The Calamity

The Calamity, also known as The War of The Gods, was a catastrophic, world-spanning conflict that brought a devastating and ruinous end to the legendary Age of Arcanum roughly a thousand years ago. Entering modern culture as nearly a myth, this historical event completely reshaped the world, leaving visible scars and altered skies that persist to this day.

Origins of the Conflict and Primordial Creation

Eons before recorded history, a pantheon of formless gods arrived at a world churning in primordial chaos. Finding boundless potential, they sought a chance to learn about their place in the universe through the act of creation. They tamed the tumult and created the mortal races—first the elves, then the dwarves, and then humans and others. To help their children survive the harsh, chaotic world, the gods gifted them small slivers of their own divine essence, which resulted in the birth of magic.

During the peaceful centuries of the Age of Arcanum, mortal civilizations flourished, perfecting their magical capabilities and achieving unimaginable feats of arcane innovation. However, this progress eventually bred unchecked arrogance. Mortals began using their powers in pursuit of immortality, ultimate power, and even attempted to claim divinity for themselves.

The exact spark of the war remains lost to history. Some accounts claim it began when arrogant mortals sought to seize divinity, prompting a divine response. Others suggest that escalating wars among the mortal races eventually drew their respective deities directly onto the battlefield. What resulted was a massive, magical arms race where gods and mortals alike engineered terrifying arcane engines of war.

The Divine Schism

As the devastation escalated, a profound ideological rift divided the pantheon into two factions:

The ensuing battles pitted heroes against monsters, angels against devils, and legendary wizards against mighty warriors.

The Calamity in the North and Arcane Refuges

The reach of the Calamity eventually extended to the northern regions of the Sword Coast, destabilizing the civilizations there. During this era, the grand alliance known as the Pact of Phandelver—forged between King Phandelver II of Highthorn, Queen Kima of Axeholm, and the elven Archmage Larellion—was undone from both within and without. Armies of orcs, undead, and other forces led by the Betrayer Gods laid siege to the region.

The dwarf craftsman Gond (who was not a deity, but a highly talented mortal blacksmith of the Pact’s legendary Forge of Spells) recorded the undoing of their alliance as the forces of darkness closed in. Before Gond was killed by the invading armies, he sealed the Forge of Spells and left its defense in the hands of “The Blacksmith” (a massive metallic guardian construct) to test the mettle of any future seekers.

The Ancient Sky, Devastation, and the Divine Gate

The war left the grand magical cities of the Age of Arcanum in ruins and the natural world scorched and barren. It also fundamentally altered the heavens. During the Age of Arcanum, the goddess Selune walked the earth directly, meaning neither she nor her “tears” (the twinkling lights surrounding her) appeared in the night sky.

Furthermore, the modern night sky’s “long line of stars”—which stands as a symbol of the Divine Gate and the Era of Divergence—did not yet exist.

Realizing the ruinous impact of unchecked divinity on the Material Plane, the Prime Deities enacted a final, sorrowful sacrifice. They created the Divine Gate, a barrier that sealed all deities away from the mortal realm, preventing both themselves and the Betrayer Gods from physically returning. From that day on, divine power could only be channeled through the world’s most devout worshippers, bringing an end to the Calamity and ushering in the current age.