## Overview The **Nether Scrolls** are the single most influential magical texts in the history of Toril. Every major advancement in human arcane magic can ultimately be traced back to them, and without their discovery the Empire of Netheril would almost certainly never have risen to greatness. Despite their name, the Nether Scrolls did **not** originate in Netheril. They are vastly older than the empire and predate even the earliest human civilizations. Created in the distant past by dragons and later studied by the elves, the scrolls contain profound truths about the nature of magic, the Weave, reality, and spellcraft. Rather than serving as ordinary spellbooks, they function as a complete philosophical and practical framework for understanding arcane magic itself. Throughout history, every civilization that has possessed the Nether Scrolls has undergone extraordinary magical advancement. Equally, every conflict surrounding the scrolls has reshaped the course of Faerûnian history. --- ## Origins The Nether Scrolls were created during the **Days of Thunder**, tens of thousands of years before the rise of Netheril. Their creators were the **gold dragons**, aided by other dragon sages, during the height of dragon civilization. At that time dragons were the unquestioned masters of arcane magic upon Toril, and many sought to preserve their accumulated understanding for future generations. Rather than recording individual spells, they created a monumental work describing the fundamental principles underlying all arcane magic. Their intention was to record the deepest truths of magical theory rather than a collection of practical incantations. The completed work became known as the **Nether Scrolls**, although that name would not exist until thousands of years later. --- ## Purpose The Nether Scrolls were never intended to function as ordinary magical texts. Instead they explain: - the structure of arcane magic; - the interaction between magical energy and reality; - methods of manipulating magical forces; - theories of spell construction; - advanced magical mathematics; - relationships between magical schools; - the philosophy underlying arcane power. A wizard studying the scrolls does not merely learn new spells. Instead, the wizard fundamentally changes the way they understand magic itself. This profound shift explains why civilizations possessing the scrolls consistently achieve dramatic advances in magical knowledge. --- ## The Golden Skins of the World Serpent The scrolls are written upon fifty enormous sheets of magically prepared golden metal rather than parchment. Each sheet is covered with impossibly complex magical script that cannot be fully comprehended through ordinary reading. The knowledge contained within the scrolls reveals itself gradually as the reader's understanding grows. To one wizard, a particular passage may appear simple. To another, the same passage reveals entirely different layers of meaning. Because of this property, generations of scholars may study the same scroll without exhausting its knowledge. --- ## The Elves and the Scrolls Long before humans discovered them, the Nether Scrolls came into the possession of the ancient elves. The elves studied the scrolls extensively and incorporated many of their principles into the development of high magic and other advanced magical traditions. Although elven High Magic differs fundamentally from conventional wizardry, their understanding of arcane theory was greatly enriched by centuries of examining the dragons' work. Eventually the scrolls disappeared from elven control, becoming scattered over time. --- ## Discovery by Humanity The greatest turning point in human magical history occurred when the arcanist **Twelve** discovered the Nether Scrolls. The exact circumstances vary slightly among surviving traditions, but canon agrees that Twelve obtained access to a cache of the scrolls and recognised their extraordinary significance. Until that point, human spellcasting remained comparatively primitive. Study of the scrolls transformed everything. Twelve and his followers rapidly expanded human magical knowledge beyond anything previously imagined, laying the intellectual foundation upon which the Empire of Netheril would later be built. --- ## The Rise of Netheril The discovery of the Nether Scrolls accelerated Netherese magical development at an unprecedented pace. Within only a few generations, Netherese arcanists developed: - floating cities; - mythallars; - permanent magical enchantments; - advanced magical engineering; - entirely new categories of spells; - magical conveniences integrated into everyday life. No other human civilization has ever experienced such rapid magical advancement. The Nether Scrolls did not directly teach the construction of every magical invention. Rather, they gave the