1480 DR

Mystra, restored to life by Elminster’s sacrifice of silver fire upon his death begins to reform the Weave. Her faithful are opposed at every turn by Shar and her allies.

Waterdhavian noble titles become trade commodities for those with enough coin.

A disease known as the Stoneplague begins to infect dwarves in the East Rift region of Faerun. 1481 DR

The Alliance hears reports of Sembia amassing a large army that will march against Cormyr. King Foril sends the Purple Dragon Knights to the border to prepare for an invasion, much to the dismay of the Dalelands, who had been relying on their presence.

Prince Irvil Obarskyr slays the Shade of Death, a Shadovar known for taking assassination missions for 100 gold pieces and a human baby. After the battle, Irvil is surprised to see that the body of the Shadovar is nowhere to be found.

1482 DR

The dwarves from East Rift retook the upper levels and the magical golden Gates of Underhome, previously overrun by drow. They later seal the city by fortifying the Gates and placing newer magical iron gates.

Elminster, thought destroyed by Manshoon begins to reappear in dreams to an aspiring young wizard called Shay. Shay later realizes that the Old Sage has imprinted his essence upon her and the two begin to form a close bond as master and apprentice.

1483 DR

Chondathan mercenary companies begin to directly compete with the Zhentarim. Manshoon orders attacks on Chondath that result in defeat after defeat.

The Zhentarim leadership meet to form three distinct factions: The Mercenaries, The Black Cloaks, and the Black Network. Each of the three groups act independently of each other. The Mercenaries codify their contractual agreements and begin to gain a reputation as stalwart bodyguards and sell swords.

Manshoon leads the Black Cloaks and utilizes them as his personal arcane bodyguards. With their help, he slays an ancient red dragon known as Abathus Maul and cures his inability to operate in the daylight while retaining his vampiric abilities.

1484 DR

After years of maneuvers and feints, Sembia successfully invades Archendale, Beginning the Dale War. The Dales Council is called and sorties break out throughout the Dalelands. King Foril’s court in Cormyr refuses to send aid and withdraws from the Alliance stating that the matter is now an internal one.

Anabraxis the Black Talon, a runescribed dracolich revered by the Cult of the Dragon as their ultimate authority is destroyed by Drathis Tallheart, Chosen of Kelemvor. The Cult of the Dragon is scattered and easily hunted down by many gold seeking adventurers.

Manshoon searches for the essence of Elminster and begins to develop a way to contain the Old Sage’s essence. He reluctantly confides in his trusted Black Cloaks that he no longer wishes Elminster destroyed, but instead for “the chase” to continue.

Vasen Cale uses the power of Amaunator to sever the god Mask's power from Rivalen Tanthul, Mephistopheles, and Drasek Riven, with the expectation that Erevis will claim the power. Instead, Riven agrees to accept the burden of divinity and essentially becomes the reborn Mask.

Mask then departs from the Prime Material to hunt down those that had imprisoned him.

Mielikki dissolves Iruladoon, releasing the five people who have been trapped within for the last eighteen years

1485 DR

A substance known as black ice - a remnant of the power of Crenshinibon - is discovered in Icewind Dale.

Rumors that Shade is planning to war with the Alliance drives the Lords Alliance to seek armies from the Zhentarim.

1486 DR

The Shadovar sack Marsember.

King Foril Obarskyr dies in his sleep.

Prince Irvil Obarskyr is assassinated by Shadovar and his newborn son and the 100 gold pieces he had on his person are found taken.

Chauntea drops several earthmotes in the flooded Arrabar River to give her followers enough time to bring in the harvest. The Great Rain falls for several months, slowly refilling the Sea of Fallen Stars which revitalizes former port cities and the island of Ilighon.

Prince of Shade Yder Tanthul was killed by the Chosen of Helm Kleef Kenric when it is, incorrectly, learned he was the one who assassinated Prince Irvil Obarskyr. Kenric declares the victory on behalf of the Order of the Gauntlet.

Helm returns to his position amongst the gods and the Order of the Gauntlet begins to spring up all over Faerun with the blessing of the returned deity.

Harpers free the Chosen captives of Netheril from their prison in the Lost Peaks. Shay calls them to Myth Drannor where Elminster proclaims that their long time of hiding is at an end.

Stedd Whitehorn heals Lady Cindermoon of her mental degradation, thereby revitalizing the Emerald Enclave.

The Cult of the Dragon re-emerges under the new, charismatic leadership of Severin, a cultist devoted to the dormant goddess Tiamat.

1487 DR

As the Shadow War grinds to a halt with the intervention of the dwarves and Cormanthor, the monks of Candlekeep are revealed to have several agents of other groups among their number, including Netherese, Red Wizards and members of the Moonstars - including Laeral and Alustriel Silverhand. When the Netherese monks attack their fellows, the others reveal themselves and battle for control of the library.

Elminster, in the form of Shay, deceives the Netherese into believing that he is Telamont Tanthul and the lich Larloch convinces him to use the wards of Candlekeep to bolster Mystra’s new Weave.

Larloch betrays Shay/Elminster by stealing the power for himself and teleporting to Shade where he strikes a deal with Telamont Tanthul.

The flying city of Shade moves directly against Myth Drannor. Telamont Tanthul drains the energies of Myth Drannor's mythal in order to turn the new Weave into a Shadow Weave for his mistress, Shar.

Larloch strikes against the elves in the confusion.

Dove Falconhand succumbs to her injuries after summoning the baelnorn from their crypts to defend the city.

Prince of Shade Vattick Tanthul is killed by Dove Falconhand, and vice versa.

