The Daughter of Khyber stirs in her prison, and her dreams corrupt the minds of the waking world.
The Talons of Tiamat is the greatest of her cults. It is led by dragons (some of whom are physically warped), but its ranks contain dragonspawn, humanoids, and even demons. Many of its humanoid members have been mystically infused with draconic, fiendish, or arcane abilities that have warped them as well.
One shadow from the Age of Demons continues to haunt the dragons to this day: Tiamat. Even in her prison, Tiamat holds the power to seduce and corrupt dragons . . . and some join her of their own free will, dreaming of the power they will possess when she is freed.
The Talons of Tiamat are the cult of the Daughter of Khyber. Humanoids and fiends allied with Tiamat could possess the half-dragon template; dragons that serve the Daughter of Khyber might gain the half-fiend template as a result of her corrupting touch. The Cult can draw on the spawn of Tiamat, vile creatures born from tainted dragon’s eggs. The spawn have always appeared in small numbers in Argonnessen, a lingering reminder of Tiamat’s presence. But now the numbers of the spawn are growing, and the Talons of Tiamat are gathering these forces to build an army.
Even though she is bound, Tiamat occasionally stirs in her prison; at these times, she is more conscious and active than any of the other Overlords of the Age of Demons. It’s said that she can see through the eyes of any evil dragon, and that she can whisper into the hearts of dragons as they sleep. Her chosen agents can commune with her, and at times they have even summoned aspects of her into the world—far weaker than Tiamat in her full glory, but fearsome nonetheless. Each time that Tiamat has awoken in the past, that event has brought disaster to Argonnessen. Now she is stirring once more, and the prophets say that the doom of Argonnessen could be at hand.
The Talons serve an Overlord of the first age, and rakshasas and other fiends appear among their ranks. As such, they can be seen as a branch of the Lords of Dust. However, the Talons rarely coordinate their actions with the Council of Ashtakala. Most believe that Tiamat is the only true Daughter of Khyber, and the rakshasa rajahs are merely usurpers with delusions of grandeur.
The agents of Tiamat have many goals that could take them into the wider world. They oppose the Chamber and the Eyes of Chronepsis, and adventurers could be caught in the middle of such a conflict. The cultists are gathering artifacts and tools in preparation for war in Argonnessen. They are spreading the spawn of Tiamat across the world, creating hidden nests beneath major cities. Above all, they are working to manipulate the Prophecy in ways that will result in the release of Tiamat. If a Dungeon Master wants to pit adventurers against a significant number of truly evil dragons, the Talons of Tiamat are an excellent choice.
Not all dragons touched by Tiamat serve in her cult. Some simply grow hateful in solitude, giving in to greed and hunger. Any ravager or rogue could be a victim of Tiamat’s taint; they might simply terrorize a region, or they could one day be recruited to serve the Talons.