History of Cormanthyr

The history of Cormanthyr dates back nearly six millennia ago to the forest realm of Arcorar, where a number of previously existing elven communities were found.

Pre-History
The beginnings of Cormanthyr trace back to the Crown Wars, when the greatest of elven kingdoms lie in ruin and the elven people were in strife. Refugees and colonizers moved from their traditional homelands to new homes, including the forest of Arcorar, which would later become the region now known as Cormanthor. They sought new elven homes secluded from the growing numbers of humans and  dwarves, and places where they could start anew, divorced from the terrible times they had experienced through the many wars. It was during this time that the Grand Mage Ethlando and his fellow High Mages created the famous  Moonblades.

Arcorar was then a vast woodlands stretching far west through what is now Cormyr and down into the Tunlands, and east past the Dragon Reach and Moonsea. Under its boughs were five major elven domains: Elven Court, Rystall Wood, Jhyrennstar, Uvaeren, and Semberholme. These realms flourished through the years, working in unison to better their people and making peaceful contact with outside cultures such as that of the dwarves of Sarphil, and all despite raids from orcs.

Soon, adversity met the communities of Arcorar, in the form of the Twelve Nights of Fire in, when a meteor and accompanying shower destroyed the realm of Uvaeren and its libraries, severing a large portion of the woods from the main body, and most notably during the Return of the Dark in , when a combined force of Drow and Duergar swarmed up from the Underdark and pillaged Elven Court and Sarphil. The dwarven realm was sundered in two, ruled by the two evil races respectively. Elven Court was razed and defiled before it was abandoned after a few tendays of destruction.

The elves sought solutions to their problems over the coming years, amidst much internal bickering. It was during this time that Rystall Wood declared their independence from the other elven realms, claiming alliance only to fight the drow. As the realms debated their next course of action, the Coronal of Jhyrennstar, Oacenth fell ill, and spoke his dying wishes of a unified tribe amid the forest kingdoms. As a prophet of Labelas Enoreth, his wishes overcame many objections from the nobility, and it was at this time that the High Mages forged the famous Elfblades to determine the leaders of the elves. In, the elf Kahvoerm Irithyl drew the Rulers' Blade, became Coronal of Cormanthyr, and united Elven Court, Semberholme, and Jhyrennstar as one nation.

Early History
For seventeen years, the first Coronal wandered the realm seeking a capital city. He found it on a hillock in the northern forests, where he fell into reverie and envisioned his new city. He plunged his Elfblade into the hill, and summoned the elves about him. When he drew the blade, the earth rose with it, and with the power of the sword he erected the Rule Tower, the first of Castle Cormanthor, and proclaimed the city Cormanthor in.

The coming millennia saw the realm rise in power amid many tumultuous events, not the least of which was the rise and fall of Netheril. The first Rysar of Cormanthyr ended in when the ancient Coronal Kahvoerm died. His fourth son, Divisav, attempted to draw the Rulers' Blade but was rejected and destroyed in green fire. The blade then passed to his youngest great-grandson, Sakrattars Irithyl, who drew the blade successfully and began the second Rysar. The new Coronal faced challenges including the rise of the Twisted Tower in, a great attack by the drow on Rystall Wood that burned many of the trees with fiery spiders in , and a drow incursion into the western woods of his realm, where he ultimately passed, sacrificing himself to create a blood dragon to slay the horde in. Sinaht Irithyl drew the elfblade, and so began the third Rysar.

Sinaht led a notable campaign with the allied forces of Rystall Wood and its drow-hating Coronal Faahresc to rout much of the drow force in the ruins of Uvaeren and the Old Skull, but fail to penetrate the Twisted Tower, allowing many drow to escape in. Sixteen years later, in, Sinaht passed and the fourth Rysar began with the new Coronal Miirphys Irithyl, a priest of Sehanine Moonbow, who drew the blade only once to prove his worth, preferring his bow. Miirphys helped raise the Crescent Court, the temple of Sehanine.

Miirphys had a long reign of relative peace save for one event which would later have startling consequences for the elven realm. In, a trio of nycaloths, rumoured to have been sent by Netherese wizards testing the elves' defenses, rampaged across the woodland realm. It took three months of hunting before the nycaloths were defeated on the streets of the capital, thereafter imprisoned by the Coronal and his High Mages. Later, in, the fifth Rysar began as Tannivh Irithyl became Coronal.

