Illefarn

Illefarn was an elven city-state that was founded during the First Flowering in -22900 DR, survived the Crown Wars, grew into an expansive nation and later fragmented into smaller realms.

Geography
Illefarn as a nation at its height, stretched along the Sword Coast, from just south of the settlement of Illusk, itself not far south of the Spine of the World, to the River Delimbiyr. Its capital was Aelinthaldaar which was built in the shadow of Mount Waterdeep.

Crown Wars
The city of Illefarn attempted to remain neutral during the turbulent period of the Crown Wars. In -11800 DR secret safe havens were provided to former Miyeritari citizens by elves of Illefarn.

Illefarn managed to survive through the fighting, becoming a powerful realm in the aftermath.

The Founding Time
Despite resistance to several orc hordes from out of the Spine of the World mountains, it was the encroachment of humans into Illefarn's territory that spurred Syglaeth Audark, Illefarns coronal, to call for a retreat to Evermeet, magically razing Aelinthaldaar in -1100 DR to remove any proof of its existence.

Over the next seven and a half centuries, many elves abandoned their homes of the last seven millenia and Illefarn's elven population dwindled into three smaller Kingdoms; Ardeep, Iliyanbruen and Rilithar. After the fall of nearby Athalantar in 342 DR, the elves of Ardeep forged a strong alliance with the dwarves of Dardath and the two realms kept the name of Illefarn, striving to work with local populations of humans instead of hiding from them. This came to pass less than two centuries later in 523 DR when the "Illefarn" elves and dwarves helped to form the realm of Phalorm after the Council of Axe and Arrow.

Apart from scholars, the memory of Illefarn was kept alive by the dwarves of Clan Ironeater, who stubbornly clung to their Illefarn identity centuries after the fall of Phalorm.

The King of Shadows
Some time prior to -339 DR Illefarn was threatened by Netheril. A human wizard whose name is lost to time volunteered to sacrifice himself to a magical ritual to create an effective deterrent. The Guardian that resulted was a being of pure Weave magic.

When Karsus's avatar was cast, the Weave was interrupted momentarily, which would have destroyed the Guardian. It chose to change its power source to the Shadow Weave and became the King of Shadows. The Illefarn sent warriors to destroy it, but failed. They then bribed the great dragon Nolaloth. The King of Shadows struck him down, but was sorely wounded and retreated to the Plane of Shadows.

Fate of the Subrealms
In -111 DR a massive orc horde streamed out of the Spine of the World and laid waste to the Kingdom of Illusk and the hidden city of Gauntlgrym, and ravaged the dwarven empire of Delzoun. Iliyanbruen, Rillithar and the neighbouring elven kingdom of Eaerlann united to finally destroy the horde. They paid a bloody price for their success.

Within a century, the human dominated realm of Illusk had rebuilt and began to encroach south into Illiyanbruen. War finally errupted in -11 DR and culminated in an Illuskan defeat at the hands of Lord Halueth Never, the following year. Peace eventually returned in -4 DR with the River Mirar set as the boundary between the two kingdoms.

By 152 DR the orcs were once again a serious threat. Elven outposts in the Spine of the World were overwhelmed and Illusk was again overrun. Human refugees began to swamp Iliyanbruen. To halt the tide, the host of Iliyanbruen marched to war against the orcs. In a campaign which lasted over 20 years, the face and nature of Iliyanbruen was changed completely. By 175 DR Iliyanbruen was gone. Many elves had fallen against the orcs or departed for Evermeet.

With victory achieved, the few remaining elves under Lord Never settled in Eigersston, an Illusk refugee settlement, which was renamed Neverwinter in the Elf Lord's honor.

In 342 DR, the fall of human-ruled Athalantar to an orc horde precipitated a hasty alliance between the Stout Folk of Dardath and the Fair Folk of Ardeep that was made permanent after the last Council of Illefarn was called. The Alliance of Illefarn then began debating allying with the humans of the region against the burgeoning threat of orc hordes rising across the North. However, before that decades-long discussion could reach any form of consensus, King Harnorth II Snowsword and most of the lands of Elembar fell to the Tarnished Tusk horde, which was in turn destroyed while invading the House of Stone, in the Year of the Fortress Scoured (511 DR). Only the capitol city of Delimibiyran and the lands immediately bordering it survived the orc horde’s assault.

Only a dozen years later, in the Year of Trials Arcane (523 DR), the elves of Ardeep and the dwarves of Dardath invited the humans of the Delimbiyr river valley, the gnomes of Dolblunde, and displaced halflings from Mieritin (now absorbed into Amn) to the Council of Axe and Arrow at the Laughing Hollow, where Phalorm, Realm of Three Crowns was founded. Javilarhh “the Dark” Snowsword, son of Harnorth II and heir to the throne of Elembar, was crowned King of Delimbiyran, one of Phalorm’s ruling triumvirate.

Notable Locations

 * Capital: Aelinthaldaar
 * Ardeep: Ardeep Forest
 * Iliyanbruen: Neverwinter Wood
 * Rilithar: Kryptgarden Forest
 * Illefarn Mountain
 * The Laughing Hollow
 * Arvahn