Azoun V is the infant King of Cormyr. His Aunt, Alusair is his Regent.
The Obarskyr family has ruled Cormyr for over a thousand years and 72 generations (Azoun V will be the 73rd ).
The late King Azoun IV was born in 1307 DR, five
years after his sister Sulesta, who is also now
deceased. He died in 4th Mirtul in the
year 1371 DR after a 35 year reign of prosperity. It’s population
grew, Cormyrians became successful merchants and
shopkeepers, and each generation achieved more wealth and learning than the
last. During Azoun IV’s time the westernmost
marches were settled in earnest, Sembia was rebuffed
in boarder disputes, and Tilvertown was incorporated into
the
The Goblin Wars ended Cormyrs peace. orcs and goblins invaded Cormyr in number not seen in generations, old foes warped through magic and reborn as monstrous Ghazneths terrorized the realm, and a huge wyrm, called the “Devil Dragon”, Nalavarauthatoryl the Red took to the skies and joined in the destruction.
Azoun and his younger daughter, fought valiantly,
but the string of defeats continued unabated. Even the mighty fortress city of
By the end of the war, the Devil Dragon and Azoun IV had slain each other, joining great number of warriors, wizards, and citizens of Cormyr in death. Crown Princess Tanalasta defeated the ghazneths but died afterwards in childbirth, giving the land it’s new king, Azoun V.
Of the original line of the noble ruling family of Cormyr, there remain only King Azoun V, and his Regent Aunt Alusair.
Following are a few of Cormyr´s important figures, people who plays a part in governing the nation.
The leader of the Council of Mages and King Azoun´s primary aide has a long and honorable history of serving Cormyr.
King Azoun´s father, Rhigaerd II, lured Vangerdahast to court with promises of unlimited resources, both financial and political, then appointed the wizard to become Azoun´s tutor in history, ethics, and the political and military uses of magic. To this day, it's unclear whether Rhigaerd duped Vangerdahast or the wizard took the position for the opportunity to mold the mind of the future monarch.
The prince often rebelled against Vangerdahast´s teachings, especially over matters of ethics. But the wizard quickly became Azoun´s most trusted adviser and confidant. When Azoun took the throne, early in DR 1336, Vangerdahast gained the official titles "Royal Magician of Cormyr" and "Master of the Council of Mages." He also took command of Cormyr´s feared War Wizards.
The War Wizards are a group of magicians that support the Purple Dragons with magical combat. In addition, they are responsible for policing Cormyr´s mages, and in this Vangerdahast has been especially prudent. Every mage of 5th level or higher must register with the War Wizards.
Vangerdahast realizes that magic organized into a force like the Council of Mages can be very powerful. Therefore, he monitors the progress and associations of many of Cormyr´s resident mages, ever watchful of possible power blocs forming among the magicians.
He disappeared from public site in mid 1372 DR leaving his successor, the battle wizard Caladnei, to fill his sizable shoes as Royal Magician.
The Sage Most Learned of the
Alaphondar is not a mage and does not possess knowledge of mystic secrets, but he is Cormyr´s most knowledgeable person of things relating to law, genealogy, and Cormyte history. Without doubt, he's the greatest scholar in Cormyr´s history.
King Azoun use to call on Alaphondar´s expertise almost every day and his daughter continues the pratice. In addition to law, history, and genealogy, Alaphondar is quite learned in the art of statesmanship and is expert at finding solutions to political problems. On five occasions Alaphondar has been sent as an ambassador to foreign lands, notably Sembia, to represent Cormyr´s interests and to solve problems.
Alaphondar is a tall man with short, bone-white hair. He always wears his sage robe, a simple design of purple cloth with black stripes covering him from his neck to his feet. He has an assistant, Lord Dier of Emmarask, who is his protégé.
There are many noble families in Cormyr. Following are brief descriptions of the most important ones.
The Bleth family is powerful and rich, for family members control one of the largest merchant companies in Cormyr: the Seven Suns trading company.
Despite its economic power, the family participates little in affairs of the
The leading member of the Bleth family is Lord Gruen Bleth, who lives at the Bleth Estate near the king's castle in Suzail but spends most of his time at the Seven Suns' offices supervising the family business.
The Bleths have fallen on some hard times as of late, due to court intrigue and the traitorous behavior of one of their scions and an attack and attempted murder of King Azoun IV in early 1369.
Cormaeril is the largest of the noble families and the biggest land owner in Cormyr except for the crown. Most of the Cormaeril holdings are farmlands, largely in rich areas that provide plentiful income. The Cormaerils hoard this money and use their power sparingly but effectively. This has made the family awed and feared among the other noble families.
The Cormaerils are one of the most secretive noble families. They keep out of public eye as much as possible and interact with other noble families only during official functions they are required to attend. The sole exception to this is Lamiril, the family's financial expert. He trades the family products (primarily crops) on the market and because of this is quite prominent. He never speaks of the rest of the family, however, and retires to the Cormaeril compound in Suzail at the close of business each day, where he stays until the next morning's business begins.
