Cormyr

Biodata

History

Cormyr was founded in 26 DR on land the Elf Imperium had ceded to humans. Its settlers nevertheless fought Goblins, Lizardfolk, werecreatures, dragons, and pirates for centuries. The purple dragon became the kingdom’s emblem in remembrance of Saghro, an ancient dragon driven from the region by elves and human tribes—not because Cormyrians worship dragons 16.

In 432 DR, King Duar Obarskyr reclaimed Suzail from the pirate king Maglas. The victory marked the effective end of roughly four hundred years of struggle to establish human sovereignty over the land. The Purple Dragons trace their beginnings to the soldiers Duar invested after the campaign 16 33.

Cormyr prospered under Azoun IV, whose reign began in 1336 DR. He strengthened the kingdom alongside royal high wizard Vangerdahast and helped defeat the Tuigan invasion. Later, the Time of Troubles and the Goblin War brought severe losses: Azoun died fighting a Great Wyrm Red Dragon, Arabel fell to Orks, and the army could not immediately retake it. After Crown Princess Tanaerasta died in childbirth, Alusair became regent amid a succession dispute 12 18 29.

Cormyr’s historical relationship with the elves included their instruction in magic and crafts, as well as the peaceful absorption of the elven Esparin and Olva kingdoms. In his address before the Moonsea campaign, Aaron presented peaceful human–elven coexistence as a founding principle of Cormyr 10 584.

Restoration of Arabel

The loss of Arabel displaced its inhabitants into Suzail and left more than twenty thousand Orks occupying the city. Countess Milmantle Rhaur, an adventurer who had risen to become a Cormyrian general and noble, remained central to efforts to reclaim it. Aaron considered the campaign both an opportunity for advancement and a responsibility to the refugees 18 117.

Preparatory missions failed to give the restoration army the advantage its commanders wanted. Nevertheless, Lady Laeral ordered the army forward because the cost of maintaining it had exhausted her resources, making further delay or retreat impractical 185.

In early March 1361 DR, news reached Suzail that Rhaur’s Arabel Restoration Army had defeated the Ork tribes and killed Khan Tugin beneath the city walls. A week of subsequent operations secured the surrounding region. Aaron, Samir, Eleanor, Reynard, and Disma became celebrated as the “Arabel Five Heroes,” while Rhaur’s growing prestige made her a figure the regent sought to keep closely associated with the crown 202.

Mannacorn’s Coup

Mannacorn Anaheim, a Godspawn of Bane posing as the heir of an arms-trading family, sought to capture Cormyr’s resources and army as a foundation for restoring his father’s power. He cultivated Duke Caspar, Duke Marelli, noble supporters, Purple Dragon factions, and naval units. His supporters generally justified their actions as backing Caspar’s claim to the regency rather than rebelling against Cormyr itself 72 151 161.

The conspiracy also secured assistance from the Cult of the Dragon, whose Thunder Peaks leader expected rewards and permission to preach privately if Caspar prevailed. By the final preparations for the coup, Admiral Dennitz reported that forces supporting Mannacorn amounted to nearly a third of Suzail’s troops 138 221.

During the attack on Suzail, devils ravaged the capital while Mannacorn’s faction coerced Caspar into signing an arrest warrant for Alusair. Mannacorn ordered the seizure of the regent, palace, harbor, and city defenses. Alusair instead authorized Aaron to summon the city’s churches, and his Starry Signature brought clerics and religious warriors into the streets against the devils. Loyal Purple Dragons and War Wizards joined the royal faction, while knights supporting Caspar fought against them 225 230.

The crisis culminated in Aaron’s confrontation with Mannacorn and the Godspawn’s fall. In the subsequent royal ceremony, Alusair invested Aaron as Sunset Viscount and Wall-Mounted Hero, publicly celebrating the Salian family’s restoration. Aegir’s unexpected arrival also resulted in the dragon’s appointment as Cormyr’s Guardian Dragon 232 245.

Northern Expansion

In October 1365 DR, Cormyr assembled an army against Tifanton, with forces from Alusair, Countess Rhaur, Aaron, and numerous nobles. Aaron’s Chaos Hellcannon devastated Half-Greyrock Fortress, allowing his Chaos Warriors to attack before the main royal force arrived 484.

