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Era of Upheaval

1358
1489


Most scholars believed that the Era of Upheaval started with the calamitous event known as the Time of Troubles, that took place in 1358 DR, when the gods were cast down from the Upper planes and roamed the land incarnated as mortals. The chaos of the Time of Troubles left a lasting mark into the world. When Lord Ao destroyed the Tablets of Fate, he unraveled the laws of Realmspace and the worlds of Abeir and Toril, separated since the Tearfall, began to join once again. Among the known effects of the Time of Troubles are: * Wild and Dead-magic zones, areas where magic behaved erratically or ceased to function, were direct effects of the Time of Troubles. * Because of the destruction of the Tablets of Fate, the planar barrier that separated the worlds of Abeir and Toril weakened, and both worlds began to exchange small, almost imperceptible parts of their lands between them. * Many gods died or disappeared, while dead gods returned to life without explanation; many mortals ascended to divinity one after another so quickly, as well. * Likewise, denizens of the Outer Planes theorized that the gods of Realmspace became interested in becoming multi-spheric because of the heavy-handed methods used by Ao during the Time of Troubles. Mimicking the cosmic chaos, the political landscape of the world became tumultuous as well. The Tuigan invasion, the Twelfth Serôs War, the return of Netheril, the last Rage of Dragons, among other huge political conflicts happened in less than thirty years. Then, in 1385 DR, Cyric, aided by Shar, murdered the goddess Mystra. This act ripped asunder the Weave, unleashing its raw power in a catastrophe known as the Spellplague. This accelerated the fusion of Abeir and Toril, and whole regions and even continents where exchanged between the two worlds. More gods died and others simply vanished. Some gods were revealed to be aspects of others or not gods at all but primordials, while a few gods were so weakened after the chaos that were subsumed by other gods of similar nature, or became exarchs under the service of more powerful gods. Interloper deities began to migrate to the sphere of Abeir-Toril, as well. While recovering from the effects of the Spellplague during the Wailing Years, the political upheaval continued in the world. New nations were created, while older ones, like Myth Drannor, were restored. The major political crisis of the late years of the 14th century DR were the conquering of Sembia by the Netherese and the fall of the zulkirs in Thay. In 1482 DR Lord Ao began the Second Sundering as a way to restore the worlds of Toril and Abeir of the ravages of the Spellplague. When the Second Sundering ended, in 1489 DR, Lord Ao decreed the end of the Era of Upheaval.

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History of Toril GM