Netherese the theoretical understanding necessary to develop these achievements themselves. --- ## The Scrolls During Netheril Throughout Netheril's history the scrolls remained among the empire's greatest treasures. Access was tightly controlled. Only the most accomplished arcanists were permitted prolonged study, as the knowledge contained within the scrolls could dramatically increase a wizard's understanding of magic. Many of Netheril's greatest archwizards—including those responsible for developing mythallars and flying enclaves—were heavily influenced by principles derived from the scrolls. --- ## Relationship with Karsus Although **Karsus** undoubtedly benefited from the magical revolution initiated by the Nether Scrolls, the scrolls themselves did not directly cause **Karsus's Folly**. Instead they enabled the civilization that produced him. Karsus's disastrous attempt to seize the divinity of Mystra arose from Netherese ambition rather than from any flaw within the scrolls themselves. In this sense the Nether Scrolls represent knowledge made available to mortals. How that knowledge was ultimately used remained the responsibility of those who possessed it. --- ## The Fall of Netheril When Netheril collapsed during Karsus's Folly, the Nether Scrolls survived. Unlike the flying cities, the scrolls themselves were not destroyed. Instead they once again became scattered across Faerûn, passing through the hands of dragons, elves, archmages, collectors, and secret societies over the following centuries. Their continued existence ensured that fragments of Netherese magical knowledge would survive long after the empire itself disappeared. --- ## Influence on Later Magic Virtually every significant human magical tradition owes an indirect debt to the Nether Scrolls. Although later wizards rarely studied the original texts directly, many of their teachers relied upon magical theories ultimately derived from them. Consequently the scrolls remain the foundation of modern arcane scholarship, even among spellcasters unaware of their existence. --- ## Modern Status The Nether Scrolls have never been permanently gathered together again. Over the centuries individual scrolls or groups of scrolls have surfaced in hidden vaults, dragon hoards, ancient ruins, private collections, and magical sanctums. Powerful organizations carefully guard knowledge concerning their locations. The appearance of even a single scroll would immediately attract dragons, liches, archmages, churches dedicated to magic, and ambitious rulers eager to claim its secrets. Because each scroll contains extraordinary magical insight, even partial collections are considered priceless. --- ## Why Dragons Value the Scrolls The Nether Scrolls originated with dragonkind. Many ancient dragons therefore regard them as part of their own heritage. For dragons such as **Iymrith**, recovering a lost Nether Scroll represents more than acquiring magical knowledge. It is also the restoration of an ancient draconic legacy. This partly explains why dragons frequently compete with archmages and treasure hunters in searching Netherese ruins. --- ## Legacy No artifact has influenced arcane history more profoundly than the Nether Scrolls. They transformed humanity from a race of modest spellcasters into the creators of one of the greatest magical empires the world has ever known. They inspired inventions that remain unmatched thousands of years later and continue to shape magical theory throughout Faerûn. Unlike weapons or crowns, the true power of the Nether Scrolls lies not in what they do, but in what they teach. Every civilization that has possessed them has advanced dramatically, yet history repeatedly demonstrates that knowledge alone cannot guarantee wisdom. The rise and fall of Netheril stand as the greatest testament to both the extraordinary potential and the terrible dangers of mastering the truths recorded upon the dragons' golden pages. --- ## Canon Notes A few misconceptions about the Nether Scrolls are worth correcting: - **They were not written by Netherese wizards.** They predate humanity by many thousands of years and were created by ancient gold dragons during the Days of Thunder. - **They are not spellbooks.** While readers may gain new magical insights, the scrolls primarily explain the underlying principles of arcane magic rather than providing lists of spells. - **There are fifty individual scrolls**, traditionally grouped into five sets of ten, each dealing with different aspects of magical theory. - **They were studied by the elves before humans discovered them**, influencing elven magical traditions long before the rise of Netheril. - **The scrolls still exist.** Although scattered and hidden, they were not destroyed with Netheril, and they remain among the most coveted magical treasures in the Forgotten Realms.