Pre-Recruitment:
Tiamat was born in Skarokk - known as the "Dragonspire" - one of the five sanctuary cites of Nocturne - the home planet of the Salamnder Chapter since the first meeting between Vulcan and their grandfather: The Emperer of mankind.
He was raised in the household of Master of the Forge An'Kalagon - a veteran sergeant of the 2. Company. Until his recruitment he went through the ritual of fire and walked bare-feet over the hot ashes of Nocturnes valleys and became a smith as his father before him, working to uphold the Wargear of their Lord and his brothers.
He was elected to become a Neophyte because of his exceptional strong build and ability to endure pain.
After Recruitment:
It is unknown if the ether the teaching machines did a well-above-average job on Tiamat or if they simply unlocked his full potential. Ether way: After the lectures of the machines, Tiamat's intelligence was well above the average and his skill with every kind of chapter Wargear excellent. Thus he was sent to Mars with the next group of Techmarines-to-come and exceled in everything he was taught there. After his come back, he became a reliable part of the 2. Company whose commanders quickly learned to ask Tiamat for his opinion on tactic or technical questions.
Over the years Tiamat became quiet, always thinking and evaluating about every detail of his surrounding. He was never a leader and tries his best to avoid becoming the center of attention, so he left the fiery speeches and warcries to his brothers for most of the time - although he fully share their great heart and passion.
Talimar Prime:
In his 106. year of service, he was part of a battle group sent to Talimar Prime to reinforce the planetary defense force in its struggle against a choas uprising in one of its bridge tows. In the sixths day of battle, a ritual of the cultists enabled a demon to enter Talimar Prime and the PDF fled from their assault on the traitors last foothold above one of the colossal bridges spanning the deep between the hives. The Salamanders were to choose between a full retreat - leaving 2 billion citizen of the next hive to the wrath of a choas demon of Khorne - or to make a last stand against their onslaught. The venerated Captain Jacatan Firefist did not even think about the first possibility and ordered a last stand scenario. Tiamat made his best to reinforce the position of the Salamanders and his heart - deemed colder than most by his brothers - was lit in the fires of his homeworld for this heroic defiance of the enemy - although his intellect tried to convince him that this stand would just end in the total loss of the planet.
The fight for the bridge waged on for three days and nights. The Salamander lost 75% of their numbers in this act, including the Captain who was able to defeat the demon - paying with his live. But at the very moment that the choas forces finally braked, a new hidden threat occured in the midst of the Salamanders. A dark-violet door of fool energy erupted amidst the reinforced position they were holding and dark, slender figures emerged from within, firing fool Xeno weapons at point blank range and bringing with them horrors unseen on the world of Talimar Prime. A dark eldar fleet has planned their strike well, waiting until the struggle between traitors and loyalists has costs the most lives. The remaining Salamanders were totally overwhelmed and outnumbered but fought on nevertheless. Tiamat - already wounded and his loyal servo armour in ruin from the hard fighting - made a charge for one of the dark eldar he deemed their warlord but was hit by some fool creature with needle thin claws a few meters before his choosen enemy and was taken out of the fight by the fool toxins of the creature. The last picture his brain perceived before everything became pitch black - the same that is hunting him since that moment - was the warlord dismembering the last standing Marine with a giant but slender black axe.
In the coliseum:
The nightmarish time in to coliseum - enough to make every lesser man break and go insane - proves to be the most extreme test for Tiamats will and physical toughness as the dark eldar made him kill or be killed and endure pain like he never could have imagined. But he is resolved to endure and prevail, using all his skills to percept and store every detail of their evil existence and their plans, to use them against the this evil as soon as possible...
