The Talons of Justice was an order of mostly silver dragon paladins that were dedicated to Xymor (Bahamut) and were followers of the Ptarian Code.[5]
Dogma[]
The Ptarian Code was originally an oath taken only by those who served the King of Justice, but eventually it was adopted by members of the gold and silver dragon species. They took it as a knightly oath and followed it to the letter.[5] It was expected that the Talons would be pure of heart and deed, would help each other and protect the "lesser races", and would be able to convert their foes instead of killing them. Violence was used only as a last resort.[1]
Membership[]
No one knew exactly how many Talons there were, but the group probably numbered in the scores. Members were spread throughout Faerûn, many living in human and demihuman form in cities and towns, working in secrecy to further the cause of lawful goodness.[6]
The Talons were an elitist group, and rarely allowed for new members to bolster their numbers[4] or accepted the help of their few allies.[5] While originally consisting only of silver dragons, they allowed a few gold and bronze dragons to join their ranks during the last Rage of Dragons,[3] and after the Rage they also allowed gold and silver half-dragons in their ranks. The first of them was a half-dragon called Innerdain Justdark.[1]
Organization[]
The Talons were structured in a rigid chain of command, with a barb (leader or high knight,[4] in Draconic) at the top, followed by lords, knights, trustees, and initiates. All of the members were paladins and a few among them were also platinum knights or vassals of Bahamut.[1]
Activities[]
The Talons followed the philosophy of the long way, however, as was natural with long-lived creatures such as dragons, taking courses of action that often took too many years to be completed, and a majority of the few who knew of the order normally thought that their plans were useless or disconnected.[4] They mostly worked undercover, and only their sworn enemies, the church of Tiamat and the Cult of the Dragon, knew about them, and tried to sabotage the Talons on many occasions.[5][4]
Possessions[]
After Lareth's death, magical daggers were made from his fangs. Called a Dragontooth of Lareth, these daggers were given to elite members of the Talons, and were supposed to contain a part of the wisdom of the former King of Justice.[7]
History[]
In 1373 DR, the Rage of Dragons happened, the most terrible of the Dracorages, and the Talons mobilized their forces to stop their mad brethren and to destroy the Dracorage mythal, and thus end the Rages once and for all. Although they were successful, most of their members were killed and the structure of the order was shaken. Their last known leader, Azhaq, vowed to restore the order to their former glory.[1]
While not official members of the Talons, the dragons Larendrammagar and Tamarand helped them in some of their missions. Their last mission was to help the Talons locate a former member of the order who had become a rebel, the dragon Arendelonthos.[1]
Known Members[]
- Azhaq (leader)[1]
- Havarlan (leader until her death, in 1373 DR)[2][1]
- Innerdain Justdark[1]
- Kastrandrethilian[8]
- Jaerlethket[1]
- Llimark[9]
- Moonwing[9]
- Quelindritar[3]
- Vingdavalac[3]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 100. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 62. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Richard Lee Byers (May 2006). The Ruin. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 212. ISBN 0-7869-4003-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 45. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 99. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
- ↑ Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 44. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 123. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 88. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Richard Lee Byers (April 2004). The Rage. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 195. ISBN 0-7869-3187-6.