Amethyst dragon

Amethyst dragons were a breed of gem dragon known for their wise and regal manner and their similarity to amethyst.

Description
Amethyst dragons had skin that was lavender in hue and scales shaped like naturally formed mineral crystals. On a hatchling, these scales were small, translucent, and light purple, but as they aged they became steadily darker and more crystalline in appearance. An adult appeared a sparkling lavender. A hatchling had a body and  tail, while an adult had a body length of  and a tail length of. The biggest great wyrms grew to long in the body, with tails  long.

A dragon egg could be identified as amethyst by the purple tinge seen when held in front of an intense white light, though it shared this trait with shadow dragon and deep dragon eggs.

Personality
They were considered wise and majestic even by dragon standards. But they were aloof and paid little heed to conflicts between good and evil or chaos and law, as they believed them to be but petty squabbles. They favored talking things out rather than fighting, but considered retreating, ambushing, and hiding to be dishonorable.

Abilities
Different kinds of dragon breath were reported for amethysts. Some shrieked like a banshee, with its attendant lethal power, but they could only do so twice a day. Others projected a line of force with concussive effect that could either stun or injure beings caught within. Finally, sometimes in addition to a line of force, once per day an adult could spit a kind of explosive crystal or faceted gem of violet with a lozenge shape. They could launch it up to and with perfect aim, usually into the ranks of their foes. It exploded on impact with concussive force, harming all in a radius of or. It could knock down creatures smaller than the dragon and knock them unconscious for a few hours.

Amethyst dragons were highly resistant to, if not entirely immune, to force-based spells, like magic missile, wall of force, Otiluke's resilient sphere, the Bigby's hand spells, and similar magic items like beads of force.

In addition to common dragon and gem dragon immunities, amethyst dragons were reported to be immune to poisons and to have an innate ability to breathe underwater they were born with, though this latter ability was later believed to be unique to topaz dragons.

Like any dragon, and in addition to the common powers of gem dragons, amethysts gained an array of magical powers as they aged. In one version, young dragons could walk on water six times a day; juveniles could neutralize poison six times a day; adults could shapechange into an animal three times a day (bird, reptile, or mammal, but only once of each type); old dragons could use Otiluke's resilient sphere thrice a day; very old dragons could create a reflecting pool; and venerable dragons could control weather once a day. Alternatively, juveniles could stomp their feet on the ground to create a shockwave that would knock over those within in front of them, thrice a day. An adult gained the power of invisibility once a day. An old dragon could alter its body equilibrium to match that of solids or liquids, allowing them to walk (not run) on water, quicksand, and even spider's webs if there were any large enough, without sinking or breaking the surface, and reduce their weight in a fall, once a day. Ancient dragons gained the power of suggestion once a day.

In particular, amethyst dragon could use a unique form of telekinesis, enabling them to lift up to or hurl creatures as large as ogres, or engage in physical combat from afar. It was also useful in reshaping their environments.

Similarly, amethyst dragons could acquire and cast new spells of their own, whether arcane or divine, but they were most noted for their talent in psionics. Those who were so gifted learned the psionic attacks psionic blast, ego whip, or psychic crush and the psionic defenses mind blank or mental barrier, thought shield, or tower of iron will. For general powers, they favored psychokinesis as their primary discipline and psychometabolism as a secondary discipline, followed by telepathy. Common psychokinesis powers were control body, detonate, inertial barrier, molecular agitation, project force, and telekinesis; psychometabolism powers were cell adjustment, complete healing, energy containment, expansion, metamorphosis, and reduction; and telepathy powers were contact, domination, ESP, identity penetration, mindlink, mindwipe, and truthear. They also learned metapsionics powers like empower, magnify, pionic sense, psychic drain, psychic surgery, and ultrablast.

They were skilled in deception and stealth.

Society
Amethyst dragons were good parents to their young, but felt they should be independent and learn to look after themselves by the time they were young adult dragons. Families raised clutches of two to five offspring, and they were likely to be encountered alone or in such clans.

While they thought copper dragons and silver dragons were foolish and they disliked red dragons and white dragons, they were not fundamentally opposed to any creature. In fact, on occasion, amethyst dragons could mediate in conflicts between feuding dragons and even warring nations of humanoids.

They favored a diet of fish and gemstones but could subsist on elemental matter such as earth.

Amethyst dragons spoke Draconic and both their own language and a language shared among all gem dragons. Moreover, almost one in five hatchlings could communicate with any sentient being, and the others gained this power as they aged, with nearly half possessing it by the time they were mature adults and nearly three-quarters when great wyrms.

Amethyst dragons shared a profound fascination of foreign worlds and dimensions, and many became scholars of planar lore. These individuals were often particularly interested in the opposing forces of good, evil, chaos, and law emanating from the Outer Planes, and in the manner in which individual dragons manifested echoes of themselves across the worlds of the Material plane. Over their lives, these amethyst dragons developed considerable knowledge and understanding of these matters, which they often shared with those willing to listen to their counsel.

This study of the planes and their properties also made amethyst dragons keenly aware of the Far Realm and of its warping effects on the Material Plane. As they found the Far Realm's corruptive touch loathsome, amethyst dragons were staunch opponents of the creatures native to or twisted by it, most notably including aberrations. A notable exception to this enmity existed in the form of flumphs, which amethyst dragons were instead intrigued by and fond of. As the benevolent flumphs often dedicated themselves to opposing the activities of malevolent aberrations such as mind flayers, amethyst dragons viewed them as a reminder that allies can be found in the strangest of places.

Like the rest of the gem dragons, amethyst dragons were rarer in the Realms than the common chromatic and metallic dragons.

Lairs
On the Material Plane, amethyst dragons enjoyed making their lairs on the shores of lakes and pools such as tarns lying in remote places in highlands and mountains. They might even dwell in caves below the water in such places.

However, a majority of amethyst dragons resided on the Elemental Plane of Earth, in caverns carved out of the endless rock. These comprised numerous tunnels and chambers bedecked with crystals of all the colors of the rainbow.

Lands
Amethyst dragons could be encountered around the Stonelands, and less commonly in the neighboring Goblin Marches; around Highstar Lake on the High Moor; and in the rivers and lakes of Rashemen.

Combat
"At least it's a beautiful way to die."

- Erinis, the gloom stalker, regarding an amethyst dragon.

Amethyst dragons avoided combat if they could and preferred to parley instead, but if this failed or they were forced, then they would fight. Nevertheless, they refused to hide from or ambush their foes, and saw retreating as dishonorable. Young ones were more likely to fly away from a fight, and adults only when defeat or death seemed inevitable. While some might think them cowards, they were merely cautious. They rarely retreated when they were defending their lairs or their young.

Once battle was joined, the amethyst dragon opened its breath weapon, followed by its magic and psionics. Younger dragons favored their breath, magic and psionics, and aerial assaults, while the older and bigger dragons got physical and used their weight with grabs, snatches, and crushes. Adult amethyst dragons preferred to use their invisibility and other powers to catch their opponents off-guard. Their telekinesis power or their explosive breath could be used to manipulate their environment or cause a landslide.

Usage
Amethyst dragon scales were known as "teyastones". The Sisterhood of the Oaks, a band of rangers dwelling in the Chondalwood in the mid-to-late 14 century DR, each carried a teyastone to bring them luck and as a symbol of the love they held for each other.

History
During the Dracorage of 1373 DR, amethysts and other gem dragons used their power to shift between planes to escape Toril entirely. They waited out the rage and afterward returned one by one to resume where they left off, but many encountered difficulties.

Notable Amethyst Dragons

 * Aleithilithos, a thane of the gem dragon deity Sardior, the Ruby Dragon.
 * Nyadnar, who masqueraded as a powerful human sorceress in Zazesspur in Tethyr.
 * Felrivenser, known also as Gembright, an ancient wyrm known in the time of Netheril. Her distant descendant Chassabra transformed herself into an amethyst half-dragon.
 * Eldenser, the Worm Who Hides in Blades, a great wyrm who possessed swords through the North.
 * Sh'derra D'zeer, a young amethyst who resided within Highstar Lake.
 * Amaeraszantha, who protected the underground village of Tempus's Tears while lairing in the ruins above.
 * Amrennathed, "Queen of the Mountain", who dwelled in the Mountains of the Alaoreum in Turmish

Appearances

 * War in Tethyr
 * Realms of the Dragons II: "Queen of the Mountain"