Post by Jamie J on Nov 11, 2019 17:19:18 GMT
In case it helps anyone with Andy's challenge, I thought I'd throw together a quick post of what official D&D lore says was happening in Faerûn (where most, but not all, Kantas PCs come from) around the time when Daring Heights was founded.
By my reckoning that happened around 1492 DR. That was quite an eventful year in certain parts of the Sword Coast, so players whose characters are from that part of the world may find some of this material especially relevant (if they want to use it, which of course isn't compulsory).
As background, the Sword Coast adventurer's guide gives this summary of major events of 1482-1489:
Events after that are a bit indeterminate because they consist of adventure modules, and of course the events and ultimate outcome of an adventure module have to be kept flexible in official lore to allow people to play them without having the outcome predetermined. But we know that:
As far as I know there's no official published Forgotten Realms material that's definitely dated later than 1492.
By my reckoning that happened around 1492 DR. That was quite an eventful year in certain parts of the Sword Coast, so players whose characters are from that part of the world may find some of this material especially relevant (if they want to use it, which of course isn't compulsory).
As background, the Sword Coast adventurer's guide gives this summary of major events of 1482-1489:
The Second Sundering
A century after the Spellplague, the lands and peoples of Faerûn had become accustomed to the state of things — just in time for everything to change again.
The first indication of new turmoil came in 1482 DR, when Bhaal, the long-dead god of murder, was reborn in Baldur’s Gate amid chaos and bloodshed, leaving two of the city’s dukes and many of its citizens dead. The return of Bhaal and his apparent reclamation of the domain of murder from Cyric led some scholars and sages to believe that the rules by which all deities must abide were in flux.
In 1484, strange calamities began to occur throughout Faerûn. An earthquake struck Iriaebor. A plague of locusts afflicted Amn. Droughts gripped the southern lands as the sea steadily receded in places. Amid this tumult, conflict broke out in many regions of the continent. The orcs of Many-Arrows warred against the dwarfholds of the North and their allies. Sembia invaded the Dalelands, and Cormyr raised an army to come to the aid of the Dalesfolk. Netheril brought forces to Cormyr’s border, and Cormyr was drawn into a war on both fronts.
Throughout this period, tales began to spread of individuals who had been touched by the gods and granted strange powers. Some of these so-called Chosen were at the root of the conflicts that grip the land. Some seemed driven by divine purpose, while others claimed to be mystified as to why they would be singled out.
In 1485, in Icewind Dale, the Chosen of Auril foments war with Ten-Towns and was defeated. In Anauroch, seeing that Netherese forces were spread thin, the long-subjugated Bedine people rebelled. Having defeated or besieged the dwarfholds of the North, orcs march on Silverymoon. In Cormyr and Sembia, the Netherese and the Cormyreans traded ground, while the Dalelands became a war zone. As if to offset the drought in the south, in the autumn of 1485 the Great Rain began to fall around the Sea of Fallen Stars and continued unceasingly.
While the waters rose to the east in early 1486, the tide turned against the orcs in the North, and by the end of the year their armies were broken and scattered. Also during that year, the elves of Myth Drannor came to the aid of the Dalelands and helped push back Sembian forces. On the Sword Coast, the Hosttower of the Arcane rose again in Luskan, along with the Arcane Brotherhood. In Waterdeep and Neverwinter, efforts were made to clear those cities of century-old rubble and neglect. Cormyr repulsed the last of the Sembian and Netherese forces from the nation, reclaiming its territory, and recalled its forces, turning inward to address issues of rebuilding.
Late in 1486, the Great Rain finally abated, but this event didn’t signify an end to the chaos. The Sea of Fallen Stars had grown, submerging great swaths of land beneath its waves.
Early in 1487, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions abounded for months, as if the whole world was convulsing. Rumors spread of chasms caused by the Spellplague suddenly vanishing, and stories circulated of known destinations being farther away from one another, as if the world had quietly added miles of wilderness to the distance between them. Word began to spread of places and peoples not heard from since the Spellplague. It became apparent that some of the effects of that terrible time had been reversed. During the year, ships claiming to be from Evermeet, Lantan, and Nimbral — nations thought vanished or destroyed — sailed into ports on the Sword Coast and in the Shining South. Tales spread of the legendary skyships of Halruaa being spotted in southern skies. No longer engaged in Cormyr, Netheril attacked Myth Drannor by floating the City of Shade over it. In a struggle for control of Myth Drannor’s mythal and the Weave itself, the flying capital of Netheril was brought crashing down on Myth Drannor, resulting in the cataclysmic destruction of both.
