Time of Troubles

Lore & Background

The crisis began when Mystra was slain by a coalition of jealous deities, including Cyric. Without her guidance, the Weave of magic unraveled, threatening to destroy all spellcasting across Faerûn. The gods knew that if they did not descend to fix the damage personally, their power would vanish from the world entirely. Forced into mortal forms known as avatars, the deities wandered the lands, seeking a way to restore the Weave while battling each other for dominance. Bane sought to rule through fear, while others like Azuth and Helm tried to maintain order. The conflict ended when Mystra was restored, but not before Cyric and Kelemvor claimed godhood themselves.

In Their Own Story

The mud of the road clung to Elara's boots as she watched the stranger approach. He wore no armor, only a simple tunic stained with travel dust, yet the air around him hummed with impossible power. A child pointed at his staff, which glowed like a captured star. The man paused, looking down with eyes that held eons of sorrow and judgment. 'The Weave is broken,' he whispered, not to her, but to the sky itself. In that moment, Elara knew she stood before a god walking among men.

Reader's Guide

The Time of Troubles reshaped the metaphysical connection between deities and mortals in the Forgotten Realms. Before this event, gods communicated through priests from afar; afterward, they understood the necessity of direct interaction. This shift altered how divine magic functioned within game mechanics, emphasizing personal faith over institutional power during the crisis. Portfolios changed drastically following the Avatar War. Mystra’s portfolio was briefly held by Shar before being restored, while Cyric and Kelemvor ascended to godhood, displacing existing deities like Bane and Myrkul. This realignment is reflected in edition changes where divine spell lists were adjusted to match new portfolios. Mechanically, the event serves as a narrative anchor for divine magic availability. During the Troubles, clerics could draw power directly from their walking avatars without intermediaries. Post-event, the barrier between planes was reinforced, making the Avatar’s return a pivotal moment in cosmological history that players often encounter through legendary artifacts or prophecies tied to this era. The event also introduced the concept of god-avatars being vulnerable to mortal weapons, a rule that persists for divine entities descending into the Material Plane in later campaign settings.

Did You Know?

• The Avatar War established that gods could be killed by mortals if they were walking on the Material Plane.
• Cyric became a god during this event, taking portfolios from Bane and Myrkul.
• Mystra was replaced temporarily by Shar before being restored to her position over magic.