Tiamat arrived to Well of dragons

[Pinjata]

Hey guys,

My last campaign did not go so well ... Rise of Tiamat ended in just that: Rise of Tiamat. Tiamat apperared in Well of Dragons, devoured and obliterated the PCs. Metallic dragons fled, most of armies, belonging to good guys were routed and killed. Tiamat actually destroyed her sanctuary as she burst from it, and is now free to roam and destroy Faerun.

I have two questions: How would things go down in future weeks after this event? Would Tiamat pinpoint city after city to obliterate them? Would she go to Waterdeep to loot and destroy? What would this mean for Chromatic dragons? How would things in world take place?

Second question: How could I shape a campaign to banish Tiamat back to Hell? I'd appreciate just some basic ideas or skeletal sketch for a campaign.

thanks :)

[Unoriginal]

Well, Tiamat is a genius with incredible wisdom and charisma. The first thing she'll do is consolidate her power base, calling all the most powerful dragons in the world and telling them to come help her, or else. Then she'll have them gather weaker dragons, kobolds, lizardfolk and all kind of other Tiamat/dragonworshippers

Then she'll find the best lair possible, and have her subordinates make it even better.

While this is going on, she will be hunting down powerful Metalic Dragons, with her own Chromatic Dragons and relevant humanoid servants, and claiming their lives and hoards.

She'll probably have her more discreet agents annihilate any Asmodeus cult they can find.

Then, once her hold on this world is clear, she'll demand every realm and city in the world to surrender to her. She'll probably make exemples of a few cities that refuse.

As for banishing Tiamat back, well, it's kind of screwed.

[Droodicus]

Agree'd, Tiamat would most likely move to consolidate her powerbase before sending her minions to overwhelm any that could threaten her, though I doubt she'd put herself in harms way unless absolutely necessary. I feel somewhere iconic like mithral hall (used to be a shadow dragon lair) being sacked and becoming her lair would be pretty cool.

New PC's could be the militant arm or a resistance, staging guerilla raids, spiriting away persons/dragons Tiamat is likely to target as the pc's wouldn't yet be on her radar. Eventually have her start sending assets after them as they become a real threat. Finally have them part of a plan to manifest Bahamut the platinum dragon to rally all that's left of the good forces and launch another raid on Tiamats new lair.

[Unoriginal]

Eh, Tiamat would probably take care of adventurers who show they can hurt her dragons herself. She won't let people try the same method as she did (have minions hide 'til they can summon the big boss)

[Rogerdodger557]

Consider having the next party try to summon Bahamut to help them.

[Droodicus]

Eh, Tiamat would probably take care of adventurers who show they can hurt her dragons herself. She won't let people try the same method as she did (have minions hide 'til they can summon the big boss)

I feel she'd be more selfish than that at least yo begin with, why risk herself or her dragons when she has all these misguided humanoid followers that she can throw at a problem and hey they aren't dragons so who cares.

And that's what'd make the resistance so fun, constantly running and hiding trying desperately to stay one step ahead of the pursuing foes.

[Arkhios]

Consider having the next party try to summon Bahamut to help them.

My initial thought as well. Bahamut is probably pretty pissed if Tiamat is slaughtering metallic brood unchecked.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

I think that she would destroy every city on the way to waterdeep and have chromatic dragons take the place of humans to rule.

[Rogerdodger557]

My initial thought as well. Bahamut is probably pretty pissed if Tiamat is slaughtering metallic brood unchecked.

Yeah, just do the inverse of Rise of Tiamat, where instead of preventing the summoning ritual, they are trying to perform their own to summon Bahamut.

[Naanomi]

Forgotten Realms is a very God-Active world; I think she is going to have to move more subtly than a blatant roaring rampage of revenge to not attract the undue attention of other Powers. Yes, being physically present on the plane is a huge advantage... but not an insurmountable one if she pisses off the wrong Deities (or godlike NPCs that FR is full of)

Carve out a solid base, maybe at one of the centers of power but probably somewhere a bit more isolated... gather and marshal her Chromatics, and start spreading the cult’s influence before making any big moves on major nations

[PopeLinus1]

Banish?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaaha hahhah

But seriously, a cool campaign would actually be as servants of Tiamat. Working it would be hard, though It sounds doable, but if not I would start them at high level. Really high level.

[Unoriginal]

Also, it should be noted that Tiamat is not the "burn the world" kind of villain.

