Green dragon

Green dragons  were master manipulators who reveled in corrupting lesser creatures and hoarding them like possessions.

Description
Green dragons were most notable for the large, waving crest or fin that started at the dragon's nose and ran the entire length of the dragon's body. They also had exceptionally long, slender forked tongues. Green dragon blood is some of the most potent fertilizer known, with the bodies of slain green dragons, and any ground on which their blood spills, becoming covered in thick, lush vegetation not long after it's death.

Personality
These dragons were known to have very bad tempers and a tendency for evil behavior. They loved intrigue and secrets. They put up a front of diplomacy and deceit when dealing with stronger foes, but they revealed their cruel and petty nature when intimidating lesser beings or when gaining the upper hand. They delighted in stalking their enemies and listening in for any information they could gather before moving to attack. Green dragons especially enjoyed corrupting or consuming elves and fey creatures. Green dragons loved corrupting and influencing members of lesser species, treating it almost like a form of art. The more patient and ambitious green dragons would sometimes influence the politics of nearby towns and communities, manipulating a tangled web of criminal activity and political corruption from behind the scenes for generations at at time. One particularly favorite experiment would be to influence a chosen follower, carefully corrupting and sculpting their personality and morals to exactly what they want, get their follower a foothold in the political system of a nearby village or town, and then hibernate for several decades to let the scenario play out, awakening to see just what dark fruit their twisted seed had born. The intent was like a financial investment, to see how big a "return" one could get for as little initial investment as possible. The goal was to see how far up the ladder their puppet had managed to climb, and how much damage to the community they caused along the way through bribery, extortion, embezzlement, corruption, theft, and even assassination; the town turning from a prosperous and wholesome community to a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Combat
Beyond fighting with their massive jaws and claws, these dragons were capable of expelling a cone of poisonous chlorine gas. Due to their chosen woodland habitat, green dragons are more likely to fight on the ground rather than take flight.

History
Green dragons sometimes served the dark Chultan demigod Eshowdow, and their appearance was considered a good omen by his followers.

Society
Green dragons valued their territory, but only as a means to gain as much power as possible without expending considerable effort. They would sometimes trade safe passage for a worthy item to add to their hoards. Even so, they were extremely cunning and duplicitous foes, and loved double-crossing others. A traveler who stumbled into a green dragon's territory might be able to bribe the dragon for safe passage (emeralds being a favorite treasure), but more often than not the dragon would pretend to agree and then attack the unsuspecting offender once their guard was down. Worse, if the traveler impressed the green dragon during its stay, they might start thinking of the newcomer as a prized possession to be corrupted and sculpted to its will.

Lairs
The typical green dragon lair was located underground and was a complex of caves and tunnels, with its main entrance hidden behind a waterfall. The preferred green dragon lair was a cave high up on a cliff, but such locations were usually hard to find and thus only home to the oldest and most powerful green dragons.

Homelands
These dragons were typically found to live near woodlands.

Parenting and development
Green dragons were reasonably good parents, with both mother and father typically staying close to their eggs while they were incubating. Green dragon females either kept their eggs in a solution of acid or buried them in leaves moistened with rainwater. The green wyrmling was easily mistaken for a black, due to their nearly black scales. As the wyrmling matured, its scales became steadily lighter in color until they reached the striking green shade of an adult. The wyrmlings typically stayed with both parents until they reached adulthood (approximately 100 years). The parents would spend that time teaching their young the fine art of deception and manipulation, how to influence lesser beings through lies and flattery, taking considerable pride in having successors in which to pass on their centuries of dark wisdom and personal experience, not too dissimilar to the feeling they get from corrupting lesser beings into being their puppets. As they seen their young as such a personal long-term investment, green dragons were some of the most protective parents among Chromatic dragons, going to great lengths to keep danger away from their mates and offspring.

Notable Green Dragons

 * Aglaraerose
 * Claugiyliamatar
 * Mornauguth
 * Fll'Yissetat
 * Ishenalyr
 * Venominhandar
 * Sirvinhandra
 * Verdant Cloud
 * Andareunarthex
 * Athauglas
 * Verthandantalynx
 * Avaryx
 * Venomfang
 * Vorgansharax

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Lost Mine of Phandelver • The Rise of Tiamat • Storm King's Thunder • Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage • Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
 * Magazines
 * Dungeon #28, "The Pipes of Doom"

Connections
Grüne Drachen