As the year drew to a close, there were nights when the heavens seemed to hang motionless. Throughout much of Faerûn, the winter of 1487 and 1488 lasted longer than any on record. The solstices and equinoxes had somehow drifted. Later seasons followed suit, with each starting and ending later than expected. Prayers to the gods for knowledge and mercy seemed to go unacknowledged, apart from the presence of their Chosen.
Although the orcs were defeated in the North, the League of Silver Marches was disbanded in 1488, as former allies blamed one another for failures in the war. Sembia divided into separate city-states only nominally allied with one another. While a handful of settlements survived, the Netherese Empire was no more. The remainder of the Netherese forces battle with the Bedine over control of the Memory Spire, thought to be a tomb of the phaerimm, Netheril’s ancient enemies. The battle awakens what turns out to be a hive of the creatures, and they use the life and magic-draining power of the spire against the lands below.
By 1489, many of the wars that began during the Sundering had ground to a close. Other conflicts arose, and mighty threats still imperiled the world, but the deities ceased interfering with the world through their Chosen. The gods were no longer silent but quiet, and in many places new priesthoods arose to interpret the gods’ now subtle signs.
The world today seems a place filled with new lands and opportunities, where those who dare can leave their mark. Students of history and those elves and dwarves who recall the past that short-lived humans see as distant perceive a world much like it was over a century ago. For most folk, wild tales of people empowered by the gods, and of far-off lands returned to the world, are the subjects of fireside chatter. Daily concerns and the dangers and opportunities just beyond their doors take precedence, and plenty of both remain on the Sword Coast and in the North.
A century after the Spellplague, the lands and peoples of Faerûn had become accustomed to the state of things — just in time for everything to change again.
The first indication of new turmoil came in 1482 DR, when Bhaal, the long-dead god of murder, was reborn in Baldur’s Gate amid chaos and bloodshed, leaving two of the city’s dukes and many of its citizens dead. The return of Bhaal and his apparent reclamation of the domain of murder from Cyric led some scholars and sages to believe that the rules by which all deities must abide were in flux.
In 1484, strange calamities began to occur throughout Faerûn. An earthquake struck Iriaebor. A plague of locusts afflicted Amn. Droughts gripped the southern lands as the sea steadily receded in places. Amid this tumult, conflict broke out in many regions of the continent. The orcs of Many-Arrows warred against the dwarfholds of the North and their allies. Sembia invaded the Dalelands, and Cormyr raised an army to come to the aid of the Dalesfolk. Netheril brought forces to Cormyr’s border, and Cormyr was drawn into a war on both fronts.
Throughout this period, tales began to spread of individuals who had been touched by the gods and granted strange powers. Some of these so-called Chosen were at the root of the conflicts that grip the land. Some seemed driven by divine purpose, while others claimed to be mystified as to why they would be singled out.
In 1485, in Icewind Dale, the Chosen of Auril foments war with Ten-Towns and was defeated. In Anauroch, seeing that Netherese forces were spread thin, the long-subjugated Bedine people rebelled. Having defeated or besieged the dwarfholds of the North, orcs march on Silverymoon. In Cormyr and Sembia, the Netherese and the Cormyreans traded ground, while the Dalelands became a war zone. As if to offset the drought in the south, in the autumn of 1485 the Great Rain began to fall around the Sea of Fallen Stars and continued unceasingly.
While the waters rose to the east in early 1486, the tide turned against the orcs in the North, and by the end of the year their armies were broken and scattered. Also during that year, the elves of Myth Drannor came to the aid of the Dalelands and helped push back Sembian forces. On the Sword Coast, the Hosttower of the Arcane rose again in Luskan, along with the Arcane Brotherhood. In Waterdeep and Neverwinter, efforts were made to clear those cities of century-old rubble and neglect. Cormyr repulsed the last of the Sembian and Netherese forces from the nation, reclaiming its territory, and recalled its forces, turning inward to address issues of rebuilding.
Late in 1486, the Great Rain finally abated, but this event didn’t signify an end to the chaos. The Sea of Fallen Stars had grown, submerging great swaths of land beneath its waves.
Early in 1487, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions abounded for months, as if the whole world was convulsing. Rumors spread of chasms caused by the Spellplague suddenly vanishing, and stories circulated of known destinations being farther away from one another, as if the world had quietly added miles of wilderness to the distance between them. Word began to spread of places and peoples not heard from since the Spellplague. It became apparent that some of the effects of that terrible time had been reversed. During the year, ships claiming to be from Evermeet, Lantan, and Nimbral — nations thought vanished or destroyed — sailed into ports on the Sword Coast and in the Shining South. Tales spread of the legendary skyships of Halruaa being spotted in southern skies. No longer engaged in Cormyr, Netheril attacked Myth Drannor by floating the City of Shade over it. In a struggle for control of Myth Drannor’s mythal and the Weave itself, the flying capital of Netheril was brought crashing down on Myth Drannor, resulting in the cataclysmic destruction of both.
