Mystra and Shar

Mystra is one of the elder gods, created before the world of Theras itself was born. She is Queen of the Night Sky, of the stars and the mysteries of magical creation. She was born of Tiam—the primordial Darkness—and Aman—the primordial Light. When Mystra was born, she was raised up by Aman to become the Above. Tiam and Aman then conceived another to become the Below, a sister to Mystra. However, while Tiam was still pregnant with Mystra’s sister, Aman learned of an Outsider, Another whom Tiam knew through the Darkness. Aman slew Tiam in a jealous rage. To save her sister, Mystra infused Tiam’s womb with her magic and caused Shar to emerge. Mystra then fought with her father and used her magic to bind him for 10,000 years. During that time, Mystra raised Shar and taught her the secrets of the primordial magics. Between them—the Above and the Below—great wonders flowed into and out of existence, creating the place where anything was possible.

During this time, also, the Elements were formed through the creative genius of the host of gods from all the realms. The Elements mingled in the place of possibility and became Theras, our world of the land, air, and sea. All of the elder beings marveled at this place, a place that touched all the realms, but was bound by none. But the world was without light, a world of darkness. Shar admired this new world, but Mystra knew that no life could emerge in the darkness. There was only one way to assure that light would come to their world, and that was through their father. Mystra convinced their father that he was needed, and made him swear that he would never turn against the sisters as he had their mother. Mystra believed that Aman had repented and remorsed, and set him free from his ancient chains. Shar could not forgive Aman as her sister did, however, and attempted to bind their father again. When Mystra could not convince Shar of her reasoning, they clashed. A great battle ensued that ripped through the realms and turning them over, creating wonders and horrors as they fought and causing the gods themselves to seek shelter. In a moment of cosmic rage, Shar called upon the essence of their fallen mother Tiam—the Darkness itself—and struck down Mystra. Shar nearly killed Mystra but stopped short as she remembered their father and his deed. She stormed down to the new world and set herself upon a throne, vowing to keep the world in darkness.

Mystra and their father continued their plan to bring light to the world, as Shar kept it in darkness. Their father could not bring himself to battle the darkness again, however, constantly reminded of how he killed Tiam. In both necessity and grief, he killed himself and created a new form, that of Lathander, the Sun (Son) and Morning (Mourning) Lord. Aman passed his light to Lathander to bring life into the world. Lathander, though, had a mighty feat before him, being a younger god: He could not sustain against the darkness completely. He needed to rest, and each time he did darkness would fall, and life could not take root. And so Mystra took a bit of his light to stave in the darkness of their mother’s body while Lathander would rest. Mystra shines his power as a blanket of twinkling lights in the darkness above to keep some life in the world even while Lathander rests.

This was not the end to Shar’s struggle against her father, however, even though Aman was gone. She knew she could not dispel the new Sun without the full power of Tiam behind her and sought for ways to raise her mother. She dove deep into the realms of Death and unholy destruction, searching for ways to raise her mother Tiam. She made alliances with the most powerful of demons, and subjugated many others. Though she gathered great power, her attempts did not bring forth Life, but created Undeath, a power over which she is supreme. To have Life, she knew, she needed her father’s power, however much she loved her mother and the darkness. So atop her throne in the darkest of Hels she created a ladder from the bodies of demons and and her undead creations to climb up and steal the light from the sky. She could not stand the sight of Lathander, so set her sights upon the jewels of Mystra’s night sky. Mystra and Shar clashed again, but this time Mystra drew down the Star of Asu, a piece of the heart of their father, and cast it at Shar. The star screamed across the sky and blasted through Shar and her minions, and drove them into the depths, back to her throne.

Local legend says that Shar’s cauldron is the place where this happened, and that underneath the lake is an entrance to Shar’s realm. The few locals who have dared the journey have reported seeing demons coming out of the lake, further strengthening in their minds this is where this happend.