History of Toril GM

The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, the Godswar, and the Avatar Crisis, was a cataclysmic time period in the chronology of Faerûn. Taking place during 1358 DR, the Year of Shadows, the Time of Troubles was a period during which the deities of Faerûn were forced to walk the earth in their mortal avatar forms. Several major deities died during the Time of Troubles (see Deaths, Ascensions, and Resurrections) and a handful of mortals rose to divinity.

The Spellplague, called the Blue Breath of Change by the inhabitants of Abeir, was a disaster that struck Realmspace and even the planes themselves on Tarsakh 29 of the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR, and was caused by Mystra's assassination at the hands of Cyric and Shar. It continued for a decade, leading to the Wailing Years, during which arcane magic ceased to function and the planet of Toril was transformed.   The diviner Yaphyll had a vision of the event:   "The white queen is troubled but can't say why. The black queen hates the white and gives the assassin a black coat. The assassin steals upon the white queen. She can't see him gliding through the shadows. The sword screams. The white queen falls. Her city falls. Stones fall in the cavern to crush the soothsayer. The tree burns and thrashes in agony. Branches break. Branches twist and grow together..." ” — from a vision by the diviner Yaphyll   In her vision, Yaphyll referred to Mystra as the white queen and to Shar, goddess of the night, as the black queen. Cyric, god of murder, was the assassin, Savras, the god of divination, was the soothsayer, and the city, cavern and tree symbolized the ordered structures of magic crumbling into chaos.

The Second Sundering, also known as the Sundering of Toril and Abeir, was a great catastrophic event in the history of the worlds of Abeir and Toril, that took place during the decade of the 1480s DR.   When Ao the Overgod destroyed the Tablets of Fate at the conclusion of the Time of Troubles, he instigated the Era of Upheaval. The Tablets defined the laws of Realmspace and kept it relatively stable. Without them, chaos ensued and the worlds of Abeir and Toril, separated many thousands of years ago, slowly started to overlap. The Spellplague drastically sped up this process.   The Second Sundering started with Ao's decision to recreate the Tablets of Fate, and to separate the worlds of Abeir and Toril once more. The deities were unsure of what this would do to them and their power, and made efforts using their most powerful servants to prepare for that event.   The Second Sundering was somehow connected to the First Sundering that took place around -17600 DR, when an elven High Magic ritual went both forward and backward in time to create Evermeet; and with a prehistoric cataclysm known as the Tearfall, that took place in -31000 DR.

Natural disasters begin to happen all over Faerun as Abeir and Toril begin to split apart. The Returning Gods pick "Chosen" mortals and gift them with divine powers.

Out of the Abyss - Adventurers defeat demons in the Underdark and drive Demogorgon into Menzoberrazan.   Ashs of the Tyrant - The Dragonborn of Tymanther refuse to go back to Abeir as Gilgeam arrives to reclaim Unther. Enlil sides with the Dragonborn. Asmodeus releases Azuth in exchange for the Divine Essence of Nanna-Sin.   Spring and Summer Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions abound (as Abeir begins to separate from Toril) Stars fell reportedly from the sky, gods long thought dead walk the land and armies lead by Chosen clash everywhere