In this series I will be looking at each of the individual nations of Faerûn in turn, in alphabetical order. This series is based around the status of each nation as of 1371-72 Dalereckoning (at the end of D&D 2nd Edition and the start of 3rd Edition). The maps are drawn from The Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas CD-ROM and their respective 1st and 2nd Edition sources. They are not necessarily current for the 5th Edition of the setting (which is set c. 1496 DR).
- Ruler: High Lord Erlan Duirsar and the Council of Hill Elders
- Capital: Evermeet
- Settlements: Greyhome, Greyshield, the Halfway Inn
- Population: 21,051 (99% elf, 1% misc.)
- Population Density: 1.42 people per mile², 0.56 people per km²
- Area: 14,736 miles² (38,166.065 kilometres²)
- Military: The Army of Evereska (the Long Watch, the Swords of Evereska, the Cold Hand, the Vale Guard, the Tomb Guard, the Feather Cavalry)
- Languages: Common, Elven
- Religion: The Seldarine
- Exports: Paintings, statues, wine, wood carvings, elven spirits
- Imports: Metal ore
- Sources: The Return of the Archwizards trilogy (Troy Denning, 2001-02)
Overview
Evereska is one of Faerûn’s more remote nations, as well as one of its most secretive. The last major elven kingdom on the continental mainland, Evereska safeguards its precise location from all but a few trusted allies, and very few non-elves have ever been allowed to visit.
Evereska lies within the Western Heartlands, the largest region of Faerûn without a significant human kingdom located within it. But even within that vast area – described as “miles and miles and miles” of wilderness – Evermeet is isolated. It is located in the Backlands, the somewhat obscure area in the far north-east of the Western Heartlands that lies hard against the Great Desert of Anauroch, an area noted for being either completely empty or home only to monstrous creatures.
Evereska’s precise area of control lies within hilly uplands along the western edge of the desert, specifically the Shaeradim in the south and the Greycloak Hills in the north. The hills are tall and forbidding, not far off mountains, and there are no major roads through the area. Once a traveller reaches the area, they still have to make their through hundreds of square miles of hills, valleys, crags and isolated streams, all the while under observation from Evereska’s guardians (magical and mundane). The city itself is protected by a mythal, a free-standing magical field that makes it even harder to detect, and filled with magical defences.
To the north, the Greycloak Hills are home to a colony of Evereska’s. Finding the elves in this area is moderately easier, but visitors best have a pressing and convincing reason for their presence.
Although Evereska’s borders stop at the edges of the hills, its defenders patrol a larger area surrounding the actual nation to monitor for threats. In particular, the elves keep an eye on lizardfolk activity in the nearby huge Marsh of Chelimber, undead activity at the Battle of Hones and Hill of Lost Souls in the south and the activity of humans in the Great Desert of Anauroch to the east. The Bedine tribes usually steer clear of the hills, but in recent years the activities of the Black Network of the Zhentarim have become more concerning. The Black Network has driven a trade road across the heart of Anauroch, linking their stronghold of Zhentil Keep to the north-east with the small city-state of Llorkh in the Greypeak Mountains to the north. The elves of Evereska have, with great reluctance, entered into some agreements with the Lords’ Alliance and the kingdom of Cormyr to the south-east to monitor Zhentarim activities and work with them to limit the Black Network’s encroachment on civilised lands.
The city of Evereska is located in the midst of the Shaeradim, between twelve tall hills and on a plateau that rises 1,000 feet from the surrounding territory. The city is relatively small by Faerûnian standards (and even the standards of elven cities and ruins like Myth Drannor) but elegant in its beauty, with trees lining the streets and the buildings not being allowed to overwhelm nature.
History
Evereska’s history dates back to the First Flowering of the elves, when the area lay near the intersection of three elven empires: Aryvandaar to the north and north-west (beyond the Greypeak Mountains), Miyeritar to the west and Shantel Othreier to the south-west. The forests of the region were likely part of Miyeritar, although whether they settled the hills of the Shaeradim and the Greycloaks remains unclear.