For several hundred years following, Coronals Tannivh of Cormanthyr and Connak of Rystall Wood led campaigns against the drow and the Twisted Tower, which became known as the Shadow Wars by. Their efforts eventually brought success in, when the Twisted Tower was breached and the drow were routed. The tower was handed over to good-aligned dark elves and became a temple to Eilistraee within the next century. During the battle, Lord Orym Hawksong was slain, and his body, along with the Warblade he carried, were lost to the drow and taken into the Underdark.

The sixth Rysar (and last of the Irithyl line), began in with the drawing of the Rulers' Blade by Eltargrim Irithyl, seventh son of Tannivh. During his early reign, he dealt with the orc problem of Rystall Wood, which found itself invaded in. The hordes were so great that by, the kingdom fell during its twelfth Rysar, and the survivors mostly fled to Cormanthyr, save those who remained behind in the city of Yrlaancel. It was at this time that the Coronal knew that a time of change was ahead. He saw the growing incursions of other races into his realms, good and evil alike, and knew that Cormanthyr would have to step forward and tackle the problem head on.

The Age of Alliance
While the new age of Cormanthyr was fraught with many traditional problems, including the attack on Tsornyl by Moander in 75 DR and a subsequent attack on his temple in the modern site of Yulash in 171 DR (during which the temple was destroyed and the Jawed God was banished from the realms by High Magic until 1358 DR), as well as the fall of the Twisted Tower and its recapture by the drow in 194 DR , it can most clearly be attributed to the raising of the Standing Stone, when Coronal Eltargrim, at the opposition of the nobility but with the backing of Tree-Spirits of Elven Court, met with the human tribal leaders surrounding Cormanthor and forged the Dales Compact. This pact with the Dalesmen marked the beginning of the Dalereckoning, and was inscribed upon the base of a 20-foot plinth of glossy gray stone in the heart of Cormanthor, south of the capital. It read as follows:

"While there is even Tel'Quessir within the forest, the men of the Dales may settle the Cleared Lands around us. This stone and the Pact of Peace between our Peoples shall crumble if ever the Dalesman willingly reduce the woods or invade the lands claimed by the Tel'Quessir."

This event, the first formalized alliance and positive attitude towards outside races by the elves in many years, marked the first of many such events that would eventually make Cormanthor a great city. Eltargrim pondered the oath of Oacenth to "unify the tribes of this great land" and decided that in a modern context, it applied to the N'Tel'Quess (non-elves) as well. In 220 DR, against the opposition of the noble clan elders, the Coronal opened the forest to any N'Tell'Quess wizard or druid, as well as the rare non-human, non-sylvan settler. It was after this time that the human wizard Elminster Aumar came to Cormanthor to learn the magic of the elves, the first human to enter the city.

The ideals of unification grew from a theory to reality in 261 DR, despite open rebellion in Cormanthor and attempts on the Coronal's life. The Coronal and the Srinshee raised a new mythal over the city, and changed its name to Myth Drannor, the City of Song, proclaiming the event the Opening. While many elves abandoned the city, citing the Coronal's "mad dreams of unity" to settle in other elven realms, the city flourished for over four hundred years as people from all around settled to live among the elves.

After the Opening, Cormanthyr saw several other events during its new era, including the end of the Crown Against the Scepter Wars as Hlondeth realized their futility in invading the elven realm in 308 DR. In 324 DR, the Harpers were formed by Dathlue Mistwinter in Elven Court. Later, in 331 DR the orcs of Vastar invaded and occupied Elven Court for a time. The most heinous event related to this was the Darkwoods Massacre, when over 1,000 members of the Akh'Velahr were slaughtered in the fourth foray against the orcs. They were eventually routed in 339 DR with the help of the human Velar, who eventually settled the lands to the east of Cormanthyr into what would become Velarsdale.

This time also saw the forging of the first of the Baneblades by Demron in 358 DR, the founding of the first wizard school open to all races by the Seven Wizards of Myth Drannor in 379 DR, the Night Dragon's Attack in 398 DR (when five black and two green dragons tested the defenses of Myth Drannor), and the birth of Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun in 414 DR. The wizard completed his tutelage with the Seven Wizards of Myth Drannor in 449 DR before leaving the city.