With the baelnorn, Srinshee, and the Chosen of Mystra, the magical draining affect is turned back on the floating city of Shade, strengthening Mystra’s Weave.

Shade crashes into Myth Drannor but a hastily erected ward protects the Tree of Souls from the impact.

Abeir begins to re-separate from Toril in the spring, heralding volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The process is completed by the fall.

Lady Cindermoon and her druids destroy interlopers to an ancient green dragon lair before the creature can be roused from its slumber. It is discovered that these interlopers were actually Cult of the Dragon catspaws and sent to retrieve an item from the dragon’s hoard. Cindermoon was too late to stop the theft.

With the fall of Shade, Shar names Telamont Tanthul her new Chosen.

Larloch’s magical draining device and the resulting feedback shattered the minds of many of Shade's finest arcanists, among them Prince Aglarel Tanthul.

Vangerdahast is returned to human form by Mystra. 1488 DR

The Court of the Three is formed in the Citadel of the Raven, the last survivors of Shade regrouping there while they pick apart the torn pieces of their once great empire. Aglarel Tanthul leads with his shattered mind and secretly begins to worship the imprisoned god Cyric.

Telamont Tanthul is assassinated by Shay/Elminster in a trap laid by the wizard apprentice and the Old Sage. His body is burned and his essence permanently destroyed during a meeting of the Open Council of the Lords of Cormyr.

Shar is severely weakened with the losses incurred during the Battle of Myth Drannor, and the death of her Chosen. She retreats to the Shadow Realm after she frees Cyric from his prison. Shadow Magic begins to fail all over Faerun.

Aglarel Tanthul becomes the Lord of Murder and regains some of his sanity and the powers granted to him by the Lord of Murder.

The Zhentarim successfully aid Waterdeep when barbarians, unsettled by the destruction of Mount Hotenow, attack the city. Though they take heavy losses, the Zhentarim are considered heroes of Waterdeep.

Storm Silverhand leaves Faerun to live in Sigil and explore other planes of existence. Shay/Elminster share a tearful goodbye and wish her well in her journeys.

The Cult of the Dragon begins hiring freeriders and sellswords to bolster their small, but well-armed legions of evil humans, dragonborn, half-dragons, and kobolds. They begin to sack villages, hamlets, and thorps along the Swords Coast, intent on plundering the region.

The Cult of the Dragon gains notice from the major factions when chromatic dragons, not dracoliches, begin to aid the Cult’s activities, albeit in a support role.

1489 DR

The Zhentarim mercenary company, the Blooded Thousand, engage the blue dragon Olothontor with fire and steel near Secomber. They are nearly wiped out if not for the intervention of Lord Dagult Neverember, Open Lord of Waterdeep and Protector of New Neverwinter.

Olothontor retreats to his hidden lair near Waterdeep and calls upon the aid of the Cult of the Dragon.

The Cult of the Dragon sends half-dragons and a company of dragonclaws, elite shock troops, to ambush the badly bloodied armies of Lord Neverember and the Blooded Thousand. Lord Neverember and the leader of the Zhentarim force, Sentinel Marshal Nireen Darkhope, barely escape with their lives.

In Waterdeep, the Lords meet to discuss the situation and Marshal Darkhope is returned to the Dark Citadel to inform the Three of the new Cult activities.

Groups of cultists, devoted to the goddess Tiamat, descend on Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep, causing trouble in the Temple Districts.

In Elturel the leading members of the Order of the Gauntlet meet within the Shieldhall. Here they discuss what each has found out about Cult of the Dragon. An unnamed Harper agent provides all that Twilight Hall has found out about the Cult and its plans and reveals the existence of the dragonmasks, powerful magical items reported to allow users to control dragons.

The Cult of the Dragon begins to sell dragon eggs and other draconic creatures to the Sembians for use in the Dale War. The Sembians utilize these draconic creatures to great effect, taking new footholds and capturing villages once firmly in the control of the Alliance.

The Dale Council formally ends its participation with the Alliance and enlists the aid of sell swords from Chondath. Sembia entreats with the Zhentarim but is rebuffed by the Lord Commander of the Mercenaries, stating that the Zhentarim was done fighting dalesfolk.

The Black Network and Black Cloaks begin to investigate the appearance of the dragons separately causing some bad blood between the two factions.

It is revealed that the Lord Commander of the Mercenaries has reformed his faction to the specifications set forth from his travels to another Prime Materia. He modeled the sellsword organization on a group known as House Deneith.

The Dales Council enlists the support of a few of the noble houses of Cormyr to assist them.

The Kingdom of Cormyr, fractured after the death of King Foril and his son, is ruled by the squabbling lords of the largest noble houses (detailed later). Skirmishes, tourneys, and even assassinations begin to come to the forefront of political life. Vangerdahast declares the War Wizards above the squabbling, along with a small portion of the Purple Dragon Knights.

Vangerdahast begins to work with the Harpers to search for a way to end the possible civil war.

The Bastard King, a military leader of some renown, with the coin to purchase two thousand Zhentarim sellswords, begins taking the lands north of the Stonelands. He claims to be the bastard son of King Foril and the rightful heir to the throne. His military victories in the Stonelands and against some of the more vicious noble houses makes him hard to ignore.

Vangerdahast is unsuccessful in speaking with the Bastard King and consults with Shay/Elminster about how to best discover the man’s identity.

The Cult activities become more aggressive and bold as other dragons join in on the fight. The Cult though, acting far different than its predecessors, is fairly well organized, open, and interested more in living dragons than creating dracoliches. This concerns many, including the metallic dragons.