Hi guys! Been running a campaign for a few years now for some of my best friends that centers on a giant war between the gods taking place in Faerun in 1609 DR (after the Kingdom of Cormyr conquers most of Faerun) all spurred on by the fact that Ao the Overgod has stepped away from his role as babysitter of Toril's deities.

The BBEG of the campaign is Asmodeus, with my PC's eventually confronting him in a super huge war and defeating him with a god-slaying sword (as I have it planned now. It's D&D so who knows what'll happen). But I sat down today and actually typed out his entire plan from "Step 1" all the way up until our campaign began. Deciding to post it here for fun.

Just a warning, my campaign has been heavily influenced by the 5.5e sourcebooks and HoF/AiF books since their release. I know they're not the most popular, but we started playing D&D well after the establishment of 5e, so the new system really appealed to me.

This plan includes a number of headcannons that I've invented for my version of the Realms. I justify them to myself by saying "although the FR sourcebooks don't say these things do exist, they also don't say that they don't exist"

My homebrew is the following:

1. Jergal isn't just the Final Scribe, recording the final fate of all souls. He was given the specific role of ending all of existence by Ao. Once Jergal determines it's time for existence to end, he'll inform Ao of the fact, and the Overgod will step away from controlling the cosmos to allow Jergal to destroy it
2. Milil, the God of Music, has a specific power unique to him known as "the Siren Song." Upon playing it, any being that hears it will be subjugated to the will of Milil until he stops playing it.
3. The reformation of the Tablets of Fate during the Second Sundering didn't just "result in the gods being more quiet", it specifically demanded it. If Ao finds any gods directly communicating with their worshippers (think avatars, making new chosen, big booming voice in the sky) after 1489 DR, Ao will punish them
4. After Sembia/Netheril's war with Cormyr from 1484-1486 DR (called the Cormyr-Netheril War in my setting), Queen Raedra Obarksyr of Cormyr wanted dire revenge (bc they lowkey killed her dad). Her creating the Purple Dragon Knights (the dragon riders detailed in HoF) was a precursor to her invading Sembia to get back at them. By 1501 DR, she has rebuilt Cormyr into an economic and military powerhouse, and is about to invade.

Anyways. Here's Asmodeus (my BBEG) and his devilish master plan to conquer the realms! Starting back when he first descended into Hell...

