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 - 5000 DR , 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 - 4400 DR , 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 Elfblade s to determine the leaders of the elves . In - 4000 DR , 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 - 3983 DR . 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 - 2900 DR 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 - 2549 DR , a great attack by the drow on Rystall Wood that burned many of the trees with fiery spiders in - 2439 DR , 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 - 1950 DR . 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 - 1354 DR . Sixteen years later , in - 1338 DR , 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 - 1200 DR , 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 - 791 DR , 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 - 470 DR . Their efforts eventually brought success in - 331 DR , 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 - 223 DR 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 - 205 DR . The hordes were so great that by - 64 DR , 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 : 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 .