Bhaalspawn crisis

The Bhaalspawn Crisis, also known as the War of the Bhaalspawn, was a great conflict that broke out on the Sword Coast and the Lands of Intrigue in the.

"So long as Bhaal's Throne of Blood stands empty, chaos shall reign."

- Unknown.

Description
The conflict arose as a result of the Time of Troubles of the, when the gods of Faerûn were forced to walk the Realms as mortals. The deity Bhaal was given forewarning about his death during the world-changing event, and spawned a score of half-divine children with mortals of different races. Five of the most powerful of these Bhaalspawn banded their respective armies to slay their lesser siblings and wreak havoc across the Realms in Bhaal's name.

Location
It originated along the southern stretch of the Sword Coast, but came to a head in the realm of Tethyr to the south. The war's most horrific battle centered on the prolonged siege of the city of Saradush, but smaller conflicts broke out in Amn to the north and even across the Calim Desert in the small monastery town of Amkethran in Calimshan.

Activities
"The Five tore Tethyr to pieces. I don't think anyone expected more Bhaalspawn showing up would fix the war that a pack of them started. Then again, they were all inclined to killing each other, eh? Good riddance."

- Excerpt from The Mortal View.

The beginnings of the crisis arose as the Five sent their armies across the lands of west Faerûn, rounding up and killing any Bhaalspawn they encountered. These deaths were "inadvertently" compounded by the efforts of the Bhaalspawn known as Melissan, who attempted to unite the remaining children of Bhaal together for safety in a fortified city.

The scope of the conflict shifted during the Siege of Saradush, with the arrival of Abdel Adrian and the alliance he formed with Melissan. The two worked together to stop the death caused by the Five, but wound up responsible for the deaths of nearly all the Bhaalspawn and many innocent bystanders.

Outcome
The realm of Tethyr was left ravaged following the crisis. Many innocents were killed and at least one city ― Saradush ― was nearly entirely destroyed.

Accounts of the crisis were immortalized in the work, The Mortal View: Eyewitness Accounts of the Bhaalspawn Crisis.

History
"There are others I can show you....please!"

- An unnamed Bhaalspawn pleading for his life to Sarevok.

The conflict began some time before the, as an alliance formed by five powerful Bhaalspawn, each of whom was capable of great harm on their own, but when brought together could truly rain destruction upon the Realms. Yaga-Shura and his fire giant marched across Tethyr from his keep in the Marching Mountains, the dragons of Abazigal wreaked havoc across the eastern lands from his enclave, and the drow sorceress Sendai struck out from her subterranean enclave, a few hours travel south of the Forest of Mir.

As the forces set out upon the civilized lands of the south, tensions grew within nearby cities and innocent Bhaalspawn were identified and promptly banished for fear of the destruction wrought by the Five.

Siege of Saradush
As fear tightened its grip over the Realms, the half-orc Bhaalspawn ruler of Saradush known as Gromnir Il-Khan, became so paranoid he would be the next target of the Five he locked down the city and would not allow anyone venture outside or enter beyond its walls. A local priestess by the name of Melissan made every effort to gather all the exiled Bhaalspawn she could from across the lands and offered them shelter in the city, "inadvertently" gathering them together like lambs for the slaughter.

During the siege, the Bhaalspawn adventurer from Baldur's Gate Abdel Adrian was magically transported into the city by a guiding solar acting from within an aspect of Bhaal's realm. He and his fellow adventurers were rapidly brought up to speed about the ever-worsening situation by Melissan in order to undo Gromnir's suffocating hold on the city and break the giants' siege. While the adventurers defeated Gromnir and his Bhaalspawn devotees, Yaga-Shura proved to be indestructible, thanks to a dark ritual that had been performed by a priestess of Bhaal. Only by traveling to the fire giant's keep in the Marching Mountains could Abdel and his companions reverse the magic, slay Yaga-Shura and break the siege of Saradush. By the time this was accomplished, the city lay in ruin.

Fall of the Five
Abdel and his allies regrouped and met with Melissan outside the ruined city. She provided them with the names of two more members of the Five, the blue half-dragon Abazigal and Sendai, along with the locations of their domains. Continue the efforts to stop the schemes of the remaining powerful Bhaalspawn, Abdel and his companions ventured into eastern Tethyr and the Forest of Mir, delved into each of the Bhaalspawn's enclaves, and murdered them each alongside scores of their followers, leaving few if any alive. Meanwhile, the intrepid Melissan braved the Calim Desert and traveled to Amkethran, to gain audience with the last remaining member of the Five, the monk Balthazar.

Upon her arrival, Balthazar revealed to Melissan that he had uncovered the truth behind her deception. He learned that she was in fact not a Bhaalspawn, but Amelyssan the Blackhearted, High Matriarch of the church of Bhaal. She had orchestrated the deaths of the Five in order claim Bhaal's divinity for herself. The final battle of the Bhaalspawn Crisis took place in the monastery of Amkethran, as Abdel Adrian and his companions confronted Balthazar and demanded he release Melissan from imprisonment. Balthazar countered with the truth he uncovered and shared his own plan: to end the the schemes of Bhaal and his followers, the monk would kill Abdel and then take his own life, keeping the essence away from Amelyssan or anyone else who sought its power.

While the final struggle for Bhaal's divine power did not end in Amkethran, it became removed from the world of Toril, and the crisis in the mortal Realms came to an end.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
 * Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea • Baldur's Gate III
 * Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea • Baldur's Gate III