## Overview **Iymrith**, known by the titles **The Doom of the Desert**, **The Dragon of Statues**, and **The Blue Wyrm of Anauroch**, is one of the oldest and most powerful blue dragons in Faerûn. An ancient blue dragon of extraordinary magical ability, she has spent centuries gathering arcane knowledge, manipulating the politics of giants and dragons alike, and hoarding relics from fallen civilizations. Unlike many dragons who rely solely on overwhelming physical might, Iymrith is a consummate schemer, preferring deception, careful planning, and manipulation to open conflict until victory is assured. Her lair lies within the buried ruins of **Anarath**, the City of Statues, hidden beneath the shifting sands of the **Anauroch Desert**. From this forgotten city she studies ancient magic, commands an army of gargoyles, and protects a hoard that includes relics dating back to Netheril and even older civilizations. --- ## Origins Little is known of Iymrith's earliest centuries. Canon sources provide no detailed account of her birth, parentage, or the location of her first lair. Like many dragons of exceptional age, much of her early history has been lost to time or deliberately concealed. By the time human civilizations began recording reliable histories, Iymrith was already an ancient dragon of considerable power. She had established herself as a formidable arcane scholar, possessing knowledge far beyond that of most dragons. Rather than limiting herself to the instincts and traditions of dragonkind, she actively sought the magical achievements of other civilizations, particularly those of Netheril. --- ## Personality Iymrith embodies many traits common to blue dragons but expresses them through exceptional patience and intelligence. She is intensely proud and possesses absolute confidence in her own superiority. Mortals are generally viewed as temporary curiosities, useful only when they can advance her goals. Even other dragons are judged primarily by their usefulness or their potential threat. She rarely acts out of simple rage or impulse, preferring to manipulate events until her opponents have little chance of success. Unlike many chromatic dragons who rule through fear alone, Iymrith enjoys deception. She cultivates false identities, spreads misinformation, and encourages her enemies to destroy one another rather than confronting them directly. When she does resort to violence, it is usually swift, overwhelming, and carefully calculated. Despite her arrogance, Iymrith is not reckless. She respects powerful magic, recognises genuine threats, and has demonstrated a willingness to retreat if faced with circumstances that jeopardise her long-term ambitions. --- ## Master of Arcane Magic Among blue dragons, Iymrith is particularly renowned for her mastery of arcane magic. For centuries she has collected spellbooks, magical artifacts, Netherese relics, and forgotten lore from across Faerûn. Unlike dragons who rely primarily upon their innate magical abilities, Iymrith actively studies arcane theory, treating magic as a discipline to be mastered rather than simply an extension of draconic nature. Her interest in ancient civilizations stems largely from this pursuit. Lost magical knowledge is often more valuable to her than conventional treasure, and she has repeatedly risked great danger to acquire forgotten relics or recover powerful spells. --- ## The Search for Ancient Knowledge Iymrith's obsession with magic eventually drew her to the ruins of **Anarath**, an ancient city already abandoned long before the rise of Netheril. Believing the ruins concealed magical secrets of immense value, she began exploring the city. Instead of abandoned halls, she encountered **phaerimm**, ancient aberrations that had taken refuge within the ruins following the collapse of Netheril. Although already one of the most powerful dragons in Faerûn, Iymrith found herself overwhelmed. The phaerimm's mastery of innate magic forced her to retreat after barely escaping with her life. This defeat profoundly affected her. Rather than seeking revenge immediately, she withdrew and devoted years to expanding her magical knowledge. Only when she believed herself sufficiently prepared did she return to Anarath. This time she systematically destroyed the phaerimm occupying the city and claimed the ruins as her permanent lair. This episode illustrates one of Iymrith's defining characteristics: she is proud, but not foolish. When confronted by an enemy beyond her ability to defeat, she studies, prepares, and returns only when victory is likely. --- ## Anarath Anarath serves as both fortress and laboratory. The ruined city provides immense underground chambers capable of housing an ancient dragon, while its buried structures conceal forgotten magical artifacts and relics spanning multiple civilizations. At the centre of the city lies an ancient amphitheatre, which Iymrith transformed into the heart of her lair. Much of Anarath remains buried beneath shifting dunes, leaving even Iymrith herself continually uncovering new chambers and forgotten vaults. The city's isolation also protects her from casual discovery, as few travellers survive long enough in Anauroch to locate the ruins. --- ## The Gargoyle Legions Rather than relying upon kobolds or dragon cultists, Iymrith surrounds herself with gargoyles. Many are ordinary gargoyles drawn into her service, while others are magical constructs created or enhanced through powerful enchantments. Throughout Anarath these guardians remain perfectly motionless for years, blending seamlessly with the countless statues that give the city its name. Intruders seldom realise they are surrounded until dozens of gargoyles awaken simultaneously. These creatures serve not only as soldiers but also as sentries, messengers, and spies. Their ability to remain unnoticed allows Iymrith to monitor vast sections of the city without exposing herself to danger. --- ## The Hoard Like all dragons, Iymrith possesses