• Step 1: Become ruler of Hell
  • does that as soon as he arrives, cast down from the heavens
• Step 2: Become a deity. 
  • This one takes him a long-ass time. He has to make sure that the archdevils won’t rebel against him, which is somewhat accomplished in the Harrowing of Hell (a horribly failed rebellion against Asmodeus), and he also needs to ensure that they’re not overrun by demons from the Abyss, which he accomplishes through waging the Blood War (the neverending war between devils and demons)
  • Between all of this, he doesn’t have much time to focus his schemes on becoming a deity, and is content to fully solidify the infernal hierarchy into full and complete loyalty to him, something that he imagines will probably take a few more million years, until . . .
  • He suddenly does get the opportunity out of nowhere to become a god! In 1385 DR, Azuth, the god of wizards, falls into Hell and is consumed by Asmodeus, making Asmodeus a god (several million years ahead of his mental schedule)
• Step 3: Get a plan to send Ao the Overgod to sleep
  • Ao the Overgod is the entity who created all of existence and watches over all gods, ensuring that they’re following the divine rules that he sets in place
  • 3.1 - Become a more powerful god Asmodeus knows that, if he wants to conquer all of existence, Ao will need to be out of the picture. The only way to do that, though, is for Ao to be told by Jergal (the god of the end of existence) that existence needs to end, getting Ao to enter an eternal sleep. And the only way to do that is to control Jergal. Imprisoning Jergal is no easy task, though, and Asmodeus realizes that he needs to become an even more powerful god. Between 1385 and 1487, Asmodeus enacted a number of schemes across Faerun to get more people to worship him
  • 3.2 - Not powerful enough, so get someone who can do that In 1487 DR Ao the Overgod re-makes the Tablets of Fate: a list of rules and positions cementing each god in their power-level and portfolio they hold. Asmodeus is no longer able to become a more powerful god (while Ao is awake), but he’s still not powerful enough to control Jergal and put Ao to sleep! So, an alliance is made between Asmodeus and Bane, the god of hatred and tyranny. Although Asmodeus is a divine higher rank than Bane, Bane is a god who oversees the direct portfolios of subjugation and control, making him perfectly suited to imprisoning Jergal. As of 1490 DR, the two are stalwart allies.
• Step 4: Take over all of Faerun
  • Faerun is the one land in the Material Plane where the gods of the multiverse are most involved. It is seen as the nexus point of the Multiverse—the realm that most influences the makeup of the Outer Planes. Asmodeus’ ultimate plan is to force all of Faerun into worshipping him. This would give the arch fiend so much power that he would ascend beyond his status as “greater deity” and essentially become the Overgod, the “new Ao.” Asmodeus claims that he’ll share this status with Bane, who’ll also be worshipped.
  • Obviously, the reformation of the Tablets of Fate meant that the gods were required by Ao to be much less involved in specific orders/actions in the Material Plane. Bane and Asmodeus, however, were special exceptions to this. 
    • During the reformation of the Tablets, Bane opted to become a quasi-deity, staying in physical form in the world of Toril so that (unlike most gods) he could play an active role in its affairs. 
    • Asmodeus actually was barred from taking an active role in Faerun. However, his legions of devils weren’t. Asmodeus, therefore, had an effective loophole to Ao’s new mandate. Although he (Asmodeus) couldn’t directly do anything in Faerun, or give direct orders to his worshippers, his devils (who answer to him) could do this instead.
    • In this way, Bane and Asmodeus had ways to be actively involved in Faerun without being punished by Ao
  • 4.1: Baldurs Gate and Elturel: At the time of their alliance in 1490, both Asmodeus and Bane had projects on the back burner. Projects that they planned to use to take over Faerun, in accordance with their plan. 
    • Asmodeus was overseeing Zariel (archduchess of Avernus) and her plan to drag Elturel and Baldur's Gate into Hell.
    • Bane was overseeing a project to subjugate all of the Sword Coast into worshipping him through an ultra-powerful elder brain
  • These two events were stopped by adventurers in Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus, and in the video game Baldur's Gate 3. This sent Asmodeus and Bane back to the drawing board by 1493 DR
  • 4.2: The Cormyrean Conquest: In 1494 DR, Asmodeus and Bane realized that Queen Raedra Obarksyr, queen of Cormyr, was building up her military and economic might; getting ready to invade Sembia. They realized that she would be perfect to carry out their plan of controlling all of Faerun.
  • Between 1495 and 1501 DR, as Queen Raedra persecuted the Sembite gentry throughout Sembia and the Dalelands, Bane and Asmodeus worked through their respective cults and churches (and Asmodeus through his devils) to gain discreet influence over the Queen of Cormyr. One of Asmodeus’ warlocks (posing as a wizard) had infiltrated the War Wizards’ higher ranks years prior, and Asmodeus used them to slowly chip away at Queen Raedra’s mental defenses, distract/replace War Wizards who were wary of the Queen’s wards, and bring more Baanite agents into the Palace walls.
  • Finally, when the Queen’s defences were at their lowest, Asmodeus sent his most skilled succubus agent, a succubus named Sehkzeepandz, to kill Nicolette Silvermace, a prominent noblewoman in Queen Raedra’s court, and take her place. Disguised as Nicolette Silvermace, Sehkzeepandz began a secretive romance with Queen Raedra. 
  • By 1502, Sehkzeepandz was regularly casting dominate person on Queen Raedra. Through the use of circle magic (augmented by circle magic from Baanites and devil-worshippers in the Royal Court that had infiltrated it over the past few years) the effects of these spells were able to last for a full day, with the spell being re-cast every 24 hours.
  • Between 1502 and 1509, the mind dominated Queen Raedra conquered all lands between the Trackless Sea and the Wizard’s Reach. During this time, Bane and Asmodeus were quick to make Queen Raedra seem as “noble”, “kindly”, and as normal as possible, not wanting anybody in the Royal Court to become suspicious that she was under the command of evil gods.
  • The “Kingdom of Faerun” was officially established on Moonsong in 1509 DR. Although Bane and Asmodeus tried to use their control of Queen Raedra to expand even further East, by 1510 they realized that it would simply be stretching the Kingdom’s resources too far. 
  • They decided the time was right to get everyone to start worshipping them. But first, they had to finally get rid of Ao . . .
• Step 5: Take control of Jergal
  • With Asmodeus ready to dictate the order to all Faerunians that mandated worship of Asmodeus and Bane, all Bane had to do was dominate Jergal, and get him to tell Ao the Overgod to stop watching the cosmos so that Jergal could “destroy it” (a lie) 
  • In the winter of 1510 DR, Bane attempted to take control of Jergal. He failed. 
  • Over the next several months, Bane would make attempt after attempt at subjugating Jergal (beating him in combat, tricking him into prison, sheer number of worshipers, anything!) but, at the end of the day, Bane was no match for the strength of Jergal
  • Eventually, he realized that he would need the service of Milil, the god of songs, if he were to actually get Jergal to become his minion. 
    • Milil had a unique ability called the Siren’s Song: wherein he could get any being (including a god) to do his bidding. With the Siren Song, Bane could take control of Jergal