The campaign nearly suffered disaster when Suzail’s nobles launched an unauthorized charge and encountered the demonic army summoned by Duke Bilgard. Aegir’s arrival with the Salian army, reinforced by Dukes Kenness and Gordon, reversed the battle. Cormyr surrounded Tifanton but did not immediately capture it; Laeral was wounded, her troops’ morale collapsed, and Alusair punished the nobles responsible 488.

While Aaron was abroad, Aegir led the Salian army into the Rocklands. Buer used Isha’s power to restore the barren terrain, and settlers arrived from Cormyr and the desert. By 1368, Aaron had reclaimed most of the region, become Archduke of Green Velar and Shogun, and established a treaty granting Bahamut’s dragons one-tenth of Green Velar 517 566.

After spring planting, Aaron launched a northern expedition into Anauroch. Approximately forty-nine thousand troops assembled outside Tifanton, making it Cormyr’s largest military operation since the Goblin Wars. The army suffered severe losses of fighting strength from the desert’s environment on its first day, despite specialized magical supplies and equipment 566 567 568.

Moonsea War

Aaron’s campaigns disrupted the Zhentarim’s Black Road and brought Cormyr’s forces toward the Moonsea. At Dagger Falls, the Western Army grew to more than one hundred thousand troops. Cyric assembled an opposing coalition of Zhentarim, Orks, Drow, Thayans, dragons, frost giants, and other forces 581 582.

Aaron accepted assistance from Elminster and the other Chosen on the condition that his army would not occupy the Moonsea. At Teshwave, the Ninth Shepherd Legion attacked the Zhentarim center while Eleanor coordinated normally hostile churches on the Western Army’s left. Chaos Hellcannons, Aaron’s battlefield magic, and specialized Salian troops drove repeated assaults, though the intervention of Phaerimm elders inflicted heavy casualties before countermeasures restored the advance 586 590 594 596.

The Eastern Army collapsed after Tyr endorsed the Western Army and its allies began fleeing, negotiating, or betraying one another. Xvim’s Dark Army changed sides and helped defeat the fey’ri. The Western Army advanced toward Zhentil Keep, Manshoon’s Zhentarim faction was destroyed, and Khelben’s plans ended the long conflict between the Harpers and the Zhentarim 600 601 618.

Glorious Revolution and Imperial Union

The fey’ri’s rout yielded Cormyr’s long-lost Dragon Crown. Its last recorded sighting had been in Myth Drannor, guarded by dozens of pit fiends. Outside Zhentil Keep, Aegir, Maximian, Robert, and Nastya used the recovered crown and Azoun IV’s seal to proclaim Aaron king before the victorious army, overriding his objections 618.

By this point, the Salian Shogunate’s territory, including its Moonsea vassals and interests in Anauroch, was almost three times the size of the original kingdom. Aaron’s supporters considered the royal cabinet’s proposed Protector title insufficient. Aaron ordered his troops to surround Suzail, secure the city garrison and key roads, and isolate the palace from the Purple Dragons 624.

The resulting standoff remained bloodless. Shogunate troops surrounded the Royal Palace and Purple Dragon headquarters, while the Purple Dragons surrounded the Three Crowns District. Representatives eventually arranged both forces’ withdrawal. Later histories named the coup the “Glorious Revolution,” emphasizing that no one died and no blood was shed 625 627.

Queen Mother Filfaeril publicly invested Aaron as Protector and crowned Alusair as Cormyr’s monarch, its first queen in a millennium. Their marriage pact united Northern Cormyr and South Cormyr, established the Salian-Obarskyr dynasty, and elevated the kingdom into an empire. Their child was designated to inherit the Cormyrian throne, the Salian Shogunate, and Green Velar 625 627.

Underdark Campaign and Shade Enclave’s Submission

Following Lolth’s prolonged silence and the spread of Underdark rebellions, Alusair led an allied army of more than one hundred thousand troops against Menzoberranzan. She secured southern noble and Purple Dragon support by arguing that South Cormyr needed to demonstrate its strength within the new political order 636.

Cormyr and its allies entered the city across Aaron’s Rainbow Bridge after the Chaos Dwarfs drew defenders away from its walls. Aaron divided captured territory among the allied forces, reserving House Baenre and Lolth’s main temple for Cormyr. Alusair personally led cavalry into the city, while Charlotte and Vangerdahast fought Gromph Baenre 639.

