The celebration of the world's escape from destruction lasted for three full days across the Sword Coast Empire and even the whole of Faerun before gradually dying down.
Immediately afterward, historians publicly announced that the year would officially be named the "Year of the Serpent," commemorating the terror and despair Dendar had brought upon the entire world.
Likewise, this Elder Evil that had once existed only in myths and legends formally entered mortal awareness, sparking widespread discussion and research.
Some deranged Wizards even traveled to the Gray Waste through planar teleportation, yearning to gain greater power from the Nightmare Serpent or unravel its ability to create nightmares that even gods could not resist.
After all, though Faerun's population was not particularly large, it had never lacked ambitious people, geniuses, and madmen.
They viewed the gods as beings they would surpass someday, Demons, Devils, and Angels as stepping stones on their path forward. Some went even further, enslaving Genies, Dragons, Giants, and other creatures blessed with powerful magic and sharp minds.
As for such people, all Raymond could do was hope that Dendar was in a good mood when they found it.
Otherwise, they would most likely be swallowed whole, body and soul alike, vanishing completely.
For souls devoured by the Nightmare Serpent were much like those consumed by another Elder Evil, the Chaos Hound Kezef. They were erased from the Root itself, and even a Greater Divine Power could not restore them to life.
At that moment, Raymond sat in the gardens of Calimport's imperial palace, leisurely sipping tea while flipping through intelligence reports sent by the various agencies under his command. Several minutes passed before he finally looked up and asked the Goddess of Wealth seated across from him, "You intend to keep expanding the Trade Alliance's scope and