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MadMage

Undermountain - Lore

Dagda

• 5 min read
Undermountain - Lore

In addition to the events of recent history and the information gleaned by the party, the collective has parsed together the following major events in the timeline of Halastar and the magic of the mountain.

  • ~The First Sundering occurred in ancient times (around -17,600 DR) before humans came into Toril, at a time when elven high mages united to create the Evermeet lands.
  • ~3920 DR Hilather came from the Raurin in the Imaskari Empire during its Late period (from −3920 DR). A young prodigy, Hilather rose to become one of the foremost archwizards of the empire. When the fellow Imaskari mage Madryoch the Ebon Flame created the Shadow Stone and plotted to take over the empire, the heroic young Hilather went to the fortress of Metos, challenged Madryoch, and finally bound him within the Demiplane of Imprisonment, thus saving Imaskar.[8] He became Lord Hilather, and an Imaskari artificer.
  • ~2488 DR,  However, during the ultimate fall of Imaskar Hilather escaped to a secret Imaskari stronghold concealed deep under Imaskar's western mountains and entered a temporal stasis.[9] He was trapped there for thousands of years
  • ~~-339 Karsus’ Folly Destroying Netheril.    Netherese wizard Karsus tries to draw too much power to take over the weave destroys it. His damage to the weave caused the floating cities to fall and Karsus himself was dashed to the rocks near Waterdeep. His efforts to claim Mystryl's magic seems of interest to your new adversaries.
  • ~Mystra came into being after Mystryl sacrificed herself to save Faerûn from the destruction of Netheril caused by Karsus in DR -339. Mystryl sacrificed herself to save the Weave before the damage became irreparable.
  • ~Over time. The Goddess of All Magic accordingly appeared to a few mortals she considered suitable, first in dream visions and then directly, and ultimately invested part of her divine power (known as the Silver Fire) in them. Elminster who was trained by Mystra personally and Khelben Blackstaff were two of the first.
  • ~Eventually, Hilather emerged from the temporal stasis and began to explore Faerûn. In the Year of the Addled Arcanist, 128 DR, after arriving in the Shoon Imperium, Hilather was hired by the Imperial Court to research a more secure means of binding fiends to obey their summoners. Hilathar based himself in the remote emirate of Torsil, which lay on the Sword Coast north of the Cloud Peaks, where he worked from an abandoned tower
  • ~In the Year of Scattered Stars, 168 DR, a mage calling himself Halaster Blackcloak and only later realized to be Hilather, arrived at the foot of Mount Waterdeep together with his apprentices, collectively called "The Seven".
  • ~By 309 DR, Halaster had complete control over the near-endless tunnels and caverns, having extermined their denizens, and began constructing the largest and most deadly dungeon imaginable, Undermountain. By that time, Halaster had become completely mad and wanted nothing to do with the outside world. He left his hold to live in Undermountain itself, allowing the keep to fall into ruin. Several of his apprentices came looking for him; he slew two before demanding the rest help him fortify his dungeon even more. One refused and managed to escape: Jhesiyra Kestellharp, who would later become Magister and would provide what little was known about Halaster
  • 340 DR Eaerlann elves seeing human abuse of magic shunt off outside time and space creating the first knot (First Sundering)
  • ~in the Year of the Telling Tome, 668 DR, a number of mages from across Cormanthyr and especially in Myth Drannor started to vanish, the cause unknown. The only sign was visible portals in Myth Drannor crackling and flashing blue lightning with rumors that Jhesiyra was collecting power
  • ~By the early 11th century DR, the now city of Waterdeep had expanded to encompass the ruins of Halaster's Hold. In the Year of the Bold Barbarian, 1007 DR, Ahghairon cast magical wards on the ruins to stop its hazards getting out into the city.
  • ~1358 Godswar.  Time of Troubles.  Arcane magic became dangerous as the weave was unregulated as gods to mortal form.
  • ~While tainted by the goddess Shar in 1369 DR, Halaster plotted to steal the secret of silver fire from the goddess Mystra and her Chosen, using drow and the Red Wizards of Thay. This was foiled by the Seven Sisters
  • ~In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, Elminster was inadvertently sent to the Nine Hells while defending the Dalelands from the Shadovar. Mystra made a bargain with Halaster that she would try to cure his insanity if he rescued Elminster from Hell. Halaster agreed, and entered Avernus. Though he was unsuccessful, and had to be rescued in turn by Alassra Silverhand, Mystra kept her word, and managed to partially cure him. She then proceeded to blast Asmodeus with Halaster's insanity.
  • ~1374 open war on Myth Dranor and boosting Church of Shar against Mystra. Shortly after dawn on Eleint 30, the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, an earthquake struck Waterdeep. Though the city suffered little damage, many people there saw visions of Halaster screaming, his eyes ablaze with rage, sorrow, and swimming stars. Arcane magic users who saw the visions also reported scenes of destruction in the vast maze of Undermountain: pillars cracking and crumbling, chasms and rifts opening, and explosions of sparks. Many thought Halaster dead from attempting a powerful ritual as he hurled desperate visions and compulsions to people all across the continent.
  • ~1385 Mystra dead, weave destroyed for a second time.
    • The second time this occurred was when the goddess Mystra was assassinated in 1385 DR sent by Shar and Cyric
    • ~The Storm of Blue Fire.  The 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.
    • ~Nobanion tried to save a pride of lions in Gulthandor from oncoming blue fire. He came in contact with the blue fire, and it mutated him into a dark and bestial lion with a mane of blue flame.
    • ~The Spellplague pulled back the Feywild into Toril's proximity, reopening the paths between the two planes again.
    • ~Rifts opened in the Underdark beneath the Sea of Fallen Stars, causing the level of water to drop, cutting many ports off from their livelihood and creating the Underchasm.
    • ~Humans that were somehow tied to the Shadowfell were affected by the Spellplague and transformed into a "new race", the shadar-kai.
    • ~Evermeet was pushed into the plane of Faerie, leaving behind a pale shadow of what the island of the elves used to be, though the isle's residents could move back and forth from Faerie to Faerûn at will.
    • ~In Waterdeep, the Walking Statues of Waterdeep (most resided in the Ethereal Plane) appeared in the city and began to rampage. The Blackstaff at the time was unable to control them or banish them back to the Ethereal Plane. Wailing Years | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom
  • ~By 1395 DR, the majority of the effects of the Spellplague had come to an end and most arcane magic had returned to a semblance of normality
  • ~By 1479 DR, areas of Toril still affected by the Spellplague were referred to as Plaguelands.
  • ~By 1480 DR, the Spellplague had ended with the event known as Mystra's Return. The Weave was resurrected with the goddess and magic became what it was before the Spellplague, though some areas with lingering effects from it remained.
  • ~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.
  • ~1492 Beast God Malar (opposed by Nobanion’s mate Lurue)  Lurue dead no one stops Malar Evermeet in trouble