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).
Evermeet
- Ruler: Queen Amlaruil Moonflower, the Council of Matrons, the Queen’s High Council
- Capital: Leuthilspar (pop. 50,269)
- Settlements: Drelagara, Elion (1500), Erial, Iumathiashae, Nimlith (1000), Ruith (10,000), Sumbrar, Taltempla
- Population: 1,658,880 (50% sun elf, 30% moon elf, 10% sea elf, 9% wood elf, 1% misc.)
- Population Density: 18.43 people per mile², 7.12 people per km²
- Area: 89,006 miles² (230,524 km²)
- Military: The Pegasus Cavalry, Eagle Riders, Dragon Riders, Aerial Navy, the Evermeet Navy, thousands of magic-users
- Languages: Elven
- Religion: The Seldarine
- Exports: Jewellery, exotic and magical items
- Imports: Officially, none
- Sources: Elves of Evermeet (Anne Gray McCready, 1994), Evermeet: Island of Elves (Elaine Cunningham, 1999)
Overview
Evermeet is the home of the elven race upon Toril and represents the greatest concentration of elven civilisation on the planet.
Evermeet is a large island in the midst of the Trackless Sea. The island is located over 1,100 miles due west of the Moonshae Islands, just over 1,000 miles south-west of Tuern, 500 miles due south of the mysterious islands of Anchôromé, and approximately 450 miles east of the continent of Maztica, specifically the Bay of Balduran. This is relatively remote, although not quite as remote as perhaps the elves might wish, especially as sailing technology has improved and cross-ocean travel and commerce between Maztica and Faerûn is becoming more normal. However, Evermeet has both magical defences, such as magical fields that confuse and disorientate non-elven mariners, and mundane ones, such as one of the most powerful fleets of warships on the Trackless Sea.
Evermeet is known as the Green Isle for its remarkable degree of tree cover. Almost the entire island of 90,000 square miles is covered by forest. Roads are almost non-existent, with each elven community carefully self-sufficient as much as possible to avoid unnecessary commerce and despoiling nature. Most of the island’s major towns are located on the coast, with travel from one end of the island to the other best-accomplished by ship.
The major exception to the tree cover is the central spine of the island, along the River Ardulith, with the Eagle Hills rising to the east and the Silver Hills to the west. Between the hills, along the river, lies, a lengthy chain of elven farms, hamlets and even mines, known as Ty’athalael. The Ardulith joins the River Shaelyn at the southern end of this region, from whence it flows into the sea at Leuthilspar, the largest elven city believed to be extant on Toril. Leuthilspar is a large city of graceful buildings, tree-lined streets and is where nature and urbanisation, to an extent, work in harmony.
There several notable other areas in the forest, such as the plains in the south where the town of Drelagara sits and the sandy beaches of Siiluth in the south-east. Off the coast of Evermeet to the east lies Sumbrar, home to Evermeet’s formidable navy of both water-borne vessels and also spelljammers.
Evermeet is a beautiful land with an immense history which is said to be impregnable.
History
Starting around 27,000 years Before Dalereckoning (BDR), the elves forged their first great empires on the world of Toril: Ilythiir (c. 27,000 BDR), Aryvandaar (23,900 BDR), Shantel Othreier (23,600 BDR), Illefarn (22,900 BDR), Miyeritar (18,800 BDR) and Keltormir (17,800 BDR). Ilythiir, the realm of the jungle elves, first welcomed and worked with the other elven kingdoms, largely founded by refugees from the elven homeworld of Tintageer, but relations between the realms became poisoned by Ilythiiri paranoia and jealousy (the influence of the evil goddess Arushnee, later known as Lolth).
Around 17,600 BDR, the High Mages of the other elven empires, inspired by prophecies and dreams, began working to summon a piece of Arvandor, the holy plane of the Seldarine (the elven pantheon), onto Toril and use it as a special place of refuge. The ritual, the Ever’Sakkatien, took centuries of planning. It was cast from a tower of white granite located at the very heart of the main continent of the world and involved twelve High Mages working in concert. The ritual was successful, but it killed eleven of the twelve mages involved and resulted in a cataclysm. The supercontinent of Merrouroboros was torn apart, its western portions broken off dragged thousands of miles across the sea (to become Maztica, Katashaka and the islands of Anchôromé). The coastlands of the remaining landmasses were inundated. Although all of Toril was impacted and the northern elven empires lost vast reams of territory and lives, Ilythiir was almost completely destroyed and its first capital, Atorrnash, was lost beneath the waves of the Great Blue (the predecessor ocean to the Great Sea). The empire was many centuries in recovering.
However, in the midst of the newly-formed Trackless Sea there was a new island, Evermeet, a place where Arvandor and the Prime Material Plane intersected, a holy place of retreat for the elves. Evermeet’s location and even its existence was known to a very few, as the elven empires recovered from the event now known as the Sundering and began the slow build-up to what would become the Crown Wars, which began in 12,000 BDR. In 9800 BDR, whilst the wars were still raging, sailors from Aryvandaar finally located Evermeet and established a colony there. However, the newcomers quickly realised in this holy place that Aryvandaar had become corrupted and decadent, a warmongering nation as culpable as Ilythiir, if not moreso, for the wars. In 9200 BDR, when Elven Court proclaimed the ruling Vyshaan clan of Aryvandaar as outcasts and criminals, Evermeet joined the rebellion and sent forces to help in the overthrow of Aryvandaar.
