# Adventure Timeline The official anthology timeline of the Forgotten Realms published adventures. ![[D&D 5E Forgotten Realms/_assets/timeline-cover-sundering1.webp]] Each year of Dale Reckoning (DR) follows the Calendar of Harptos, created by the wizard Harptos. Years in Faerun have 12 months, each of 30 days. A week in the Forgotten Realms is a ten-day (10 days, not 7), so each month has an even 3 weeks. An additional 5 days fall between months, bringing the yearly total to 365 days per year. Days of the week don’t have names. Instead, the day is referred to by the date and month, such as the 14th of Marpenoth. ## The Hours of the Day The Faerunian day, a unique and fascinating concept, spans 24 hours, punctuated by the majestic rising and setting of the sun. Most inhabitants divide this day into distinct segments - dawn, morning, highsun (noon), afternoon, dusk, sunset, evening, midnight, moondark (night's heart), and night's end. These divisions, while not always precise, add a layer of mystery and intrigue, often leading to confusion for travelers in foreign lands. In bustling cities, the passage of time is marked with precision. Temple bells resonate, each chime representing an hour 'bell' - starting from the hour after midnight or noon, numbering 1-12. Both noon and midnight are known as '12 bells,' a convention upheld by most temples. However, some, like the meticulous Gond and Lathander, have adopted a 24-bell system, where noon is 12 bells and midnight is 24 bells. ## The Faerunian Year The Calendar of Harptos defines the year for most of Faerun. It defines a 365-day year divided into 12 months of 30 days - or 3 tendays - each. Five special days fall between the months, and every four years, a leap day, Shieldmeet, is added to the calendar immediately following Midsummer night. A *tenday* is also less commonly called a *ride* and consists of ten days. The days do not have names but are instead referred to by number: first-day, second-day, and so on. Most people count using their thumbs on first-day; halflings, however, are famous for using their pinkies to count first-day, and thus, the phrase "counting like a halfling" has come to mean someone is being different just to be difficult. The months and holidays are listed below; the days of the solstices and equinoxes are: - Winter Solstice: Nightal 20 - Spring Equinox: Ches 19 - Summer Solstice: Kythorn 20 - Autumn Equinox: Eleint 21 ## The Calendar of Harptos | | | | | --------------------------------- | --------- | ------------------- | | **Month** | **Name** | **Common Name** | | 1 | Hammer | Deepwinter | | Annual Holiday: Midwinter | | | | 2 | Alturiak | Claw of Winter | | 3 | Ches | Claw of the Sunsets | | 4 | Tarsakh | Claw of the Storms | | Annual Holiday: Greengrass | | | | 5 | Mirtul | Melting | | 6 | Kythorn | Time of Flowers | | 7 | Flamerule | Summertide | | Annual Holiday: Midsummer | | | | 8 | Eleasis | Highsun | | 9 | Eleint | Fading | | Annual Holiday: Highharvestide | | | | 10 | Marpenoth | Leaffall | | 11 | Uktar | Rotting | | Annual Holiday: Feast of the Moon | | | | 12 | Nightal | Drawing Down | # History Historical eras of the Forgotten Realms. ![[D&D 5E Forgotten Realms/_assets/history-cover-waterdeep.webp]] The FORGOTTEN REALMS setting is rich in lore and history. Ancient wars, terrible catastrophes, personal tragedies, and great triumphs have all given rise to consequences that, in turn, caused other wars and disasters. Thus has the endless cycle of cause and effect been propagated across thousands of years and hundreds of cities and kingdoms. The most common account of Toril’s prehistory traces its roots back to ancient Netheril. This popular human myth recounts Lord Ao's creation of the universe and the epic struggle between the gods of light and darkness that followed. Only recently have other, more ancient legends come to light, recounted by the sarrukh of Okoth and echoed by the Dragonborn of Returned Abeir. By combining common threads from both accounts, backed by diligent fact-finding missions, scholars and historians of today have gained a clearer understanding of the creation of the universe. ## The Creation In the beginning, a misty realm of timeless nothingness existed, crafted by Ao, the Hidden One, from the raw elemental bedlam of the Phlogiston. Within this dim sphere, several worlds drifted upon the Sea of Night. Though the worlds were lifeless and barren then, powerful beings of manifest entropy and elemental might coveted them. The name of their kind has been lost to the ages; the few sages who today know of their existence refer to them simply as the primordials. Unknown to the primordials, detritus remaining from its creation coalesced around the universe as an ocean of silvery liquid. From this glittering realm of starlight formed beautiful twin beings, polar opposites of each other, one dark and one light. The twin goddesses birthed of the Astral Sea quickly moved to defend the virgin worlds from the destructive primordials. Other gods were created from the residue of the deific battles or summoned from other dimensions to aid in the fight against the primordials