If scholars of later generations ever investigated the secret history of divine faiths, they would discover that from the Year of the Dale 1235 onward, belief among the northern people in the dark gods—especially Loviatar, Goddess of Torture—began to grow ever more widespread.
Most of the temples later built for this goddess throughout the North also began to spring up one after another during this period.
No one knew the exact reason, but after studying the history of the North, many Mage scholars proposed a bold hypothesis:
They believed it was connected to the greatest orc horde in history sweeping across the entire Sword Coast in 1235.
That was also the year when civilians from places such as Yartar, Triboar, Red Larch, and even the Golden Plains flocked with their families into Water-Drawing City, the foremost fortress city of the North, seeking refuge.
It was only by relying on the endlessly stretching Trollwall that Water-Drawing City had survived several calamities across its thousand-year history, repeatedly turning danger into safety.
So people believed this time would be no different.
History proved that their conviction had indeed been right.
Through the united efforts of the northern people and the various city-states, the people of the North did indeed drive back this greatest orc invasion in history.
But they paid a terrible price. Before that orc horde was driven back, it had besieged Water-Drawing City for a full three months!
Having missed the harvest, the eating, drinking, and daily needs of nearly two million people immediately strained Water-Drawing City's logistical capacity to its limit. Even with ships from the south continually hauling grain by sea from Amn, it was still difficult to meet such enormous consumption.
During that time, tales of horror born of food shortages were too numerous to count. Exchanging children