D&D 5E What If the players lost every adventure path so far in the realms?

[neogod22]

If you played any of the AL adventures, the 1st tier 2 adventure was when the dragon Vorgonsharax took over the city of Phlan and the players had to evacuate the survivors. Then while things were going on in Mulmaster, the refugees of Poland were trying to gather their strength to take back their city. I think it wasn't until the end of the 3rd season when the epic came out to retake Phlan. You can create a campaign where one of the evils take over, but it would be unlikely all would. But the uprising of the other powers might give the heroes the opening they need to attempt to set thing right. It would be a hard campaign to write since you will have to decide who rules the cities and towns your adventurers will be in, and what of the forces of good, do the have and cities holding out, or is everyone operating underground? You would kind of have a scenario like Destiny.

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[Mirtek]

Unless she gets bored and returns to the outer planes, Tiamat would rule all. A deity on the Material plane is just too powerful.

The elemental princes would Fall quickly to her, the demonprinces would last longer but meet defeat too.

Strahd doesn't matter in toril and the giants would find little mercy under the New draconic rulers

 

[PieAndDragon]

Much depends on what the DM and players would find fun. Easy (boring) options are an apocalypse or powerful NPCs defeating the threats instead.

The Realms is a resilient world, surviving events on this scale such as the Time of Troubles, Bhaalspawn, the Spellplague, Netheril etc etc.....
I would look at the possibilities, then weave a narrative that creates conflicts to solve and describe it in a few sentences.

Tiamat. Consider: mass devastation with dragonflights from across the realms; a new dragon empire in the North; Tiamat ruling Unther and at war with Mulhorand; taking inspiration from the dragon-armies of DragonLance. Also metallic dragons would oppose her, guided by Bahamut or a Realms deity such as Torm or Helm.
Elemental Princes of Evil. The princes don't cooperate, focusing on destruction. Plots include: All four Princes enter the world and ravage the lands around; All four Princes and cults ravage the world from a different Realms nexusa of elemental power; one Prince emerges victorious, then lured to a nexus by a cult, who try to bring elemental armies and energy through a rift; the Princes all arrive but are controlled somehow by a mysterious group attempting to summon the Elder Elemental Eye.
Demon Lords. Prone to destruction and infighting. Options are: Demonic hordes ravage the world from the underdark; underdark refugees flood the surface, telling of brutal wars below among rival demon lords; Main instigator Gromph Baenre had an actual plan, maybe a way to defeat the demon lords and become one himself; the drow guide the fury of the demons against a target such as Evermeet, the Silver Marches or Thay; a lone demon lord emerges victorious at the head of a demon army, maybe allying with another threat.
Strahd. Few ties to Realmslore, but give him a minor role: Dreams of Strahd haunt part of the Realms, luring people to his domain; Barovia manifests in a part of the Realms (Moonshae Isles, Cormyr, Dales or more isolated), borders guarded by mysterious mists; a vampire cult tied to Barovia forms, allied to another threat; the key to defeating another threat was taken into Barovia by an adventurer.
The Giants. The giants are re-establishing the order in the Ordnung (plus some destruction): The giants war among themselves and others around for dominance; Iymrith the blue dragon steals the Wyrmskull Throne, a race of giants rising to replace the storm giants at the top; Imyrith rules the giants from the Wyrmskull Throne; Jarl Storvald finds the ring of winter, puts the frost giants top of the Ordnung and starts the Age of Everlasting Ice.

I would tie campaign events into realmslore, starting the Second Age of Dawn to mirror the first, dragons vs giants. Tiamat would rule a draconic empire in the North. Enhanced frost giants would head the Giants' Ordnung, Jarl Storvald on the Wyrmskull Throne causing a new Ice Age with the ring of winter. My main conflict would be a war between giants and dragons.
The Demon Lords would be left as a distant threat, warring below but underdark refugees bringing news to the surface. One Prince of Elemental Evil emerges victorious but controlled by an elemental cult of a genie from Calimshan. The cult plays the long game, allying with the giants against the dragons, hoping to ascend to power via a new rift at a elemental nexus (probably efreeti controlling Imix at a volcano). Lastly Strahd would influence Waterdeep, with tales of dreams and vampires there. I'd consider a frost giant vampire at the Jarl's court too!

 

[neogod22]

When I think about it, the 1st 3 campaigns are world ending events. Tiamat emerging on the world as a fully powered God would quickly conquer and enslave the world. She will mercilessly destroy all resistance, and nothing would be able to stop her, not even the other gods. If any of the Primordials enter the world, they will destroy the entire plane. If any of the Demon Lords win, the madness would spread out of the underdark and into the Realms, and the Demon Lord would pull the world into the Abyss.

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[Jester David]

When I think about it, the 1st 3 campaigns are world ending events. Tiamat emerging on the world as a fully powered God would quickly conquer and enslave the world. She will mercilessly destroy all resistance, and nothing would be able to stop her, not even the other gods. If any of the Primordials enter the world, they will destroy the entire plane. If any of the Demon Lords win, the madness would spread out of the underdark and into the Realms, and the Demon Lord would pull the world into the Abyss.