The Crownsilvers, one of the three royal families
in Cormyr, confine their activities mainly to the
A Custodian, Maniol of Suzail, rends the family's
large estate near town, but the upkeep and staff consume almost all of the estate's
income. The vast Crownsilver family fortune is more
than enough to support
Like the other royal families, the Crownsilvers automatically ally with the Regent in any dispute.
Distantly related to the Truesilvers, this family
is very keen on expanding Cormyr´s shipping
interests. Their goal as a family is to enlarge the official presence of Cormyr´s navy on the
They are closely connected with Ayesunder Truesilver, warden of the port in Marsember. The Dauntinghorns and Truesilvers are allies in attempting to persuade the king that Cormyr should have a greater presence in the water. One of their ideas is to have the shipping of Cormyr officially protected so that any pirate attack against a Cormyte vessel would be an act of war and therefore allow the Imperial Navy to conduct regular pirate hunts.
Others in the
One of the most prominent members of the Dauntinghorn family is Hector the Sailor, a commodore in charge of an Imperial Navy squadron based in Marsember.
This family has political power as the root of its prominence among nobles. It might be said that this family is composed of career politicians and governors of all types.
This family has a long tradition of serving the government of Cormyr in a
variety of ways. Their crowning achievement is Alaphondar,
the Sage Most Learned of the
The Emmarasks foster all their young to follow in the footsteps of their forebears and take up careers in politics. In addition, those who already have positions are encouraged to grant positions to other family members.
Surprisingly, this practice has not met much disapproval among the other nobles. The primary reason for this is Alaphondar´s prominence. In a way, it's thought that if someone as great as Alaphondar can come from the Emmarask family, then perhaps there is someone else just as great waiting to fulfill the family destiny. In this case it is Alaphondar´s assistant, Lord Dier Emmarask, who is waiting to step into his shoes in the family tradition.
In addition, no one in the Emmarask family has ever abused his or her office or power, and this reputation commands respect among the other noble families.
Obtaining nobility status more recently than the other noble families of Cormyr is the Hawklin clan. Generations of Hawklins have chosen to enter the Purple Dragons or adventured in service to the crown.
The current leader of the family, Barandos Hawklin, is only third generation to be considered noble.
At the head of crown-chartered adventuring groups, Barandos
distinguished himself in both
Though lacking income-producing estates or businesses, the Hawklin family is rumored to have amassed a fortune in the vaults of Hawklin House from wealth gained from rewards or looting on successful adventures.
This is a diverse family with interests all over Cormyr. As such, Huntcrowns are often the nobles who are best informed of the nation's goings-on. Unfortunately, this is also the noble family that spreads the most gossip and rumor. Huntcrowns are at the center of the greatest number of scandals of any noble family.
Naturally, their greatest adversary is the Cormaeril family, whose members jealously guard their privacy.
To the woe of some families, the Huntcrowns seem well entrenched in the noble structure.
Their financial and political holdings are so diverse that no single calamity would bring about the fall of the family.
One of the three "old blood" regal families of Cormyr, the Huntsilvers have long been associated with managing the realm's forest resources. In ancient times, it was Huntsilvers who organized the systematic development of forests for farmland.
The current head of the family is Maestoon Huntsilver.
The Illance family has been slowly losing
influence at the
The Marliir family has its base of power and
wealth in and around Arabel. With most other families
anchored in Suzail and Marsember, the Marliirs have always been outsiders at the
In the Arabel area, however, it is a different story. Family holdings, especially extensive farmlands and related businesses, give the Marliirs great power over the society and economy of Arabel and the surrounding areas.
The head of the family, Raynaar Marliir, spends most of his time in Arabel,
not the
Though long one of the noble families of Cormyr, the Rowanmantles have extensive holdings outside Cormyr as well. Most family possessions are in northeastern Cormyr, Tilverton, and environs, and outside the realms, notably in Shadowdale, where Shaerl Rowanmantle shares power with her husband Mourngrym Amcathra.
The Rowanmantles have close ties to the Cormyte crown as well, as the late Tanaeth Rowanmantle was the mother of Bhereu and Thomdor.
This family is quite old in Cormyr history but for a number of reasons has never ascended to the top.
Silverswords frequently hold important positions (despite the efforts of the Emmarask family) but always seem to fall short of latching onto true Cormyr-shaping power.
In recent times, many family members have gone adventuring in Cormyr and in foreign lands, a practice that has lowered the Silverswords in the eyes of some other noble families.
Of all the members of this family who have gone away, only Narlan Silversword has disappeared without a trace, purportedly on a mission into Myth Drannor. He was last seen in Tilverton. What happened to him, or whether he even made it to the ruins, is a mystery.
The most active of the three royal families, the Truesilvers have had a long military tradition.
For generations, Truesilvers have distinguished themselves by their loyalty to the king and by their military exploits.
Several times in history, Truesilvers have
commanded the Purple Dragons. The current head of the family, Ayesunder Truesilver, is warden
of the
As strong as the military tradition is the practice of
letting a retired family member represent the Truesilvers
at the
This family owns most of the lands surrounding Wyvernwater and the Wyvernflow. These holdings bring the Wyvernspurs substantial wealth and political influence.
The king often calls upon this family to fund
projects in their area and near