Rucien-Xan was a hidden elven city, allegedly, located somewhere in the Chondalwood, the capital for the elven realm of Nikerymath.
Description[]
By the 14th century DR, Rucien-Xan was a well-known legend across the Reach. Stories of elves and their wars with humans were told to children by their mothers. However, the existence of the city was doubted by many cynics who pointed out that even before the Retreat, there was virtually no evidence of Rucien-Xan's existence
Defenses[]
Rucien-Xan was often thought to be a mythical city undiscovered by numerous adventurers throughout its history. However, the hidden realm was veiled by Sehanine Moonbow. Even though the goddess rarely bothered herself with the events on Toril, she personally weaved illusion magics that shrouded hired elven retreats, such as fabled Evermeet, Myth Dyraalis, and Rucien-Xan. Sehanine also took on the role of a guide and protector of the elves who traveled to the hidden cities.
History[]
The mythical hidden elven city of Rucien Xan was founded by refugees from Syòrpiir in -6500 DR. The city became the first settlement of Nikerymath. By the Year of Overflowing Casks, −276 DR, Jhaamdath clashed with the elven kingdom of Nikerymath. The nation was devastated, and the only city left standing was Rucien Xan. The kingdom's population lost nine-tenths of its elves. This forced the surviving elves to seek retribution. The Coronal and four High Mages became the oldest surviving elves from Rucien Xan, with all other citizens being under a century old. The High Mages of Rucien Xan retaliated in the Year of Furious Waves, −255 DR. The elves summoned grand magics that caused deaths of more than 60,000 humans and formed what would later become known as the Vilhon Reach. In the Year of the Resolute Courtesans, 139 DR, the forest of Chondalwood began being aggressively lumbered by the newly established Chondathan logging town of Shamph. Chondath, under the leadership of Lord Anthony Illistine, delved deeper into Chondalwood, burning an even city of Ariel-than to the ground. Few elves survived, but they found refuge in Rucien Xan, the city considered a myth by most and undiscovered by outsiders. By the Year of the Tankard, 1370 DR, the Moonstars did have an agent in Rucien-Xan, though obviously this was a closely guarded secret. Nuvian Eyes-Ashen, the Crusader of Sehanine Moonbow, was the regional agent for the Vilhon Reach and Shining Plains regions. Circa that year, an adventuring group led by Adamar Session, bard of Starmantle, spent six months searching for the mythical city of Rucien-Xan. Eventually, the troupe gave the attempts up, finding no traces of it.
Secrets[]
Rucien-Xan (more properly, “Ruucienandrar-founded-by-Arlxandnaea”) has never been found is that it exists on its own demiplane (precise whereabouts cosmologically unknown to Elminster), with only the gates (portals) to enter and depart it being found in the Chondalwood: high in the air just above the growing boughs of massive trees (so to enter, you climb the tree, and walk out on a huge limb guarded by an elf sentinel to pass through an invisible ‘door in the air’ above the limb, employing the right password—and into a challenge issued by several waiting guards in the city). So if the lone sentinel withdraws, there’s literally no sign of the city, on the Prime Material Plane (the elves deliberately cast “driftspells” in the Chondalwood that moderate and redistribute moisture and control local temperature for optimum tree-leaf growth, so detect magic spells will find magic everywhere, and not spotlight invisible portals as beacons).
The xenophobic gold elves of Iryandrar largely want nothing to do with the wider world; the elves of Rucien-Xan want nothing to do with THEM (they see the Iryandrans as "arrogant half-wits"). The Rucien elves aren't xenophobic; they're not interested in being wiped out. Having seen humans reshape Faerûn (a LOT of deforestation, and what they see as the "failure" of Myth Drannor) they try to attract as little human attention (to their city) as possible.