The Platinum Dragon

Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon
Symbols of the Platinum Dragon.
Deity information
Type	Prime Deity
Title	The Platinum Dragon
Province	Honor, Justice
Common symbol	Silver dragon's head in profile
Gender	Masculine
Pronouns	He/him/his
Alignment	Lawful Good
Home plane	Mount Celestia Tengar (originally)
Worship
Holy day	Embertide (Duscar 5th)
Major temples	The Platinum Sanctuary
Associated domains	Life Order War
Vestiges	Honor's Last Stand
Appearances
First seen	"Downfall: Part Three" (3x101)
Last seen	"A New Age Begins" (3x121)
Stream	Campaign 3 (2 episodes)
Other work	Critical Role: Vox Machina - Stories Untold

Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon is the deity of good-aligned dragons and metallic dragons, being considered the first of their kind. He is a sworn enemy of Tiamat, the Scaled Tyrant, who is the queen of the chromatic dragons.

Appearance

Official art of the Platinum Dragon, by Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons.

While mortals generally use silver dragons to represent Bahamut (since their scales are the most similar to platinum among the metallic dragons), the divine form of the Platinum Dragon is different: he appears as a gargantuan true dragon of immense wingspan and vibrant platinum scales, although with a combination of features unlike any other, and surrounded by a shiny iridescent aura.

In his purest essence, the one that resembled the most his appearance in Tengar, he was made of metallic light like the brightest sunlight reflected from a polished shield, with a fanged draconid presence.

Worship

Symbols

The common symbol of Bahamut is a shield with brilliant silver dragon head in profile. The worshipers often carve this symbol to protect themselves during their holy missions. Those who work at the temple of Bahamut in Zadash wear silver-white, tabard-like garments adorned with the symbol of Bahamut, the silver dragon on a blue field.

Places of worship

Issylra

In Vasselheim, the district of Silver Talon's Reach is dedicated to the worship of the Platinum Dragon. The Platinum Sanctuary, the oldest known temple to Bahamut, resides within Silver Talon's Reach.

Marquet

Official art of a drow praying to the Platinum Dragon in Ank'Harel, by Robson Michel.

Each of the Prime Deities is represented in a house of worship in the Guided District of Ank'Harel; official art shows a figure praying before an icon of the Platinum Dragon near the Temple of the Mentor.

Tal'Dorei

One of the two largest cathedrals in Temple District of Emon is dedicated to the Platinum Dragon. A shrine to the Platinum Dragon is also one of the three largest in Westruun.

After the Grey Valley became corrupted by demonic influence, there was some concern about potential incursions from the Abyss, so the followers of the Platinum Dragon built the Iridon Bastion there, a fort that would serve to raise the alarm early whenever there were demons attacking the region. However, given the tough nature of this work, there was not much enthusiasm for the idea of being posted there.

Wildemount

The Platinum Dragon is one of the deities that is approved for worship in the Dwendalian Empire. The temple of the Platinum Dragon in Zadash is called the Platinum House, and the central temple in Rexxentrum is called the Dragon Seat.

Commandments of the Platinum Dragon

“

Commandments of the Platinum Dragon

• Stand as a paragon of honor and justice.

• Smite evil wherever it is found, yet show compassion to those who have strayed from righteousness.

• Defend the weak, bring freedom to the persecuted, and protect the ideals of justice and order.

”

– 

from the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

[!h]

History

Official art of the Lawbearer and the Platinum Dragon battling Asmodeus and the Ruiner at Vasselheim, by Kent Davis from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 3:53.

The Platinum Dragon was among the Prime Deities who fought against the Betrayer Gods during the Founding. Following the Dawn War, in which Bahamut helped defend Vasselheim, the Platinum Dragon had shed a tear for the sacrifices his devoted followers had made in the war; from that tear was born a crystal, the Star of Exaltation, which was preserved for millennia.

In the Calamity, shortly before the fall of Aeor (a flying city that was preparing to use a weapon against the gods) the technology hiding it from divine scrutiny was destroyed, and the Stormlord and the Platinum Dragon were the first to find the city, with the latter appearing in his gargantuan draconic form, with wings that covered the entire sky. Not long after that, when the gods started actively developing the idea of the Divine Gate, the Platinum Dragon and the Lawbearer were the strongest supporters; however, the All-Hammer declared that anything made purely by the gods could be undone by them, so mortal hands had to be involved too. He assumed a mortal incarnation as Garen Hearthheart to work on the project himself. The Moonweaver created a concealment meant to hide Garen from other deities while he worked which was altered by a curse of the Lord of the Hells, and as a result no one knew about the All-Hammer's identity in Exandria, not even the god himself, who had lost his memories. The Platinum Dragon, wanting to rescue his lost sibling, ignored the warnings and created his own mortal avatar to find him, Erro Mordaurum; he, however, chose his mortal parents carefully so his mortal self would be raised properly. Because of the curse, from his hatching to his old age the dragonborn lived ignorant of the fact that he was the incarnation of a deity, but eventually found Garen and died saving his life during a fight against the forces of Asmodeus. As soon as the divine essence of Erro was freed, the now-fully aware Platinum Dragon appeared in the Dawn City, an event recorded by the Scalebearers for generations to come. He, along with the Lawbearer, declared that the Prime Deities would also leave Exandria. Though this was initially met with protest from both the divine and mortal, the other gods ultimately agreed, finding this "unimpeachable and just". Thus, the Divine Gate was created, an event known widely as the Divergence.

