Spoilers Years 2501-3200
Summary: The world is finally complacent enough. In a society where no one watches for threats because threats never come, seven figures slip through Maethys’s (The Underdark) passages into the Material Plane around year 2600-2700. They are not demons, The Covenant of Divine Order would detect that. They are not undead, the churches would sense that. They are something the complacent Tribunal of Balance never anticipated: mortal-seeming beings whose very existence is sin made flesh.
The The Heptarchy of the Damned moves slowly and carefully. They don’t announce themselves or target specific kingdoms initially. They simply… arrive. They establish themselves as merchants, scholars, advisors, landowners, philosophers, successful people building normal careers and reputations. Some settle in one place, others travel widely. All of them spend their first few centuries just listening, learning, integrating into society.
For the first 200-300 years after arrival, they do almost nothing but establish their covers. Midas Ashworth builds wealth through legitimate business. Scarlett Lovejoy becomes known in sophisticated circles. Castor Hollowmere establishes prosperous holdings. Ivy Blackwater gains reputation as someone who helps people succeed. General Ares Cindermoor becomes known as a strategic thinker. Lysander Restwell wanders and teaches careful planning. Lady Narcissa Ravencrown moves between social circles, charming and flattering. By year 2900-3000, they’re simply part of the landscape, respected, successful, trusted.
Only then do they begin gently influencing, suggesting rather than commanding, nurturing existing tendencies rather than creating new ones. And since they’re already trusted voices, people listen.
More of The Nyx join Zoroth, the Hollow Prince’s cause during this period, convinced that the Covenant is already failing through institutional decay. Perhaps a quarter of them, enough to matter.
Key Developments:
- The Heptarchy enters around year 2600-2700
- First ~200-300 years spent purely on integration and reputation-building
- By year 3000, they’re established as respected members of society
- Begin subtle influence work only after becoming trusted
- Approximately 25% of The Nyx ally with Zoroth over this period
- Ysalyn the Fell emerges as Zoroth’s key recruiter
- Tribunal completely fails to notice—looking for divine threats, not successful mortals
- Kingdoms remain prosperous, cultures only beginning to shift by end of period