Unless she gets bored and returns to the outer planes, Tiamat would rule all. A deity on the Material plane is just too powerful.

The elemental princes would Fall quickly to her, the demonprinces would last longer but meet defeat too.

Strahd doesn't matter in toril and the giants would find little mercy under the New draconic rulers

But how would all the other gods feel about that? That's the question.
No other gods in the Realms just decide to take over a whole continent despite ostensibly having the power. Something keeps them back. Ostensibly the good gods would object and pressure Tiamat into leaving. And likely some evil gods who don't like their temples being destroyed and worshippers killed.
Tiamat might be able to take on one god easily enough. Or even two. But three? Five? Ten?

Tiamat likely doesn't stick around on the Material Plane once freed. Dragons might get a little extra crazy and bold though, but I doubt it's "world ending". Just "world changing".

 

[CheezyRamen]

Just ask my DM what the Realms are like. Poor little adventurers.....

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[Mirtek]

But how would all the other gods feel about that?

would hate it, but could not do much while sitting on the outer planes.

No other gods in the Realms just decide to take over a whole continent despite ostensibly having the power.
Something keeps them back

The assumption is that deities can't enter the world beyond small projections that's why Tiamat needed the Ritual to fully come over.

Tiamat might be able to take on one god easily enough. Or even two. But three? Five? Ten?

even 100 don't matter as long as they're stuck on the outer planes with no one to invite them over

That was actually the plotline of the very first FR novels. Bhaal was close to do it on the monshaes and it described angry felliw deities impotently raging but unable to touch them while already in transit. Bhall was then prevented from entering at the last second

So at best other powerfull mortals race to find a way to bring their deities over before Tiamat erases all who could have a Chance to accomplish sich a feat

 

[Jester David]

The assumption is that deities can't enter the world beyond small projections that's why Tiamat needed the Ritual to fully come over.

The plot says/ implies Tiamat is trapped in the Nine Hells and wants to escape, not specifically to enter Toril. So the ritual is special.

D&D has always had this wired relationship with summoning evil gods, and gods needing portals to come across. But then good gods just come and go freely. Thakisis needs to be summoned but Paladine can just pop over whenever he wants.

 

[MonkeyWrench]

I'm of the opinion that the Tyranny of Dragons storyline, if it resulted in Tiamat's arrival, would irrevocably change the Realms for the worse. Rise of Tiamat mentions that the threat posed by Tiamat and the Cult of the Dragon is so unprecedented that it drove the Lord's Alliance, Harpers, and Zhentarim into an alliance. The adventure focuses on the actions of the PCs to track down the gold, then disrupt the ritual, but presumably what happened at Greenest is happening all over the North, if not other parts of Toril. How many chromatic dragons answered the call? How many of them turned their attention to the vast hinterlands of the North? The way I see it, even if the PCs stop Tiamat and the Cult, they'll be dealing with rogue dragons for years, and eventually all those destroyed farms, trade towns, etc will result in famine and a refuge crisis.

And then a bunch of demon lords show up.

At least that's how I ran it.

 

[OB1]

This thread has inspired what will likely be my next big campaign.

The Fallen Realms

They were called the Heroes of Greenest, and when they left Waterdeep 20 years ago to lead the war against the Cult of the Dragon and to stop Tiamat from entering the Realms, the people cheered. But they had been deceived.

Led by the Edritch Knight Vorak Migad, the heroes did indeed make it into the heart of the mountain, but instead of confronting Tiamat, they swore fealty to her and helped to destroy the combined forces of the realms that had gathered in this fight against evil. Some say Vorak had been corrupted by the dark sword Hazirawn, others say his soul was always black as night.

They moved quickly on Waterdeep, Tiamat creating a lair for herself under the city, while Vorak and his three lieutenants first took over the city, and then moved out to kill any other "Hero" who might exist to challenge them. Evil dragons, empowered by their god hunted their metallic kin to near extinction.

The cult consolidated it's power over humans with a simple choice, join us and live relative comfort, work for us in squalor, or die. Halflings were pressed into slavery on farms, while Elves were simply hunted and killed on sight. Whole villages and cities, including the famous Baulder's Gate, were razed by dragon breath if they showed even the slightest resistance.

The Giants, meanwhile, began their own uprising, and soon joined with the Orcs, enslaving the dwarves.

An elemental cult, gained power quickly and eventually found alliance with Thay, who had begun their own expansion into the Sword Coast, though when the being they summoned went out of control and began laying waste to the countryside, it was the Red Wizards themselves that put down the cult, and eventually retreated back to Thay.

And then the Demons erupted in the Underdark. With no heroes left to fight such an evil, they quickly took over the under realm and make their way to the surface when they grow hungry. Rarely do the Demons hold territory they win on the surface, instead happy to feed for a tenday or two on the villages before Tiamat's forces come to force them out.

It is a dark time for the realm, and yet there are whispers of resistance and rebellion. Some say that the Harpers and Emerald Enclave still exist, and still recruit those who show bravery against the cult to the cause. But if such rumors are true, it is a small hope for those who now live under Vorak's oppresive yoke and the fear of the demons below.