D&D: An Adventurer’s Guide to Myth Drannor
A legendary lost city of Faerun, the city of Myth Drannor has flourished, fallen, risen, and fallen again—a lot.
The city of Myth Drannor is an infamous one in Faerun. Depending on whom you speak to, it is a shining bastion of a past. Or it’s a death trap waiting to prey upon whatever foolish souls stumble in. It’s been the home of Faerun’s greatest heights and deepest, fiend-filled lows. Come and learn about the city of Myth Drannor.
Sometimes called Cormanthor or the City of Love, Myth Drannor was a gleaming jewel in the realm of Cormanthyr. Cormanthyr was an ancient elven empire that united the lands of Semberholme, Elven Court, and Jhyrennstar. Myth Drannor distinguished itself among elven cities as one of the first places where the elven peoples opened up their lands to non-elves.
That’s right, filthy humans filtered in. And other creatures too. The elves relied on a powerful protective ward known as a mythal. This Mythal protected the inhabitants of the city from any hostility.
In the early days of the elven empire of Cormanthyr, Myth Drannor prospered. In a few short millennia, practically no time at all for elves, the city flourished. And largely went unnoticed from -3983 DR to about 261 DR. That’s when the elven wizards weaving the mythal that would protect (and condemn) the city finally finished. At first, Myth Drannor flourished. Diverse peoples flowing into the city brought about a new mix of trade and art and influence and culture for about four hundred years.
Although in 661 DR (about 830 years ago by present D&D timetables) the city’s leader died. In the wake of their death, a group of power-hungry nobles known as the Council of Twelve lobbied for power, and eventually by 667 DR seized it.
As is often the case when a city and its people are governed not by good guiding principles but by unchecked greed, the city quickly falls into ruin. Myth Drannor began to fail as a capital and so bad was the greed and infighting that the empire of Cormanthyr dissolved into city-states rife with infighting until a civil war broke out.
Eventually, the city was weakened and beset by fiends—devils swept through the city and overran its defenses. As Myth Drannor fell, the elves left Faerun for the isle of Evermeet, abandoning their city to rack and ruin and infernal powers whose ambitions would shape the world for years to come.
Finally, in the year of Wild Magic, approximately 120 years ago, with the advent of the spellplague and the return of the Netheril empire to Faerun, and many more disasters, the elves reclaimed their ancient capital. Sadly by the time they took control of it, the Netherese empire recovered the Nether Scrolls and a flying city came crashing down upon Myth Drannor, sending both cities once more into ruin.
Now nothing remains of Myth Drannor but myth, legend, and old wounds, yet to heal.
Happy adventuring!
