History of the Forgotten Realms

A group of adventurers disappear while traveling through the region of the Thunder Peak, and divinations reveal that a powerful undead creature had claimed their lives for their trespassing. Other exploratory parties are sent to the region to verify the incident, but they return after a long search with nothing to show for their efforts. »

The Barony of the Steeping Falls crumbles. Tales tell of terrible beasts, undead, and other evil creatures that lurk in the ruins, causing the inhabitants of the nearby regions to avoid the site of Morlin Castle. »

The Battle with the Witch Lords
King Galaghard III of Cormyr battles the forces of the Witch Lords of the Wyvernwater and their undead armies in Wheloon, Juniril, and at Manticore's Crossing. The final battle between the two forces occurred at the Vast Swamp. As the battle begins, the Witch Lords unleash bat-mounted units who use lightning-based attacks to pick off some of the Marsembian troops. Thanderahast spots his old enemy Luthax in the air and uses magic to engage him. The fight swings towards the Witch Lords as a large troll is bearing down on Galaghard III when a young Bleth sacrifices himself to give the king more time. At this point, the orcs and goblins are driving the humans back on one flank in a move to encircle them.

The Cormyrean troops are finally granted victory as the venerable elf lord Othorion Keove and his elves enter the battle and break the orc and goblin advance, slaying their ogre leaders and routing them. This is the turning point of the battle and the zombies are quickly defeated by the elves and the surviving humans. The rest of the Witch Lords army quickly retreat into the swamp, and the battle is won. »

Unchartered adventurers explore the Fields of the Dead north of Elturel found a tomb beneath the Hill of the Headless Dancer. They speculated that the dancing zombie for whom the hill was named was Falaera, animated by whoever had populated the tomb with guardian undead. The Flame of the Spirit is set into a door, its base protruding to form the door handle (so as to burn all non-Tymorans who try to open the door). The door led only to a string of traps, but the rest of the tomb, hidden beyond a concealed door, is furnished as the abode of a wizard - an absent wizard who presumably had met with misfortune while away from home, and would never return. The adventurers took the Flame away in a coffer and sold it to a gem merchant in Iriaebor, not bothering to warn him of its properties. He disappears within a tenday. »

Sammaster briefly returns as a lich (and begins gathering humanoids, undead, and dragons into an army), once criteria he had set into play three centuries before are finally resolved amid the ruined city of Harrowsmouth. From his lair in the Desertsmouth Mountains, high above Shadow Gap, Sammaster begins to rebuild his control of the Dragon Cult. However, before the returned First Speaker could treaten the surrounding lands, the Company of Twelve, composed of a dozen paladins supported by the Harpers, march into the "Gates of Hell". At the cost of nine of their number, they destroy the lich again, although they did not recover his phylactery or the original Tome of the Dragon. »

Drizzt Do'Urden arrives in Blingdenstone, where he befriends the Svirfneblin Belwar Dissengulp. The admittance of the drow renegade and his brief residence therein marks the end of centuries of isolation for the deep gnomes.

Drizzt is later forced to leave Blingdenstone, due to the fear of its citizens and Drizzt's mental state. Belwar chooses to join the drow. The pair later teams up with Clacker, a pech that was turned into a hook horror by an evil wizard.

The three are enslaved by illithids of Phanlinksal, only to be saved by the undead Zaknafein (who was raised by Malice using a special necromantic spell of Lolth called Zin-Carla and tasked in finding and slaying Drizzt), and quite separately, Guenhwyvar, who came to this plane by following curious illithids that were traveling the astral plane to examine the magical creature. The surviving illithids flee to Guantlgrym.

Drizzt and Zaknafein later fight over a volcanic river, and Drizzt's undead father is able to regain control of himself long enough to hurl his body into the lava. This failure to bring the renegade Drizzt under control heralds the end of House Do'Urden. »

Six adventurers are recruited to protect Bloodstone Village from an army of bandits; Gareth Dragonsbane, Olwen Forest-Friend, Friar Dugald, Riordan Parnell, Celedon Kierney, and Emelyn the Gray. The folk of the village rally behind the heroes to face bandits in battle, even to stand against the undead forces of Banak, high priest of the demon Orcus, assassins from the Citadel of Assassins, and other creatures in league with the Witch-King Zhengyi of Vaasa.

In battle, Kane personally defeats the Grandfather of Assassins.

Kane (at the time the Master of Spring) is called back to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose after the death of Grand Master Poke. Kane declines to take Master Poke's position, but must stay to train the new Grand Master, Cantoule when Temmenische also declines the position.

The rest of the adventuring companions return from an expidition to the Abyss, having stolen the Wand of Orcus, shattered it in the blood of an avatar of Tiamat (checking her plans once again), and returned to Damara with the blessing of Bahamut. Gareth brought with him the Tree-Gem, which once planted, represented Bahamut's covenant to protect Damara against the influence of demons as long as the kingdom of Damara allied itself with the forces of good. With the planting of the Tree-Gem, Bahamut regains his status as a true deity.

With the destruction of Wand of Orcus, Zhengyi loses his power over the undead and his castle (Castle Perilous) crumbles. Zhengyi is destroyed and the second war between Damara and Vaasa ends. »

Tan Chin and his undead armies push eastward into Shou Lung. Weakened by the Horde invasion two years prior, the Shou make feeble stands at Shih Tuh and Yenching but are easily overrun. Turning his army northwest, Lo Tu is next to fall, followed by the realm of Khazari by year's end. »

Highharvestide Arcturia, one of Halaster's apprentices, is slain in Undermountain by four frost giants (members of the Twisted Rune) in the Room of the Grim Statue. Despite her death, she still managed to kill two fo the giants and was able to activate her contingency magic to remove her corpse and leave an illusion of her dead body. After Arcturia's body was returned to her sancuary, she rises as an undead creature known as a worm that walks.

The arch-mage Shradin Mulophor (who is without Halaster's protection due to his abduction) is shouted to death by the Skulls of Skullport, and the Skulls become the undisputed masters of Skullport in Undermountain. The form of Shradin and all his possessions instantly turns into a pale red mist and floats away. The Skulls had actually transformed him into an entity capable of feeding on the physical components of victims and channeling that power into the mantle surrounding Skullport.

With Shradin and the Rag Mage, 2 Skulls are now able to escape the confines of their prison for a short period of time, typically into the halls of Undermountain. They try to keep this fact from becoming common knowledge.

Halaster, who had foreseen this possibility long ago, is sure to oppose the Skulls in their attempts to be free of the mantle of Skullport. »

The former Magister, Alvaerele Tasundrym defeats 12 Red Wizards who were attacking Velprintalar, who were attempting to draw out the Simbul (who was again away).

Although the Red Wizards withdraw from the Umber Marshes, the battle is not over. As autumn falls, undead creatures trapped in the swamp claw their way out of the thickening muck. Without the leadership of the Thayans, they wander about aimlessly to this day, hurling themselves upon the Watchwall. »

Sea zombies and the ghost of pirates attack Telflamm but are turned back by the Chruch of Tempus. »