Transcript
In ancient times of Dungeons & Dragons, the Netheril Empire represented the height of human civilization. The Netherese wielded immense magic, raising entire cities into the skies, where they drifted like celestial kingdoms. After years of devastating war with the phaerimm, Netheril’s once fertile lands were reduced to a desolate wasteland. Lord Karsus, determined to save his people, created the only 12th level spell, Karsus’s Avatar, to siphon a god’s divinity.
He forged the Crown of Karsus, an artifact capable of holding the divine power that he will gain. His target was Mystryl, Goddess of Magic, who maintained the delicate balance of all magical forces in the world. In a moment of supreme ambition, Karsus casted his spell, stealing the power of Mystryl to achieve apotheoses. As divine power flooded his mortal form, Karsus’s body swelled with energy. His mind suddenly overwhelmed with cosmic knowledge.
In that moment of godhood, Karsus realized his terrible mistake. He lacked the ability to regulate the world’s magic. Without any restraint on the Weave, the magic of the world immediately surged and fluctuated wildly. With her final act, Mystryl sacrificed herself to sever Karsus’s connection to the Weave, causing all magic to fail. Without magic to hold them aloft, the great cities of Netheril began their catastrophic plunge toward the earth. Karsus, cut from the Weave, was petrified.
His last sight was of his civilization crashing to the ground, destroyed by his own hubris. The floating cities of Netheril smashed into the earth, ending countless lives and destroying the greatest human empire ever known. The catastrophe became known as Karsus’s Folly, a testament to the dangers of unchecked ambition and reckless pursuit of power. From Mystryl’s sacrifice, the goddess Mystra was born, taking up the mantle of magic’s guardian. Mystra established new rules for magic, forever limiting its power to 10th level to prevent such catastrophe from ever occurring again.
