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Silvanesti is the original elven kingdom in Ansalon, from where the Kagonesti and Qualinesti elves probably came. Holding capital at Silvanost, this kingdom is famous for its marble buildings, garden-like forests and the towers of Eru at the mouths of the Thon-Thalas. At one time a nightmare-land during the rule of the Speaker of the Stars Lorac, it is now abandoned, as the elves were driven away by ogres at the end of the War of Souls .

History[]

Age of Dreams[]

Silvanesti was founded by the great elven leader Silvanos Goldeneye after the First Dragon War in 3550 PC. After wrestling the land from the great dragons, Silvanos was able to create the great elven nation out of the dragon's former homeland. Upon settling in their new forest, the elves set about creating their capital city. They named this city Silvanost and their nation Silvanesti in honor of their leader who had finally united the elven clans. In 2239 PC, the Empire of Ergoth and Silvanesti signed the Treaty of Thelgaard over the cloth trade.

In 2192 PC, the eastern Empire of Ergoth expanded into Silvanesti lands. A terrible war ensued for the next half century taking its toll on both nations. The war ended with somewhat of a stalemate and both nations retreated to lick their wounds. By this time however, the elves that had fought on their western frontier no longer felt welcomed by the rest of their Silvanesti society. Prior and during the war, those western elves had become so heavily interbred with Ergothian humans that they no longer were considered pure blood by their eastern country men. Demanding social change, the western elves declared their independence. With the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll, those western elves moved further west into the forest of Mithranhana and founded the new nation of Qualinesti. Having felt a great loss from the war and the division of their nation, the Silvanesti started to become isolationists from the world around them.

In 1060 PC, the Third Dragon War raged across the continent. The elves endured attacks from Takhisisā€™s great dragons and defended their homeland. Losing only borderland territory, the elves were able to keep the great hordes of evil from entering into their heartland forests. With the conclusion of the war, Silvanesti was able to reclaim much of what they lost.

Age of Might[]

In 673 PC, the nation of Silvanesti clashed with the growing Istarian Empire. Istar had sought to dominate most of the key shipping lanes and harbors. Skirmishes between naval merchants soon led to war. Both nations attacked each other at sea until Silvanesti finally created a major blockade across the Bay of Istar. Crippling Istarian trade, the human empire appealed to Solamnia for aid. Solamnia acted as a mediator was able to get both nations to sign the Swordsheath Scroll and thus the war was able to come to an end.

Peace was not to last with Istar however. In 280 PC, Istar appointed the first Kingpriest to rule their empire and tried to promote Istar as the moral center of the world. The Silvanesti become disgusted with this act and begin to once again take a hostile attitude towards the Istarian Empire.

In 118 PC, the Kingpriest enforced the new Proclamation of Manifest Virtue. This proclamation declared evil as an affront to both the gods and the peoples of Ansalon. The proclamation was followed by a list of acts and rules that would judge those as evil. Many of these acts were aimed directly at Silvanesti. With Istar's growing power, the elves knew that they would not be able to win a war should they challenge the Empire's new edicts. The elven King Lorac instead opted to seal Silvanesti's borders. Calling for the evacuation of all settlements outside the woodland border, the King further ordered the raising of the great Barrier Hedge. This last ditch effort of defense was a massive wall of thickly tangled thorny vines and plants that proved impenetrable to outsiders. Those who tried to force their way into the forest by cutting or burning the hedge soon gave up as the hedge grew back at an almost instantaneous rate. Thus with this act, the Silvanesti turned their backs on the world.

Over the next century, Istar gained almost absolute power over most of the other nations of Ansalon. With the elves' evacuation from their western plains and northern deserts, the Empire of Istar quickly moved in and occupied these lands. Istarian settlements such as Pashin and Hurim sprang up on the former Silvanesti lands further proving that the Istarians had no intentions of leaving.

Age of Despair[]

The Cataclysm ended Istar's dominance over the world. After the disaster, Silvanesti sent out scouts to report the damage done to their nation. The effects of the Cataclysm had been catastrophic. Blaming the disaster upon the humans, the elves remained in their kingdom and continued to remain isolated from the world.

In 349 AC, Silvanesti was drawn into the War of the Lance. First negotiating a peace with the great Dragonarmies, the elves were soon betrayed. The dark forces turned south and into the woodland border. Knowing his nation's destruction was imminent, the elven King Lorac used a dragon orb that he had rescued from Istar prior to the empire's destruction. While the population of Silvanesti fled south and west out of the nation, the king tried to drive the invading armies and dragons out of the land. Unable to control the power of the Dragonorb, the artifact instead took control of King Lorac and threw the nation of Silvanesti into a nightmare state. The forest and everyone in it became twisted into an evil mockery of what they once were. Seeing the elven nation warping before their very eyes, the Dragonarmies quickly retreated out of the nation desperately trying to reach safety.

For thirty long years, the refugees of Silvanesti would remain without a homeland. While the majority of the population lived at Silvamori on Southern Ergoth, the rest worked hard to try and destroy the nightmare that plagued their lands. In 382 AC, the Silvanesti were successfully able to end the nightmare raging in Silvanesti with the help of their Qualinesti cousins and Elijayess Moonshadow. Reentering their nation, the elves rebuilt their homeland.

Age of Mortals[]

Following the Chaos War, the Silvanesti raised their greatest defense yet. Unwilling to further risk the loss of their homeland, the elves raised the great Shield. This magical barrier proved to be impenetrable and kept the elves truly isolated however at a dire cost. The shield sustained itself off the elves' life-force. All animals and vegetation near the shield's border promptly died. In time, the elves realized that their greatest protection might prove to be their final undoing.

The great Shield was finally destroyed during the War of Souls. After the Knights of Takhisis successfully entered the shield, the great barrier collapsed and the invasion of Silvanesti began. Led by Mina, the Dark Knights were able to conquer the nation and enslave the entire race.

Their occupation was not to last however. From up the Thon-Thalas River, a minotaur fleet arrived and subsequently drove out the Dark Knights thus taking the former elven homeland for themselves.

In the present day, the surviving elves of Silvanesti are scattered and without a homeland. A large group has recently joined together on the barren Plains of Dust. Here they have united with their Qualinesti cousins who also have been forced from their homes. Led by Gilthas Solostaran, who is both Qualinesti's Speaker of the Sun and Silvanesti's Speaker of the Stars, the last of the civilized elven race remain in exile and without direction.

Locations[]

Cities[]

Geography[]

  • Balif's Tear
  • Bay of Stars
  • Cooshee Gulf
  • Fallon Forest
  • Fallon Island
  • Gloom Thicket
  • Hedge Watch
  • Ilist Glade
  • Kirith Head
  • Thon-Thalas River
  • Thon-Varah River
  • Vale of the Serpent
  • Verdant Glades
  • Webbed Woods

Regions[]

  • South Sward

Ruins[]

  • Larune
  • Qualune
  • Shoole
  • Solune

Mystical and Holy Sites[]

  • Irda Tree
  • Killigal's Vale
  • Sol-Fallon

References[]

  • Dragonlance Campaign Setting, p. 171-173, 198-210
  • The Covenant of the Forge, p. 2
  • The Players Guide to Dragonlance p. 91
  • The Sylvan Veil p. 4-6
  • War of the Lance (Sourcebook) p 131-135
  • Dragons of Time, "The Vow", p. 212
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