The year is 1489.

Faerûn has changed.

It lays in a constant state of twilight, an effect of The Darkening.

The sky flares with color during what should be the day. At night the color fades. An
effect of the Spellplauge.

Mystra is dead.

Lolth is now the Mother of All Magic.

Drow have risen from the Underdark, and walk openly in the Eternal Twilight.

Baldur’s Gate stands in ruins, ruled by The Church of Bhaal.

Waterdeep is under constant assault by Drow raiding from the Halls of Undermountain.

The lands between Neverwinter and Waterdeep are at the brink of civil war.

The city of Iriaebor is under the control of foul creatures who serve The Elder
Elemental Eye.

Thay is a nightmare land of countless undead rules by the Red Wizards.

The shadowy wizards of Netheril gather their power in the North.

Ancient evil stirs to the far South, where monsters rule.

Across the sea, to the West, a continent that was once part of another world beckons
with Elemental glory.

And Elminster is dead, killed at the hands of the Zhentarim.

It is a grim time.

Can there be any hope left for Faerûn?

Now is certainly the time for heroes.

As the Seasons rolled out and the organized play continued, I was able to investigate the
stories and read about the overall outcomes from nationwide reports of games. I selected
what seemed to be the worst possible outcome for each Season, and wrote that into my
Darkness campaign.

 SEASON 1: Undermountain: Halaster’s Lost Apprentice left me with the

idea that Waterdeep’s most famous dungeon could be infiltrated by Drow,
allowing easy access to the city and its resources.
 SEASON 6: Lost Crown of Neverwinter Missing for decades, the Crown of
Neverwinter, symbol of the former ruling family, has emerged at last. Yet not all
are pleased with the crown’s reappearance. Beset by rebels and plaguechanged,
Lord Dagult Neverember must hire a group of adventurers to track down the so-
called Lost Heir and discover his intentions for the city. The stakes are no less
than the lives of the citizens of Neverwinter, for if the heroes fail, Neverwinter
seems doomed to descend into civil war. And so in my campaign, civil war
erupts in the Northern section of the Sword Coast.
 SEASON 8: The Elder Elemental Eye is set in the western Heartlands of the
Realms, with individual sessions occurring in the city of Iriaebor, the village of
Easting, and the temple of the Sunset Shrine. It resulted in the the Elemental Eye
rising to power within Western Faerûn in my campaign.
 SEASON 9: Web of the Spider Queen told the story of the Drow rising to
power in Shadowdale. . It was a Forgotten Realms story that depicted Lolth
driving the Drow to attack the surface in an attempt to fill Mystra’s vacant seat
as the Goddess of Magic.
 SEASON 10: Council of Spiders – Lolth’s avatar has come to
Menzoberranzan, declaring the god’s intent to spin a Demon Weave and gain
control of arcane magic. Within my campaign history, Lolth is successful in
rallying the Drow to the surface world from the Underdark.
 SEASON 11: War of Everlasting Darkness seemed to link right into my idea
of a Overdark campaign. Darkness spreads across Faerûn. Under this pall of
shadow, the Drow fight with impunity, protected from the harsh daylight. My
campaign history shows Lolth ascending to fill the role of the Goddess of Magic
at the end of this Season.
 Season 13: Storm Over Neverwinter was a Season I was lucky enough to
participate in myself during the short stay of a local gaming store within the
DuBois Mall. This story had to do with the Ashmadai, worshipers of Asmodeus,
growing in power and Helm’s Hold, a cathedral once dedicated to Helm, being
taken over by evil-doers. The impact within my campaign was that Neverwinter
was plunged into political chaos while dealing with the civil war at its gates.
 Vault of the Dracolich – Deep in the forest of Cormanthor lies the hoard of the
dracolich Dretchroyaster, the prize of which is a diamond staff rumored to
unlock the secrets of an ancient Elven kingdom. In my campaign, the outcome
was that the Cult of the Dragon gained possession of the Crystal Staff.
Also Dretchroyaster, became the overlord of Cormanthor Forest and Myth
Drannor.
 SEASON 14: Search for the Diamond Staff concluded with the Cult of the
Dragon growing again in power as they used the Cystal Staff to open the Vault
of Song and gained vast amounts of Uvaeran magic.
 SEASON 15: Murder in Baldur’s Gate told the story of Bhaal’s return to the
world of Forgotten Realms. In my campaign, Bhaal is successful and takes
control of the now ruined city of Baldur’s Gate.
 SEASON 16: Legacy of the Crystal Shard involved Icewind Dale. The
outcome of this story was interesting for my campaign. First, it made the Ice
Witch and the dracolich White Dragon once known as Icingdeath into powerful
overlords of the Dale. Also, The Cult of Auril rose to great power and expanded
the Black Ice in the North thanks to the sinister influence of the Crystal Shard,
Crenshinibon.
 Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle Ghosts chronicled the efforts of the Red
Wizards to unlock the power of elemental nodes located in an abandoned temple
dedicated to the Princes of Elemental Evil within the town of Daggerford. A
gate to the Nine Hells lay open for some time, spewing devils and smoke. In my
campaign world, the temple remains in control of the Red Wizards and they
maintain the Gateway to the Nine Hells as a way to gain more influence and
power by brokering deals with the Dukes of Hell.
 SEASON 17: Scourge of the Sword Coast continued to tell the tale of the Red
Wizards and their power grabs within the Sword Coast. In my campaign, Thay is
now a nightmare land inhabited by devils and undead, thanks to the outcome of
Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. Within this story, Szass Tam, the lich lord of
Thay, and his Red Wizards take control of The Bloodgate, an elemental node of
power. They also gain control of Phylactery Vault giving them the ability to
create several dracolichs to add to the Thayian armies.
 SEASON 18: Dead In Thay told the story of the Red Wizards taking control of
Bloodgate Keep, a fortress guarding a powerful portal with elemental nodes and
ritual humanoid sacrifice fueling its magic. The Bloodgate could allow Thayans
to transport forces to the heart of the Sword Coast near Daggerford, giving the
Red Wizards an army with which to overthrow and control the North. In my
campaign, Bloodgate Keep stayed in the hands of the Red Wizards and they
were able to summon forth a mighty devil named Baazka who took control of
the Thay armies and would eventually lead a nearly successful campaign against
the city of Neverwinter during one of our sessions.