Lore:The Spellplague

A Warning from Quorthon
Tualo,

I know we parted on poor terms when last we spoke, but you must listen to me now. I have heard you've been conducting research with a new associate, a Spellscarred elven wizard named Rhazzad? If this is the person whom I think it may be, you are in grave danger!

Nearly a year ago I was visited by a tall elven wizard by that name who claimed to be researching the Spellplague. His methods were dangerous, and his motives suspect. I feared he was only interested in studying the Spellplague to exploit it for his own ends. I tried to reason with him, but he would not listen. He hired a company of adventurers for an expedition deep into the Chasm, claiming he would return with unimaginable power. I never heard from him again.

If your new friend is the same Rhazzad, then I urge you to cut off all ties, and assist him in no more research. There are forces down here beyond imagining, and if he has become their servant, I fear for all of Neverwinter.

- Quorthon

Magic after the Spellplague
After the initial terror of the Spellplague receded, mages discovered that it had changed the way magic worked all across the face of Faerûn.

The most obvious effects were the floating earthmotes that hovered in the sky and the occasionally Spellplague pockets that continue to burn with blue fire. But the changes were deeper than that. Many spells were more difficult to access, and now required elaborate rituals. Others became so easy that wizards could cast them at will.

The entire foundation of magic had been altered, and mages now had to re-learn all they knew.

Origin of the Spellplague
Most Scholars believe that the Spellplague was caused by the death of Mystra, the goddess of Magic, at the hands of the god Cyric with the assistance of the Goddess Shar.

For eons, magic had been bound within Mystra's Weave, which contained and controlled how magic worked. Her death tore the Weave, and the unleashed magic exploded, creating the cataclysm now known as the Spellplague.

Other scholars argue that this cannot be the case, because Mystra has been slain before only to be reborn, and the Weave maintained its hold over the power of magic for the duration of her death. The truth will likely never be fully known to mortals, if it is even known to the gods.

Origins of the Foulspawn
The burned remnants of a page from a book reads:

...as if humanoid flesh itself is corrupted by contact with the maddening reality of the Far Realm. How quickly this transformation takes place is unclear, but it seems to be influenced by the physical well-being of the subject, and interestingly, one's strength of will, sense of self, and grasp on reality. For this reason I caution most practitioners of the mystic arts to avoid contact with the Far Realm. It takes a remarkably healthy and centered wizard to peer into that abyss and come away unchanged. Litera...

Rhazzad's Masters
From Rhazzad's Notes: "Of all the things revealed to me in the depths of the Chasm, the very existence of the Masters was the most potent. I saw them swimming through plague-fire, and I saw glimpses of the world from whence they came. I am still unsure if they created the Plague, or if they have just mastered its use. Soon, I will know for certain.

When my transformation is complete, I will prove my worth by seeing the entire city consumed by the Spellplague. Once my great work is done, I shall be powerful enough to join them in the Chasm's depths, and all will be revealed to me. I will be like a god, knowing all secrets, invincible for eternity. Just as the Masters promised me."

Rhazzad's Research
From Rhazzad's Notes: "If I am to complete my transformation, I will need to make certain I have complete mastery over the process. To this end, I must conduct several experiments. Though the stories I've spread about the Tower of Solace bring me a constant stream of new test subjects, too many are already sick.

The Masters must have heard me, for they have provided! A desperate soldier from the hated squad of Sergeant Knox has sought me out, looking for treatment for his dear wife. Dorothea Linkletter is healthy, and only recently infected. I will control the process of transformation in her, study it, and master it. Then, once the portals are open and the Far Realm draws close, I shall apply what I've learned to foolish Josef to make certain I am ready for my own metamorphosis.

The Linkletters
Josef Linkletter and Dorothea Nacht met in Neverwinter six years ago in 1473 DY. A journeyman stone mason and architect, Dorothea came to the city at Lord Neverember's behest to help the rebuilding. She was one of the main designers of Seven Suns marketplace and the Manycoins bank.

Josef was a native of Neverwinter who had been born in the grim years after the cataclysm. Recruited into the guard by Sergeant Knox after a brush with the law, Josef soon made a name for himself as a principled and fair man who could talk sense to even the most desperate outlaw, and fought with distinction against the Many-Arrows orcs and the Blackdagger Bandits.

Recently, illness has clouded the Linkletters' happiness. Dorothea's malady has kept the formerly outgoing woman in her home for months, and Josef's increasing desperation is plain to all who know him.

The Protector's Law
Though Neverwinter initially escaped the Spellplague with little damage, the cataclysm's earthquakes tore open the Chasm, spilling the blue flame of the Plaguefire within the city's walls. When Lord Neverember first arrived in Neverwinter 16 years later, numerous Spellscarred plague victims and Plaguechanged monsters roamed the city's ruins and outskirts.

Neverember knew the city would never thrive again so long as people feared the Spellplague. So he took drastic action, ordering the exile of any Spellscarred from Neverwinter on pain of death. Often referred to as "The Protector's Law", this harsh measure was unpopular with many, and rebel movements still point to the pain and suffering it caused as sources of their revolt.

After 10 years under the Protector's Law, the Spellplague has nearly been eliminated within Neverwinter. To combat the unrest generated by the Protector's Law, Lord Neverember now funds research into cures for the Spellplague, and pays for the treatment of the plague's Spellscarred survivors at the Sanatorium of Helm's Hold. Furthermore, Spellscarred soldiers are given the option to volunteer at the defenses of Scar Keep, protecting the city from further incursions from the Chasm.

The Protector's Law is still controversial, and though it's mostly accepted, many in Neverwinter have been affected by it to some degree. Further, it is whispered that in the lawless areas outside the Protector's Enclave there are hidden places where desperate victims of the Plague hide, hoping for a miraculous cure.