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 . History . 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 Eigersstor , 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 gnome s of Dolblunde , and displaced halfling s 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 .