Sure, destruction is a tool, and a satisfying one when used against those who defy her, but she'd have little interest ruling over a pile of ashes. I mean, she was already doing that in Hell.

No, Tiamat would want to lord over the greatest realm as its immortal Goddess-Queen.

[Naanomi]

No, Tiamat would want to lord over the greatest realm as its immortal Goddess-Queen.
This is a very good point. Tiamat got out of being bound in Hell, which is awesome, but she has followers on infinite worlds... good chance she trashed Faerun for a bit and then returns to the Outer Planes to accomplish something actually important with her freedom... maybe leaving an avatar behind for shenanigans. One little backwater Prime isn’t worth her personal attention for long

[Easy_Lee]

She'd probably do typical dragon god stuff right up until she got killed by a monastery of monks with magical assistance. You can only pass your saving throws against stunning strike and quivering palm for so long, regardless of your modifier.

[Unoriginal]

That's a good point. Tiamat has actually no reason to stay there, her main desire was getting free of her contract with Asmodeus.

She'll probably just transfer her planar realm from Avernus to a plane where SHE will be the top dog.

Also, I know I should ignore it, but eh: no, a monastery is no threat against Tiamat. Even if the Monks were the best in the world, could all fly, and had magic protections, trying that kind of thing on Tiamat is just suicide

[StorytellerHero]

Second question: How could I shape a campaign to banish Tiamat back to Hell? I'd appreciate just some basic ideas or skeletal sketch for a campaign.


Here's a link to my Bahamut lore pamphlet on DMsGuild. It's a mix of researched canon lore and non-canon gap fillers. You might be able to get some good inspiration from it, especially if you offer the PCs a chance to travel across the planes.

http://www.dmsguild.com/product/203991/BAHAMUT-The-Platinum-King--Forgotten-Realms-5e

I'd recommend considering not just the enemies, but also the allies of Tiamat, and the fact that Asmodeus might be annoyed that a contract with him was broken...

Tiamat would likely set up shop in one of the planes or divine realms ruled by an ally, rather than stay on Toril where she is vulnerable to attack from other deities and/or their servants. She might however leave behind a new Chosen to oversee her church's affairs on the material plane.

[Pex]

Deus Ex Machina is probably an accurate scenario. If Tiamat is in the world then Bahamut has Just Cause to appear as well. You could very well have a Time Of Dragon Troubles.

Tiamat isn't going to have an easy time of it as she thinks. The Good Churches will oppose, but also some of the Evil ones as well. Asmodeous is a good (heh) call. The only Evil Power he wants in charge is himself. Bane will also oppose since dragons hoard wealth instead of using it as a means of gaining power. Shar would remain on the sidelines at first, see how things are going. She is likely to side with Tiamat then betray at the best possible moment to usurp. Cyric and Baal are giddy and encourage wanton violence and mayhem.

[Pinjata]

Guys, amazing contributions. I love them. Also an idea of Tiamat staying for a few months, then departing to a more suitable plane is GREAT! Aid from Asmodeus? Aid from Bahamut? Great ideas. The following campaign could be a reversed Tyrrany of dragons with Tiamat leaving her avatar behind. When PCs finally crush Tiamats grip on Sword Coast an kill her avatar, they realize, she is long gone.

Very cool.

[Naanomi]

She'll probably just transfer her planar realm from Avernus to a plane where SHE will be the top dog.
Or even just back to Avernus now that her leash is broken; she’s liked the spot for a long time now after all (though any of the three LE Planes have potential)

[Pex]

Lolth might offer an Alliance or at least a mutual Non-Aggression Pact. Not that they could really trust each other, but with the surface world busy dealing with Tiamat, Lolth could take the opportunity to set forth whatever plan she had in the Underdark. The Drow and Chromatic Dragons do not have a history of hostilities. Maybe a mutual benefit thing could happen. The Drow could be interested in a joint effort to destroy and plunder Silvery Moon for a share of the spoils. The Dragons would favor the treasure. The Drow would favor the magic.

[Asmotherion]

Hey guys,

My last campaign did not go so well ... Rise of Tiamat ended in just that: Rise of Tiamat. Tiamat apperared in Well of Dragons, devoured and obliterated the PCs. Metallic dragons fled, most of armies, belonging to good guys were routed and killed. Tiamat actually destroyed her sanctuary as she burst from it, and is now free to roam and destroy Faerun.

