Palarandusk

Palarandusk (the Unseen Protector, previously the Sun Dragon) is a male gold dragon who lives in the Sword Mountains on the Sword Coast North. He is a great wyrm. Each time he kills, he weeps. He watches over the village of Ieirithymbul, regarding its gnome inhabitants as his children. He has prevented the invasion of the Forgebar dwarves three times. He prefers to use an invisible and inaudible form so that he cannot be detected, but spends his time watching the gnomes and making sure they come to no harm. He is particularly interested in eavesdropping if gnomes are talking about their personal views or opinions. Palarandusk's secrecy has lead to Volo misinterpreting his true form, and the renowned dragon expert Velsaert from Baldur's Gate being unaware of his existence, but Elminster is aware of his identity.

Appearance
Palarandusk still has bright eyes, but his scales are cracked with age and his jaw has turned white.

Combat
Palarandusk will only reveal himself when it is absolutely necessary. He cannot attack or use magic in his invisible form, but this is only a semi-solid state and if he passes through any living creature, it will cause him damage, and the creature will experience a nauseous effect. He will throw boulders from the mountains at his foes. He is able to wield powerful magic and because of his age, he knows many spells from thousands of years ago which have been largely forgotten as of 1374 DR. He hates the idea of employing traps or ambushes, or any other form of premeditation where combat is concerned.

Personality
Although he keeps himself hidden wherever possible, for fear of being hunted, Palarandusk would like to be able to live an unmasked existence and yearns to be respected as a major power on the Sword Coast North, as he once was. He has no interest in accruing a huge personal wealth, but has collected some treasures, mostly those holding aesthetic value, but some useful for trade with humanoids, and has stashed them in remote caves in the Sword Mountains.

He has an interest in philosophy and morality and has collected a number of writings on the subjects. He used to enjoy speaking to elves and dwarves about their outlooks and personal views. He has developed a system of personal beliefs during his long life, and is slow to change them. He believes that the natural environment should be protected from harm, and that prey should be killed only for food, not for enjoyment.

Palarandusk is completely dedicated to protecting his chosen settlement, Ieirithymbul. Due to the magical effects in operation on his body, he has no need to sleep.

Background
Palarandusk was on Faerûn before the founding of Netheril, circa -3800 DR, and hunted wyverns on the Sword Coast North. He was enslaved by the Netherese sorcerer Mileirigath in Netheril's early history, and used as a test subject for the spells of Mileirigath and his apprentices. He remained in captivity until the fall of Netheril in -339 DR, when he seized as many spellbooks as he could before fleeing.

Under the name "the Sun Dragon" he protected Neverwinter several times, from orc hordes and from the Moonshaes. The Sun Dragon remains a well-known hero in Neverwinter as of 1374 DR, and some humans have been known to pray to him. As he continued to age, the threat of challenges from younger, more able dragons increased, to the point where he was forced into hiding, rather than accept one of these challenges, lose it, and leave Neverwinter and its surroundings unprotected. He particularly feared the Arcane Brotherhood, worrying that they would enslave him, like what had happened to him before.

Palarandusk (in human form) purchased a mansion to the southeast of Neverwinter and used it as a personal library and a place where he could study his spellbooks. A band of adventurers later destroyed the house using magic, while Palarandusk was still in it. Although he managed to escape, his body had been badly damaged and was only held together with magic. It was after this that Palarandusk created a new physical form for himself, enabling him to transform into his invisible, inaudible state. It was also due to the injuries sustained during this attack that Palarandusk decided he was not fit to defend Neverwinter. He spent some time travelling the Sword Coast but found that most of it was unrecognisable compared to how he remembered it during his youth, and he felt that his true purpose was as a guardian. He wanted to be close to a large community, but all those in the area were human cities, and after his previous experiences, he did not want to get too close to human magic. He eventually settled in the Sword Mountains, fairly near to the human city of Waterdeep, and chose to watch over the gnome village of Ieirithymbul.

In 940 DR, Palarandusk prevented Rauragh's orc horde from the Sword Mountains from attacking Waterdeep. He was also responsible for killing Cult of the Dragon wizard Radiglar (known as the "Worm-tamer") and destroyed Koroaver's Raiders, preventing them from creating a Zhentarim mining stronghold.

Palarandusk has been keen to keep his identity concealed, but there have been a few wizards who have sought him out in order to trade magic. He has generally given them only a brief audience, but one wizard from Neverwinter gave him a magical rod whose powers he could drain to boost his own. He has long since drained all the magic from the rod.