Myth Drannor

Myth Drannor, formerly known as the city of Cormanthor, the City of Song, or the City of Love among other names, was the former capital city Cormanthyr in the forest of Cormanthor that had been devastated to ruin, rebuilt anew, and destroyed again throughout a long and storied history that spanned well over a millennia.

At its height, the city represented the peak of elven civilization and craftsmanship. It served as a beacon for the free folks of Faerûn, especially the elves, dwarves, and humans, that they could peacefully live alongside one another. For hundreds of years after the Weeping War, it existed as fiend-infested ruins, until it was reclaimed by the elven crusade of Evermeet in the late 14 century DR. It enjoyed a century-long renaissance, before falling once more into ruin.

""We shall watch guard, until Myth Drannor stands proud again!""

- Old saying of the Dalelands

Description
The stone towers of Myth Drannor were predominantly tall and graceful in appearance, though some of those used by wizards took the shape of fantastic creatures or forms found in nature.
 * Architecture:

Those buildings formed by elven rituals were among the most beautiful in all the Realms.

As per its name, Myth Drannor partly defined by its protective mythal that was raised by part by the legendary spellcaster Mythanthor. While the mythal's made the lives of its citizens more safe and convenient during its existence, and even held secret powers known only to its creators, the power it leaked following the city's destruction had lasting effects on the ruins and surrounding forest of Cormanthor.
 * Magic

For centuries the city housed one set of the Nether scrolls in the form of the Quess'Ar'Teranthvar within the Windsong Tower.

The excessive use of magic and portals in the city, combined with the actual mythal itself weakened the "planar fabric" of the region, granting easier access to other planes of existence and crystal spheres, most notably the lower planes, the demiplane of dread, as well as the planet Krynn.

Both the city and its ruins housed a number of portals that were linked to: the portal nexus referred to as Abarat's folly, located within his namesake tower in the Moonsea, the warrior's gate connected to the kingdom of Delimbiyran.

There were pockets of Cormanthor that would cause magic (spells and effects) to behave in unpredictable ways. According to Elminster Aumar, these pockets were created as a result of the breakup of the mythal.

The dwarves of the city established a network of underground pumps that provided its citizens with a reliable source of fresh water.
 * Technology:

Climate
Myth Drannor enjoyed exceptionally pleasant weather, free from extreme temperatures or natural disasters such as storms and forest fires.

Geography
Myth Drannor was one of four old communities of Cormanthyr, alongside the Elven Court, Semberholme, and the Tangled Trees.

Myth Drannor was built around two streams that were formed by the construction of Tilver's Dam, located just north of the city. It was north of the magically-created pond referred to as Glyryrryl's pool.

Geographical Features
Myth Drannor was built in such a way that its layout resembled the head of a battleaxe, with the blade pointed to the west. The western half of the city was the older of the two, housing more buildings and structures; while the eastern half, referred to as Dlarbraddath for its designer, featured numerous parks, gardens, and other sites of natural beauty.

The two approximate halves were linked by the large curved bridges that spanned the streams that ran through the city in a north-south direction.

Government
Throughout most of its history, Myth Drannor and all of Cormanthyr was ruled by a single coronal. They were aided in their duties by the arms-major and spell-major, the empire's greatest warrior and mage respectively.

The authority of these leaders was each embodied in one of the three Elfblades, the Rulers' Blade, the Warblade, and the Artblade.

Defenses
Beyond its namesake mythal, Myth Drannor owed its defense to the great Cormanthyrian army of Akh'Velahr along with its many great and powerful mages.

History
Myth Drannor was founded as Cormanthor in the by the Coronal Kahvoerm Irithyl. For over four thousand years, the city prospered with little incident.

Glory of Myth Drannor
Coronal Eltargrim Irithyl decided that if Cormanthyr was to survive, its people must make peace with the other races, so Eltargrim set about organizing the elf wizards to create a mythal. It was completed in the, and its construction marked the "Opening". The Coronal opened the city of Cormanthor to all non-Tel'Quessir, and the city was crowned Myth Drannor.

The Opening marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Myth Drannor, when the city prospered and many races flourished amid its towers. Many demihuman groups came to the city during this time, including dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. Myth Drannor reached a peak of influence and culture in the, and all the races living within flourished under a sense of unity.

Following the death of Eltargrim in 661 DR, the city was left without a leader. By Midsummer 667 DR the Council of Twelve was in control of Cormanthyr and Myth Drannor. This council soon forgot the dreams of the Coronals and took to bettering their own agendas; the nobles made trade deals that favored their own houses and influence, and worked to set up power holds in the sister cities. With Myth Drannor failing as a capital, Cormanthyr dissolved into city-states within four decades amid divisive in-fighting among the council and the guilds.

Fall
In the, the Trio Nefarious entered the northern woods, attacking some eladrin outposts and moving closer to the capital, and starting the Weeping War. The elves of the city were aided in its defense by the men of the Dalelands and some Cormyrean War Wizards. Unfortunately by the, Myth Drannor was overrun by the Army of Darkness.

Myth Drannor's former residents scattered across the Realms. Some elves found new homes in the land of Tethyr by the grace of Strohm II.

