Mystra ( Midnight ) Mystra ( pronounced " MISS - trah " ) , the Mother of all Magic , formerly known as Midnight , was once a greater goddess who guided the magic that enveloped Toril and its surrounding space . Mystra tended to the Weave constantly , making possible all the miracles and mysteries wrought by magic and users of magic . She was believed to be the embodiment of the Weave and of magic itself ( though this was known to be false in the wake of the Spellplague ) . Mystra ' s symbol was a ring of seven stars surrounding a rising red mist , spiraling to the heavens . Mystra ruled over the divine dominion of Dweomerheart . Worshipers . The church of Mystra preserved magical lore so that magic would continue and flourish in the future even if the dominant races of Faerûn were to fall . Its members also sought out those skilled in magic or who had the potential to use it , keeping a close eye on those who were likely to become skilled . Her cleric s were encouraged to explore magical theory and create new spells and magic items . Sites dedicated to the goddess were enhanced by the Weave to allow any spell cast by her clerics while in them to be affected by metamagic . Mystra honored commitments to members of her predecessor ' s clergy who ' d joined the church before the Time of Troubles , preventing them from being forced to leave the clergy due to alignment differences . Mystra ' s Chosen . Mystra also had powerful mortal servants among her ranks of followers , including Elminster , Khelben Arunsun , and the Seven Sisters . Powers . Mystra ' s secret was that she was more powerful than any god , save for Lord Ao , but therein lay the secret . Roughly half of her power lay in her Chosen and in the lesser power Azuth , as planned by Ao so that Mystra did not rule all Realmspace . Relationships . Mystra ' s customary adviser was Azuth and she was also served indirectly by Savras and Velsharoon . Other allies of hers included Selûne and Kelemvor , whom she knew as a man when she was a mortal . Mystra ' s greatest enemies were Shar , who created the Shadow Weave to oppose Mystra ' s Weave , and Cyric , who was a mortal along with Mystra and Kelemvor . These particular rivalries were eventually Mystra ' s undoing , resulting in the disastrous Spellplague . History . Before her ascension to godhood , the second Mystra was a woman named Midnight , who , along with several other individuals , including the future Kelemvor , played a large role during the Avatar Crisis , also known as the Time of Troubles . Early Life . Midnight , born Ariel Manx in 1332 DR , was the second child of Theus Manx , a merchant , and his wife Paiyse . Midnight had an elder sibling named Rysanna who assumed the role of the family ' s demure " princess " whenever wealthy suitors called . As a teenager , Midnight became familiar with the night ' s populace of bard s , thieves , sorcerer s , and fighter s and was eventually nicknamed " Midnight " by these friends , a name she immediately preferred to Ariel . Midnight ' s first taste of magic began with her tryst with the conjurer Tad , who set her on her path . She began to exhibit less interest in her hedonistic pursuits and more in the quest for magical knowledge and training , gradually becoming more obsessed with her magical quest . Eventually , Midnight moved out of the family home to seek her own path . It was during this time that she fell into the worship of Mystra , whose attention Midnight attracted during her time of service in one of Mystra ' s temples . From her 21st year on , Midnight began to feel a presence from time to time . She would feel her skin tingle coolly and began to feel that she was somehow being followed or observed . After such attentions , she always found that spells , which she had labored over for weeks , would suddenly work without any problem . Midnight soon suspected that she had been granted special attention by Mystra herself and believed that she was being groomed for the position of Magister . Sunlar , high priest of the Deepingdale temple of Mystra , took Midnight under his supervision . It was during this time that Midnight ' s knowledge of self - defense and magic improved leaps and bounds and Midnight spent a year in the temple at Deepingdale before she left . For the next three years Midnight devoted herself to Mystra ' s worship and pursued every scrap of magic she could . Ascension . During the Time of Troubles , when the gods were cast down by Ao , Midnight joined with Kelemvor Lyonsbane , Cyric , and Adon in the search for the stolen Tablets of Fate . During this time , the previous Mystra was killed by the deity Helm for defying Ao ' s command and trying to climb the Celestial Stairway back to the heavens . Her death caused great damage to the Weave , but eventually Ao selected Midnight to replace the destroyed Mystra , restoring the magic of Toril . Immediately prior to her ascension , Midnight killed Myrkul , the god of death , in a duel in the skies over the city of Waterdeep . " Death " . Midnight was not long the goddess of magic and in the Year of Blue Fire , 1385 DR , Cyric supposedly murdered her , at the behest and with the aid of Shar , who sought to obtain control over the Weave . The results of Midnight ' s disappearance , however , were far worse than Shar had supposed it would be and the Spellplague soon followed , causing magic throughout the planes to go wild . Resurrection . In the Year of the Ageless One , 1479 DR , while recuperating in a cabin in the King ' s Forest , Elminster felt Mystra ' s presence calling to him . He found her much diminished , possessing the body of a bear that had guarded a cache of items Mystra ' s still - mortal form had collected . She asked her most trusted servant to find new candidates to become Chosen and to recruit Cormyr ' s War Wizard s . Only a few weeks later , having been restored to his full powers as a Chosen by absorbing the " silver fire " of the dying Symrustar Auglamyr and then that of the Simbul and Manshoon , Elminster returned to Mystra ( in agony from absorbing too much of it ) and returned much of it to the Lady of Mysteries , restoring much of her power and divinity . This event became known as Mystra ' s Return . But it was not until 1487 DR that the goddess was whole again .