The city of Evereska itself was founded circa 8600 Before Dalereckoning (BDR), in the aftermath of the Crown Wars, by descendants of refugees from several of the empires, including Aryvandaar. By 7600 BDR the vale of Evereska had become overcrowded, leading to a colonisation effort to settle the realm of Sharrven in the High Forest (leading to the founding of Eaerlann in 4700 BDR). Evereska kept itself as a hidden refuge, even when Netherese sky-keeps patrolled the skies and Netherese explorers made their way through the hills, which they referred to – perhaps over-grandly – as the Purple Mountains. The Netherese established the city of Wreathe in the western foothills of the Shaeradim in 2145 BDR and it endured for over eighteen centuries before it was abandoned due to the advance of the desert, the result of the secretive war between the Netherese and the subterranean phaerimm, who used magic-draining spells to undermine Netheril from below.
In 339 BDR Netheril was destroyed in a cataclysm, to the relief of the elves, but the desert continued to advance. In 329 DR the advance finally halted at the edges of the Shaeradim, to the relief of the elves. However, unknown the elves, the advance had come about because the enigmatic sharn had defeated the phaerimm in the Underdark and created the Sharn Wall, a mystical barrier around the edges of what is now Anauroch. Part of this barrier runs directly below the Shaeradim. The Evereskans were originally unaware of this, but over time occasional clashes with phaerimm who managed to evade the Sharn Wall revealed something of the truth to them.
The Evereskans continued maintaining their seclusion, but over time some exceptions were made. Despite Evereska’s magic, its outer territories were discovered by human tribesmen in 244 DR, leading to the opening of trade relations. Khelben Arunsun became the first human allowed to visit Evereska in 464 DR, when he lent his formidable magical aid against a phaerimm incursion (the battle which led Mystra to name Khelben as one of her Chosen). Some years later, the elven realm of Askavar in the Wood of Sharp Teeth collapsed and its people, some over sea to Evermeet but many to Evereska.
Elves from Evermeet are believed to lent their assistance to Cormanthyr during the Weeping War, and some elves from Myth Drannor are said to have evacuated to Evereska (possibly via intermediary refuges) in 714 DR. However, Evereska, ever wary of discovery, was reluctant to offer more overt help, to the frustration of its allies and even some of its own citizens.
In 1335 DR Evereska made a surprisingly bold move by annexing the Greycloak Hills to the north and establishing several small colonies among its peaks.
Otherwise Evereska has continued to maintain its secrecy and security, in the hope that nothing in the wider world of Faerûn will affect it.
Government
Evereska is ruled by the Hill Elders, a council that meets in the Hall of the High Hunt. Evereska’s senior leaders form the council, including the Tomb Master, High Huntsman, the Watcher Over the Hills and the oldest and most senior High Mage of the city. The Council seeks to make decisions by consensus, which can be a slow-moving process unless the matter is clearly urgent. Erlan Duirsar, the Watcher Over the Hills, currently serves as the High Lord or chairperson of the council.
Evereska maintains a small but utterly formidable military with several branches. The Long Watch establish patrols outside the city boundaries, encompassing the Shaeradim and Greycloak Hills and sometimes ranging as far as the Marsh of Chelimber to the west and deep into the Great Desert to the east. The Swords of Evereska comprise the noble army, consisting of the Noble Blades and Lordly Wands, a magic-wielding force. High Lord Duirsar’s personal force is the Cold Hand, an elite group of formidable warriors and spellcasters. The city itself is patrolled by the Vale Guard, whilst the Tomb Guard are a quasi-religious order dedicated to defending the ancient elven tombs in the Greycloak Hills. The Feather Cavalry are a force of mounted sentries (mostly on griffon-back) that keep an eye on the skies.
Evereska engages in a moderate amount of trade via the Halfway Inn, a settlement at the western feet of the Shaeradim which acts as a conduit between Evereska and the outside world.
Religion
Evereska is dedicated to the worship of the Seldarine, the elven pantheon, of course. However, Aerdrie Faenya and Hanali Celanil are particularly revered, the former having a floating garden dedicated to her name and the latter an impressive statue in the very heart of the city.
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