The expedition produced enormous spoils. Even ordinary Cormyrian soldiers accumulated several thousand Gold Lions from Menzoberranzan, the Weave Pits, and Lolth’s vaults. Aaron’s ascension to godhood became widely known throughout the army, and his mass divine protections strengthened the soldiers during the continuing campaign 641 667.

Shade Enclave subsequently surrendered to Cormyr on condition that it retain substantial autonomy as a vassal. With Aaron’s approval, Telamont traveled to Suzail with his twelve princes and deputy, kissed Alusair’s scepter, and formally pledged allegiance. The submission astonished Cormyr’s court and populace and prevented Elminster from immediately renewing his conflict with the enclave 691.

Geography and Settlements

• Suzail — the capital, beside the Dragonmere. After Arabel’s fall, it housed refugees under Alusair’s orders. It remained the imperial capital and the site of Alusair’s coronation and Shade Enclave’s formal submission 16 18 627 691.
• Arabel — a major northern city seized and devastated during the Goblin War. Countess Milmantle Rhaur’s restoration army defeated its occupiers and secured the surrounding region in 1361 DR 18 202.
• Marsember — one of Cormyr’s two great cities alongside Suzail, with sufficiently demanding standards that an elite foreign spellcaster could not automatically obtain the citizenship and advisory position available in smaller Cormyrian cities 61.
• King’s Forest — a forest where hostile forces remain active; Hobgoblin warlord Adan Heavyhammer camped there with goblinoids and ogres in August 1360. Aaron subsequently killed him 9 45 93.
• The Rocklands — roughly 250,000 acres of sand, desert, and hills north of Arabel and east of Tifanton. The Crown originally offered a hereditary barony to anyone who conquered it, but its Orcs, Gnolls, outlaws, and Zhentarim outpost deterred adventurers. Aegir’s Salian campaign later conquered much of the region, and Buer restored barren land for cultivation 34 517 566.
• Green Velar — Aaron’s archducal domain, developed through conquest, ecological restoration, settlement, irrigation, and trade. One-tenth was granted to Bahamut’s dragons by treaty, and its holdings were united with the Cormyrian throne through the Salian-Obarskyr marriage settlement 566 627.
• Tifanton — a northern city whose approaches were contested during the 1365 campaign. By 1368 it was rapidly expanding under Aaron’s administration and served as the assembly point for the Anauroch expedition 484 488 566 567.
• Sunset Lands — Aaron’s original landed fief. Its fishing settlement developed into a bustling port city with the Three Crowns Hotel, Silver Grand Library, diverse inhabitants, and regular Chaos Expeditions. Varo’s revised guide described it as Cormyr’s crown jewel 245 368.
• Stormhorn Mountains — the traditional western boundary, protecting Cormyr from invasion while limiting westward expansion. High Horn Pass and Gnoll Pass provide the principal accessible crossings; royal garrison fortresses protect caravans, collect taxes, and monitor incursions 93.
• Morningstar Town — a sanctuary for Druids and Rangers under Tesseril Winter, containing Cormyr’s largest altar to Silvanus’s nature pantheon 39.
• Road network — patrols and fortified roadside inns make travel comparatively safer than in many parts of the Realms, though Cormyr’s forests and mountains remain dangerous. Many large inns are operated by elves or half-elves; inns under Helm’s protection prohibit armed disputes within their gates 9 10.

Government and Law

• Royal authority — the Obarskyr house originally ruled Cormyr. Alusair governed as Princess Regent following Azoun IV’s death and Tanaerasta’s death in childbirth, then became queen under the Salian-Obarskyr imperial settlement 2 29 625 627.
• Protector of Cormyr — Aaron holds the office for life under Cormyr’s constitution. His powers encompass taxation, police and judiciary, foreign affairs, and command of the army and navy. He can designate his successor and shares legislative authority with parliament and other bodies 627.
• Dynastic succession — Aaron and Alusair’s child is designated to inherit the throne, Salian Shogunate, and Green Velar. The marriage pact ended the old Obarskyr dynasty as the sole ruling house while preserving its royal legitimacy within the new dynasty 625 627.
• Kingdom Council and cabinet — great nobles participate in deliberations at the council building before the Dragon Throne. The cabinet includes Jim, Humphrey, and Arnold. The council considered military organization, Aaron’s expansion proposals, and the constitutional settlement surrounding his return 558 560 624.
• Queen’s Blade — a secret organization established under Azoun IV to watch nobles and commoners. Its agents investigate suspected threats and can suppress public dissent. Alusair later reformed it under Yuri Bakov, who led its salute to Aaron during the imperial transition 11 12 151 624.
• Noble titles — ranks include duke, marquess, earl, viscount, baron, baronet, and knight. Subsidiary titles such as viscount generally cannot be inherited; Azoun IV made a one-generation exception for Aaron Salian. Knightly rank can be awarded to commoners, including foreigners 19 25 34.
• Travel and arms — entry rules require registration, while adventurers face permit requirements and weapon restrictions. Under Alusair’s decree, only sword-bearing nobles may carry weapons through Cormyr’s cities 10 26.
• Cats — Alusair forbids harming them, a law the Dragon’s Tooth Gang secretly circumvents by disposing of unwanted cats. She later personally rejected Marlon’s offer to perform such services for her 36 210.
• Religious restrictions — Alusair joined Lady Alustriel in declaring the Church of the Dark Sun illegal 151.
• Land reform — Alusair punished sixty-nine nobles for appropriating land and redistributed much of it to commoners and soldiers. She also reduced royal expenses, pursued diplomacy, and reassigned military commanders to stabilize her rule 151.
• Labor and welfare policy — later reforms included labor protections and maternity and medical benefits. Green Velar additionally used land allocation, public transport, and social benefits to encourage settlement and growth 553 566.

Cormyr traditionally leaned toward lawful neutrality. Its government placed greater emphasis on ordinary people’s security than free cities such as Baldur’s Gate, but this was accompanied by conservative social expectations, seniority-based advancement, and rigid class distinctions. Political conflict repeatedly exposed disagreements over the rights of refugees, commoners, and established elites 113 353.

The Salian-Obarskyr union consolidated territories that had begun drifting apart. Alusair’s later appeal for South Cormyr to prove itself militarily shows that northern and southern political identities continued to influence imperial affairs despite their formal reunification 625 636.

Military

• Purple Dragons — the kingdom’s knightly order and a pillar of its defense alongside the Obarskyrs and War Wizards. Its knights may be drawn from commoners as well as nobles, though recruits must be able to train full-time. Shavar serves as its Grand Master and is a legendary Purple Dragon Knight 2 33 34 558.
• War Wizards — the royal spellcasters. Cormyr’s army and War Wizards have historically made its villages more secure than those in many other realms. Some War Wizards combine spellcasting with melee combat and wield wizard longswords 15 230.
• Recruitment after the Goblin War — with only about 300 full Purple Dragon Knights against a theoretical strength of 500–600, Alusair called for new recruits across the kingdom. The wider knightly population had fallen below 4,000 from an expected 6,000 34.
• Navy — increasingly important to trade while land routes faced hostile neighbors. Competition over recognition and resources fueled a long-standing rivalry with the army 42.
• Naval Special Operations Corps — Suzail’s navy maintained the Vulture, Flying Tiger, Pegasus, Golden Bat, and Black Dragon corps. These experienced units could fight ashore and deploy outside normal royal oversight, making them valuable targets for Mannacorn’s infiltration 151.
• Astral Mage Corps — developed through Aaron’s Astral magic and teachings at the War Wizard Academy. Applicants able to read the Chaos script of Salian’s First Volume could enter magical training despite falling short of ordinary aptitude standards, raising projected apprentice intake to more than three times normal 113 210.
• Ninth Shepherd Legion — Aaron’s increasingly diverse military formation, containing heavily armored Chaos Warriors and specialized forces. Its troops endured arrows, firearms, explosives, and poison gas during the Moonsea campaign with exceptional resilience and morale 553 590.
• Salian specialist troops — include the Half-Orc Greatsword Battalion, Snow Elf Arcane Archers, Dwarf Firearms Battalion, Forge Knights, Sacred Tree Knights, and Half-Griffon cavalry. Some nonhuman contingents initially recognized Aaron personally rather than considering themselves servants of Cormyr 299 623.
• Order Knights — recruited from noble houses throughout Cormyr with Alusair’s authorization. Their equipment ranged from enchanted mithral armor to modest mail, scale, or damaged leather armor 560 567 587.
• Dragon forces — Aegir serves as Guardian Dragon and commands half-dragon and dragonborn formations. The Bahamut treaty brought additional dragons into Cormyr and assigned them part of Green Velar 245 566 590.
• Dragonfang Navy — Edward Teach’s wyvern-supported fleet attacked Zambia during the Moonsea war, looted its ports, and absorbed part of its navy. The campaign was unauthorized by Cormyr’s council and became a source of controversy when Teach proclaimed himself admiral 624.

