The Second Sundering

Lore & Background

Following the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, where gods walked the world as mortals, many deities eventually withdrew to their planes. However, this separation was not a continuous, unbroken exile lasting over a century without interruption. As the Spellplague ravaged the world starting in 1385 DR, reality fractured. The Second Sundering (c. The world physically reacted to these changes as reality sought to heal. While major continental shifts had occurred during the Spellplague, the Second Sundering marked their partial stabilization and the re-weaving of the Weave. The era forced long-standing enemies into uneasy alliances and challenged the nature of faith, as mortals found that while some gods walked beside them again, others remained distant or fundamentally changed.

In Their Own Story

The sky above Elventree did not darken; it fractured. One moment, the stars were distant pinpricks in a velvet void; the next, they bled violet light onto the cobblestones. A low hum vibrated through the soles of boots, a sound that felt less like noise and more like a heartbeat echoing from the earth's core. In the village square, an ancient statue of Helm cracked down the middle, not from age, but as if something massive was pushing out from within. The air tasted of ozone and old blood. A traveler dropped to one knee, clutching his chest as the Weave, that invisible tapestry of magic that had been a chaotic storm for decades, suddenly snapped back into a rigid, terrifying order. Somewhere in the distance, a horn blew—a sound that hadn't been heard in a thousand years—signaling that the gods were no longer watching from afar. They were home.

Reader's Guide

The Second Sundering began as a desperate counter-reaction to the Spellplague, where Mystra's death had turned magic into a chaotic, violet storm that warped reality across Faerûn. As the world teetered on the brink of dissolution, the Overgod Ao intervened with a singular decree: the deities must return to Toril to anchor the Weave and restore cosmic order. This divine mandate ignited a cascade of conflicts and magical surges that physically tore the continent apart before stitching it back together. The era was defined by dramatic reversals and impossible returns. The goddess Shar, once the shadowy antagonist, clashed openly with her sister Selûne as their celestial war reshaped the night sky. Most visibly, the legendary city of Myth Drannor, long buried under magical decay since the fall of Netheril, burst forth from the earth, its spires gleaming anew to signal a new age for elves and mortals alike.

Did You Know?

• The separation of gods from Toril was not a single continuous century-long exile; the Time of Troubles (1358 DR) saw them walk the world as mortals.