Ectharë
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(pronunciation: eck-thaar-ray) Established in the early years of First Age, Ectharë was an ancient civilization of Elder-Elves.


Ectharë was founded in 306/1 by King Elegheron of House Alessarë, who had led the Elder-Elves on their long voyage across the Wyn Myr.

When Elegheron and his fellow Silvar left Eryn Norvë and sailed to Corwyn, their arrival in the year 0001 marked the beginning of Corwyn's recorded history.

The elven nation of Ectharë was extremely advanced, rich in culture, and unsurpassed in magic. The dominance of the elves soon spread across the entire continent.

During their exploration, the Elder-Elves met and befriended the race of dragons who, at that time, roamed freely throughout Corwyn.

Once the Elves finished their exploration of Corwyn, they established four magnificent cities: the Elven capital of Elutheria, Saravôsh in the east, Therakan in the north, and Astrakan in the south.

For centuries the Elder-Elves dwelt in peace on Corwyn, until an evil dragon-lord named Calegorax sought to conquer them and learn their magical secrets.

Calegorax and his followers were eventually defeated in the War of the Dragons, and Ectharë prospered for many more centuries.

However, this time of peace and prosperity was not to last. In the year 572/2, Lorynäe Anarivon; a powerful and influential elf-priestess, murdered King Starion and attempted to steal the Eternal Throne for herself.

This event triggered a conflict that came to be known as the War of Wrath. This terrifying elven civil war lasted for over 1,000 years. The elves that followed Lorynäe came to be called the "Dro-vhar." The elves that stayed loyal became known as the "Silvar."

In desperation, the Elves asked the race of dwarves for aid against their Drow enemies. But since the elves had earlier denied the dwarves the gift of magic, they refused. This refusal caused bitterness and enmity between the races that still exists today.

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The War of Wrath saw the creation of a new breed of half-men called the Gauth, whose capacity for evil and treachery was rivaled only by their Dark-Elf masters. The war also devastated much of eastern Corwyn, in a cataclysmic magical explosion following the Battle of Saravôsh.

During this terrible battle the city of Saravôsh was completely destroyed, both elvish armies were wiped out, and the Elf-King Ismelian Alessarë slain. All that remained was an enormous crater in the ground known as the Grôn Chasm.

After Saravôsh, came the terrible century of "Ashfall." During this period, the appearance of the Dark-Elves began to change; their skin turned black, their hair turned white, and they could no longer tolerate direct sunlight. Soon after the "Taint," the Dark-Elves began to migrate underground.

But before they left they unleashed such an assault upon Ectharë that the Elf-realm was utterly destroyed, including the elvish capital of Elutheria. This final assault by the Dark-Elves was met by the greatest of elvish heroes; King Talarion Brightstar, the son of Ismelian and grandson of Starion.

Talarion, his elvish army, and their human allies eventually drove the last of the Dark-Elves back toward the great chasm of Grôn, where there was a final terrible battle which finally drove the Dark-Elves below the surface of Corwyn forever. Talarion, the last Elf-king of Ectharë, was slain in this battle.

In the aftermath of the conflict, in an event occurred, called the "Sundering," the Silvar-Elves divided themselves into three separate sub-races, each with their own nation:

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After 6,263 years, the great Elf-realm of Ectharë was destroyed and the Second Age of Corwyn came to an end.

Some sages say that it was the curse of Calegorax 1,500 years earlier that had come to pass, but no one knows for sure.

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