By the time Bane discovered this, though, it was too late.

• In 1511 DR a group of adventurers (hired by the suspicious Sage Royal of Cormyr) unmasked Nicolette Silvermace for the succubus she was: Sehkzeepandz, and also unmasked the vast network of Baanites and devil worshippers purveying Cormyr’s Royal Court.
• Although the Sage Royal wanted to keep this development as secretive as possible, fearing a full-on noble uprising if they realized they had been following a puppet of Asmodeus and Bane for the better part of a decade, the Sage Royal and the adventurers began a secret crusade of ridding Cormyr of the dark gods’ influence.
• In a matter of tendays, all of Asmodeus and Bane’s control over Cormyr’s Royal Court was upended, and they were back to square one
  • Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 again!
• Ultimately, Bane and Asmodeus realized that the reason why they failed with controlling Cormyr is because they tried to keep their control secret and, thus, as hands-off as possible, making their influence easy to oust once discovered
  • Asmodeus realized that his eagerness to become Overgod, spurred by the sudden development of him becoming a god during the Spellplague, had made him act brashly
  • He was deadset on taking his sweet time before his second attempt at “Overgod-dom”
• By 1512 DR, Bane and Asmodeus understood that, if they were to actively control their conquest of Faerun, they would need to get rid of Ao the Overgod first, and then take over the continent (unlike their prior plan in the 1500s, where the order was reversed)
• Asmodeus and Bane also know, however, that as soon as they get rid of Ao, all of the gods are going to go wild and start doing whatever they want, knowing that they are no longer forced to follow any rules. This will make conquering all of Faerun much harder
• So, between 1512 DR and 1608 DR, Bane and Asmodeus put much effort into forming an alliance with as many evil gods as possible.
  • Talona and Laogzed (eager to augment their own power) begin following along with Asmodeus’ plan. 
  • He puts Laogzed in charge of the Cult of the Dragon (he just tells Tiamat, who’s imprisoned in Hell, to endorse Laogzed's avatar to become her cult leader)
  • He tells Talona to start working on a super powerful, super contagious disease that will spread across Faerun and weaken their enemies once Bane gets rid of Ao and start the war. He also sets up her avatar to be the Regent of Thay in late 1608 DR
• Bane overpowers and captures Milil in 1586 DR. Using Milil’s Siren Song, Bane is able to finally subjugate Jergal, who becomes a ghostly shell of his former self, entirely subservient to the whims of Bane
• The two dark gods also form an alliance with Malar, Shar, Talos, Gruumsh, Bhaal, Myrkul, Maglubiyet, Loviatar, and Cyric (who they free in exchange for his–obviously duplicitous–allegiance). All these dark gods form an alliance with the ultimate intention of growing in power until they can betray one another
• Also, Bane establishes contact with Manshoon and makes the Dark Wizard one of his Chosen (which he does after Ao is gone). Although the Zhentarim were leveled during the Cormyrean Conquest, Manshoon begins rebuilding them from Zhentil Keep, entirely subservient to Bane
• In late 1608 DR, Bane orders Jergal to get rid of Ao, and the shit hits the fan! Gods quickly realize what’s going on, and the Everwar begins!

So yeah. That's pretty much it.

