Spellplague

Origins

The most popular and widely accepted theory about the origins of the Spellplague was that this calamity was caused by the death of Mystra, the goddess of Magica at the hands of Cyric . For eons, magic had been bound within Mystra’s Weave, the universal structure of arcane forces, and her death tore the Weave apart and unleashed the raw magic contained within it, creating the cataclysm that was later known as the Spellplague.

Other scholars, however, didn’t consider this to be a logical explanation. Historically, two earlier incarnations of Mystra had died before only to be reborn, and the Weave maintained its hold over the power of magic for the duration of her deaths. In these scholars’ views, the truth would never be fully known to mortals, and perhaps not even to the gods.

Mystra’s death caused the Weave to collapse and, without the Weave, the Shadow Weave was unable to be maintained and collapsed as well. The breakdown of the Weave was felt by all wizards across Faerûn. The corrupted madness of Cyric defiled what arcane forces remained from the dissolution of the Weave, resulting in a new magical source of defiling arcane energy in the form of blue flames that destroyed large parts of Everweald during the 7 years that it continued to spread

after a decade , the majority of the effects of the Spellplague had come to an end and most arcane magic had returned to a semblance of normality, with a handful of major changes to the way spells are cast.

The Plague

Creatures and individuals who came into contact with the Spellplague risked being killed or being warped by its energies, in which case they were said to be “plaguechanged”. This entailed massive physical mutations and often a complete loss of sanity, and sometimes bestowed the creature or individual with terrible powers. Those who came into contact with weaker versions of the Spellplague were sometimes lucky enough to escape with only a spellscar, which could also bestow potent magical abilities

Effects

The Spellplague affected the landscape, making the ground rumble and heave up and down like the surface of the sea. Curtains of blue flame swept the landscape, reshaping the land by cutting crevasses or lifting and sculpting the plain into hills and ridges

The halfling realm of Luiren was submerged underwater. In the century since that great disaster, the waters receded, and stories told by travelers from the south told of halfling communities that survived as island redoubts.

Waves of azure fires appeared everywhere, killing whatever they touched. Its energies then reanimated some of those it killed, which arose as hungry undead known as plaguechanged ghouls.

Aftermath

The Spellplague led to political upheaval across the land that resulted in many attempted coups, invasions, and uprisings, especially against governments and nations that had relied heavily on arcane magic for defense or controlling their population.

In Silverhearth, victims of the Spellplague were expelled from the city to live in The plague citadel