Dawn Cataclysm

The Dawn Cataclysm was an attempt by the god Lathander to reshape the pantheon of deities more in his own image. It is unknown when this event occured but Lathander failed, only succeeding in killing Murdane, the goddess of pragmatism, who was opposed to Lathander's idealism. It has been theorised, though not confirmed, that the Dawn Cataclysm had knock-on effects that affected the Realms.

A Historical Puzzle

The precise chronology of the Dawn Cataclysm in mortal terms is murky, and no historian of the Realms has been able to date it definitively. Did it happen before or after the first of the Magisters was ordained by Mystra? Was the Dawn Cataclysm, as some claim, an event that climaxed in the Year of the Hangman's Noose, when the last of Tyche's chosen died in the coils of Moander? Was it the cumulation, in part, of the battle between Savras and Azuth? No mortal can say for sure.

Pieces of The Puzzle

The Roll of the Years

• -339 DR The Fall of Netheril The transformation of Mystryl to Mystra
• -255 DR Jhaamdath Falls
• 136 DR Reign of second Magister
• 161 DR Year of the Hangman's Noose
• 171 DR Moander sealed away in Yulash
• 261 DR The Founding of Myth Drannor
• 714 DR Fall of Myth Drannor
• 760 DR Sermon of the Eclipse

A Candlekeep Sage's Argumentative Conclusions

• Azuth was the First Magister, an office created by Mystra, not Mystryl.
• Azuth and Savras were mortal during the same time period and most likely from highly magical civilizations. Azuth quite possibly hailed from Netheril or the Survivor States. Savras was a "Southern" mage, he may have been from Zakhara, Mulhorand or a survivor of Netheril fled to Halruaa during its creation.
• According to Faiths and Avatars: Azuth and Savras were rivals for centuries.
• Azuth must have already been Magister when he battled Savras, because the end result was Azuth's Ascension and Savras imprisonment in the Scepter of Savras. Volo states "After the fall of Netheril and before the founding of Myth Drannor, the Gods of the Realms battled in the Dawn Cataclysm" further more: "new deities were created and Tyche was sundered into Tymora and Beshaba." During this time of turmoil, two Gods elevated by Mystra to oversee the portfolios of wizardry battled for supremacy.
• CONCLUSION: The Dawn Cataclysm was probably sometime between the years -39 DR and 130 DR. It could not have been the Year of the Hangman's Noose (161 DR), since that year there was a fourth Magister. The last Chosen of Tyche may have died nine times in Moander's coils (euphemistically), but it was probably a denial period of the clergy (like Bane to Cyric after the Time of Troubles). If Azuth had been rivals for centuries with Savras and Magister for even one century, that would put the time at 300 years minimum from the fall of Netheril. Special Note: Although there is no definitive proof, Amaunator probably made the transition to Lathander during this time period (albeit very slowly).

Sources

• Brian R. James and Ed Greenwood (September, 2007). The Grand History of the Realms . Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
• slade, James Butler (November 1996). Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril), p. 11-12. TSR, Inc.. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
• Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. TSR, Inc. ISBN 978-0786903849.
• Ed Greenwood with Eric L. Boyd. Volo's Guide to All Things Magical.(Scepter of Savras)TSR, Inc. October 1996,ISBN 13 978-0786904464
• Ed Greenwood (January 2000). Secrets of the Magister, p. 30-90. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0786914302.