My campaign (now in 1610 DR) focuses on my players having to fight back against the Cult of the Dragon, the Zhentarim, the Red Wizards of Thay (now called the Empire of Thay) as they lead a three-pronged attack against the Kingdom of Faerun. The three groups are led by Laogzed, Talona, and Bane respectively (with Asmodeus pulling the strings, of course). They've also teamed up with large groups of rebels and freedom fighters across Faerun, that want independence from the Kingdom (think Tethyrians, Vaasans, Sembites and Dalesfolk that want independence for their respective countries, not to be a part of some greater kingdom).

Thanks for reading this far, and let me know what y'all think!

Admittedly, I'm considering running a 1-on-1 play-by-post campaign in the Realms, but I'm having a bit of a hard time choosing a specific era/region. Personally I prefer the 1370s in terms of lore since that's before the Spellplague invalidated a load of lore, and then messily retconned it back in. Additionally there's plenty of source material to pull from during that time period.

In terms of regions, I feel like a city based campaign might suit the 1-on-1 style better, though I suppose it just depends on whatever the player chooses as their class. As far as editions go, I prefer DMing 2e for play-by-post since it plays a lot faster than 3e and later editions.

But what do you guys think? Is there like a part of the Realms you've always wanted to explore but never had the opportunity?

How does the Church of Lolth work? Is it a separate organization or part of the houses? It is spoken of as something separate, but at the same time it feels like it isn't

I'm considering running The Tearing of the Weave adventures in the not too distant future, and I'm wondering if anyone has converted it to 5e, and if so, whether they'd be willing to share their resources. Thanks in advance.

I always loved the Yuan-ti halfbloods with snakes for arms. It's such a goofy design, but it just works for me. The newest version looks like this.

Has it ever been discussed in the lore how these things work? Do the snake heads have brains? Can a Malison see through the eyes on their hands? Do the heads have any sort of personality or intelligence? Like if a Yuan-ti was blindfolded, could they still see through their hands? Can they peak around corners, or are the eyes and nose just sort of decorative? If the main head is indisposed, could the hands still operate? I don't think it was ever mentioned in any of the Monster Manuals, and it's been a while since I read the House of Serpents trilogy. Is there any lore at all on how these things work?

Hey everyone. With the WoW book coming out next in the 5e catalogue, wizards published an article with the upcoming subclasses. I was wondering if any of you could give me some advice into reflavoring them into more lore friendly, forgotten realms-themed subclasses. Stuff like the Swashbuckler Rogue or the Mystic Brews Monk (Drunkenmaster) are pretty easy but I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to Demonhunter ranger, for example.

Spike Xorlarrin, smuggler rogue; Varis Xorlarrin, echo knight fighter; Taral Xorlarrin, alchemist conjuration wizard; Triss Maevret, enchantment wizard; Gravyn Z'anlorr, conjuration wizard and master of Sorcere.

That the name of the Cooshee from the Complete Book of Elves is derived from Cù Sìth, the Scottish fae hound. I'm incredibly embarrassed that in decades of reading AD&D rulebooks and folklore, I never made that connection. Everyone mock me now.

The background depicts Menzoberranzan, Luskan and Waterdeep. Jarlaxle put his cards for those already on the table... Which one will he play next ?

Time to feature the great cover artist Alessandro Marzano !

https://www.artstation.com/alessandromarzano

insect plague?

There are so called Far Realm-infested Stars in Realmspace - basically elder evils that appeared in Realmspace after some aboleth bullshit. From the wiki, it is clear they sometimes get their own warlocks who choose them as their patrons. But my question is - do they have any limitations on how they can act in Realmspace? They are quite powerfull, demigod-tier at the very least according to wiki.

Let's say Githyanki Empire decides to invade H'Catha - the last planet in Realmspace solar system - in order to eradicate each and every Beholder there, take the planet for themselves and use it for their own ends, as a huge trading outpost and home for countless Creches. For this purpose, githyanki amass huge spelljammer armada using the best technology at their disposal. Could those Elder Evils attack and destroy the said armada? Or would they prefer to keep their distance?

Ethnogenesis is the process by which a people (often mixed) become a new nation. Think the Mexicans (neither Spanish nor Native, the Métis (to whom I belong), or the Cape Coloured of South Africa. The Krinti are neither Drow nor human. Do they have enough of their own culture, language, and art to be considered a new nation?

