“No city could compare to Myth Drannor at its height. Magic flowed within the surrounding air, water, and land, and peace and prosperity second to none gave every citizen reason to be happy. For once in the history of Toril, elves, dwarves, humans, gnomes, and halflings (as well as other races more sylvan) all learned to live together in harmony.” (The Fall of Myth Drannor)

It was not to last of course. By the late 600s DR, Myth Drannor was plagued with strife, both from within and without. The Fall was prompted by a vengeful trio of nycaloths, who vented their wrath squarely on the forest of Cormanthyr, and ultimately, Myth Drannor. Their Army of Darkness, a horde of humanoids, took harrowing losses, and inflicted the same on the defenders. The city eventually fell to the onslaught and “only 200 elves and allies out of the 3,000 who remained to defend the City of Song escaped to tell of the city’’s passing.”

This is all detailed in the odd, but fascinating Fall of Myth Drannor (1998), an AD&D Forgotten Realms supplement, more military history book than RPG accessory.

[The Fall of Myth Drannor Check Wayne’s Books Inventory | Noble Knight | Oddly there is no legal PDF available.]

The elves kept watch over the desolate city for centuries, refusing outsiders – and themselves – access. Myth Drannor became lost to human memory.

Abruptly – to human thinking – the elves abandoned the region in 1344 DR. Myth Drannor was seemingly unguarded. A rush of the powerful and/or foolish made for the ruins, seeking magic and riches. But the city was overgrown, monster-infested, and still magically volatile due to the damaged mythal.

This is the setting of The Ruins of Myth Drannor box set.

It’s got some interesting parts-n-pieces to reference for collectors, and is well-connected to other Forgotten Realms releases. Let’s dive in.

Connections

Myth Drannor is well-travelled territory. RPG books, fiction, and even video games. Following is a not-exhaustive list:

Novels: Swords of Eveningstar. Swords of Dragonfire. The Sword Never Sleeps. Elminster in Myth Drannor.

Video Games: Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor. Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor

Dragon & Dungeon Magazines:

  • Dungeon #29 has an adventure for those seeking Myth Drannor: “‘Til Death Do Us Part”. It’s a great starting place for a campaign in the region.
  • Dragon #95 explores Myth Drannor, years before the box set released: “Into the Forgotten Realms”. The centerfold tournament module takes PCs into the former School of Wizardry, where they meet Azimer the lich, who thinks he is still head of a prospering magic college. Good times, love that adventure.

RPG books: Myth Drannor is mentioned in a number of Forgotten Realms releases, so I’ll mention those with substance

The Ruins of Myth Drannor [BOX SET]

Contents: Campaign Guide; Myth Drannor Adventures Book; 4 poster maps; 8 Monstrous Compendium sheets; 8 DM Cards.

1993 … Ed Greenwood … TSR 1084 … ISBN 1560765690

Check Wayne’s Books Inventory

Noble Knight | DriveThruRPG (PDF / Reprint)

Box

Ruins of Myth Drannor was later reprinted in the 1.75″-deep box format TSR used in the mid-90s.

By way of comparison, the original set box was 1.25″ deep, a format TSR frequently used. TSR also used a larger box size – think of the Planescape and Dark Sun core sets – which was 2.125″ deep. But these large boxes were also a touch larger in the long dimension: 11.75″ vs 11.25″ for the smaller boxes.

The color is a lighter green than the first printing, otherwise there are no differences I can see. The date is hard to pin down. The box does use the TSR “shield” logo, and a return card inside is dated 1994, otherwise everything retains its original 1993 copyright.

Campaign Guide to Myth Drannor (128 pages, TSR 1084XXX1401)

Both books are filled with awesome Arnie Sweikel line art.

What you get is source material for Myth Drannor, plus a number of mini-adventures and seeds. The DM will need to come up with their own encounters as well. It’s a player sandbox, no plot, intended for high-level characters and experienced players.

Myth Drannor Adventures (32 pages, TSR 1084XXX1401)

The adventure book is pretty thin, right? But it uses the space well. Cover is loose, with random tables of Features, Encounters, and Treasures.

8 Cardsheets (uncoded)

Cards contain yet more random tables and location maps.

8 Monstrous Compendium sheets (FRX1)

Creatures: Aratha; Baelnorn; Blazing Bones; Doomsphere – Ghost Beholder; Electrum Dragon; Fang Dragon; Dread; Feystag; Lythlyx; Magebane; Metalmaster; Naga – Bone; Ormyrr; Windghost; Xantravar; Xaver.

The Monstrous Compendium sheets are labelled “FRX1” in the upper right corners, implying that this was the intended set code (But TSR did away with the letter/number codes around this time).

Maps

The four poster maps are all printed on one side, and they connect into one jumbo map of Myth Drannor. Here they are, in a “Wayne-sized” photo I took in 2020 in my game room.

The Maps are:

  • 1084XXX0701 Southeast quadrant
  • 1084XXX0702 Northeast quadrant (with “magic dead” areas inset map and encounter tables.
  • 1084XXX0703 Southwest quadrant (with Wild Mythal Magic Table)
  • 1084XXX0704 Northwest quadrant

See Also:

NETHERIL: Forgotten Realms’ Lost Empire of Magic (1996) – MAPS Before and After The Fall
PAVIS & BIG RUBBLE (1983): Basecamp and Vast City Ruins for Runequest RPG
City of Waterdeep Trail Map (1989): TSR’s Most Misleading Title?