The Elven Woods - Cormathor

The large forest known as the elven woods was once a much greater forest which reached the Storm Horns Mountains of Suzail and crouched hard on the Sea of Fallen Stars. This was known as Cormanthor, and was one of the great elven kingdoms of old. It is greatly reduced now from its halcyon days when the elves dominated the surrounding lands, but is still referred to by that name.

Now the elves are gone, mostly, having retreated to Evermeet out in the Sea of Swords. Some elves and half-elves remain. those with unfinished business or loved ones or comrades remaining in the land. The woods’that which has not been cleared for the new kingdoms of Cormyr and Sembia and farmed by the Dales.is littered with ruins. The elves of old, ruling from Myth Drannor, kept curious humans at bay, but they are gone now, and many humans seek to unlock the secrets of the elven woods.

Cormanthor is a mixture of temperate woods, generally in a climax growth. Oak, maple, and larch are common, with groves of beech and elm throughout. Some pines may be found in more barren areas, but the mixture is primarily deciduous. Light is shaded but not totally blocked out by the canopy of leaves above, and the woods give the traveler, whether human, elf, or other, a warm, contented feeling.

The Elven Court

Within Cormanthor, there were three main centers of elven activity’semberholme, the Tangled Trees, and the Elven Court. The wondrous city of Myth Drannor was a fourth center until its destruction hundred of years ago.

The Elven Court, known in Thorass as Everlor, was the home of the royal family of Cormanthor and where most of what elven government consisted of took place. It was a widespread community, more similar to the separate holdfasts and farms of the Dales than the great cities of the humans. Its greatest buildings were for the royal family, but most of the community lived in wooden structures within the great trees of the area.

The elves of this region lived in the trees and were buried beneath them among the trees. roots with most of their worldly possessions. This was common practice for the elves, and as long as there was a living elven presence in the area, grave robbers gave the region a wide berth. Since the elven Retreat, however, adventurers and tomb robbers have sought to plunder the treasure beneath the roots. In addition (or perhaps as a result), more monstrous creatures now wander the Elven Court as well.

One prize that has so far eluded any plunderers is the hall of the royal family of Cormanthor. Its exact location is unknown, even among the elves who remain in the Realms. Given the magics of the powerful rulers, it is possible that they took the bodies and magics of their ancestors with them to Evermeet. However, reason the more greedy raiders, they would still leave behind the halls of their dead and the treasures buried in them. These halls have yet to be located.