I have two questions: How would things go down in future weeks after this event? Would Tiamat pinpoint city after city to obliterate them? Would she go to Waterdeep to loot and destroy? What would this mean for Chromatic dragons? How would things in world take place?

Second question: How could I shape a campaign to banish Tiamat back to Hell? I'd appreciate just some basic ideas or skeletal sketch for a campaign.

thanks :)

Let's see

First of all, congratulations for bringing the end of the world. :P It's an amazing oportunity for a game from levels 16-20.

Now, let's see who might not be so happy about it, and how you may approach this Issue:

Asmodeus: Lord of Baator, also known as the Nine Hells, God of Sin and Indulgence. He has kept Tiamat captive for a long time in the nine hells, as sign of his Ultimate authority and Power. Now that she broke free, other Devils might try to question this Tyrany, thus it is in his best interest to find Champions (since, as a god, he is not permited direct divine intervention without having an Avatar, and finding one able to support his power will take time) to help him put Tiamat back into her Cage.

Bahamut: Ancient nemesis of Tiamat, Father of the Metalic Dragons; Since they failed to stop the ritual, they need to make an other council, this time summoning the Ancient Wyrm from the Island of the Old One. Only he knows the Ritual that names a Dragon a True Champion of Bahamut, and thus his Avatar on the Prime Material Plane. The only problem: Nobody has seen the Maimed Bronze Dragon for Centuaries, and the last one who saw him, reported him "half mad".

Giants: Giants have an ancient Rivalry with Dragons; The last thing they's like is a Dragon Godess walking around the earth, and conquering. They will start searching their ancient Magic, the most powerful Rituals they saved for the time of "Greatest Need", and performing them; War is coming.

Give the players this option: One of the above factions (either roll randomly, or choose which one seems to fit more to the concept of the party, or to individual characters), has your character resurected; he knows of your efforts to stop Tiamat, and believes that due to your experance, can be a valuable asset in their war against her. If the player decides he does not want to keep playing that character, gain control of the character as an NPC, and allow them to make a new character at their previous character Level.

[Hyde]

I feel trying to summon Bahamut is a little too... hmm, obvious isn't the right word. I also don't want to say "cliche" or anything that, it's not really it.

And maybe that's still the goal, but here's the thing- Chromatic Dragons hate being lorded over, even by Tiamat. The PCs could be working with a powerful Red dragon or something similar, trying to undermine her rule while avoiding her wrath. I think there's a lot of interesting space there to explore.

[Envyus]

Forgotten Realms is a very God-Active world; I think she is going to have to move more subtly than a blatant roaring rampage of revenge to not attract the undue attention of other Powers. Yes, being physically present on the plane is a huge advantage... but not an insurmountable one if she pisses off the wrong Deities (or godlike NPCs that FR is full of)

Carve out a solid base, maybe at one of the centers of power but probably somewhere a bit more isolated... gather and marshal her Chromatics, and start spreading the cult’s influence before making any big moves on major nations

This adventure takes place after the Sundering. The FR Gods no longer have the power to move about to or send their avatars freely to the Material Plane without very powerful magic being involved. Tiamat being summoned to the plane witht he use of a long and complicated Ritual gets around that. She can try and turn Faerun into her domain now.


Deus Ex Machina is probably an accurate scenario. If Tiamat is in the world then Bahamut has Just Cause to appear as well. You could very well have a Time Of Dragon Troubles.

Tiamat isn't going to have an easy time of it as she thinks. The Good Churches will oppose, but also some of the Evil ones as well. Asmodeous is a good (heh) call. The only Evil Power he wants in charge is himself. Bane will also oppose since dragons hoard wealth instead of using it as a means of gaining power. Shar would remain on the sidelines at first, see how things are going. She is likely to side with Tiamat then betray at the best possible moment to usurp. Cyric and Baal are giddy and encourage wanton violence and mayhem.

Bahamut has no power to show up suddenly same with the other gods unless a powerful and time consuming ritual was enacted.

Also Tiamat is stated as wanting to take over Toril. She is probably one of it's biggest threats when summoned. Along with being immune to all mundane weapons and the majority of magic. Many many powerful dragons would flock to her banner to obey her. Despite most of them being isolationist because of her status.

