Dendar

Dendar the Night Serpent was an elder evil and a primordial. "In Shar's domain of night I rest, So dreams may show me how I'm bless'd. If screams of terror break my sleep, Then Dendar's sunk her fang's too deep."

- Gwydion recalls a childish rhyme about the Night Serpent.

Description
"Dream of freedom. But remember, where they are dreams, there are always nightmares."

- Dendar the Night Serpent

Dendar was a colossal serpent who spent her time devouring the nightmares and fears of both mortals and immortals in hopes of bringing about the end of the world. She was some 300 feet long with blue-black scales, yellow eyes, and a huge maw filled with four fangs, spittle, and the bones of some of her former victims.

The Night Serpent was able to use her enormous size to crush victims below her bulk or to swallow them whole. Her forked tongue could be used to trip and entangle victims whom she could then inject with a sleep poison so she could absorb their nightmares.

History
Dendar was thought to have been created when the first mortal dream occurred, and she devoured the nightmares of the living ever since. Even the gods were not immune to her ravenous appetite for their dreams.

It was the Night Serpent who was thought to bring about the end of the Blue Age and usher in the Shadow Epoch by devouring the sun and plunging Toril into darkness and freezing temperatures.

When a revolt against Cyric was underway in the City of Strife, Gwydion the Quick challenged Dendar and managed to injure her with a legendary blade that had belonged to Alban Onire. In concession to this defeat, she unleashed the night-terrors of the Bone Castle's residents and thereby allowed the revolutionaries to storm the structure.

Worshippers
Cults to worship or battle Dendar existed almost as long as she did. Those who worshiped her often kidnapped victims and fed them poisons to cause them to dream. The most notable of these cults, known as the Sacred Order of Akabar, existed in Calimport, where she was dubbed the "Serpent Mother" and thought to have brought about the Night Parade.

Relationships
On the opposite end of the spectrum was an Ubtao-worshiping cult in the jungles of Chult, who called her "Eater of the World." They believed she lived beneath the Peaks of Flame and would one day emerge through a gigantic, iron door to devour the sun if Ubtao failed his duty when the end times came. They also believed it was their sacred duty to battle her. Another group of Kelemvor worshipers saw it as their sacred duty to take the battle to her on the Fugue Plane in order to siphon off the nightmares she had devoured; thus keeping her power in check and earning a certain, if well-earned, death.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Prince of Lies