Anarath is one of the most mysterious ruins in all of Faerûn because almost **nothing** is described about the city itself. Unlike Myth Drannor, Ythryn, or Ascore, there are no published maps, districts, or detailed histories. What we know comes from scattered references across several editions, leaving much of the city deliberately undefined. ([Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Iymrith?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Iymrith | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom")) ## Origins Long before Netheril, Anarath was a city of the ancient empire of **Isstosseffifil**, a forgotten human civilization that occupied the region around what is now the High Ice and the Frozen Sea. When that empire collapsed, the city was abandoned and slowly swallowed by time. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) Centuries later, during the height of Netheril, explorers rediscovered the ruins. The Netherese searched them for magical relics and ancient knowledge, stripping away many of the treasures before abandoning the site once more. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) --- ## Location Anarath lies in the **northern Anauroch Desert**, near the **High Ice** and the remains of the **Frozen Sea**. It is far from trade routes and almost impossible to locate without already knowing where it lies. Endless shifting dunes conceal much of the city, making it appear and disappear as the desert changes over the centuries. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) --- ## The City of Statues Anarath is often called the **City of Statues**. Canon never explains exactly why. Several possibilities exist: - countless ancient statues built by Isstosseffifil; - petrified creatures from forgotten ages; - gargoyle constructs mistaken for statues; - additions made by Iymrith herself over centuries. Because no official source answers this question, it is an ideal mystery for a Dungeon Master to develop. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) --- ## Iymrith's Arrival At some point after becoming an ancient dragon, Iymrith explored Anarath searching for lost Netherese magic. Instead, she encountered **phaerimm**, the terrifying aberrations responsible for the destruction of Netheril. She barely escaped with her life. Afterward, she spent years studying powerful forgotten spells before returning. This time she annihilated the phaerimm inhabiting the ruins and claimed the city as her own. ([Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Iymrith?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Iymrith | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom")) --- ## The Lair Iymrith does **not** inhabit a mountain cave. Her lair is an **ancient amphitheatre** built within the ruins. The amphitheatre serves as: - her sleeping chamber; - the centre of her vast treasure hoard; - her magical laboratory; - the heart of her domain. Around it stretch miles of ruined streets, collapsed buildings and buried monuments. ([Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Iymrith?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Iymrith | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom")) --- ## The Defenders Almost nobody lives in Anarath. Instead, Iymrith relies upon servants. ### Gargoyle Constructs Her greatest defence is an army of magically animated gargoyles. Unlike ordinary gargoyles, many are magically created constructs that can remain perfectly motionless for decades, making it impossible to distinguish them from ordinary statues until they attack. ([Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Iymrith?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Iymrith | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom")) ### Company of the Flame Spider Iymrith enslaved an adventuring company known as the **Company of the Flame Spider**. Rather than killing them, she forced them to explore dangerous Netherese ruins and recover magical artefacts for her. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) ### Worshippers Several groups leave offerings outside the city. These include: - some Bedine desert tribes; - serpentfolk from Najara. They rarely enter the city itself, and Iymrith tolerates them so long as they remain useful. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) --- ## Why Iymrith Chose Anarath The city offers everything a dragon like Iymrith desires. - Complete isolation in one of Faerûn's harshest environments. - Ancient magical ruins to study. - Buried Netherese relics. - Vast underground chambers suitable for an ancient dragon. - Natural concealment beneath shifting sands. - An endless supply of stone architecture from which to fashion gargoyle guardians. ([Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Iymrith?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Iymrith | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom")) --- ## The Unknowns One of the most interesting aspects of Anarath is how much remains deliberately unexplained. Official lore does **not** describe: - a city map; - individual districts; - major temples; - rulers of the original city; - population size; - architecture beyond mentioning ruins and an amphitheatre; - why it became known as the City of Statues. Because of this, Anarath is effectively a blank canvas. It has just enough canon to establish its history and significance, while leaving nearly every detail of the city's layout and surviving structures open for Dungeon Masters to create without contradicting established Forgotten Realms lore. ([1Library](https://1library.net/article/plots-rumors-forgotten-realms-d-serpent-kingdoms-ocr.ydo8mkez?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Plots and Rumors - Forgotten Realms - D&D 3.5 - Serpent Kingdoms (OCR)")) For a campaign, this makes Anarath one of the richest unexplored locations in the Forgotten Realms. You can fill it with Netherese vaults, buried districts, ancient observatories, forgotten temples, magical laboratories, and colossal statues while remaining consistent with the published canon, because those details have never been officially defined.