The first day of the new year, 1367 Dalereckoning, Sallyan Castle, northern Cormyr.
Before anyone knew it, more than a year had passed since Tifanton's recapture and Aaron's appointment as commander of all military affairs in northern Cormyr.
Many eyes, both within and beyond the Realms, watched Aaron, waiting to see what he would do.
Whenever a mortal gained power, the first thing they did was test its limits. A newly appointed official always made a few bold moves to assert his authority. With such a formidable army and so much autonomy, everyone expected Aaron to make ruthless use of his newfound power.
Yet he did nothing of the sort.
After gaining control of northern Cormyr, Aaron merely led the Salian Legion in clearing out the beasts and monster strongholds around Tifanton, renamed the city Strasbourg, stationed three hundred Salian soldiers there, and invested his cousin Maximian as Baron of Strasbourg. Then he halted his campaign.
Aaron subsequently announced his army's return, much to the disappointment of many factions and the relief of neighboring countries.
As Aaron settled into inactivity, two major events shook the Realms.
The first was the renewed outbreak of civil war in Tethyr. After Zaranda Star managed to win the support of Tethyr's people, the country plunged into civil war once again, drawing the attention of the Realms.
The second was a massive disaster in Thay.
By some unknown means, Szass Tam released a Demon Lord. The Zulkir apparently intended to control it, but it slipped its bonds through his carelessness. The Demon Lord's rampage devastated nearly half of Thay, even forcing Bane Godspawn Xvim, who was recuperating there, to intervene. Ultimately, the wounded Demon Lord fled beneath Thay's mountains.
These two events drew most of the Realms' attention, and people turned their eyes away from