Magical Warfare and Command

The Salian forces introduced Chaos Hellcannons capable of firing devastating tracking fireballs. Aaron’s first major shot against Half-Greyrock Fortress demonstrated their power but also the danger of overfeeding them energy. During the Moonsea campaign, experimental Cubes of Torment adapted to Phaerimm spellcasting and retaliated with matching lightning strikes, allowing the army to resume its assault 484 594 596.

Desert operations relied on Tzeentch Compasses to detect Magic Drain zones, Nurgle Bells to mitigate heat and injuries, and enchanted food and water supplies. These preparations reduced but did not eliminate the severe environmental toll of the Anauroch expedition 568.

Military discipline remained a recurring weakness among noble contingents. Unauthorized charges disrupted the Tifanton campaign and nearly destroyed Laeral’s force. Conversely, the Shepherd Legion’s equipment, cohesion, and confidence in Aaron repeatedly made it a decisive battlefield formation 488 590 623.

As Protector, Aaron became commander-in-chief of Cormyr’s army and navy. By Shade Enclave’s submission, virtually all of the empire’s highest-tier fighting power was in his hands, and Alusair sought his advice before accepting the enclave’s allegiance 627 691.

Economy and Current Conditions

Cormyr exports armor, clothing, coal, food, weapons, timber, and ivory goods; major imports include glass, spices, and ivory. Trade has brought repeated conflict with Zambia to the east and the Zhentarim-dominated Moonsea region to the north 42.

Despite war damage and refugees, Suzail’s markets initially retained ample supplies and relatively stable prices. In the immediate postwar period, the kingdom’s population had fallen to about 1.3 million—half its reported height under Azoun IV—and its knightly ranks were similarly depleted 23 34.

Later in Alusair’s regency, trade and wages declined, refugees faced increasing pressure, and resentment between established Suzail residents and newcomers from Arabel intensified. Alusair’s land redistribution, spending reductions, and administrative reforms formed part of her response to this instability 151.

Commercial Development

The Silver Trade Company, headquartered in Suzail, extended Aaron’s economic influence through profitable cosmetics and protected trading arrangements. Helm’s church enforced and notarized contracts and guarded caravans, while several legendary religious representatives stationed at the headquarters made it an important center of power as well as commerce 150.

Aaron’s innovations—including Silver Lotion, fashionable stockings, Silver Incense, and Life Cola—helped transform the Sunset Lands from a fishing settlement into a prosperous city. Its busy port, entertainment, hotels, magical library, and Chaos Expeditions attracted merchants, mages, adventurers, and diverse residents. Shepherd Legion security enforced order amid a relatively permissive local atmosphere 368 477.

Timber extraction and settlement also had environmental costs. Cormyr’s deforestation provoked the radical Earthwalker Roddock, who sought retaliation through the serpentfolk, although other Druids opposed open conflict with humanity 93.

Recovery and Imperial Prosperity

By February 1368 DR, expanded trade, higher wages, plentiful jobs, and available farmland had renewed confidence in Cormyr’s future. Alusair’s labor protections and medical and maternity benefits reinforced improving living standards, while rising birth rates signaled greater public confidence. Townspeople increasingly credited both Alusair’s government and Aaron’s achievements for the recovery 553.

Green Velar’s restoration produced fertile farms, irrigation systems, expanding trade, and rapid urban growth. Public transport, land-allocation policies, wages, and social benefits attracted settlers and supported families. The formerly barren frontier became a major base for northern military expansion 517 566.

Aaron promised to invest his million-gold reward from Waukeen’s rescue in Cormyr and distributed substantial gifts to the crown, Purple Dragons, Charlotte, and other nobles. Foreign envoys and church representatives regarded the public presentation as a display of the kingdom’s wealth, strength, and unity 553 554.

War spoils provided further resources. Aaron planned to use the Zhentarim’s accumulated wealth to fund his projects and the greening of Anauroch, while the Underdark expedition enriched ordinary Cormyrian soldiers as well as nobles and commanders. Shade Enclave’s vassalage subsequently added a major Netherese magical power to the empire’s sphere 621 641 667 691.

Currency

The Three Crowns is platinum; the Gold Lion is gold, the Blue Eye is gold-and-silver, and the Thumb is copper 30.

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