The fall of Myth Drannor began an event that came to be known as the Retreat – the great migration of elves from the continent of Faerûn to the isle of Evermeet.

Interim years
For over six centuries, the elves kept the place hidden and sealed for the most part, refusing to let any into the ruins save dragons, whom the elves hoped would guard the city against interlopers as they would their own lairs The city became a legend, one of the most dangerous adventuring sites in all of Faerûn.

During the 13 century DR, the deity Lathander appeared before a group of his clergy that came to be known as the Speakers of the Dawn. He tasked them with the formation of a Lathanderite temple within the ruins of Myth Drannor and bestowed upon them the Dawnstone to aid them in their endeavor.

In the years that followed many adventuring, bands made forays into the ruins of Myth Drannor, in search of wealth and glory. Notable among these groups were the Company of the Catlash, and the Masked Marauders. Other groups were more benevolent in their motivations. The Knights of the Shadow Sword made regular patrols in the city, seeking to rid it of its evil denizens.

In the same year that the elves' Retreat reached its apex, in the, the Cult of the Dark Naga were lured to Myth Drannor by the lich Druth Daern. The nagara were slain by the phaerimm, and subsequently raised as bone nagas as servants. With the undead army at his disposal, Druth had power that rivaled the fiends and undead illithids that dwelled within the ruins.

A mere two years later, the alhoons had manipulated the Church of Bane into opening a portal to Avernus in the ruins, from which a few bound devils could be called from and controlled in order to battle the few remaining yugoloths and the alhoon's rival phaerimms before the portal was closed again. However, Malkizid intervened, forcing the portal to stay open and causing a legion of baatezu to pour forth.

The Seizing
The banites quickly erected magical wards that the fiends could not escape from and placed their hope in adventurers slaying the devils. Over the span of ten years, they put out word of the riches that could be obtained from the ruins. Numerous adventuring companies raided Myth Drannor but they were merely fodder for the increasingly numerous fiends inhabiting the area; their efforts however led to the destruction of many ancient elven relics.

In the, an avatar of Moander marched on Myth Drannor from Yûlash but was prevented from reaching its destination. A few months later in Marpenoth, the being known as Tyranthraxus briefly took over the city by means of a pool of radiance and established itself within the temple of Labelas Enoreth. With the assistance of a disguised Elminster, a group of adventurers found passage through Myth Drannor's barriers and drove the possessing spirit out of the ruined city.

The following month in Uktar, another group of adventurers managed to close the portal established by the followers of Bane. Unfortunately scores of devils remained within the ruins.

Twelve years after that, in the, the Cult of the Dragon gained a foothold in the city, under the leadership of Kya Mordrayn. They had discovered a newly formed pool of radiance inside Castle Cormanthor and wished to bathe the dracolich Pelendralaar in its waters to grant him more power. Once again, the malevolent plans of those seeking to exploit Myth Drannor were foiled by adventurers of the Realms.

Reclamation and Reconstruction
In the, the return of the Netherese to Faerûn led to the expedient destruction of the phaerimm that dwelled within the city's ruins. The returned arcanists erected a shadowshell that prevented the phaerimm's escape and made a descent into the city to wipe the aberrations of the face of Faerûn. Unfortunately, the enclave of Thultanthar was assaulted by one of the Chosen of Mystra and the phaerimm's eradication could not be entirely confirmed.

Two years later, in the, the forces of the daemonfey managed a feat that so many others could not – they conquered the ruined city by force. Shortly after, Seiveril Miritar and his army embarked upon the Elven Crusade, returning to Faerûn from Evermeet and reclaiming Myth Drannor for the Tel'Quessir. In time, Seiveril's daughter Ilsevele became the new coronal and efforts to restore the city began.

Beginning its new life as a war camp, restored Myth Drannor took in emigrants from Evermeet, native wood elves, along with a great influx of humans and half-elves from the Dalelands, Hillsfar, and Sembia. The elven crusaders slowly but surely wiped out the remaining monsters in and around the ruins while quietly tolerating the illegal theft of elven artifacts to fund their efforts. Non-military personnel demolished ruined stonework to clear space for new buildings.

By the, Myth Drannor became a flourishing city-state that garnered influence over several Moonsea and Dalelands settlements. Unfortunately, that was also the year in which agents of returned Netheril managed to recover the Nether Scrolls from Windsong Tower. The restored City of Song and the returned Empire of Netheril began a war with one another, a conflict that hearkened to the original discovery of the Nether Scrolls and their abandonment of the magic taught to them by the elves of Eaerlann.

After over a century of fight, the war between the two powers came to an end. The Netherese enclave of Thultanthar took to the air directly over Myth Drannor as the Netherese shades sought to take control over its mythal. During the struggle, Thultanthar crashed down upon Myth Drannor, leveling both of the cities upon impact. Coronal Ilsevele managed to survive the catastrophe, and her subjects fled to formerly-abandoned settlement of Semberholme.