[Naanomi]

This adventure takes place after the Sundering. The FR Gods no longer have the power to move about to or send their avatars freely to the Material Plane without very powerful magic being involved. Tiamat being summoned to the plane witht he use of a long and complicated Ritual gets around that. She can try and turn Faerun into her domain now.

Bahamut has no power to show up suddenly same with the other gods unless a powerful and time consuming ritual.
Only true as long as AO says it is... if he decides Tiamat crosses the line, then Helm or another of his usual errand boys can definetly come down

And even if Bahamat is bound from making an appearance himself, he is still a powerful God with followers infinite worlds; and his enemy is vulnerable... exposed on a Prime and without the resources of her Divine Realm to draw on. I would expect a legion of Metallic Dragons coming through millions of portals as soon as it is confirmed Tiamat is there in the oh-so-weak flesh... great incentive for her to bail to the Outer Planes to re-establish herself

[Envyus]

Only true as long as AO says it is... if he decides Tiamat crosses the line, then Helm or another of his usual errand boys can definitely come down

And even if Bahamat is bound from making an appearance himself, he is still a powerful God with followers infinite worlds; and his enemy is vulnerable... exposed on a Prime and without the resources of her Divine Realm to draw on. I would expect a legion of Metallic Dragons coming through millions of portals as soon as it is confirmed Tiamat is there in the oh-so-weak flesh... great incentive for her to bail to the Outer Planes to re-establish herself

AO can do nothing here. As Tiamat followed all the new rules he put in place. The other gods will not like it, but can't really do anything.

Also Tiamat is not Vulnerable. If she is beaten she will just discorporate back to her domain. Metallic Dragons like Chromatic Dragons are solitary. And with Tiamat on the Material Plane announcing herself the Chromatics have more reason to come and answer her call. Bahamut has no power to entire the realm without a complicated ritual, and he has no power to send his followers to the toril ether. Not without powerful magic on the Toril side of things.

Tiamat has no reason to leave the Material Plane after spending a ton of effort to get there. Not without dominating at least the region she is in. Many Chromatic's will answer her call and I can't think of any forces in the north that can best an army of Chromatic dragons.

[Naanomi]

AO can do nothing here. As Tiamat followed all the new rules he put in place.
AO can change the rules any time he sees fit, for any reason he feels like. He isn’t bound to any rules, even his own, and has demonstrated a willingness to change or break his rules if any God becomes disruptive... even those ‘following the rules’. I’m not sure, from a mortal perspective, the statement “AO can do nothing here” makes any sense on Toril

Also Tiamat is not Vulnerable. If she is beaten she will just discorporate back to her domain.
Right back under Asmodeus’ thumb, where she doesn’t want to be...

Tiamat has no reason to leave the Material Plane after spending a ton of effort to get there.
To establish a new Divine Realm away from Asmodeus’ Control?

[MrStabby]

I think Bahamut as an answer is a bit of a missed opportunity. A bit of dragon on dragon action might be fun but really narrowing down the range of major protagonists in the plot.

I do like the scope of drawing power from so many different areas - infernal, divine, mortal. I also like the idea of a really high power campaign with a big planar romp - fleeing the agents of Tiamat, hunting down weaker enclaves and so on. I think the diverse planes offer a scale to really explore this on. A big bad so big and bad that good and evil come together to fight it is a bit of a trope, but can be fun.

I would allow players to align themselves with a faction and give out some serious boons related to that. You could have a party with a representative of Asmodius (hand out a punch of fiend warlock abilities/invocations), an envoy of helm (maybe give them a load of Paladin (vengence) abilities and so on). Give some explicit boons as well to support planar travel and grant resistance to spells like gate (which can ruin campaigns - incidentally I think Tiamat would quickly count as ruler of her plane).

[the_brazenburn]

I remember a very, very interesting setting example from the DMG. It had something about a group of "former adventurers raised to near-godlike ability" known as the Immortals. Now, what if you had one of them hoping to usurp Tiamat and become the King of Chromatic Dragons himself? Then, when you eventually win, your old "ally" has suddenly become an even greater threat...

[Envyus]

AO can change the rules any time he sees fit, for any reason he feels like. He isn’t bound to any rules, even his own, and has demonstrated a willingness to change or break his rules if any God becomes disruptive... even those ‘following the rules’. I’m not sure, from a mortal perspective, the statement “AO can do nothing here” makes any sense on Toril

Ok to be exact it's not AO can do nothing. It's more he won't do anything. Tiamat followed his rules to the letter and he is uncaring enough that he won't do anything.




To establish a new Divine Realm away from Asmodeus’ Control?

Yes which she plans to do on Toril.

[Pex]

Bahamut has no power to show up suddenly same with the other gods unless a powerful and time consuming ritual was enacted.

Also Tiamat is stated as wanting to take over Toril. She is probably one of it's biggest threats when summoned. Along with being immune to all mundane weapons and the majority of magic. Many many powerful dragons would flock to her banner to obey her. Despite most of them being isolationist because of her status.

If the DM wants Bahamut to show up, he shows up. If he doesn't, he doesn't. Ideas were asked for on possibilities of results of Tiamat coming into the world. I offered a Time of Troubles like scenario. The OP can accept, reject, change, or enjoy the read as desired.

[Unoriginal]

Ok to be exact it's not AO can do nothing. It's more he won't do anything. Tiamat followed his rules to the letter and he is uncaring enough that he won't do anything.



Yes which she plans to do on Toril.

Toril's not a divine realm, it's in the Material Plane.

[Envyus]

Toril's not a divine realm, it's in the Material Plane.

Yes but worlds in the material Plane can be dragged into the Outer Planes and turned into Divine Realms.

Mephistopheles once tried to turn Toril into a 10th layer of Hell.


If the DM wants Bahamut to show up, he shows up. If he doesn't, he doesn't. Ideas were asked for on possibilities of results of Tiamat coming into the world. I offered a Time of Troubles like scenario. The OP can accept, reject, change, or enjoy the read as desired.

Well yes he can show up. But powerful magic like on Tiamat's end should be required to make him show up. Summoning Bahamut to help defeat Tiamat is a good idea for a campaign.

[Naanomi]

Yes but worlds in the material Plane can be dragged into the Outer Planes and turned into Divine Realms.

Mephistopheles once tried to turn Toril into a 10th layer of Hell.
AO would definetly not allow that, and they are not Divine Realms in any case.

And Mephistopheles wouldn’t have succeeded in a plan like that... the Abyss is flexible enough to throw another layer in there (or add Planes to it, as the world’s trapped in the Demon Web Pits are)... but there have been 9 Hells since before Baatezu existed at all, the plane itself wouldn’t have allowed that kind of change. Mask of the Betrayer plays pretty loose-and-fast with the cosmology as a whole

[Pinjata]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all ideas. I have to say I am very on Envyus' train of thought. No "Ao pops in and saves the day". We could try (statted!) Elminster, but after Sundering (Yes, Sundering IS cruical), Elminster should not be any higher then lvl 20. Sundering and Spellplague did their part, eviscerating shenannigans of 3.5.

So I'd be really happy with any ideas within these frames.

Also: Please refrain from 10 pages of discussion if Elminster is/is not lvl 20 in 5E.

thanks :)

[Naanomi]

I don’t think AO popping in and saving the day is the answer; but I do think AO *potentially* doing so is a good reason Tiamat may act a bit more restrained than leading a million Dragon army into Waterdeep

[Pex]

It's not AO or Bahamut comes in and saves the day, but rather despite Tiamat coming into the world it's prudent not to assume she immediately takes over crushing all resistance. The game's focus isn't on Tiamat; it's on the players. While Bahamut deals directly with Tiamat, the Followers of Tiamat are on the move, and the PCs have to deal with them. The PCs are met by an old man with 7 canaries who helps them start the ball rolling in rebanishing Tiamat. There are roleplaying and plot hook opportunities to seek alliance with the Churches of Asmodeous and Bane. If a player has desire to play an evil character but one who will be Honest True with the party for a common goal, this would be a good opportunity to do it. The typical Fiend Warlock. A Cleric of Bane. A Devotion Paladin of Torm working side by side with a Conquest Paladin of Bane.

[krugaan]

Why summon Bahamut to deal with Tiamat when Asmodeus is the MoreFun(tm) option?

[Arkhios]

Ao being mentioned, I had a ridiculous image in my mind:

Tiamat and Bahamut clashing in the Prime and the world stands at the brink of destruction. Along comes Ao, grabs both Bahamut and Tiamat by the tips of their tails, scolds them like the father he should've done eons ago, and hurls both into the void. Good riddance, dragon overlords.

