Cormanthor

Cormanthor is an ancient forest realm in the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms.

Cormanthor was long the place of the elven empire of Cormanthyr, Cormanthor being both the name of the forest and of the capital. After the Elven Retreat only a small number of elves remain, with the main part of the population leaving for Evereska or Evermeet.

The City of Songs Destroyed
711 Year of Despairing Elves -- Late in the autumn of this year, the Army of Darkness overruns the mining and trading encampments on the western Moonsea (the site that will become Zhentil Keep). By early winter, the first incursions into Cormanthor have begun. -- The Weeping War begins on the Feast of the Moon with the Northern Massacres campaign as the Army of Darkness engages many elf patrols and destroys many elf villages and clan enclaves.

712 Year of the Lost Lance -- The Weeping War continues through the year, resulting in the deaths of many heroes and the collective Harpers at Twilight. There are four major campaigns this year, and Myth Drannor nearly falls prey to the Army of Darkness. -- Battle of Garnet's Pyre: The red dragon Garnet rashly attacks the Army of Darkness, and he manages to at least split the main army, slow its advance, destroy its supply lines, and trap it amidst some forest fires. Garnet disappears in the midst of battle, not to be seen again for centuries.

713 Year of the Firedrake -- The war rages on, though the allies manage to eliminate Malimshaer and Gaulguth, two of the three nycaloths leading the Army of Darkness. While three major campaigns rocked the forest for much of the year, there is a tense peace from Greengrass to Midsummer's Night; during this time, many Myth Drannan natives emigrate either to sister cities outside of Cormanthor or to Semberholme and Tangled Vale settlements. -- After more than 200 years, the Twisted Tower falls once again to the dark elves, marking the refounding of the Lands Under Shadow in western Cormanthor.

714 Year of Doom

-- The final campaigns of the elves and allies against the Army of Darkness see the reestablishment of Elven Court as the seat of elf power in Cormanthyr while Myth Drannor falls under siege by the Army of Darkness. With the slaughter of the army and cavalry, little can be done against the Siege of Shadow, which descends on Myth Drannor on the 21st day of Kythorn. -- The Banes' Duel: The climax of the war was the duel between the two final opposing army leaders. The Banes' Duel between the forces of Aulmpiter the nycaloth and Captain Fflar lasts for two whole days, and ends with the pair facing off in mortal combat on the 15th day of Flamerule; while neither body is ever identified, the magical blast that engulfed them robs both armies of their commanders. --- The Siege lasts until the Final Flight in Flamerule, as the now-directionless hordes of the Army of Darkness simply swarm over Myth Drannor's last defenders by savagery and sheer weight of numbers. Only 200 elves and allies out of the 3,000 who remained to defend the City of Song escaped to tell of the city's passing.

715 Year of Hungry Jaws

720 Year of the Dawn Rose -- The Gathering of the Gods at the Dancing Place signals the refounding of the Harpers at the request of some elves from Elven Court. In attendance are all 15 of the Harpers at Twilight who survived the previous decade, including Lady Alais Dree, Elminster Aumar, Khelben Arunsun (once the Nameless Chosen), and Meil "Darkhunter" Araeln. -- The sylvan community of Elventree is founded as a site for the elves of Elven Court to continue interaction with their allied races (since Elven Court now is prohibited to the presence of non-elves) and as a trading site.

Recent accounts (DR 1374)
Cormanthor used to be a ruin occupied by rogue devils, and drow, was recently taken over by Sarya Dlardrageth and her Fey'ri forces following their defeat at the hands of the Seiveril Miritar's Crusade in Myth Glauroch. The Crusade manages to defeat her forces and retake the land, but not without the sacrifice of Miritar. In the year 1380 DR, his daughter Ilsevele has become the new coronal of Cormanthor, with Araevin Teshurr as the Archmage.

Myth Drannor
Myth Drannor, formerly known as Cormanthor, the City of Songs, was once considered to be the most beautiful and largest of any of the cities in Faerûn. Unfortunately, the city has been in ruins for many years. The city was once protected by a device called a mythal which is one of the greatest spells in perhaps all of the Realms. The mythal is a protective spell which shields Myth Drannor from harm.

Cormanthor became known as Myth Drannor after the mythal was raised. It was during this time that Elminster visited the legendary elven city and became the first human to ever set foot in it. Coronal Eltargrim, the elected ruler of Cormanthor at the time, decided to open the elven realm to non-elven races in order to halt the slow decay of his civilization and prevent human armies from forcefully entering the city in the future. The mythal was raised to protect the city once the non-elven races were allowed to go there.

Myth Drannor was later overrun by the armies of three nycaloths after the nycaloths were inadvertently freed from their prisons in Myth Drannor.

Myth Drannor has appeared in Elminster in Myth Drannor, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Pools of Darkness, Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, and Spellfire.

Official material

 * Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves (zip)
 * The Fall of Myth Drannor (zip)
 * Lost Empires of Faerûn
 * Elven Dancing Styles during the time of Cormanthyr and Myth Drannor
 * The Haunted Glen

Portals

 * Cormanthor Portal
 * Spy Network
 * The Elven Unification Portal
 * Cormanthor Portal of the Emerald Enclave
 * Heroes of Spellfire
 * Myth Dwannor Cité de l'Aube
 * Myth Drannor Persistent World

Specific prestige classes

 * Secret Moondancer