It makes their weakness to silver redundant, imo.

I was watching Baldy Pain's playthrough of Dark Alliance II with Vhaidra on Hard mode, and, well this has been on my mind for awhile now. Should I consider these to be sea zombies, also known as Drowned Ones, or do I consider them "reanimated"?

The "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II" page on the Forgotten Realms says they're "reanimated" under the Creatures section. But since there's no page for those creatures, evidenced by the pink text, as opposed to the orange text indicating a link to that page, I thought I come here to ask for your opinions.

I also feel like I have some notable evidence, based on audio cues and visual animations, that I have to share with you:

• The grunts these reanimated pirates make don't sound growlish or bogged like the zombies in the "Crypt" levels in Baldur's Gate (Act I) or in the Marsh of Chelimber levels (Act III) from the first Dark Alliance game from 2001. Although, those zombies do return in "Mordoc's Gate" (Act V).

• They make clear, deep, battle grunts when attacking or dying.

• They pump their weapon hands in the air or slide their swords against their other swords or daggers as taunts.

• They wield one cutlass, dual-wield two cutlasses, or dual-wield a cutlass or a dagger in each hand.

• They wear shirts or are shirtless, but all of them wear pants, and look more sinewy.

• They walk with a limp and can run, albeit with that same limp.

• Although hard to see because there's no dedicated cutscene showing them and the camera angle doesn't make them clear enough to see their faces, they have gaunt skull-like faces.

• They don't bisect from their lower bodies after killing them and crawl after you unlike the zombies from the first game.

• They're not bloated like the Drowned Ones in the actual tabletop game.

What do you think? I'd like to hear from you in the comments.

SO for awhile now I've wanted to run a campaign in which the Cult of the Dragon feature as the primary antagonists, I just love how they oscilate between magical rituals that threaten to destroy the world and being criminals with a gimmick when they're on the backfoot.

As a part of this campaign I want to theme them a little bit more strongly than they normally would be as well as give them something post Rise of Tiamat to show them regaining their strength.

To that end the basic idea I have is that in the chaos of Tiamat being banished from Faerun and the Cult scattering once again an enterprising Cult Wizard managed to get ahold of the basic theoretical framework to create Tiamat's foot soldiers from Dragonlance, the Draconians, in the Forgotten realms(and even create their own variants like dracolich draconians)! They then use this as the head of their own Cult Cell to build an army and take over a city for the Cult where they can rebuild.

What I'm wondering is where on Faerun could this work and not be immediately dogpiled by like the Lords Alliance? The Unapproachable East? Somewhere in the south? And how do you think the Draconian's introduction into Faerun would be treated?

Now, let's get to the argumentation from the get go. Starting with Qudenos' statement.

- I know Orpheus, just as i knew his mother. A new future will be planted in the wake of the Comet.

This quote clearly implicates that the future Orpheus brings to the Githyanki would be the same his mother - Gith - would bring, which means both Orpheus and Mother Gith share the same moral alignment, given the fact they would rule their people in exactly the same way.

But what alignment are we talking about?

First, we have Youth Varrl from Crèche Y'llek, the very same we can save from psychotic Sa'varsh. If we do that, he tells our MC that we have shown compassion and kindness, just like Orpheus, whose teachings he's been studying for some time. Furthermore, as an orphite, he refused to kill his fellow Youth after defeating her in a duel precisely because he, as an orphite, is againt meaningless killings. Not to mention how calm and cordial he is with an istik.

Second, we have Kith'rak Voss. Yes, i know he killed all those humans near The Mountain Pass, i know that as Vlaakith's finest, he had no choice but to commit numerous atrocities. But that's precisely the point - just like Severus Snape from Harry Potter, he had to play the role as a double agent, which he might tell you blatantly to your face if you kill Sarth Baretha with her goons and meet him in the camp after Crèche events. In Act 3, he doesn't shy away from his concerns on what Vlaakith might do in Tu'narath and beyond, as well as what illithids might do to every plane in existence. A githyanki who gives a shit about anyone and anything beyond his people and The Astral Plane where his Empire resides? Very interesting. On top of that, if you bring him The Orphic Hammer, he names you friend to Orpheus, with Qudenos telling you that he can't wait fighting alongside you. Such a cordiality to inferior istik whom githyanki should despise, don't you think?