As the year drew to a close, there were nights when the heavens seemed to hang motionless. Throughout much of Faerûn, the winter of 1487 and 1488 lasted longer than any on record. The solstices and equinoxes had somehow drifted. Later seasons followed suit, with each starting and ending later than expected. Prayers to the gods for knowledge and mercy seemed to go unacknowledged, apart from the presence of their Chosen.
Although the orcs were defeated in the North, the League of Silver Marches was disbanded in 1488, as former allies blamed one another for failures in the war. Sembia divided into separate city-states only nominally allied with one another. While a handful of settlements survived, the Netherese Empire was no more. The remainder of the Netherese forces battle with the Bedine over control of the Memory Spire, thought to be a tomb of the phaerimm, Netheril’s ancient enemies. The battle awakens what turns out to be a hive of the creatures, and they use the life and magic-draining power of the spire against the lands below.
By 1489, many of the wars that began during the Sundering had ground to a close. Other conflicts arose, and mighty threats still imperiled the world, but the deities ceased interfering with the world through their Chosen. The gods were no longer silent but quiet, and in many places new priesthoods arose to interpret the gods’ now subtle signs.
The world today seems a place filled with new lands and opportunities, where those who dare can leave their mark. Students of history and those elves and dwarves who recall the past that short-lived humans see as distant perceive a world much like it was over a century ago. For most folk, wild tales of people empowered by the gods, and of far-off lands returned to the world, are the subjects of fireside chatter. Daily concerns and the dangers and opportunities just beyond their doors take precedence, and plenty of both remain on the Sword Coast and in the North.
Events after that are a bit indeterminate because they consist of adventure modules, and of course the events and ultimate outcome of an adventure module have to be kept flexible in official lore to allow people to play them without having the outcome predetermined. But we know that:
- Some time after about 1489 and probably before about 1491, the events of Hoard of the dragon queen and The rise of Tiamat occur. Some of those events would probably have been known to most people living [SPOILERS] A cult tries to free Tiamat from the Hells. Depending on how the adventure goes, either some adventurers prevent them, or they succeed but adventurers manage to banish her back to the Hells, or Tiamat escapes and goes on a rampage – which is probably not the continuity that happened in the Kantas timeline otherwise things would all be quite different. [END SPOILERS]
- In 1491 the events of Princes of the apocalypse occur. I'd guess those events wouldn't necessarily have been known to most people, especially outside the northern Sword Coast, but may be known to members of the official Faerûn 'factions' (the Harpers, the Emerald Enclave, the Zhentarim, &c.). [SPOILERS] Some cultists establish an elemental temple and start causing minor natural disasters along the valley of the Dessarim river until adventurers confront and defeat (or fail to defeat) their leaders in underground caverns. [END SPOILERS]
- Around 1491 or 1492 the events of Storm King's thunder. This probably would have had some impact on the lives of people in the northern part of the Sword Coast. Giants were increasingly attacking settlements in the north over the course of several months. [SPOILERS] Some adventurers discovered that the cause of the trouble was actually an ancient blue dragon disguised as a storm giant who had infiltrated the storm giants' royal court. They managed to secure allies among the storm giant royal family and defeat the dragon. [END SPOILERS] After this the giant activity in the north settled down again.
- In 1492 we get Waterdeep: dragon heist, which is a fairly local adventure and probably wouldn't have attracted the attention of anyone not living in or around Waterdeep at the time. Inhabitants of Waterdeep may well have noticed some of the events, though that depends a lot on how the adventure actually runs, so rather than giving a summary I'd suggest anyone who thinks their character may have been affected should just have a look at the adventure or find a summary of it on the internet. Members of factions like the Emerald Enclave may know more about what went on during this time, since those factions were involved.
- Also in 1492 is Baldur's Gate: descent into Avernus, some of whose events were quite notable in the southern / central Sword Coast, and also in Avernus, the first layer of the Hells. [SPOILERS] Most notably, the city of Elturel just, uh, disappeared along with everyone in it including the Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate, who happened to be visiting. It turns out to have been dragged into the Hells. Depending on how the adventure goes, Elturel may have been restored to the Sword Coast, with its population fairly traumatized by the experience. Meanwhile things in Baldur's Gate became quite chaotic for a while due to the power vacuum and general panic. How things turn out in that duty depend on how the adventure goes including whether the Grand Duke survives and gets back to the material plane. The adventure also had a significant impact in Avernus, including (depending on how it plays out) the probable removal, one way or another, of its ruler Zariel. But NB recent Kantas games have confirmed that in Kantas continuity Zariel does seem still to be in charge of Avernus. [END SPOILERS]
As far as I know there's no official published Forgotten Realms material that's definitely dated later than 1492.