[Naanomi]

Ao being mentioned, I had a ridiculous image in my mind:

Tiamat and Bahamut clashing in the Prime and the world stands at the brink of destruction. Along comes Ao, grabs both Bahamut and Tiamat by the tips of their tails, scolds them like the father he should've done eons ago, and hurls both into the void. Good riddance, dragon overlords.
AO isn’t their father, that would be Io (an easy mistake to make). AO is more like... their omnipotent regional manager for Toril; no authority over them at home or in the community, but a heck of a hardass on the job site

[Arkhios]

AO isn’t their father, that would be Io (an easy mistake to make). AO is more like... their omnipotent regional manager for Toril; no authority over them at home or in the community, but a heck of a hardass on the job site

Agh.. true. Though, Ao could step in to fill the role of Io, as a step-father of sorts. If only just this once (especially since Bahamut and Tiamat were born from Io's death) :smallbiggrin:

Besides, Io probably couldn't "hurl" Bahamut and Tiamat into the void, and out of existence, anyway. Ao, on the other hand, definitely could.

[Naanomi]

Agh.. true. Though, Ao could step in to fill the role of Io. If only just this once :smallbiggrin:

Besides, Io probably couldn't "hurl" Bahamut and Tiamat into the void, and out of existence, anyway. Ao, on the other hand, definitely could.
It’s... debatable. AO (and other overpowers like him) appear to have supreme authority over their Prime Worlds, but their ability to influence anything beyond that sphere is unknown (and basically untested)

Io, on the other hand, if generally painted as one of the first and strongest Gods... if not *the* first and *the* strongest... across all the planes

Neither, of course, is likely to interfere in any case... but the risk of the slight possibility might keep Tiamat at least somewhat in line

[Arkhios]

It’s... debatable. AO (and other overpowers like him) appear to have supreme authority over their Prime Worlds, but their ability to influence anything beyond that sphere is unknown (and basically untested)

Io, on the other hand, if generally painted as one of the first and strongest Gods... if not *the* first and *the* strongest... across all the planes

Neither, of course, is likely to interfere in any case... but the risk of the slight possibility might keep Tiamat at least somewhat in line

Also, I could've said it more clearly in the first place, but I wasn't being very serious about the mental picture. So I can't help but wonder if you overreacted a bit.

[Kane0]

If you have access to Storm King's Thunder you can do some finangling to make that work for you. Instead of the big hook being the Ordning being messed with it's the dragon queen messing up giant affairs. Most of the low to mid level stuff doesn't change much (mostly motivations) but towards the endgame you get more opportunities to ally up with and unite the giants against the growing dragon horde and help deal with Tiamat somehow, perhaps aided by Asmodean cultists or Bahamut acolytes along the way.

[Pinjata]

If you have access to Storm King's Thunder you can do some finangling to make that work for you. Instead of the big hook being the Ordning being messed with it's the dragon queen messing up giant affairs. Most of the low to mid level stuff doesn't change much (mostly motivations) but towards the endgame you get more opportunities to ally up with and unite the giants against the growing dragon horde and help deal with Tiamat somehow, perhaps aided by Asmodean cultists or Bahamut acolytes along the way.

This was kind of next thing I wanted to ask. Which 5e module could I rework in order to prep "lets somehow solve this whole Tiamat thing" high level campaign?

[GorogIrongut]

I'm of a similar opinion already expressed in here. Pick 10 'alliances' who have a major stake in what will happen next. Elminster and his minions can be one of those groupings. Tiamat could be another. Desperate adherents of Bahamut would be another. Asmodeus would be the darker but fun option.

Once you've identified all 10 options, stat out the major players (for your eyes only). Write up an exceptionally fluffy overview for each grouping which would go into detail about motivations, etc.

Once, all the pieces on the board are set up, let your players read through the Overviews and decide which one they want to fight with/against. If they want to be Team Tiamat, then they get that option. If they want to run a rearguard, desperate summoning quest to bring Bahamut into play, then they can. If they want to explore what hanging out with Elminster would be like, they have that option.

By doing so, you get incredibly invested players who also don't need everything explained to them (saves you the effort because they read the overviews and will have already puzzled over how all the pieces fit together). Best part, is that the overviews were just the Wikipedia entry (i.e. relatively factual but prone to significant errors) so you can still tweak the story down the path that will create the most dramatic/epic story.