## Overview **Netheril** was one of the greatest human empires ever to exist in Faerûn, renowned for its unparalleled mastery of arcane magic. At its height, it dominated much of northern Faerûn for nearly two millennia, producing archwizards whose magical achievements have never been equalled by mortal civilization. The empire is remembered for its flying cities, mythallars, magical innovation, and the catastrophic arrogance that ultimately led to its destruction. Although Netheril fell thousands of years before the present day, its legacy still shapes the Forgotten Realms. Countless ruins remain buried beneath deserts, forests, and mountains, and its magic continues to influence scholars, adventurers, dragons, and powerful beings seeking the forgotten knowledge of the empire. --- ## The Founding of Netheril Netheril began as a collection of small human settlements in what was then a fertile region of northern Faerûn. These early communities relied primarily on farming, hunting, and trade, possessing only modest magical knowledge. Everything changed when the humans encountered the **sarrukh**-created race known as the **Nether Scrolls**' discoverers—ancient magical texts originally crafted by dragons and later studied by the elves. These scrolls eventually came into the possession of the human arcanist **Twelve**, who recognised their immense value. His study of the scrolls transformed human understanding of magic, allowing the people of Netheril to advance at an astonishing rate. Within only a few centuries, Netherese arcanists had progressed from simple spellcasting to magical achievements previously thought impossible. --- ## The Rise of the Arcanists Magic became the foundation of Netherese society. Those capable of wielding arcane power, known as **arcanists**, occupied the highest positions within the empire. Wealth, political authority, military strength, and social standing were all closely tied to magical ability. Unlike many later civilizations, Netheril placed almost no restrictions upon magical experimentation. Wizards freely researched new spells, created magical creatures, transformed landscapes, and developed powerful magical devices. Competition between rival arcanists drove magical advancement at an extraordinary pace, but it also encouraged dangerous ambition and increasingly reckless experimentation. As the empire expanded, individual archwizards became rulers of vast territories, governing their own domains with little interference from a central authority. --- ## The Floating Cities Netheril is perhaps best remembered for its magnificent flying cities. Using immense magical devices known as **mythallars**, the greatest archwizards lifted entire mountains into the sky and constructed cities upon them. These floating enclaves became centres of magical research, commerce, and political power, while ordinary people continued to live in settlements on the ground below. The flying cities symbolised the superiority of Netherese civilization. Their rulers viewed themselves not merely as kings or nobles, but as masters of reality itself. Some archwizards devoted their lives to scholarship and magical innovation, while others became increasingly isolated, treating their cities as personal kingdoms beyond the reach of ordinary law. --- ## Mythallars At the heart of every flying city stood a **mythallar**, an immensely powerful magical construct capable of storing and distributing arcane energy. A mythallar served many purposes beyond keeping a city aloft. It powered magical wards, supplied energy to enchanted items, enabled permanent magical effects, and allowed Netherese arcanists to cast spells of extraordinary complexity without exhausting their own strength. Entire districts depended upon the mythallar's power for transportation, lighting, communication, and defence. The creation of a mythallar required knowledge that has been almost entirely lost since Netheril's fall. Even in later ages, few spellcasters have come close to reproducing the achievement. --- ## Netherese Society Despite its magical grandeur, Netherese society was deeply unequal. The ruling arcanists enjoyed extraordinary wealth and influence, while most ordinary citizens worked as labourers, merchants, farmers, artisans, or servants. Those unable to use magic had little opportunity to rise within society, and many became dependent upon the protection and patronage of powerful wizards. This imbalance created a sharp distinction between the elite inhabitants of the flying enclaves and the people who remained upon the ground. Although many benefited from Netheril's prosperity, political power rested firmly in the hands of the magical aristocracy. --- ## The War Against the Phaerimm Netheril's greatest external enemy was the **phaerimm**, ancient aberrant creatures possessing immense magical abilities. The phaerimm waged a prolonged war against the empire, employing devastating magical techniques that drained life from the land itself. Fertile fields withered into barren wastelands, rivers dried up, and entire regions became incapable of supporting life. This magical devastation gradually transformed much of Netheril's homeland into what would eventually become the **Anauroch Desert**. Although the Netherese developed powerful magical weapons to resist the phaerimm, the conflict drained enormous resources and placed increasing pressure upon the empire. --- ## Karsus and the Fall of Netheril As the war worsened, the archwizard **Karsus** sought a solution unlike anything attempted before. Believing only divine power could save the empire, he created the unprecedented twelfth-level spell **Karsus's Avatar**, designed to steal the essence and authority of a god. He chose **Mystra**, the goddess of magic, as his target. The spell succeeded—but only briefly. Unable to control the entirety of magic itself, Karsus caused the Weave to collapse. Magic throughout the world failed almost instantly. Without magical support, the mythallars sustaining Netheril's flying cities ceased functioning, and the great enclaves crashed from the sky. Countless lives were lost as cities shattered upon the earth. Recognising that all magic would soon disappear entirely, Mystra sacrificed herself to sever Karsus's connection to her divine power. Her successor restored the Weave, but the damage had already been done. Netheril's civilization was destroyed in a single catastrophic event remembered as **Karsus's Folly**. Following this disaster, Mystra permanently forbade mortal spellcasters from casting spells above ninth level, ensuring no one could repeat Karsus's mistake. --- ## The Aftermath The collapse of Netheril scattered its people across northern Faerûn. Many survivors abandoned the ruins of the empire and established new settlements, while others attempted to preserve fragments of their magical knowledge. Over the following centuries, countless Netherese cities disappeared beneath shifting sands, forests, and mountains. Their libraries, laboratories, vaults, and magical devices became the focus of endless expeditions by adventurers, scholars, dragons, liches, and ambitious wizards seeking to recover lost knowledge. Even in the modern age, discovering an intact Netherese ruin is considered one of the greatest archaeological finds in Faerûn. --- ## The Return of Shade Not every flying city was destroyed during Karsus's Folly. The enclave of **Shade** escaped into the **Plane of Shadow** moments before the catastrophe. There it endured for nearly seventeen centuries, its inhabitants gradually transforming into beings infused with shadow magic. In 1372 DR, the **City of Shade** returned to Faerûn and sought to rebuild the Netherese Empire. The returned Netherese quickly became one of the most powerful political and magical forces in the Realms, reclaiming territory throughout Anauroch and recovering numerous ancient Netherese relics. Their ambitions eventually brought them into conflict with neighbouring kingdoms, powerful spellcasters, and the Chosen of Mystra. The City of Shade was ultimately destroyed during the events surrounding the Second Sundering, bringing an end to Netheril's final successor. --- ## Netheril's Legacy Although the empire has long since fallen, Netheril's influence remains visible across Faerûn. Ancient spells, magical artifacts, mythallar fragments, abandoned enclaves, and buried ruins continue to shape the ambitions of those who seek power. Dragons such as **Iymrith** covet Netherese relics, liches scour forgotten vaults for lost knowledge, and modern wizards still study surviving Netherese grimoires in hopes of rediscovering techniques thought impossible. To most scholars, Netheril stands as both the greatest triumph of mortal magic and its greatest cautionary tale. Its achievements demonstrated the extraordinary heights that arcane knowledge could reach, while its destruction remains a lasting reminder that even the most powerful civilizations can be undone by pride and unchecked ambition.