And third, we have Orpheus himself. The same, over the top honourable Orpheus who is ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good right after being freed, the same Orpheus who berates you for causing the suffering of istiks.

- All that suffering - avoidable. Were it not for the choices you made.

The same Orpheus who wants to mend an old feud with Githzerai and re-unite his people. The same Orpheus who names you Mla'ghir (Liberator), put your name in githyanki slates so that you can forever be remembered as hero of The Githyanki and dedicates his First Protocol to you even if you're fookin' istik. The same Orpheus who names you - an istik - his Brother in Freedom if you join him in war against Vlaakith.

The logical conclusion from all of this that can be made is very simple - Orpheus is kind, honorable man who shows compassion not only to his people, but to others as well. He's neither genocidal, nor a slavemonger, nor necessarily an enemy to anyone but Githyanki. And his mother, as i've already pointed out, is exactly the same when it comes to moral values.

Just think on it. Don't they say that Mother Gith was an evil, warmongering tyrant who wanted to conquer all existence via blood red and death black, just like illithids before her? How could such an evil woman groom an heir like Orpheus? He was raised by her, trained by her, she made him her heir to the Githyanki Throne. Orpheus himself is loyal to his mother which he doesn't hide from you, his Honor Guard died with his mother's name on their lips.

There's yet another conclusion to be made - just like Balduran says in the game, Githyanki histories are fabrications, and just like Orpheus' history was fabricated, so was the Mother Gith's history as well.

Now, you could say that the schism with Githzerai happened before First War of The Comet. But do we know how that schism happened? What if Vlaakith One instigated a plot to divide Gith people for the sole purpose to usurp power? We know for a fact she betrayed Mother Gith to Tiamat after all.

You could say that Mother Gith was most certainly a monarchist and a gith nationalist. But these things aren't inherently evil. In fact, wherever Monarchy - and Githyanki Empire even under Orpheus is without a doubt a Monarchy - is good or bad is entirely dependent on the ruling elites and their moral compass. Monarchy can be far better than any republican/democratic government, under right circumstances.

You could say Gith wanted to finish off illithids. Well, yeah - who wouldn't in her place? Illithids are dangerous to every biological being in the setting, not to mention their Grand Design.

But what can't be said about her is that she was evil. Because she wasn't. Baldur's Gate 3, a canon game based on 5e, is a complete and utter retcon of her character's alignment.

- Live, but only if you live free.

Mother Gith.

I recently found out that, as said by Ed Greenwood himself, transitioning​ is not only accepted, but defended.

From Ed Greenwood on Twitter:

Drow sworn to Lolth have examples before them all the time about transformation of self-shape in service to the Spider Queen. Some of these are viewed as undesirable (driders), others as rewards or ascending in rank (the power/shape augmentations Lolth gives males who please her with their service and loyalty). So there is no hatred or mistrust of shifting one's shape; it is one means of serving Lolth. Some house matriarchs view it with suspicion ("males seeking to exalt themselves by becoming female") but the yochlol have often been sent by Lolth to defend individuals persecuted by individual matriarchs or priestesses purely for such reasons, to make Lolth's views and will clear. Over time, transitions (not just from gender to gender, but from drow to other shapes) have become accepted as reverence of Lolth, and part of what it is to be drow. And of course, drow who follow Eilistraee are quite familiar with the Changedance, and accept shifting (even back and forth) as, again, part of what it is to be drow.

Okay, for fans of the Dragonborn in Faerûn, the dissolution of Tymanther in *Heroes of Faerûn* might come as a bit of a shock; according to the book, Unther holds all the territory it did in 3.5, and Tymanther has been reduced to just Djerad Thymar—which is treated as little more than a footnote. So, I decided to reinterpret the situation based on information from various products, though I’ve also mixed in elements from my own game. I’ll mark my explanations as follows: elements based on official products will be written in standard text; interpretations of those elements will be in bold; and things that are purely from my own table will be in italics. Now, let’s get started.

Okay, let’s review what we currently know: *Heroes of Faerûn* (1501 DR) tells us that Unther has defeated Tymanther and that only the fortress-city of Djerad Thymar remains—carved into the mountain, a location distinct from the original.