Shortly after 510 PD, when Vasselheim came under a terrible siege, the Star of Exaltation was used as a focus in a ritual to bring the Platinum Dragon's intervention to defend the city, and this expended the last of the crystal's power and destroyed it on the Material Plane.

Bahamut's devout paladin, Kima of Vord, received some of her fighting implements directly from an avatar of the Platinum Dragon.

Campaign One: Vox Machina

Bahamut sent Kima on a vision quest that set into motion the events at the beginning of the Critical Role stream: Kima had gone into the Underdark beneath Kraghammer to stop a great evil that was growing there. Allura asked Vox Machina to find Kima, help her, and return with her safely.

When the Chroma Conclave made its initial attack on major cities including Emon, Allura felt confident the chromatic dragons would not try to attack Vasselheim, not only because it is well-defended but because it is the center of Bahamut's influence, and Bahamut stood against such creatures. Indeed, the Conclave did not attempt it.

After Vox Machina defeated Vecna, they gathered in the Platinum Sanctuary and Keyleth gave an inspiring speech, after which light peeked through the clouds and they felt the presence of the Platinum Dragon and possibly the Dawnfather and the Everlight.

Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein

Fan art of Jester and Nott at the temple of the Platinum Dragon, by Oleksii Chernik.

Jester Lavorre decided to deface a local temple in Zadash in the service of The Traveler, and chose Platinum House. She cast Disguise Self to make herself look like the Herald of the House while Nott the Brave, accompanying her, looked like an elderly gnome. They got everyone out of the main room long enough for Jester to begin to paint the statue of the Platinum Dragon in rainbow colors. However, a group of suspicious temple workers interrupted, capturing Nott in a translucent force hamster ball while Jester cast multiple spells to evade and misdirect her pursuers, eventually turning invisible and blending into the chaos.

Years later, Braius Doomseed said that he had been in charge of security at the temple when this occurred. He was blamed for failing in his duty, thrown out of the temple, and rejected by his family, and had sworn to find and destroy the two vandals.

Campaign Three: Bells Hells

During the apogee solstice of 843 PD a demon incursion led to the death of many worshipers of the Platinum Dragon that defended the Iridon Bastion in the Grey Valley. The survivors, Uwon and Diedrich, after being freed by Bells Hells, gave the deceased a proper burial following the rites of the Platinum Dragon. However, due to their vulnerable position after the demon attack, they decided to join the rescued Ashari, Teleporting with them to Zephrah, where they were presented before the locals by the Voice of the Tempest, as part of the brave team that had survived their time in the Grey Valley.

Many days later, when Bells Hells were exploring the ruins of Aeor, in Eiselcross, they met Braius Doomseed, a minotaur paladin who assured them he was a paladin of Bahamut, explaining that the horns displayed on his armor were those of the Platinum Dragon, whom he had followed since his youth. He, however, seemed to be very interested in Teven Klask, the champion of Asmodeus, and shortly after, when they fought Dominox, the Grand Demon of Loathing, Braius stopped pretending and admitted in front of everyone that he too was a follower of the Lord of the Hells.

The Platinum Dragon and the rest of the main pantheon attended the meeting in which Bells Hells and the Matron of Ravens proposed to use the latter's Rites of Catatheosis to turn them into mortals and avoid Predathos. During the conversation, Bahamut asked what would happen to Vecna, causing the Whispered One to make his presence known briefly. Eventually the gods present agreed to the plan and through the Matron's ritual, bound their souls to Exandria itself and were reborn as mortals.

Known worshipers

Many who worship the Platinum Dragon recite the following as a morning ritual:

“

I lift up your name, O First of Dragons, and pray to uphold your sacred charge.

Let me protect those around me, as your wings enfold us. Let me seek for truth, as your eyes watch over us. Let me strike against wickedness, as your talons defend us. Let me resist temptation and falseness, as your heart guides us.

I lift up your name, O First of Dragons, and pray to uphold your sacred charge.

”

– 

"The Sacred Charge"

[!h]

Vasselheim, Othanzia

Fan art of Rux Tallheart, by iwilltryalittlearter.

