I do not have much time left... the wards will only hold for so long, and Tiamat has already slain them... the only thing that I can do is to record their sacrifices so that others in the future can, at the very least, have a chance at defeating Tiamat... the Khialotc shall not be forgotten in the shadows of history...
The Ten Betrayers
Khialotc stands for "the Betrayers" in Draconic. They consist of five chromatic twins, one pair for each color, who were originally raised to lead Tiamat's forces. However, they soon came to realize the true nature of the Dragon Queen, and were able to resist her draconic influence to fight against her. Surprising? It was for me, until I was told of how many secrets, how many coverups, how many sacrifices they made to ensure that their betrayal would not be discovered until the time was right. I shall document as much as I can, for it is only with their lives that I am still alive.
The Crimson Furies (Pinnerth and Nyminta)
Pinnerth and Nyminta... crimson red monsters who knew how to effectively destroy an enemy with pure firepower. Pinnerth knew the strength of swift strikes, and Nyminta loved to crush morale by ripping apart enemy champions. Any skeletons that were still intact would be collected and piled up as a grim warning of the fate of anyone who decided to challenge them. I first saw them as they razed a town to the ground, before learning that Tiamat's forces had already completely taken over it, and that the Cult was already prepared to spread their influence.
The Lightning Terrors (Urkonos and Shiummecta)
Urkonos and Shiummecta... blink, and you might miss them. Not that it'd matter, as they'd already be gone, and you'd be dead. Urkonos was more calm and collected than his sister Shiummecta, but her raw instincts were second to none, making her an unpredictable threat. They were also an avid collector of arcane tomes, which allowed them to understand and counter any strategies that were used against them. I met the two in the stormy peaks of Isonhound after tracking them down over 5 years.
The Poisoned Fangs (Mavron and Nethia)
A single drop of venom from Mavron and Nethia's fangs could cripple an entire town and leave nothing alive to regrow. Mavron delighted in causing a slow and painful death while Nethia was more merciful with her quick kills. Both dragons loved to collect trinkets from their kills and displayed them in their lair. I was able to contact them by posing as a poison merchant looking for new exotic goods.
The Blackened Claws (Mezzkoai and Cyduola)
Mezzkoai and Cyduola are... were... two dragons that you do not want to cross, lest you find yourself and everything you love destroyed. Anyone foolish enough to challenge the twins would be forced to watch as Mezzkoai devoured any family or friends in front of them while Cyduola flattened everything in her path before finishing off with a corrosive salting of the earth. I first met them when I infiltrated a cult to recover an arcane text, only to find a trail of destruction and blood as the two finished off the last remaining cultist.
The Frozen Blood (Brymunith and Zervohia)
If you felt a chill that froze you to your bones, Brymunith and Zervohia may have struck nearby. Even the hottest fire would snuff out in their presence, as they were able to emit a freezing aura that bolstered their resilience and sharpened their claws. The frozen peaks hide their lair, which was fairly well hidden and nearly impossible to find if it weren't for the long years I spent searching for any traces of them.
Slowly but surely, I was able to earn their trust and secretly supported their forces, while helping maintain their appearances as loyal subjects of the Dragon Queen. In return, they taught me as much as they could about Tiamat, which I catalogued in my hidden libraries. That is, until yesterday...
The Fall of the Khialotc
I hoped that everything would hold out until we were ready. We had steadily built up a secret force prepared to fight against Tiamat, when the Dragon Queen herself descended from the sky and began to lay waste to the area. Pinnerth, Nyminta, Urkonos, and Shiummecta tried to stall her as long as they could while the others prepared to evacuate the forces, but Nyminta fell as Tiamat crushed her wings and tore out her throat. Pinnerth was next when a miscalculated swipe resulted in his tail getting caught, which the Dragon Queen immediately took advantage of, throwing him into Shiummetca who was crushed underneath. Torn by grief, Urkonos lashed out in vengeance but was ripped apart by a maelstorm of draconic breaths. Mavron and Nethia attempted to slow Tiamat's advance but her strength was too much for them to bear as she crushed their skulls with her bare claws. The rest of the dragons entered the fray, as Mezzkoai and Cyduola took to the skies to strike from above while Brymunith and Zervohia tried to cripple the Dragon Queen from below. They were no match, however, as Tiamat shrugged off all of their breath attacks and countered with her own. I could only watch behind the safety of the wards as the Khialotc all perished by the claws of their creator, who turned her eyes towards me.
The ground is steadily shaking and I have heard the last wards break. Tiamat is here for my life, and there is nothing that I can do to prevent my demise. My last hope is that this legacy can save Quelmar from the Dragon Queen's wraith. Even though I will not survive, I will leave this mortal plane knowing that I have done all I can to preserve the Khialotc.