and their monstrous servants. ## Shadow Epoch While the gods and primordials contested for ages, life struggled into existence in the worlds they coveted. The blue jewel Toril sparkled brightest of them all, home to a race of sea creatures huddled in the depths of the vast ocean. This Blue Age came to a sudden and chilling end when Toril was inexplicably plunged into darkness; its sun was snatched from the sky by a sinister primordial known as the Night Serpent. Global temperatures plummeted, and most life on the planet soon became extinct. Little is known of this Shadow Epoch, but sarrukh myths and legends speak of climactic battles throughout this age between the primordials and the Elder Gods led by Ouroboros, the World Serpent. Ultimately, the tide was turned when the primordials were betrayed by one of their own. Ubtao, the Deceiver, assisted the elder gods in slaying, imprisoning, or driving away the remaining primordials. ### Days of Thunder **–35,000 DR to –30,000 DR** Eons passed before sunlight warmed the world once more. Oceans thawed, then receded, allowing dry land to rise above the frigid water. Much of Toril’s landmass in this ancient time was a single supercontinent named Merrouroboros. The creator races each dominated Merrouroboros in turn, creating or producing as offspring a host of lesser races. The noble fey never dominated the continent; they chose instead to rule the Feywild, an otherworldly realm loosely connected to Toril. These ancient peoples were known to later races, including elves and humans, by the Elven name iqua Tel’Quessir, or the Creator Races. ### Dawn Ages **–30,000 DR to –24,000 DR** The empires of the Creator Races faded into memory, ushering in the Time of Dragons and Giants. Individual dragons and dragon clans ruled large swaths of territory and battled with their rivals to control the land, seas, and skies. During this period of devastating warfare among the dragons, isolated pockets of formerly dragon-ruled territory came under giant control. Over time, such giant-ruled kingdoms threatened the hegemony of dragonkind, leading to great battles. Severely weakened after a thousand years of war, the giants were saved from annihilation when fey high magic sent the wyrms into a suicidal paroxysm of rage and destruction. ### The First Flowering **–24,000 DR to –12,000 DR** The great elven civilizations of Aryvandaar, Illefarn, Miyeritar, Shantel Othreier, and Keltormir peaked during this age. As a result of the elves’ success against orc hordes, dragons, and giants, other races (including humans) thrived in safety and began the slow climb to civilization. This age also witnessed the unbridled fury of **The First Sundering**, a disastrous invocation of high magic that cracked Merrouroboros asunder, creating the disparate continents of Faerûn, Maztica, and Katashaka. Among the turbulent waters of the newly formed ocean, later known as the Trackless Sea, rose the Green Isle of Evermeet, thought to be a piece of Arvandor and a bridge between worlds. ### The Crown Wars **–12,000 DR to –9000 DR** Many nations in the south fell during this terrible time, including Thearnytaar, Eiellûr, Syorpiir, and Orishaar. The Dark Disaster (–10,500 DR) utterly destroyed the forest realm of Miyeritar, leaving the blasted plains known today as the High Moor. Perhaps the dark elves became corrupt during this era due to the savagery of the Crown Wars or other factors long lost to time. They broke away from their kinfolk, and after much warfare and cruelty, they were banished beneath the world’s surface to become the drow (dhaeraow or ”traitor” in Elven). ### The Founding Time **–9000 DR to –3000 DR** Also known as the Age of Proud Peoples, this era signaled the rise of many humanoid civilizations when dragons and giants had long been overthrown, and the elves’ wars no longer threatened everyone. Dwarven civilization, in particular, blossomed; the dwarves founded the kingdoms of Shanatar, Sarphil, Oghrann, Haunghdannar, Ghaurraghaur, Besilmer, Ammarindar, and Delzoun during this era. The fey realms of Siluvanede, Sharrven, Eaerlann, and Evereska were established at this time, as were the mighty human nations of Calimshan and Jhaamdath. ### Age of Humanity **–3000 DR to 1358 DR** With the elven and dwarven empires in decline, this era marked a dramatic increase in human expansion on Toril. The mighty human empires of Netheril, Imaskar, Mulhorand, Unther, Narfell, and Raumathar arose during this period. Great human nations developed in lands beyond Faerûn as well, ranging from the far eastern realms of Wa and Shou Lung in Kara-Tur, through Zakhara, to the distant shores of Maztica. ### Era of Upheaval **1358 DR to Present** Scholars today mark the calamitous events of the Avatar Crisis in the Year of Shadows (1358 DR) as the start of the Era of Upheaval. Few in those early days could have possibly predicted that the physical and magical chaos of the Time of Troubles was merely a prelude to the Spellplague and **The Second Sundering**, the cataclysmic merging of two worlds that would follow. Though the union with Abeir was brief, its mark on Toril was significant and enduring. Even the gods themselves know fear for the first time in eons, for their numbers are diminished, and the long-banished primordials have returned to oppose them and sow chaos throughout the cosmos. ## The Sundering ![[D&D 5E Forgotten Realms/_assets/timeline-sundering-logo.webp]] **The First Sundering** occurred in ancient times (around -17,600 DR) before humans came into Toril, when elven high mages united to create the Evermeet lands. Due to their powerful magic, the supercontinent of Merrouroboros was torn apart, creating what is now known as the Trackless Sea and the continents of Faerûn, Maztica, and Katashaka, among other physical changes, and also changed the way magic works. It changed the pantheon of the gods. **The Second Sundering** was equally cataclysmic but occurred in recent times. Beginning in 1484 DR, about one hundred years after the onset of the Spellplague, natural disasters and calamities flashed across the planet Toril. Earthquakes, vast flooding, wars, droughts, and volcanic eruptions tore the world apart, and by 1489 DR, this Second Sundering would change the world physically and culturally. The Spellplague had caused huge changes to the planet, but The Second Sundering reversed most of them, and magic would be much like before. ### Sundering Adventures The following adventures occur in the backdrop of the Second Sundering. | Dates | Adventures | Levels | | ------- | ------------------------------- | -------- | | 1479 DR | [[Vault of the Dracolich]] | 4th | | 1482 DR | [[Murder in Baldur's Gate]] | 1st-3rd | | 1485 DR | [[Ghost of Dragonspear Castle]] | 1st-10th | | 1485 DR | [[Legacy of the Crystal Shard]] | 1st-3rd | | 1485 DR | [[Scourge of the Sword Coast]] | 2nd-4th | | 1486 DR | [[Dead in Thay]] | 6th-8th | | 1487 DR | [[Confrontation at Candlekeep]] | 2nd | ## Post-Sundering After the Sundering, all the wars that started in its wake ended. In 1488 DR, the few remaining Netherese forces fought the Bedine over the Memory Spire, causing an emergence of the phaerimm. The League of Silver Marches disbanded in the aftermath of the war with the orcs, and Sembia dissolved into city-states. By the end of the Sundering, the world began to look very much like how it was during the 14th century DR, although preserving a few of the changes from the tumultuous Era of Upheaval. ### Geography At the end of the Second Sundering, most of the consequences that the Spellplague had wrought upon Toril were nowhere to be seen. The majority of the earthmotes had fallen, the Sea of the Fallen Stars had returned to its pre-Spellplague volume, the Underchasm had been filled in, and nations and most of the lands that were sent to Abeir during the Spellplague had returned to Toril. ### Pantheon During the Second Sundering, many previously presumed dead or missing deities managed to return to life or re-emerge; they moved quickly to amass new followers and reclaim some of their former portfolios, resulting in a new distribution of spheres of influence among the [[D&D 5E Forgotten Realms/Pantheon|Faerûnian deities]]. Known examples were: Mystra, Helm, Mask, Lathander, Bhaal, all the previously lost Drow gods, Leira, Myrkul, Gilgeam, Enlil, and Nanna-Sin; all the Mulhorandi gods, Azuth, and Tyr, among others. For other deities - like Shar - the Second Sundering resulted in a loss of power and influence. The Lady of Loss suffered greatly in the wake of the defeat of the Shadovar and the destruction of the city of Shade in the battle with the forces of Myth Drannor. Telamont Tanthul and most of the Princes of Shade were also killed, weakening the goddess of darkness. ### Post-Sundering Adventures The following adventures occur post-Second Sundering. | Dates | Adventures | Levels | | ------- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------- | | 1485 DR | Rise of the Githyanki: [[Lich-Queen's Incursion]]* | 1st-20th | | 1485 DR | [[Rise of the Lost City]] | 1st-14th | | 1486 DR | [[Out of the Abyss]] | 1st-15th | | 1489 DR | Icewind Dale: [[Rime of the Frost Maiden]] | 1st-12th | | 1489 DR | [[Wild Beyond the Witchlight]] | 1st-8th | | 1489 DR | [[Tyranny of Dragons]] | 1st-15th | | 1490 DR | [[Storm King's Thunder]] | 1st-10th | | 1490 DR | [[Tomb of Annihilation]] | 1st-11th | | 1491 DR | [[Dragons of Stormwreck Isle]] | 1st-3rd | | 1491 DR | [[Princes of the Apocalypse]] | 1st-15th | | 1491 DR | Phandelver and Below: [[The Shattered Obelisk]] | 1st-12th | | 1492 DR | [[Candlekeep Mysteries]] | 1st-14th | | 1492 DR | [[Dragons of Icespire Peak]] | 1st-6th | | 1492 DR | Waterdeep Pt1: [[Dragon Heist]] | 1st-5th | | 1492 DR | Waterdeep Pt2: [[Dungeon of the Mad Mage]] | 5th-20th | | 1486 DR | [[Out of the Abyss]] | 1st-15th | | 1494 DR | Baldur's Gate Pt1: [[Decent into Avernus]] | 1st-13th | | 1494 DR | Baldur's Gate Pt2: [[Chains of Asmodeus]] | 10th-20th | \* The [[Lich-Queen's Incursion]] and the [[Rise of the Lost City]] are not official Forgotten Realms 5E adventures, but their epic natures warrant their inclusion here as part of my Forgotten Realms Master Campaign series. ![[D&D 5E Forgotten Realms/_assets/timeline-sundering2.webp]]