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The Great Rain of Fire

by John Calvin

The discussion about the 1700s cataclysms worked out so well, I thought we could try again for the Great Rain of Fire. What really happened during this time? There are quite a few inconsistencies across the Gaz line and various boxed sets, so because of this I just wanted to focus on a single year in the timeline (in this case BC 3000 (or BC 2000 for Gaz 1)).

I'm reproducing several quotes from the timelines of various sources. I'm only quoting from the timelines (so there may be other passages we want to consider as well), and I'm missing the timelines from Gaz 5 and CoM (I really need to add those into my program).

BC 4000?

• The Blackmoor world, in the far northeast, thrives. The present D&D world is in its Ice Age.
  Gaz1 - pg 15
  [Previously BC 3000] Notes: Since the time of the GRoF was moved from BC 2000 to BC 3000, it seems appropriate to move this event back 1000 years before the GRoF.

BC 3000-2500

• Formerly arctic areas of the Known World, including most of the lands covered in the Gazetteer series, slowly become habitable as the ice recedes from former polar regions.
  HWOW - pg 11

BC 3000-2001 Return to the Stone Age;

• Early Bronze Ages. Catastrophe and Recovery
  HWOW - pg 11

BC 3000

• On the Known World, the Blackmoor civilisation comes to a violent end as mighty Blackmoor devices explode, shifting the planet's axis. Blackmoor becomes the north pole; the seat of Elvish civilisation becomes the south pole; civilisation disappears. The rest of the world as it is known today slowly becomes habitable as ice recedes to the new poles. On the Alphatians' world, Alphatian aggression has gradually been supplanted by Cypric self-absorption; other planetary conquests and colonies are left to fend for themselves as Alphatian study of magic turns inward.
  DotE - pg 6
• Some Blackmoor devices explode, shifting the planet's axis. Blackmoor becomes the north pole and its civilisation disappears. One of the devices is located in the Broken Lands (see module X1). The D&D world slowly becomes habitable as the ice recedes from the region. The human tribes along the River Nithia progress from Bronze Age to Iron Age metals technology at this time.
  Gaz1 - pg 15
  [Previously BC 2000] Notes: This one is pretty straight forward. This first timeline must have been changed by the dev team sometime after its inception since all other timelines use the BC 3000 date.
• The Great Rain of Fire; Blackmoor culture obliterated; planet shifts its axis, freezing the Blackmoor continent and causing ice sheets to recede from regions of modern D&D world. (See DA1)
  Gaz2 - pg 5
• The Great Rain of Fire obliterates Blackmoor; the rotation angle of the planet shifts, causing a temporary ice age in the area of Glantri (see module DA1 for detail of Blackmoor).
  Gaz3 - pg 5
• The Great Rain of Fire; Blackmoor culture obliterated; planet shifts its axis, freezing the Blackmoor continent and causing ice sheets to recede from regions of modern D&D world. (See DA1) Melting ice caps raises ocean level by several hundred feet. Lowland marshes and coastal plains along the southern edge of the continent are flooded.
  Gaz4 - pg 5
• The current Known World is in its Ice Age. The Blackmoor world, in the far northeast, comes to an abrupt end: Some Blackmoor devices explode, causing the Great Rain of Fire, shifting the planet's axis. Blackmoor becomes the north pole and its civilisation disappears. One of the devices is located in the Broken Lands (see module X1). The world slowly becomes habitable as ice recedes from the region.
  Gaz6 - pg 45
  Notes: This should probably be changed to "One such device remained in the area that would later be known as the Broken Lands. This device would later trigger the BC 1700 catastrophe."
• The Great Rain of Fire. Blackmoor culture obliterated; planet tilts on its axis, causing ice sheets to recede from D&D Game Known World.
  Gaz7 - pg 6
• The Great Rain of Fire; Blackmoor culture obliterated; planet shifts its axis, freezing the Blackmoor continent and causing ice sheets to recede from regions of modern D&D world.
  Gaz8 - pg 8
• Planetshift; the Great Rain of Fire destroys Blackmoor; elvish home continent freezes, survivors flee north to the newly-formed Broken Lands.
  Gaz9 - pg 6
  Notes: This should probably be taken as errata that is clarified in later sources (if we assume the Broken Lands are created in BC 1700).
• Great Rain of Fire. Blackmoor blows up.
  Gaz10 - pg 4 DM's Book.
• The Great Rain of Fire. Blackmoor is obliterated and the planet shifts on its axis, freezing the Blackmoor continent and causing ice sheets to recede from the modern Known World.
  Gaz11 - pg 6
• The Great Rain of Fire obliterates Blackmoor; the planet shifts and the ice caps recede from the steppes. Spirits are drawn in to merge with the world.
  Gaz12 - pg 5
• The Great Rain of Fire; Blackmoor culture is obliterated. The planet shifts its axis, freezing the Blackmoor continent and causing ice sheets to recede from the regions of the modern D&D game world. Elven home continent freezes over, becomes southern icecap. Survivors of the elven colony in Blackmoor flee into the newly formed Broken Lands and below the surface. Temporary ice age in area of Glantri.
  Gaz13 - pg 8 DM's Guide
  Notes: This should probably be changed to "One such device remained in the area that would later be known as the Broken Lands. This device would later trigger the BC 1700 catastrophe."
• The Great Rain of Fire. Several Blackmoor devices explode, shattering their civilisation and shifting the very axis of the world. The Great Rain of Fire is seen by Aztecs and Oltecs alike as an important event in their mysticism: the End of the Fifth Sun. The Immortals transplant large numbers of these peoples to the Hollow World to save them.
  Gaz14 - pg 5
• Some Blackmoor devices explode, shifting the axis of the Known World in an event later called the Great Rain of Fire. Blackmoor becomes the north pole and its civilisation disappears. The elven civilisation becomes the south pole; the elves are able to migrate to the area called Grunland (which now begins centuries of volcanic upheaval which lead to its being renamed Vulcania). These southern-continent elves, though suffering hardship, are not in immediate danger of extinction and so none are taken to the Hollow World. Survivors of the elven colony near Blackmoor flee to the Broken Lands; they burrow deep into the ground to survive the after-effects of the Great Rain of Fire. These are the ancestors of the Shadow Elves. One of the most dangerous Blackmoor devices is left untouched in the Broken Lands (see module X1).
  HWOW - pg 11
  Notes: The above should probably read "flee to what will one day be known as the Broken Lands"
• Powerful technological devices in Blackmoor explode, shifting the axis of the Known World in an event later called (on the surface) the Great Rain of Fire. To the Azcans and Oltecs, it is understood as the vengeance of the Immortals, the end of the Fifth Sun. As both civilisations were threatened, vast numbers of both tribes are whisked away magically to the Hollow World by the Immortals.
  HWR1 - pg 10 Adventurers Book