Arcanists Guild Former organization of the Mages of Nerath. Nimozoran the Green styles himself as head of the guild in Fallcrest, but he is also its only member. Wizard�s Tower
Bandits of Harkenwold Forest north of Harkenwold
Blackfang Gnolls Remnants of the gnoll horde that brought about the fall of Nerath spread chaos in the Vale. (I wasn't able to find anything about the Blackfangs or what areas of the Vale they haunt)
Carthain�s Gang Mix of humans, halflings. Works with Circle of Stone and Thar. Dungeon of the Fire Opal, camp northeast of Hammerfast
Daggerburg Goblins Western Harken Forest
Emerald Enclave A far-ranging group that opposes threats to the natural world and helps others survive the many perils of the wild. Members of the Emerald Enclave know how to survive, and more importantly, they want to help others to do the same. Harken Forest
Bloodspear Orcs Bakrosh, Vile Rune Clan, Gardmore. Fanged Jaws of Kulkoszar in the northern Stonemarch
Circle of Stone A conspiracy of fundamentalists priests of Moradin led by Grond Silverstar. The Circle sees the transformation of the necropolis into a center of trade as an insult to Moradin and the welcoming of worshipers of Gruumsh into Hammerfast as an even more grave insult. Thus, the Circle works to drive the orcs out of Hammerfast and to destroy the Black Spire. Outsiders see the Circle as humorless fundamentalists that want to turn Hammerfast into a theocracy. Temple of Moradin in Hammerfast
Frost Witches Worshipers of a living glacier. Cairngorm Peaks
Halfmoon Trading Company A family of Halfling traders that operate trading posts in several settlements along the Nentir and whose traders roam throughout the Vale. Selarund Halfmoon, North Market. Lower Market. Magde Halfmoon, Magde's Trading Post.
Heirs of the Empire A group of Tieflings that work together to maintain the ways of Bael Turoth and as a support network for Tieflings. Chief person in Fallcrest is Amara Azaer of House Azaer. North Market
Iron Circle A ring of spies, smugglers, slavers, and mercenaries. Followers of Asmodeus. Symbol is a circle of barbed black chain on a red field. Arose a few decades ago in Adretia to the south on the remains of Arkhosia. Regularly works with mercenary orcs, hobgoblins, and others. Has just begun scouting the Nentir Vale. Has ties to the River Rats. Thar, Forgepeak, Therund
Nerathi Nobles The remaining nobles in the Vale from when it was settled by Nerath. They work loosely together to address threats and needs in the Vale. Lord Warden Faren Markelhay, Lady Allande Markelhay, Moonstone Keep. Baron Stockmer, Harkenwold. Lord Ernest Padraig, Winterhaven. Baron and lesser nobles, Therund.
Mages of Saruun An order of mages with ties to the Drow. Thunderspire
Order of the Gauntlet An order of monster hunters favored by paladins. The Order favors striking hard and fast when evil manifests. This has lead them into many conflicts with authorities, and they are often viewed with suspicion. Popular with Dwarves. Sir Oakley, Knight of Bahamut. Grundelmar, Dwarven priest of Pelor. House of the Sun
Raven Roost Bandits Raven Roost
River Rats A halfling gang of smugglers and thieves that works along the Nentir. Slippery Eel
Rockguard Clan Dwarf bandits in a primitive village southwest of Hammerfast.
Swiftriver Halflings Hammerfast
Tigerclaw Barbarians Winterbole Forest
Witchlight Dragonborn Black Dragonborn of the Witchlight Fens and the Black Dragon that they worship.
Woodsinger Elves Eastern Harken Forest
Was the Nerathean solar deity of order, the sun, law, and time. He was viewed as a harsh but fair deity, revered by many rulers, soldiers, and powerful wizards. It was eventually claimed, following the
The Spellplague occurred After Mystra was killed. The Weave, the universal structure of arcane forces, was destroyed and was replaced by Cyric's own madness, which became a "physical" force after being bolstered by the corrupting energies of a Far Realm portal opened by Shar to destroy Dweomerheart, believing that she could control the Weave after destroying the plane of her former enemy. Without the Weave, the Shadow Weave was unable to be maintained and collapsed as well. The breakdown of the Weave was felt by all wizards across Faer�n.
The corrupted madness of Cyric defiled what arcane forces remained from the dissolution of the Weave, resulting in a new magical source of defiling arcane energy in the form of blue flames that destroyed Dweomerheart and continued to spread across the multiverse.