The Decline
The end of Cormanthyr drew near when in 661 DR the Coronal Eltargrim died, leaving the rulership of the Kingdom and the Rulers' Blade up for grabs. His only heir, niece Aravae Irithyl, was not prepared for the mantle yet and hoping for the return of her long-lost love Josidiah Starym (who was on a quest to retrieve the lost Warblade), she declared a five-year period of mourning for the forest Kingdom. Unfortunately, only a few years into this mourning period, Aravae was murdered secretly by Illitran Starym in 664 DR, though he was never discovered.

At the close of the mourning period, a great Claiming Ceremony began in Cormanthyr, overseen by the Srinshee and the elven High Mages. The next weeks saw many elves from all the noble clans of Cormanthyr die upon drawing the Rulers' Blade. As finding a new Coronal became increasingly difficult, civil strife began to emerge, especially when some non elves requested to draw the sword. In the end, the Srinshee herself drew the blade, and it accepted her reign. However, the wizard declared that she would not be Coronal, and proclaimed the elves unworthy of the gift of the Rulers' Blade, given their internal battles over the rulership which killed many and destroyed the Rule Tower. Then she departed with the sword to Arvandor in 666 DR, vowing only to return when an elf worthy of the rulership had emerged.

In the wake of the loss of Eltargrim, Aravae, and the Srinshee (along with the Rulers' Blade), Cormanthyr was in a state of flux. Quickly, the highest ranking elves convened in Elven Court to decide its future. By midsummer of that year, at the advice of the Tree-Spirits, a ruling council, the Council of Twelve, was born, comprised of the Grand Mage, the two High Court Mages, the Arms-Major and Spell-Major, three noble clan representatives, as well as a human, a dwarf, a gnome, and a halfling. The council seemed to work for a time, but its shortfalls became apparent within a few decades of Eltargrim's passing, as internal bickering and selfish agendas divided the realm and began the collapse of Cormanthyr.

Myth Drannor's reputation as centre for magical teaching in the Realms dimmed as practitioners of the Art began to migrate from the city to other realms to teach what they knew. Enrollment at its famous schools began to falter, and less and less of the students ascended to the ranks of the Akh'Faer, especially because of the dismantling of the Seven Wizards of Myth Drannor in 690 DR. Cormanthyr's magical defenses weakened greatly during this period of decline. In addition, the capital city saw the departure of many craftsmen, as there was little turnover from older artisans because of their mythal-powered lifespans. Talent in all forms was draining from the elven Kingdom.

Worst of all, with the passing of Eltargrim, the dreams of unity among the people cracked and was sundered. The intolerant nobility began to preach their views of encroachment by the humans and other races. Many noble houses packed up and moved to other settlements, and soon, more humans and dwarves filed into Myth Drannor taking refuge in the abandoned halls of the elves. This further immigration only amplified the nobles' objections, and the elven character of the city came into question.

The Fall of Myth Drannor
In 708 DR, their dimensional pocket prison inadvertently weakened by the dragon Garnat as he flew over the Coronal's throne, the Trio Nefarious, three nycaloths that had been imprisoned nearly two millenia earlier, were released. They quickly teleported away where they began raising an army of orcs,  goblins,  gnolls,  bugbears,  trolls and  hobgoblins. In addition, they summoned lesser yugoloths to supplement their newly formed Army of Darkness.

The Army first moved into Cormanthor in 711 DR, marking the beginning of the Weeping War which would ultimately spell doom for the empire. Many elven villages were destroyed in rural Cormanthyr during this first incursion. The Army of Darkness was temporarily halted by a rash attack from the red dragon Garnat in 712 DR, though the dragon disappeared afterwards. Hope appeared for the Allies in 713 DR, when two of the three yugoloths were slain, while people from Myth Drannor began their exodus. However, in 714 DR, as the elves pushed east and retook Elven Court, the Army took Myth Drannor, culminating in the Banes' Duel, which saw the leaders of the two forces slay each other. The directionless force of evil swarmed the capital and unseated the nation. The realm of Cormanthyr as was previously known came to an end on that day.

The Interim Years and the Retreat
After Myth Drannor fell, the elves made their best efforts to reclaim the woods around the city. They sealed the city with elven magic and protected it with arrows from any who would seek to enter it, and largely avoided the ruins, fearing the beasts that were left within by the Army of Darkness. For centuries they guarded the forest nearby (known as the Woods of Cormanthyr) from entry by any but dragons seeking lairs, whom they thought fitting guardians. The capital was moved back to Elven Court but was barred to all non-elves. A trading community of Elventree was established on the southern shore of the Moonsea for commercial needs and as a trading centre to the outside communities in 720 DR, but Cormanthyr remained a mere shadow of its former glory for centuries.