After this, Evermeet remained aloof from affairs in Faerûn. Ruler after ruler followed in control of Evermeet, and the island acquired powerful defences to ward off would-be invaders. The rise of powerful human nations like Imaskar and Netheril caused consternation among the elves, but these nations never turned their gaze across the ocean. Sometimes disasters and problems in Faerûn saw the elves call for aid from the Island Kingdom, but Evermeet was loathe to intervene and risk its own security. Nevertheless, some events were so major that they did send aid: troops and mages from Evermeet journeyed to Cormanthyr to fight in the Wailing War against the Army of Darkness, and aided in the evacuation of thousands of elves from Myth Drannor and the wider empire as it collapsed two years later. During the final stand on the steps of Cormanthor Castle, many of the last defenders were allowed to flee through gates to Evermeet, including the famed Zaor Moonflower. In later years Zaor Moonflower became King of Evermeet.
For the next few centuries, Evermeet took little to no role in events in Faerûn. However, it did play a major role in the development of the elves of Toril in spelljamming. The Imperial Elven Navy, a multi-world fleet of ships from different elven races on various worlds, made its base in Realmspace and forged a strong alliance with Evermeet. For a time, the rulers of Evermeet were distracted by events far off in the heavens. Most notable of these was the First Unhuman War, which began with a massive assault by elven spelljammers on hostile forces in Greyspace in 965 DR and peaked with the destruction of the planet Borka in 981. The Scro – a spacefaring orcish civilisation – took revenge for the war by launching an assault on the Imperial Elven Fleet in 1357, beginning the Second Unhuman War. The war spread to Realmspace in 1360 but the Scro fleets were defeated within the sphere within two years. The war itself dragged on until 1369, when the war ended with the Scro fleets apparently mostly destroyed, but the elven fleets exhausted and no longer the dominant force they were before the wars began. As usual with events in the heavens, most of this went completely unnoticed on the actual worlds within those spheres.
In 1321, King Zaor was slain by an assassin. His wife Amlaruil Moonflower succeeded him as High Queen of Evermeet.
In 1344, the rulers of Elven Court declared the Great Retreat, a withdrawal of elvenkind from Cormanthor, but also wider Faerûn. Although many elves chose to linger, a vast number (estimates range from thousands to hundreds of thousands) travelled by means magical and mundane to Evermeet, and more would follow in dribs and drabs in the following years. Evereska became the last remaining nation of elves on the mainland of Faerûn.
In 1365, the Coral Kingdom, a sahuagin empire located on the seabed between Evermeet and Moonshae, began to threaten both realms. However, the sahuagin were defeated thanks to the heroism of King Tristan Kendrick of Moonshae and his daughter, Princess Alicia.
In 1370, the elves of the Savage Frontier region pledged allegiance to the Alliance of the Silver Marches, marking the founding of Luruar, a new kingdom. The kingdom is unique in the history of Faerûn, if not Toril, for being equally welcoming to all races whilst not being dominated by any, and elves make up a greater proportion of the population than any nation other than Evereska and Evermeet. Some sages have suggested this marks the end of the Elven Retreat, with the elves clearly willing to engage more closely in the affairs of Faerûn once more, but others are dubious.
Government
High Queen Amlaruil Moonflower rules Evermeet as its absolute ruler. She is known as the Sad Queen, as she became queen upon the death of her husband, Zaor, a noted heroic warrior who fought in the Weeping War and only barely survived the Fall of Myth Drannor. He was assassinated in 1321.
Queen Amlaruil is advised by the Council of Matrons, made up the Matrons of the main noble families, and the Queen’s High Council, which consists of Evermeet’s military commanders, city governors and the head of its magical orders and religious orders.
Evermeet is heavily defended, possibly more heavily defended than any other location on Toril. The island is surrounded by freestanding magical fields that serve to confuse and distract sailors, who often try to find Evermeet only to end up sailing in circles or directly away from it. Sea elves patrol the seas out to a considerable distance from the island and can spot an approach ship or fleet long before it sights land. Magical sea creatures also stand ready to defend the island.
Evermeet also employs a mundane navy, consisting of hundreds of swanships, dozens of dragonships and four massive wardragons, capable of unleashing arcane fire. These are augmented by aerial forces, including the 1,000-strong Pegasus Cavalry, the Eagle Riders, the Dragon Riders (consisting of a dozen ancient dragons) and six Ruathimaer-class spelljammers. Evermeet can also call upon elements from the Imperial Elven Fleet of spelljammers to defend the island, potentially dozens more warships that are usually patrolling close to Toril.
Evermeet’s standing army is small, consisting of hundreds of warriors. The sun elf heavy cavalry, riding into battle on moon-horse steeds, is particularly feared. Evermeet is also home to almost every single elven High Mage left on the planet, apart from the small number in Evereska, whose combined magical Art could possibly crack the planet like an egg if they wished.
Evermeet’s economy is mostly self-sufficient, but elven craftsmen export exquisite items to the mainland for sale, either to Evereska, Elven Court or the tiny number of non-elven cities and nations which have Evermeet’s favour, such as Waterdeep, Luruar and (on a very good day) Cormyr. Evermeet trades with other worlds by spelljamming.
Religion
Evermeet is dedicated to the worship of the Seldarine, the elven pantheon, and the island is the centre of worship for almost all the elven gods on the planet. Corellon Larethian, the head of the Seldarine, is the most revered, but Hanali Celanil also enjoys widespread worship.
The only non-elven god particularly revered on Evermeet is Eilistraee, who chose to willingly forsake the light of the Seldarine to try to redeem the drow as their goddess of hope and light. That sacrifice has not been forgotten.
The Faerûnian pantheon has no effective power in Evermeet, despite the concerns of Mystra over the sheer magical might present on the island and what it could perhaps do reshape the rest of the world in the future.
Thank you for reading The Atlas of Ice and Fire. To help me provide better content, please consider contributing to my Patreon page and other funding methods, which will also get you exclusive content before it goes live on my blogs.
Atlas of Ice and Fire 