an immense treasure hoard. Yet unlike many chromatic dragons, she values knowledge almost as highly as wealth. Her hoard includes gold, gemstones, jewellery, magical weapons, and priceless works of art, but it also contains Netherese grimoires, ancient maps, magical research, enchanted constructs, forgotten relics, and artifacts recovered from civilizations that vanished thousands of years ago. To Iymrith, such items represent power rather than mere wealth. Every recovered spell or magical device strengthens her understanding of the world. --- ## Manipulation of the Giants During the events of _Storm King's Thunder_, Iymrith secretly manipulated the political turmoil among the giant races following the shattering of the **Ordning**, the divine hierarchy established by **Annam All-Father**. Disguising herself as a storm giant named **Iymrith**, she infiltrated the court of **King Hekaton**, murdered Queen Neri, and encouraged conflict among the giants while hiding her own involvement. By prolonging instability, she sought to weaken the giants and remove one of the few forces capable of challenging dragonkind. Her deception remained undiscovered for an extended period, demonstrating both her mastery of illusion and her remarkable patience. --- ## Shapechanging and Deception One of Iymrith's greatest strengths is deception. She possesses the magical ability to assume humanoid forms and has repeatedly used disguises to infiltrate societies, manipulate rulers, and conceal her true intentions. Unlike dragons who announce their presence through fear, Iymrith often prefers that her enemies never realise they are opposing a dragon until it is too late. This reliance upon deception extends to her lair. False trails, misleading rumours, hidden entrances, and carefully planted misinformation have ensured that Anarath remained hidden from almost all of Faerûn for centuries. --- ## Relationships Iymrith generally avoids permanent alliances. She considers most creatures disposable and rarely forms relationships based upon trust. Temporary partnerships are accepted only while they advance her goals. She holds particular contempt for reckless dragons whose pride exceeds their intelligence, viewing them as predictable and ultimately self-destructive. Powerful spellcasters command greater respect, though only because they possess knowledge worth acquiring. Her encounter with the phaerimm left her with a lasting appreciation for enemies whose magical abilities rival her own. --- ## Goals Unlike dragons driven solely by conquest or greed, Iymrith pursues several long-term ambitions simultaneously. She continually seeks forgotten magical knowledge, particularly relics dating to Netheril or earlier civilizations. She works to eliminate rivals capable of threatening her supremacy, expands her understanding of arcane theory, and carefully manipulates political events beyond Anauroch whenever doing so strengthens her own position. Although territorial by nature, Iymrith appears more interested in accumulating knowledge than ruling kingdoms directly. --- ## Combat When forced into battle, Iymrith combines overwhelming physical strength with exceptional spellcasting. She prefers to weaken opponents long before engaging personally, using illusions, traps, gargoyle ambushes, magical constructs, and hazardous terrain to exhaust intruders. If combat becomes unavoidable, she exploits her mastery of lightning, flight, and battlefield control, making full use of the environment around her lair. Only after her enemies have been isolated or weakened does she commit fully to direct confrontation. --- ## Legacy Among scholars, dragons, and powerful spellcasters, Iymrith is regarded as one of the greatest surviving blue dragons of the age. Her influence extends far beyond the boundaries of Anauroch through centuries of manipulation, the recovery of ancient magical knowledge, and her involvement in events that have shaped the history of Faerûn. The buried ruins of Anarath remain both her greatest achievement and her greatest secret. Protected by shifting sands, ancient magic, and an army of silent gargoyles, the City of Statues has allowed Iymrith to pursue her ambitions largely undisturbed for centuries. Those who seek her rarely succeed in finding the city, and those who do are seldom seen again. --- ## Timeline - **Ancient Age:** Iymrith is born; her early centuries are unknown in canon. - **Following Netheril's Fall:** Develops into one of Faerûn's foremost blue dragons and arcane scholars. - **Exploration of Anarath:** Discovers the ancient city while searching for forgotten magic. - **First Conflict with the Phaerimm:** Driven from Anarath after nearly being slain by phaerimm occupying the ruins. - **Years of Study:** Expands her magical knowledge and prepares for a second campaign. - **Conquest of Anarath:** Returns, destroys the phaerimm inhabiting the city, and establishes the ruins as her permanent lair. - **Subsequent Centuries:** Builds her gargoyle legions, expands her hoard of magical relics, and conceals Anarath from the wider world. - **Late 15th Century DR:** Secretly manipulates the storm giants during the events of _Storm King's Thunder_, contributing to the chaos following the shattering of the Ordning before ultimately being confronted by adventurers. ### Notes on Canon A few clarifications are worth keeping in mind: - **Anarath** is canonically Iymrith's lair, but the city itself is intentionally left almost undescribed in official sources, giving Dungeon Masters room to develop it. - Her defeat by the **phaerimm** before reclaiming Anarath is established in published lore and is one of the key reasons she both respects and studies powerful magic. - While Iymrith is a formidable spellcaster, the exact contents of her spell repertoire, the composition of her hoard, and much of her early life are **not** detailed in canon. The official material leaves these deliberately open rather than providing a full biography.