--- #### **The Primordial Age (Pre-Dalereckoning)** - **Before -35,000 DR: Formation of Hades** - Hades emerges during the multiverse’s creation as the essence of **neutral evil**, balancing the extremes of chaos and law with a focus on selfish indifference. - The plane becomes a natural destination for corrupted or hopeless souls, as well as a realm of power for deities and fiends aligned with neutral evil. - **The Dawn War:** - During the war between the **primordials** and the gods, Hades serves as a prison for souls deemed too dangerous or corrupt to join the battle. - The plane’s draining aura is used as a weapon to weaken primordial forces who enter its domain. --- #### **The Rise of Yugoloths (-30,000 DR to -10,000 DR)** - **-30,000 DR: Yugoloths Claim Hades** - The yugoloths, mercenary fiends with origins tied to Hades, establish their first citadels within the plane. - They exploit the plane’s nature to maintain control over the despairing souls and fiends that wander its wastes. - **-25,000 DR: The Blood War Expands** - Hades becomes a staging ground for the **Blood War**, the eternal conflict between devils and demons. - Yugoloth armies march from Hades, selling their services to both sides in exchange for power and wealth. - **-20,000 DR: Creation of the Gray Wastes’ Rivers** - The **River Styx**, which connects Hades to other Lower Planes, becomes a critical route for fiends and mortals attempting to navigate the multiverse. - Other rivers of despair, such as the **Lethe**, carry forgetfulness and apathy, claiming countless souls. --- #### **The Age of Betrayal and Corruption (-10,000 DR to -1,000 DR)** - **-10,000 DR: Mortal Summoning Begins** - Mortals begin summoning creatures from Hades, seeking power from yugoloths, night hags, and undead spirits. - These deals often end in ruin, as the entities of Hades drain their summoners of willpower and leave them trapped in despair. - **-7,000 DR: The Rise of the Night Hags** - Night hags establish themselves as dominant figures in Hades, trading in souls and nightmares. - They build the **Citadels of Shadow**, fortresses where stolen souls are refined into magical energy or sold to other fiends. - **-5,000 DR: Fall of the Giant Empires** - The corruption of the giant empires by Hades-aligned fiends accelerates their collapse, spreading apathy and internal betrayal among their rulers. --- #### **The Age of Mortal Empires (-1,000 DR to 1358 DR)** - **-1,000 DR: Rise of Shadow Cults** - Mortal cults dedicated to Hades-aligned deities and fiends spread across Faerûn. - These cults promise freedom from pain and suffering but lead their followers into spiritual slavery. - **500 DR: Citadel of Dusk Founded** - On the Material Plane, a powerful necromancer builds the **Citadel of Dusk**, a fortress imbued with energy from Hades. - The necromancer uses this power to raise undead armies and spread despair across his domain. - **714 DR: The Fall of Myth Drannor** - Fiends and undead from Hades play a role in the siege of Myth Drannor, draining hope and morale from the defenders. - Artifacts tied to Hades are discovered in the ruins, further spreading its influence. --- #### **The Time of Troubles and Hades’ Influence (1358 DR)** - **1358 DR: The Time of Troubles** - During the mortal descent of the gods, several minor deities aligned with Hades attempt to expand their influence. - Night hags exploit the chaos, stealing divine essence from weakened gods and storing it in soul gems. - Adventurers foil several plans to use Hades as a conduit for spreading despair across Faerûn. --- #### **The Spellplague and Hades’ Unrest (1385 DR to 1487 DR)** - **1385 DR: The Spellplague** - The collapse of the Weave destabilizes connections to Hades, isolating the plane from the Material Plane temporarily. - This creates periods of reduced activity from Hades-aligned entities, but also leads to the entrapment of several powerful necromancers and fiends. - **1395 DR: The Rise of the Pale Masters** - A sect of necromancers known as the **Pale Masters** establishes a stronghold in Hades, using its draining properties to empower their undead creations. --- #### **The Second Sundering and Modern Era (1484 DR to Present)** - **1484–1487 DR: The Second Sundering** - The restoration of the **Tablets of Fate** strengthens Hades’ role as a neutral evil plane. - Yugoloth activity increases, with mercenaries spreading Hades’ influence across the planes. - Mortal cults aligned with Hades resurface, spreading despair and corruption across Faerûn. - **1492 DR: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hades’ Reach** - Hades-aligned entities manipulate mortal factions in Baldur’s Gate, seeking to corrupt the city through apathy and betrayal. - Adventurers thwart several of these schemes, though Hades’ influence continues to linger in the shadows. - **Present Day:** - Hades remains a plane of despair, its influence seen in the corruption of mortal leaders, necromantic experiments, and the eternal trade of souls. - Adventurers often venture into Hades to recover lost artifacts, rescue stolen souls, or confront its nightmarish inhabitants. --- ### **Themes of Hades’ Timeline** 1. **Despair and Corruption:** - Hades embodies the slow erosion of hope and vitality, with its influence spreading through betrayal and apathy. 2. **Neutral Evil at Its Core:** - Unlike other Lower Planes, Hades is not driven by chaos or strict hierarchy but by the inevitable decay of ambition and morality. 3. **Interplanar Influence:** - Hades frequently interacts with the Material Plane through necromancers, cults, and fiends seeking to corrupt mortals. 4. **Adventuring Opportunities:** - Hades offers challenges such as navigating its gray wastes, confronting night hags, and recovering souls lost to its oppressive grasp. ---