Since the Spellplague was born from the defiling powers from the Far Realm, a plane that existed outside of Realmspace, not even Lord Ao had the power to stopThe Spellplague manifested in Toril as a storm of blue flames in the Mhair Jungles, west of Halruaa, and quickly grew to a massive size. Halruaan wizards, having divined the death of Mystra and the destruction of the Weave, were able to use the energy of the blue fire to save most of their kingdom by shifting it into another world, Abeir. However, the remaining Halruaan lands in Toril were laid to waste due to the heavy wild magic activity in the area, and Sespech, the Golden Plains, and the Nagalands were transformed into an unpredictable and surreal place, dubbed the Plaguewrought Lands.
The blue flames also infected portals and planar gates, spreading even further across Toril. Almost every part of Faer�n was affected by the Spellplague and certain areas were eliminated entirely, while others were created anew. Thousands of spellcasters were either destroyed or went insane due to the collapse of the Weave after Mystra's death. In Cormyr, a third of the War Wizards were either killed or driven mad. Those who survived lost their ability to use arcane magic. Other continents, such as Kara-Tur and Osse, were affected by the Spellplague as well.
It was through the planar gates that the Spellplague traveled across time and space, and reached the world of Abeir. In that world, the Spellplague first appeared in Gontal, the southwestern region of the continent of Laerakond, where it made contact with ancient Glaur, the fortress of the Primordial Nehushta. The fortress detonated when the "Blue Breath of Change" ran through it, in an explosion as potent as the Tearfall, rocking the entire planet of Abeir and creating the Glaur Barrens where the old fortress once stood. Laerakond was torn apart in a powerful earthquake, and a portion of the nation of Skelkor, were the capital of the dragonborn nation of Tymanchebar was located, was torn asunder and disappeared amid the blue fire.
That region, where the city-citadel of Djerad Thymar was located, crashed on Unther, still enveloped in the blue flames. Many believed the Untherites and the Mulhorandi occupation forces were obliterated in the explosion that created the Black Ash Plain, but actually Unther was instead transported to the world of Abeir. However, it was transported to the lands of Shyr, the equivalent continent to Faer�n in Abeir.
The rest of Laerakond was sent to the Trackless Sea, were it subsumed the lands of Maztica. Maztica was transported to Abeir, and Laerakond, which became known as 'Returned Abeir', remained on Toril it once it started.
Asmodeus, an archdevil before the Spellplague, Supreme of the Nine Hells (or Baator), was the god of sin. An ever ambitious and careful creature, Asmodeus retained his position all through the Reckoning of Hell, unlike many of the other archdevils. Asmodeus was lord of Nessus, the Ninth Layer of Hell, though he was generally recognized as lord of all of his divine dominion of Baator, which lay within the Astral Sea.
Asmodeus was the undisputed master of the Nine Hells, commanding fear and respect from all those who occupied his realm. Even the gods who dwelt in the Nine Hells gave Asmodeus his proper due. Though the archdevils might work to usurp him, few had the courage to act openly. Asmodeus�s machinations were long in the making, and they might take centuries, if not millennia, to see resolution. He worked on a grand scale, carefully constructing insidious and inexplicable intrigues, maneuvering the forces of wickedness like chess pieces on a board that encompasses all the planes. His core concerns were simple. First, he wanted the power structure currently in place to remain exactly as it stood, with him in charge. He had spies on every layer, planted in every court. No fiend knew for sure which of its minions actually served Asmodeus, so the climate was one of justified paranoia. Asmodeus also expanded evil. He directly opposed celestials and good-aligned deities. His minions combated the agents of the Celestial Planes, murdering them whenever and wherever they could. Finally, Asmodeus waged war against the demons throughout the period of the Blood War. He saw the untold legions as a direct threat to his supremacy. Asmodeus was aware of every plot hatched against him. Older than the oldest archdevil, he watched the rise and fall of other archdevils far craftier than any of Asmodeus�s contemporaries. He kept to himself, letting his minions stew in fear of what he would do next. Of course, few forgot that Asmodeus emerged unscathed in the Reckoning, proving to all that he was their better. On the Prime Material Plane, Asmodeus had more cultists than all the other archdevils combined. Mortals who worshiped devils actually drew power from Asmodeus. He influenced all levels of society and had followers of nearly every race, even within the strongest bastions for good. His path was the way to great and unattainable power, so his clerics were mighty men and women with influence and personal magnetism that made them natural leaders among their kind.
When Dweomerheart collapsed in the wake of Mystra's death, her servant Azuth fell into the Hells where Asmodeus, sensing his opportunity, devoured the lesser deity and became a god himself. He then ended the Blood War by forcing the Abyss underneath the Elemental Chaos.
