The Rise & Fall of Netheril (D&D's Ancient Empire)

The ancient Netherese Empire is one of the most captivating civilizations in Forgotten Realms history. Often used by GMs to justify giving players powerful magical items or strange dungeons to adventure in, Netheril has largely been shrouded by mystery... until now.

In this Realmslore video, Ed Greenwood discusses what the Netherese Empire may have looked like at its peak, talks about its fall, and reveals a handful of secrets that never made it to print.

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[edgreenwoodofficial]

Are there other ancient Realms civilizations that you're interested in? If so, do their histories inform your games now? Thank you to everyone on Discord and Patreon that requested this video! :}

[samsturdi]

I can’t believe Ed Greenwood is on YouTube. What an amazing gift.

[Sarnican]

The best game I ever ran was a 3rd edition game where an enclave of Netherese decendants trapped in another dimension return to modern Faerun to reclaim their empire. It was so much fun.

[PeterDivine]

What I always made headcanon was that if the Netherese had access to magic this easily and ubiquitously, why wouldn't it become a major appeal to "permanently" transmute yourself into a more powerful being of your choice, like a celestial or an empyrean? I'd imagine shapechanging would be massively fashionable, at least in certain circles.

[insidethemachine]

The Netheril have been the center of my campaign for years. I've always wanted to publish it for others to experience but the fools in charge these days would crush that dream. Thank you, Ed. I love your world.

[matthewshroba]

11:14 mission accomplished Ed. Netheril, it’s mystery, it’s fall, all this is central to my setting and the atmosphere of my campaign and has tie ins to many of my main and sun plot hooks. Year king campaign about halfway through.

[BillAllanWorld]

YES!!! This is the video I've been waiting for! So much potential for Netherese magic in high level campaigns!

[ct]

I've always been interested in the relationship between ancestral mankind and ancestral elves. Would you do a video on the Dales Compact and Dalereckoning?

[bozododge]

Can you make a lore video about Eilistraee and good drow/dark elf civilizations?

[JeffreyWilliams]

You should've done something like this years ago. These are great videos. Keep them rolling. 🎉

[MiticoCritico]

This talks feel like a God answering to mortal been questions because he just realize how much fun he can get out of it. Praise to The GreenGod.

[thatoneguythatsalwaysonlin]

Ooooo Ed great video as always. The Netherese Empire is amazing and so are their characters.

Will you ever do a deep dive on any of them, such as Larloch? He’s probably the coolest survivor and non-divine mage of DnD in my opinion.

[PatriciaNiewoehner]

Thank you Ed for taking the time to discuss the Forgotten Realms and the Nethereese. Awesome of you to take the time to review this online. Your contribution to the worlds we live and play in will live on
as long as we have storytellers and games!

[Meeeeeeeestery]

I restored my campaign just yesterday night and it's based on a mad elf warlock, survivor of Myth Drannor destruction, who believes himself being in charge of the birth of a new magical empire which the destruction of both Netheril and Myth Drannor have been the premise of...by will of his patron The Old One. Incredible to find this new video from Master Greenwood today on this topic. ❤

[Keef_DGAF]

Whoohoo more Elminster!! Ed you are my hero ( 51 years old I am :) )

[JesseFuches]

I just got into the world of D&D and I’m so glad that I found this channel. You are doing the gods work here

[venkelos]

As someone who has been primarily a Realms fan for the last 25 years, it'd really fun to get to hear one of the people who made that stuff for me to read. I'm also a big fan of wizards, and Nethetil, specifically, so even better! I think the most humorous part is that I tend to like FRCS, over say Greyhawk, because so much of it is filled in, and spelled out. Most of the areas arw mapped, and the communities on that map have at least a little bit of lore, so listing to Ed Greenwood talking about being intentionally vague, to leave room for DMs to feel, makes me chuckle.

[ReplicatorFifth]

In Rime of the Frost Maiden there is a secret ending called the time of Chilled Marrow. It sends the player characters back in time to right before Ythrin, and by extension, the Netherse Empire fell. It’s really good to have some idea how to write a continuation of that adventure if the players happen to mess up that bad

[EM-vwim]

Surprised it wasn't mentioned that some Netherese turned to Shar and the shadow weave as Mystral died to save their city/magic. And that that city recently returned from the plane of shadow(shadow fell)

[natanharel]

Hey Ed, huge fan of the Realms and your work. I wanted to know more about Augathra the Mad and the Naming of the Years. Another figure I want to see more info on is the Terraseer and how they influenced Netheril through the Nether Scrolls. I’m loving the videos and hope I can budget for a patreon sub later this year to see more info on the Realms.