The Time of Troubles

“The sky wept fire, and the gods bled upon the earth. Mortals, once mere spectators, became the hands that shaped divinity itself.”

Once, the gods were untouchable, seated high upon their celestial thrones. Then, one fateful day, they fell.

It began with Bane and Myrkul, gods of tyranny and death, who stole the Tablets of Fate, divine records that kept the cosmos in balance. In his fury, Ao, the Overgod, cast every deity from the heavens, trapping them in mortal flesh.

• Mystra, goddess of magic, was slain, causing magic to spiral into chaos.
• Bane, Myrkul, and other dark gods waged war openly, using their mortal avatars to fight.
• Torm, the loyal knight-god, sacrificed himself to stop Bane, but both perished.
• The dead walked, kingdoms crumbled, and prayers went unanswered.

When the Tablets were finally returned, Ao restored the gods—but with new rules:

• Gods could no longer exist without mortal worship.
• Divinity was no longer absolute—if enough people lost faith, a god could die.
• The Bureau of Time and Plane was created shortly after to ensure this never happened again.