The Prophesies

by

The Lost Sage,
Alaundo the Seer,
Khystrophanes of Ainigriv,
and especially, Sefton, the Oracle of Za.

These vast majority of these words are drawn from the prophesies of Sefton, the Oracle of Za. Some are the contributions of The Lost Sage and Alaundo, and also Khystrophanes of Anigriv.

(Notes are scrawled in the margins next to individual prophesies as they have come to pass. the notes continue up until the current year, the Year of the Unstrung Harp. Without exception, the prophesies have been alarmingly accurate.)

The following year shall be known as The Year of the Banner. It is a time of war, but shall become a time of peace. The war in Tethyr shall end after a climactic battle. Many shall die. Drow surface raids become an increasing occurrence throughout Faerun. Alliances are forged between several nations notably Mulhorand, Aglarond and Rashemen. Harper influence is suspected in the alliances. Plans are made to attack Thay.

Then shall come The Year of the Gauntlet. Nations rise against Thay and the Red Wizards. Thay will prevail and the armies shall be driven back. Szass Tam begins to unite the Red Wizards under his rule to ensure continued survival of Thay and the Red Wizards. His power grows and the Harpers undertake a mission to assassinate him. It fails and all are killed. Zhentish forces assemble near the Citadel of the Raven. The Dales not under Zhentish rule fear an attack in the near future. Rumors of the Dark Mistress, a new goddess of magic, begin to spread. The origins of these rumors are believed to be from Thay, and most people, including the Harpers, discount these rumors.

In the heavens, Azuth is missing. Mystra believes that this is because of Cyric, but nothing can be proven. In reality, the Dark Mistress has killed Azuth and taken his power.

The new-year is the Year of the Tankard. It is a year of prosperity and celebration as record harvests are recorded throughout the Realms. Elminster marries the Simbul. Zhentish forces still assemble near the Citadel of the Raven, and little is known of their plans. The year ends with Szass Tam uniting the Red Wizards under his rule. War is feared from Thay, and Harpers are sent to help the surrounding areas as well as to spy on the Red Wizards. None of these spies return. The rumors of the Dark Mistress continue to spread. The Harpers wonder if they could be true, and Elminster seeks council with Mystra. She will not respond for some reason

The Year of the Unstrung Harp is a dark time for the forces of good. The Zhentish forces from the Citadel of the Raven rise and attack the Dales, destroying most of the cities. Shadowdale falls, and Elminster's Tower is destroyed. The resounding blast of magic from the tower's destruction makes Shadowdale a dead-magic area. Elminster cannot be found and is feared dead. Zhentish forces now control the Dales, and proceed to exterminate the Harpers from the area. Most of the Knights of Myth Drannor die; the rest go into hiding.

Artus Cimber and his wife, the secret guardians of the Ring of Winter, are found dead in the Stormhorn Mountains near High Horn in Cormyr. Both are murdered without any sign of struggle. An obsidian scarab, in the form of stylized scorpion, is found with the bodies. The Ring of Winter is gone.

Meanwhile, Thay rises and attacks Aglarond, Rashemen, and Mulhorand. Strengthened by a new Goddess of Magic, known as the Dark Mistress, these nations fall under the united Red Wizards. The Harpers and other forces of good are wiped out in these areas. Szass Tam looks towards the North and the Cold Lands.

Throughout the Realms Zhent agents exterminate the Harpers, as well as agents of the Red Wizards. Also, the Cult of the Dragon builds their power under a new "God", a dracolich in the form of Tiamat that contains the essence of thought-to-be-dead Sammaster. Their power begins to grow, and they gain a large new following of evil dragons mainly from the ruins of Castle Perilous. The Cult is responsible for many Harper murders.

Meanwhile, in the heavens a war rages between the Dark Mistress and Mystra. Mystra is defeated by the Dark Mistress' surprise attacks and, as a result, loses some of her power. She is unable to help the Chosen battle the Zhentarim and Cyric. Mystra goes into hiding to find out more about the Dark Mistress.

Darkness grips the Realms as the last remaining Harpers go underground in this year known as The Year of Wild Magic. The Zhentarim spread out from the Dales and begin a conquest of surrounding areas. Cormyr raises an army and prepares to quench the Zhentish threat, but they are thrown into disarray when Zhentish spies assassinate King Azoun IV. Cormyrian nobles bicker about who will take the throne, and a young man claiming to be Azoun's son steps forward. He is not the son of Azoun, but rather a Zhent with the backing of powerful figures. He has been sent to ensure a "pro-Zhentarim" future. He is killed later in the year by faithful followers of the late Azoun IV, and the true heir to the throne is recognized.

Mystra discovers that the Dark Mistress has murdered Azuth and taken his power. Mystra and the Dark Mistress are cast from the heavens by Ao to settle the war themselves. Wild magic grips the Realms in its fist due to the loss of the Goddesses of Magic. Elminster still cannot be found.

A mysterious plague breaks out, first appearing in Dambrath. It is called the Sun-Death, due to its appearance as a reddening of the skin that quickly progresses through severe blistering and dementia to death. It is strikes only wielders of magic, and there seems to be no cure. The more powerful the magic used, the greater the chance of being afflicted if exposed. This means that among apprentices, the plague is rare, killing perhaps one in twenty. But the plague takes more than nine of ten Arch-Mages. Dambrath is decimated; nearly one in four of the Half-Drow population perishes. A conglomeration of sages, priests, and mages determine that the Sun-Death was magically created.Also at this time a strange and horrible portent is seen. In the night sky, the stars of the Sickle of Myrkul flare to light, and in whispering voices people discuss the evil artifact known as Black Rock, the Stone of Myrkul, though that evil artifact was thought destroyed by the adventuring band known as the Three Horsemen. The Three Horsemen, consisting of the Arch-mage Lareth the Blue of Suzail, K'sa of Eltabbar, and Jadar the Black Scorpion, a rogue whose symbol (before he vanished) was a stylized black scorpion, cannot be found. Jadar supposedly perished in Chult (seeking the Ring of Winter), K'sa simply vanished from her home some time later, and Lareth joined in the Retreat to Evermeet with most of the other Elves. Harper investigation in Dambrath reveals a fortress encased in ice, and within the ice, dozens of Half-Drow men, women, and children, shriveled and wasted by the Sun-Death. This place is where the Plague begins. The wise believe the plague is a combination of three things: the Stone of Myrkul being used to create a deadly plague; the power of the Stone being amplified by the Ring of Winter; and then the plague becoming a catastrophe from the wild magic sweeping the Realms.

The Red Wizards under the leadership of Szass Tam do not progress any further from the lands they have conquered as a result of the magical disruptions caused by the disappearance of Mystra and the spread of the Sun-Death throughout the Realms. A threat of uprising in Thayvian conquered lands is quickly quenched by the Red Wizards' armies, however

The Harpers' numbers continue to dwindle. It is a bleak time for them between the horribly successful assassinations and the Sun-Death. Khelben fears an attack on Waterdeep since he has received reports of humanoid uprisings led by extraplanar creatures from the north near the Spine of the World. Similar reports of humanoid uprisings are received from several areas including the Bloodstone lands. In all cases extra planar creatures are involved, and it is suspected the Malaugrym are behind this.

The Zhentarim establish and control a trade route through the Anauroch. Many of the Bedine will be enslaved in the process. The Cult of the Dragon continues to gather more followers and their teaching begin to spread far and wide. Contacts with dragons in the Forest of Wyrms are made as well as other key locations.

Almost all of the Elves have left and gone to Evermeet. Elven homelands such as Evereska are destroyed by the Elves so pillagers cannot gain any of the wealth.

The Year of Rogue Dragons shall follow and great devastation and destruction shall take place. Scores of villages, towns, and cities are destroyed; thousands die. Sammaster, in the dracolich form of Tiamat, leads the Dragons. Some valiant and powerful mages oppose them, but are quickly slain by either the Dragons or the Sun-Death. The Dragons sweep down from the North into Vaasa and Damara and spread out South, West, and East, destroying all they come across. Even Waterdeep will not pass unscathed, and large sections will be destroyed. The Cult of the Dragon calls this "The Year of the Scaly Ones". This demonstration of power draws scores of followers to the Cult, and the Cult prospers throughout Faerun.

Mystra is victorious, and returns as the Goddess of Magic, while the Dark Mistress beocmes a demi-power worshipped mainly by evil magic users, and the Red Wizards in particular. The Red Wizards of Thay begin to slowly spread their forces outwards from Aglarond, still hampered by the Sun-Death even though the wild magic is gone.

The Harpers go even deeper underground to escape the wrath of their persecutors, and they consist of only 100 or so. They begin to meet in secret, trying to build up their numbers once more to strike back against the forces of evil that ravage the land.

The Zhentarim spread their area of control into Sembia, Cormyr and Damara. Many of the most powerful agents of good are slain. It seems as if the Zhentarim conquest will be complete.

Then the Heir of Zhengyi will rise to power in Vaasa, and his montrous army roar into the Zhentarim. Within months the Zhentarim will be nearly brought to its knees, but will manage to beat back the army of Zhengyi after suffering frightful losses. The Heir vanishes. With the slaughter wrought on the Zhentarim, the balance of power is restored in the Cold Lands and Heartlands.

For the first time in many years a Thieves Guild will rise in Waterdeep, and it prospers. A Malaugrym in human form leads the guild. Malaugrym assassins murder Khelben and Lord Piergeiron, but the Malaugrym are exposed and destroyed. More reports are received of a humanoid army on the move from the North. Mirabar is the first to fall.

There are rumors that the events of these years are a plan of the gods to remove the upper-echelon of personalities that are beginning to stultify the Realms.

More prophesies by these and other great sages are being deciphered in a race against time, though many doubt that the knowledge will make a difference.

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