Semberholme Semberholme was a range of wooded hills that were once home to a cavern - dwelling community of elves . It was one of the four old communities of Cormanthyr ( the others were the Elven Court , Myth Drannor , and the Tangled Trees ) . It lay on the banks of Lake Sember , in the south and west of Cormanthor Environs . The woods of Semberholme were a mystical range of thick - trunked trees in south - western Cormanthor . In fact , they were some of the thickest trees in all of the forest , and the ground level was often darkened by the thick canopy overhead ( thus forcing the elves to build arboreal settlements so as not to be completely without light ) . This also caused the ever - present thick gray fog that rolled along the lake ' s surface and the forest floor , with accompanying lichen , humidity , and mushy peat that could be found throughout . Boundaries . Semberholme as a region was considered to be the forests north of Lake Sember ( but west of the Verire river ) and south of the lake ( but north of the Glaemril . The Thunder Peaks to the west were a natural boundary , though that remained the most definitive boundary . The elves who lived here never formally drew out a political line around it . Flora and Fauna . The trees of Semberholme were primarily immense oak trees and even taller maple s , which were the most common type of trees upon which the elves built their dwellings . West and south of Lake Sember , a traveler could find many groves of spruce and hemlock trees . The forest floor was often shrouded in thick underbrush thanks to the rich soil , making travel faster by tree top than by ground . Semberholme was home to many native fauna , including , but not limited to , deer , squirrel , rabbit , opossum , and skunk as well as oversized versions of raccoons , porcupines , and weasels ( rumored to be enlarged by magic from Netheril ) . Forest buffalo and owlbear s were some of the more dangerous creatures to inhabit the area . Limestone Caves . Semberholme was known for its network of limestone caves that crisscrossed about the forest , forming a grid of secret passages and hideaways for the numerous elves that once lived here . Historically kept safe by the Moonshadows , an ancient Semberholme military group , they once were used as training facilities for young elves as well as storage areas for food and supplies in the event of an attack . Some of these caverns connected to Lake Sember through underground streams , and were once used by the aquatic elves to rear their young . Magical Defenses . Like many elven communities , Semberholme was a place of magic , and it was often used to protect the settlements . Early in its history , the Moonshadows used what were called " sigil ward s " , runes carved on trees and stones that were used to keep non - elves and violent monsters from wandering into the communities that lived within the region . They were created by the High Mage of Semberholme and could cause an affected creature to modify its path and wander away without any knowledge of its change in course . They would also alert the creator if anything managed to bypass them , thereby alerting the Moonshadows to trouble . In addition to the " sigil wards " , Semberholme was also the setting for the elves ' " teleportation " fields , which were magical forces that could teleport intruders without their knowing so as to direct them away from the heart of the forest or its communities . After the Opening of Myth Drannor in 261 DR , many of these fields around Cormanthyr were disabled or changed , though Semberholme ' s remained . After the Weeping War and the fall of Myth Drannor , certain High Mages fled to Semberholme and weaved further magical protections into the forest . Many mages lost their lives , and their spirits became infused with the natural mists that occur as cold air from the Thunder Peaks reacted with the warmer air over Lake Sember . These sentient mists were detectable by the elves and half - elves , but to others , the mists implanted powerful " suggestion s " , which forced intruders to flee for their lives , struck with terror and panic . To outsider s , it caused actual pain , dubbed " mindfire " . By the 1370s DR , the power of these mists had faded , causing lesser emotions such as melancholy or loneliness , though they could still cause nightmares for the sleeping . Politics . As of 1374 DR , agents of the Eldreth Veluuthra were active in Semberholme . Their aim was to gain supporters amongst the elven population . History . Semberholme could trace its roots back to −8000 DR , after the banishment of drow from the surface world . The elves of the Realms decided that they needed a safe place for women , children , and elders during times of trouble or strife that would inevitably come . The woods of Semberholme around the Lake Sember were the thickest in all of the forest of Arcorar , and the limestone caves that spread under the roots of the trees proved to be a great asset in the event that the elves had to hide . The entrances to these caves were well hidden and difficult to spot even for vigilant elves passing by . The apparent defensibility of the area caused it to be declared an official place of refuge for Cormanthyr by the Coronal Eltargrim Irithyl , who was born in Semberholme , in −200 DR . The task of settling the woods fell upon the Ulondarr clan of moon elves , who witnessed an avatar of Corellon Larethian proclaim that Semberholme would be a place of peace and that if ever an elf slew another elf , then the people of Cormanthor would be banned from Arvandor forever . Semberholme was peculiar in that , unlike other elven realms , it had no Coronal , instead being ruled by the Council of Trees . Over the course of the millennia to follow , through its early years and its incorporation into the empire of Cormanthyr in −4000 DR , Semberholme became an important location for pregnant elves to bear their children under the watch of its skilled midwives and priests of Corellon Larethian and Labelas Enoreth ( the latter of which was considered to be a blessing if present during a birth ) . Stillbirths or births with complications were exceedingly rare in the woods of Semberholme , and it also became known for its festivals and galas honoring newborns , which could last days depending on the family . Noble clans needing heirs to their lines would often travel here to give birth . By the laying of the Standing Stone in 1 DR , Semberholme was home to moon elves , gold elves , green elves , and even a large number of aquatic elves who , tired of human encroachment , sought the calm waters of Lake Sember to raise their young . The most notable aquatic elf clan was the Kelpor ' ral , clan who brought great amounts of knowledge to the region . The aquatic elves also became a big part of the defense of the region as part of the deal to colonize the lake . By 261 DR , when Myth Drannor was opened to the non - elf races , Semberholme had become a great center for learning and education , supported by various gold elven clans and most faiths of the Seldarine . It further grew in size as noble elf clans , in disagreement with the Coronal Eltargrim ' s decision to open Myth Drannor , began shipping their family members to strictly elven communities such as Semberholme or Elven Court . By 680 DR , it had doubled in size from two centuries earlier . As Myth Drannor became richer and the threat of incursion grew , Semberholme remained shielded from the encroaching aggressors , thanks to its natural boundaries , though the Ulondarr clan did not take the risk , and established the Moonshadows , a force of warriors and spellcasters devoted to the protection of the woods . Semberholme of course became an important refuge once the Weeping War began in 711 DR . Early on , pregnant elves and the elderly were given the option of departing there . Few took this choice early on , but when the threat became more credible , many flocked to within its safe borders . The Moonshadows , sword defenders of the realm , played their part in the war , battling remnants of the Army of Darkness along their demarcation line during the battle of Thorn Gulch in Alturiak of 714 DR and fighting alongside the satyr s in the Battle of Vengeful Hooves in Tarsakh of the same year . After the war came the " Shunning of Semberholme " , during which many druids ( both human and half - elven ) , such as Aubaerus the Ravenmaster , began to protect the borders using their magics . Aubaerus was granted long life by Silvanus for his task , and was rumored to still be alive by the 1370s DR . The elves settled no more new settlements in Semberholme , and took up a more nomadic lifestyle , using their continual movement to avoid detection , along with their magical gardening techniques that steered intruders in paths away from their homes . Elves cut off contact with the humans , and with the work of some outside allies like Elminster and a lone envoy , Luvon Greencloak , they convinced the world that the elves had left and the place was instead full of demons and monsters . After the Retreat in 1344 DR , Semberholme was largely and truly abandoned along with the rest of Cormanthyr . Many of the old settlements no longer existed , though some defected to Deepingdale and became elven communities within that region . The area mostly staved off intrusion from the Cormanthor drow after they showed up in the forest .