• Rux Tallheart, spear-wielding kobold paladin during the Divergence.
• Highbearer Vord, the leader of the Order of Bahamut.
• Scalebearers Desona and Vorack were sent with Vorack from the Platinum Sanctuary in Vasselheim to escort the Horn of Orcus.
• Scalebearer Yon, a disciple who greeted Vox Machina as they arrived in Vasselheim for the first time.
• Scalebearer Waylon Amaredda, a disciple who also met Vox Machina and still held his position during the Red Solstice.
• Platinum Knight Udire, the finest champion of the Platinum Sanctuary.
• High Paladin Archibald at the "grand chantry" in Othanzia.^[presumed]

Other

• Arrideo: Spouse of Cor, a cleric who died during the fall of Seagate.
• Cor: Spouse of Arrideo, a paladin and member of the Order of the Last Banner, and the bearer of Honor's Last Stand.
• Uther Vendrock, the Silvered Star: One of the kindest and most fabled followers of the Platinum Dragon, and the former owner of Truthbearer.
• Guardian Tofor Brotoras: Dragonborn paladin and a member of the Tal'Dorei Council.
• Lady Kima of Vord: Halfling paladin, adventuring ally and later wife of Allura Vysoren, and adventuring ally of Vox Machina.
• Herald of the House Kumas: Priest in Zadash's Platinum House.
• Calianna Mordsson:^[presumed] Half-elf draconic sorcerer and survivor of a cult of the Scaled Tyrant.
• Braius Doomseed (formerly): Was head of security at the Platinum House in Zadash, but was blamed and dismissed for not preventing its vandalization.
• Uwon and Diedrich, two survivors of the demon attack on the Iridon Bastion.

Saints

The Platinum Dragon Church has several saints who are honored for their works in service to the god, including Saint Graham, also known as the Fallen Saint.

Depiction of Bahamut's divine aspect from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 165.

Appearances and mentions

• Campaign One
  • "Strange Bedfellows" (1x03), mentioned only
  • "Attack on the Duergar Warcamp" (1x04), mentioned only
  • "The Trick about Falling" (1x05), mentioned only
  • "Breaching the Emberhold" (1x06), mentioned only
  • "Glass and Bone" (1x08), mentioned only
  • "Yug'Voril Uncovered" (1x09), mentioned only
  • "Escape from the Underdark" (1x13), mentioned only
  • "Shopping and Shipping" (1x14), mentioned only
  • "Hubris" (1x17), mentioned only
  • "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106), mentioned only
  • "The Ominous March" (1x109), mentioned only
  • "The Chapter Closes" (1x115), mentioned only
• Campaign Two
  • "Curious Beginnings" (2x01), mentioned only
  • "Fleeting Memories" (2x14), mentioned only
  • "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21), mentioned only
  • "Commerce & Chaos" (2x31), mentioned only
  • "Traveler Con" (2x108), mentioned only
• Campaign Three
  • "Bloody Flowers" (3x67), mentioned only
  • "The Nox Engine" (3x98), mentioned only
  • "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) (first appearance)
  • "Cages" (3x103), mentioned only
  • "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104), mentioned only
  • "Collecting Legends" (3x105), mentioned only
  • "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106), mentioned only
  • "Looming" (3x108), mentioned only, unnamed (indirectly)
  • "A Test of Fate" (3x109), mentioned only
  • "In the Shadow of War" (3x110), mentioned only
  • "The Nein Hells" (3x111), mentioned only
  • "To the Arx Creonum" (3x115), mentioned only, unnamed (indirectly)
  • "The Hallowed Cage" (3x118), mentioned only
  • "A New Age Begins" (3x121)
• Specials
  • "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06), mentioned only
• Exandria Unlimited: Divergence
  • "Give and Take" (E4x01), mentioned only
  • "Mirror and Key" (E4x03), mentioned only
  • "By Heart Alone" (E4x04)
• Critical Role: Vox Machina - Stories Untold

Quotations

• (to the other gods, before sending his avatar to find Moradin's knowing he would do so without any memories) "If we ask faith of them [mortals], let us ask it of ourselves."

Trivia

• His name comes from behemoth, a term for a great beast which could come from the Hebrew behemá (beast). In the Islamic cosmology of our world he was a fish-like entity that carried the world.
• The Platinum Dragon's holy day is Embertide, celebrated on the fifth of Duscar.
• In Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the high-level adventure The Krakenwhacker involves a ship of the same name with a magical figurehead of Bahamut.
• Mollymauk, in public, pretended to be a worshiper of the Platinum Dragon to mask his following of the Moonweaver and avoid prosecution for worshiping an unapproved deity within the Dwendalian Empire.

References

Art: