| An-Ur, The Wandering Death |
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An-Ur wanders the limitless expanse of the Deep Ethereal, feeding on the prima matera - or concentrated ethereal mist - that makes up the Ethereal Plane. An-Ur appears as a ghostly shape on the rare occasions during which it semi-materializes on the Prime Material Plane, but it ripples with myriad colors when seen on the Deep Ethereal. Some sages have pointed to An-Ur's many hues as 'proof' of its connection to the curtain of vaporous color, a shimmering wall of ethereal mist that serves as a doorway to specific areas on the Border Ethereal.
An-Ur speaks the Common tongue of both good and evil dragons. Furthermore, it possesses the innate ability to communicate with any creature native to the Ethereal Plane.
Combat: An-Ur avoids combat when it can. Though smaller and less physically imposing than other unique dragons, An-Ur commands fearsome combat powers.
When on the Deep Ethereal, An-Ur can summon an ether cyclone, a colossal, serpentine column of spinning ethereal matter, three times per day. The cyclone blows anyone within 300 feet, except An-Ur, through the curtain of vaporous color to a random section of the Border Ethereal. Affected creatures must make a successful saving throw vs. spell to remain on the Border. Failure indicates that the cyclone blows the creature to the nearest plane adjoining the Border Ethereal.
When fighting on the Border Ethereal or the Prime Material Plane (as a semi-material creature), An-Ur spews forth a stream of ethereal mist 10 feet wide and 60 feet long. Any creature caught within the path of this mist must make a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon or find itself transported to a random section of the Deep Ethereal.
Only enchanted weapons of +3 or greater can damage An-Ur while it is in its semi-materialized form. The physical attributes for the semi-materialized Ethereal Dragon appear in parantheses in the statistics given above.
If its breath weapon or cyclone summoning fail to neutralize a threat, An-Ur fights with claws, teeth, tail, and spells. (It can use both Wizard and Priest spells to the 10th level of ability.) An-Ur is always interested in negotiation rather than combat, and any honest attempt to end a battle (whose outcome is unknown) through peaceful resolution usually succeeds. It possesses genius-level intelligence and typical dragon instincts, so negotiating parties might need to make difficult concessions. An-Ur rarely keeps its word, and adventurers who successfully parley with this dragon often find themselves under attack again after it has regained its strength.
Habitat/Society: An-Ur lives a solitary existence on the Ethereal Plane, navigating the Waveless Sea on its own implacable course. Some sages speculate that it floats through the plane and acts like an ecological regulator, feeding off of the energy that bleeds into the Ethereal from the Inner Planes and maintaining some form of equilibrium.
Since it sometimes discovers or coerces items and treasure from individuals unfortunate enough to raise its ire, An-Ur must have a lair hidden in the Deep Ethereal, but no one has discovered it.
An-Ur is the oldest of Tiamat's children. Legends say that it sprang into being from Tiamat's first breath. Despite existing for hundreds of centuries, An-Ur has steadfastly ignored the ongoing struggle between the courts of Tiamat and Bahamut.
Ecology: An-Ur feeds off the swirling ethereal particles that compose the Ethereal Plane, culling its food like a whale. Once every three hundred years or so, this creature's hunger flares, and it must consume vast amounts of prima matera. It is the time of An-Ur's Hungering that the creatures of the Ethereal Plane fears the most, as it scourse the Deep Ethereal, devouring entire demiplanes. Once it finds an appetizing demiplane, An-Ur causes it to break apart using an innate ability similar to the demiplane decay Priest spell.
For information on demiplane decay, prima matera, ether cyclones, and other conditions of the Ethereal Plane, see A Guide To The Ethereal Plane.