Faced with the unstoppable human hold on the region and rising evils in lands nearby (such as Zhentil Keep, Vaasa, and Scardale), not to mention the axes of the growing nation of Sembia to the south, the elves who remained in Elven Court made the fateful decision to abandon their woodland realm after more than five hundred years of protection after the fall of Cormanthyr. So began the Retreat in 1344 DR, as elves from all over the former realm took gates westward and emptied the forests. By 1355 DR, the retreat from former Cormanthyr reached its peak ; nearly 90% of the elven inhabitants departed in this way, heading for Evermeet or Evereska. Some elves remained, guarding the withdrawal of their kin, setting traps in former communities like Elven Court, and keeping their departure a secret. Most of these remaining elves reside in Semberholme as well as the communities of Bristar and Moonrise Hill in Deepingdale. Soon, though, very little remained of Cormanthyr other than ruins and memories.

Modern Conflicts and Revival
In the decades that followed the Retreat, the elves of Cormanthyr left many of their former homes vastly unoccupied. Some drow factions (including House Jaelre, Clan Auzkovyn, and other scattered raiding parties) primarily loyal to Vhaeraun contemplated a return to the surface world and sent scouting parties. It wasn't long before the scouting parties became warbands, who became slavers, who became conquerors. They established themselves quickly and made their presence known by incessant raids on many dales including Archendale and Mistledale. Even the Great Druid of Cormanthor ultimately fell to the dark elven forces. Their ultimate goal was to seize the abandoned mythals and shape them to their liking.

In 1374 DR Lady Sarya Dlardrageth, the half-fiend gold elves of House Dlardrageth and their Fey'ri forces arrived in Myth Drannor after a failed attack on Evereska. There, they slaughtered the clerics of Lathander and a temple that they had erected. Sarya summoned the exiled arch-devil Malkizid to aid in her pursuits, and quickly formed an alliance with Hillsfar and Sembia, whose armies started moving in on the Dales and the ruins of Cormanthyr.

Later, Hillsfar reneged on its alliance, siding with Zhentil Keep, and were subsequently invaded by House Dlardrageth. The Daemonfey eventually harassed the Sembian army enough to disband them, and then moved on to destroy the Standing Stone in Flamerule of that year. Forming an alliance with the drow House Jaelre, the Daemonfey began their defenses against the Elven Crusade, recently arrived from Evereska and allied with Sembia. They battled in Tassledale and the Vale of Lost Voices, where Malkizid was banished again forcing the Daemonfey to retreat to Myth Drannor. It was not long before the Elven Crusade besieged the city and defeated House Dlardrageth, though their leader, Seiveril Miritar was slain in the process. The Elven Crusade eventually became the Army of Myth Drannor led by Ilsevele Miritar, and faced with a growing threat from the Zhentarim, began the Cormanthor War against the Army of Darkhope and their allied Masked Brigades (members of the drow House Jaelre and Clan Auzkovyn). The Army of Myth Drannor were also joined by Storm Silverhand, Dove Falconhand, and the rest of the Knights of Myth Drannor.

Distracted by attacks on eastern fortifications in Cormanthor, the Army of Myth Drannor was unable to respond when Scyllua Darkhope and her army invaded Shadowdale. The Chosen of Mystra led an elite contingent against the forces left there, but were forced to teleport away when there was a strange reaction of their Silver fire to the Weave. However, early in 1375 DR, with the help of adventurers, the possessed Lord Mourngrym was liberated, the residents of Shadowdale broke the Zhentarim's control on the area, and Scyllua Darkhope was slain, putting an end to the Cormanthor War. By 1376 DR, after the death of the drow god Vhaeraun, the dark elves were shaken and easily routed from Elven Court by Ilsevele and her army. Zhentil Keep proclaimed an uneasy peace with the elves.

The former realm of Cormanthyr seemed peaceful for a time, with Myth Drannor back in the hands of elves and the drow and fiends effectively routed from the forest. In 1377 DR, the Srinshee returned to the City of Song and granted Ilsevele the Rulers' Blade. The elven warrior accepted, becoming the new Coronal of the refounded realm of Cormanthyr.

In 1487 DR, after years of war against Netheril, Thultanthar fell upon Myth Drannor, destroying both cities. Ilsevele and her surviving subjects fled to Semberholme.