Prior to that, the *Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide* (1489 DR) devotes a couple of paragraphs to Tymanther and Unther, explaining how Unther has reclaimed part of its original territory and seeks to recover the rest, noting also that its armada was destroyed by the guardian of Djerad Kethendi.

Thanks to the novel *The Devil You Know* (from the *Brimstone Angels* series), we know that Tymanther and Unther were at war until 1487 DR, and that the guardian is the ancient god Nana-Sin, resurrected by Asmodeus as an immortal dragon turtle.

Okay, perhaps some of you have already realized what is going on: the First Tymanther–Unther War ended in 1487 DR, yet a conflict persists in 1489 DR. This would be a Second Tymanther–Unther War, which must have ended with Tymanther's defeat at some point before 1501 DR.

However, there are still a couple of issues; the first concerns the location of Djerad Thymar. In reality, this isn't difficult to interpret: the Dragonborn possess an artifact brought from Abeir called the Breath of Petron—which they have used before, most recently in *The Devil You Know* to create a barrier blocking Unther's troops.

It appears this artifact possesses terraforming powers, so it is not unreasonable to think it could relocate Djerad Thymar itself and embed it into the mountainside—undoubtedly an easier position to defend if they were losing a war.

Finally, one has to wonder how Djerad Thymar has managed not to fall to Unther; while its current position aids in its defense, Gilgeam does not strike me as the type to leave a conquest unfinished—and this is where my own additions come in.

My idea is that for Djerad Thymar to withstand Unther's armies, Gilgeam himself would be the only one capable of facing the immortal dragon turtle Nana-Sin—who is likely still alive underwater, recovering from the battle.

However, ensuring Djerad Thymar's survival required a specific set of circumstances: first, the appearance of a gem that fell from the sky—a scale-shaped ruby—and second, the arrival of a Dragonborn from outside Tymanther. This individual is a follower of Sardior who has awakened a connection to the dead god of gem dragons and needs the ruby ​​scales for a ritual to restore the Ruby Dragon.

In exchange for the scale, this Dragonborn of Sardior offers the perfect method to defend the last Dragonborn bastion: a ritual known as "Summon Lesser Deity"—a toned-down version of the magic used by Orcs during the Orcgate Wars. The plan is to spread the rumor that Djerad Thymar possesses a way to summon the avatar of a demigod or lesser deity (such as Enlil or Bahamut) to use against Unther should they attack. This would serve as a deterrent—enough to make Gilgeam think twice before finishing the job, though not enough to reclaim all the lost territory.

The Realms is such a huge setting that it feels like there’s always some corner of it that you’ve barely scratched the surface of, even after years of reading about it.

I’m curious what lesser-known parts of the setting people are particularly interested in. Could be a relatively obscure city or region, a historical event, a particular organization, some aspect of daily life in a particular culture, or even a topic that spans multiple editions.

Is there anything you’ve gone looking for more information about and found surprisingly little on? Or something you think is fascinating that rarely gets discussed?

I’d be especially interested in the more niche answers rather than the usual big names and major events. Always fun to discover new rabbit holes to go down.

Warhammer 40k Exterminatus, mind you. With complete, utter annihilation of heretics, xenos and mutants of any life on the planet whatsoever.

Illithid Empire at it's peak probably had something like that.

But what about others? What about the existing races in 1492 DR?

Someone made a post earlier about how surly Jaheria was from Baldur's Gate, and it made me watch old videos from BG 1 and BG 2. What a great f**King time that was.

If you're reading this, and newish to the Realms, and loved BG3 - I pray you play through BG 1 & 2. They were exceptional, in every sense of the word and the voice acting made every clip scene feel like a cinematic worthy of the MCU.

I was born a poor boy, beneath the boughs of Shadowdale. Blessed and Cursed by Tymora's coin. Climbed to Aurils peak of Icewind Dale,Made my stand with the Eternal Quest in the Silver Marches, and have seen the ruins of OMU , and everything in between. But nothing will stay with me as much as the atrocity of Jon Irenicus. "The Broken One"

...Volo still owes me 5 gold...

- Brother Valens Kilcannon, Dawnbringer of Lathander