Ryuu of course. Impersonator Ryuu announced he would agree to the elves neutrality, but now we know it wasnt him. I didn't see Fro Daddy myself, but I know Sheila and I as well as Tiamat were takked. The first time Garrick appeared, I too shot arrows at him, then charged with my Spear of Torrix to finish him. All Sheila says is true, but I wonder if Garrick can disguise himself as a dragon can he not easily disguise himself as Fro Daddy? Is Fro being framed by the evil Garrick? Is Fro the unwitting dupe in his schemes? As the elves turn their attention to him and his wolf cub Cernunos, is it not possible Garrick himself is using them both to further his own agenda? Fro Daddy cannot use enough tak to hit a dragon, yet Tiamat was definetly struck. From who ? We should take a closer look at this Garrick fellow and not let revenge guide us toward wrong decisions. Garrick is not invincible.