Cyric, whose titles included The Lord of Three Crowns, The Mad God, and The Prince of Lies, was the monomaniacal deity of strife and lies with an immense following, though after he murdered Mystra and caused the Spellplague, his faith diminished somewhat. He was petty and self-centered, and enjoyed misleading individuals of all inclinations so that they performed acts that ruined their lives or so that they made fatal mistakes. Cyric was closely associated with the essence of murder, conflict, lies, intrigue, and illusions. Cyric was recognized in Faer�n by his symbol, a white jawless skull on a black or purple sunburst, and his alignment was chaotic evil. He was a greater power, who ruled supreme in his divine realm, the Supreme Throne. Gugari worshipers knew Cyric as Sirhivatizangpo and he was called N'esr by the Bedine.
On Marpenoth 15, 1358 DR, Cyric ascended to godhood. At some point after this, Cyric killed Leira, making himself the God of Deception, Murder, Strife, the Dead (a title he later lost to Kelemvor), and Intrigue (when he temporarily killed Mask). Cyric also released Kezef the Chaos Hound, and created a book called the Cyrinishad, a magical tome that proclaimed him the One True Deity. This last plot ultimately failed (though not before the book was written and read by both Mask and Cyric, which cost Mask most of his power and drove Cyric insane).
In 1385 DR, in retaliation for his murder of Mystra, which sparked the Spellplague, Lathander, Tyr, and Sune trapped Cyric in the Supreme Throne for 1000 years.
They found him guilty of Mystra's murder and sentenced him to imprisonment in the The Supreme Throne is the realm in which Cyric, the Prince of Lies, holds dominion. After the murder of the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, fellow gods Lathander, Tyr, and Sune imprisoned Cyric in this realm for 1000 years. Before Cyric took control of the Supreme Throne, it was a realm in the plane of Limbo. This plane was supreme chaos, a twisting, quicksilver place filled with bits and pieces of rocks, trees, the four elements, entire landscapes, strong winds, and random pockets of liquid, solid, or gas. Sentient beings could dampen down the chaos to livable levels and produce a safe environment as long as they maintained concentration. The size of a safe zone was directly related to the intelligence of the individual controller. Demigods and more powerful beings did not have this burden and indeed could create realms that survived even if they left Limbo. Gravity operated only between solid objects that touched each other and had about the same strength as on most Prime Material Planes. Thrown objects would fly straight until they hit a solid object. Objects with no momentum would hang in space until contacted by something solid.
Lathander, whose title was The Morninglord, was a deity of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, athletics, spring, self-perfection, vitality and youth. He favoured those who dispelled the undead and blessed those who planted new life. Lathander was also the god called upon to bless birth and fertility related ceremonies. Some saw him as the neutral good aspect of Amaunator but the two were considered separate deities again after the Second Sundering.
Lathander, The god of the sun, was an aspect of the long-dormant Amaunator. By the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, Amaunator was worshiped as Lathander and Amaunator began to fade from memory. Most, if not all references to Amaunator were removed from existence, to the point that these days, his name is barely recognisable, let alone known and worshipped.
who was the main embodiment of Amaunator after he was killed in the 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 involves the re-separation of the worlds of Abeir and Toril. In addition, Ao rewrote the Tablets of Fate. The deities were unsure of what this would do to them and their power, and made efforts with their most powerful servants to prepare for that event. The Second Sundering is 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.
was hated also due to his Church- The Church of Cyric was hated all over Toril, and for good reason: Cyric's church was pledged to spread strife and work murder everywhere in order to make folk believe in and fear the Dark Sun. It supported cruel rulers and indulged in intrigue in such a way that the world wouldn't be overrun by wars (thus falling under the sway of Tempus). His church was often beset by internal feuds and backstabbing, but this conflict decreased in recent years as Cyric gained better control of himself and consolidated the churches of the deities whose portfolios he took over. Cyric's clerics, who often trained as rogues or assassins, prayed for spells at night, after moonrise. Cyric's church had few holy days and did not even celebrate the date of his ascension to divinity (this would also honor Mystra, called "the Harlot" by Cyricists). Whenever a temple acquired something, or someone, important enough to be sacrificed, its high priest declared a Day of the Dark Sun to signify the holiness of the event. Eclipses were considered holy, being accompanied by feasts, fervent prayers, and bloody sacrifices. The religion of Cyric was widely and openly active in Amn. It fit in well with their culture of ambition, lack of reliance on others, and "buyer beware"�type contracts. Many outside the church viewed it as a twisted den of madness, trickery, and death. But its clergy condemned this outlook, preferring to see their religion as enlightened. It supposedly revealed that all societal bonds of friendship, family, and love were nothing but weak ties that always withered away, and therefore were useless, weak, and pitiful.
Most importantly, Cyric is not seen as a threat since he is imprisoned in the Supreme Throne.
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