Legacy
Throughout the years Myth Drannor lay in ruin, leaders from several city-states sought recapture the splendid beauty that it once brought to the Realms. Cities such as Ascalhorn and Silverymoon were seen by some as resonances of the City of Song. Some even referred to Silverymoon as "Myth Drannor of the North".

Both iterations of the adventuring company known as the Knights of Myth Drannor took the name so as to honor the city's memory.

Surviving objects and artifacts from Myth Drannor were highly prized throughout the Realms. Thaola's Wineshop in Leuthilspar on the island of Evermeet kept a single bottle of wine that originated from the city. While they were too numerous to catalog, there were many unique relics that managed to survive the city's destruction. Included among these were several enchanted harps, the Black Book of Beshaba, Gaulguth's battleaxe Heartcleaver, Arbane's swords of agility, and the legendary baneblades of Demron forged to commemorate the city's united races, among others. The Old Dragon Down in Archenbridge specialized in selling relics that originated from the City of Song.

Countless other types of magic items traced their origins back to the city, for example gauntlets of the valorous and daggers of defiance.

Rumors & Legends
According to Volothamp Geddarm, Myth Drannor was one of the possible locations in the Realms where the well of spells could appear.

Seeing as how many great magical items traced their history back to Myth Drannor, many rumors surrounding misplaced or long-lost relics pointed in the direction of the fabled city. As of the mid–14 century DR it was rumored at the Wyvern Crown of Cormyr rest somewhere within its ruins.

Old Myth Drannor

 * Landmarks:
 * Castle Cormanthor, the once-majestic citadel around which the city was built, that comprised the Rule Tower, the Windsong Tower, and one more.

that was later taken over by the Cult of the Dragon.
 * Ildrannath's Tower, the city's armory that once housed a fearsome band of adventurers.
 * The Incanistaerum, the magical school of the fabled Seven Wizards.
 * The Irithlium, the legendary arcane academy of Myth Drannor.
 * The Speculum, a repository of arcane knowledge that was founded by Alaghar of the Horns, and located on the Speculum Grounds.


 * Natural Features:
 * Burial Glade, the western graveyard that held the Warrior's Gate tomb.
 * Westfields:
 * Polyandrium, a graveyard located to the north of the city. It housed numerous mausoleums and the Tower of Bones.
 * Crypt of Kesefehon, the final resting place of the disgraced elven hero Kesefehon.
 * Crypt of Orbakh, a large crypt decorated with carvings of skulls and runes with its door magically fused with the rock that was the entrance to the crypt.
 * Crypt of Rothilion, a large tomb that belonged to Rothilion the Honorable, Wizard, and Judge of Myth Drannor.
 * Ikeshia's Crypt, the tomb of a rich elven philanthropist.
 * Lyssic's Crypt, the large tomb that housed the dead body of a human commander of Myth Drannor's armies, Lyssic, and his army of clay warrior constructs.
 * Loresinger's Crypt, the smaller-sized mausoleum for an unnamed musician.


 * Halls:
 * Halls of the Beast-Tamers, the subterranean hall of the Guild of Naturalists located on the east side of the city.
 * Onaglym,
 * Tyrintar's Hall, a grand feasthall named after the first captain of the city, Tyrintar.


 * Residences:
 * Six Tyryl towers


 * Temples:
 * House of Song
 * Lovers' Glade, a step-encircled pool that served as an open temple to the goddess Sune.
 * Shaundakul's Throne, considered the preeminent holy house of the Rider of the Winds in all the Realms.
 * Shrine of Mystra, was located not far from the Polyandrium
 * Temple of Mystra, was located in Nightingale Court and led by Anorrweyn Evensong.

Ruined Myth Drannor

 * Landmarks:
 * Stillwater Ruins, was the area that housed a fountain with magic healing waters and once served as the gate to the areas surrounding Castle Cormanthor.
 * Sullymarsh, was a swamp that once was a beautiful public park.
 * Well of the Fallen,


 * Temples:
 * Dawnspire, the Lathanderite temple that was erected by the Seekers of the Dawn.

Inhabitants
During the height of its splendor, Myth Drannor was home to some of the most famous and knowledgeable of the Realms' residents. The Seven Wizards who taught at the city's school of magic had a lasting legacy that influenced practitioners of the Art for centuries to follow.

Following its destruction in the 8 century DR, Myth Drannor became overrun by many monstrous, aberrant, and horrific creatures.
 * In the Ruins:

Sightings of the rarely-seen fang dragons first appeared in the ruins of Myth Drannor.

Within the ruins were undead horrors rarely encountered by mortals – magic-wielding illithids known as alhoons, burnbones, an army bone nagas, and even the benevolent baelnorn liches, who watched over the tombs of their deceased elven kin.

The more aberrant denizens included the malevolent phaerimm that escaped from beneath Anauroch, and a deepspawn that took control of the ruined Speculum.

Among the fiends that infested the city were those devils led by the fallen solar Malkizid, the contingent under the command of the pit fiend Aglaeroch,

magic-consuming dweomervores,

wizshades that haunted the city's once-majestic wizard-towers,

Appendix

 * Novels:
 * The Last Mythal
 * Forsaken House • Farthest Reach • Final Gate
 * The Herald

Gallery

 * Maps: