[Lore Question] Writing a BG3 Module: Deep Questions on Forgotten Realms History & Timeline

Question 1: How can I access the original sources cited by the Forgotten Realms Wiki (Fandom)? Most links to Dragon Magazine seem to be dead or unavailable now. Ed Greenwood likes to post a lot of lore on X; is there any consolidated website for these scattered bits of information...?

Question 2: What exact month and day in 1492 DR does the story of Baldur's Gate 3 take place? Is the Blighted Village from Chapter 1 recorded in the history of the Forgotten Realms? If not, when exactly was it abandoned? Also, what are the specific dates for Jenevelle (i.e., Shadowheart) participating in the jungle trial and being sent to steal the Astral Prism? How much time had passed since Elturel fell into Avernus at that point? What are the main connections to the 5E module Descent into Avernus? I haven't run this module, so to avoid lore conflicts, which chapters should I read, or are there any NPCs or important events I must pay attention to?

Question 3: What are the important milestones in the conflicts and history between the Dead Three and the group consisting of Cyric, Midnight, and Kelemvor (I'm not entirely sure, were there other members in this group during the Time of Troubles?) up to 1492 DR (the era when the Baldur's Gate 3 plot takes place)? The related information on the wiki is scattered across different entries, and I'm not sure if I've missed anything. Is there anywhere that has compiled this timeline? I want to know exactly when the portfolios of Murder and Lies changed hands, and what changes occurred along with the respective divine and mortal machinations of Bhaal and Cyric.

Question 4: Based on Question 3, are there any important NPCs, events, or Easter eggs in the stories from Baldur's Gate 1 to Baldur's Gate 3 related to this? I have only played Baldur's Gate 3. As far as I know, the relationship between Gale and Mystra doesn't seem to fit Midnight's characterization. In The Avatar Series, she got together with Kelemvor, which led to many conflicts with Cyric. These conflicts even continued after their ascension to godhood, only ending when they broke up due to Kelemvor's strict adherence to duty or, one could say, coldness. However, it is obvious that Ao's overarching influence was at play here; it is highly unlikely that Midnight would shift her affections so quickly.

Question 5: Following up on Question 4, what role do Shar's schemes and the iterations of the Goddess of Magic play in the stories from Baldur's Gate 1 to Baldur's Gate 3? The 5E sourcebook Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide mentions that the Spellplague of 1385 DR was caused by Cyric and Shar assassinating the Goddess of Magic, Mystra. According to The Avatar Series, we know that Mystra at this time was Midnight. So, who is this fourth Goddess of Magic from then until Baldur's Gate 3, or rather, in the modern 5E timeline? The first died to Karsus's Avatar, the second to Helm's hand, and the third to the murder in Dweomerheart. Whose personality primarily defines the subsequent Goddess of Magic? After all, we know the first three had distinctly different personalities, and the appearance of Astarion's book seems to have cemented the story of Baldur's Gate 3 as canon, so who exactly is dating Gale? Some analyses suggest it is Shar, but why would Shar do this? If Gale becoming a god is Shar's scheme, what does Shar gain from it?

Question 6: Extending from Question 5, is the "Cycle of Night" Shar's ultimate goal? What would happen if it occurs? Wiki information shows that its precursor, the Ordulin Maelstrom, occurred in 1374 DR. What did this thing look like? What were the consequences? I have barely seen any later texts referencing this event; is it abandoned lore? Specifically, what conditions are required to initiate this ritual (should it be called a ritual?)? The wiki vaguely states that it requires the divine power of Shar's son and messenger, Mask, the god of thieves (I mean, why on earth is he Shar's child, and did Shar know about this before 1374? What exactly was she even busy doing during the Time of Troubles?), and it seems to require the wielder of these divine powers to recite Shar's holy book, The Leaves of One Night. Regarding this book, I have more questions: although it records the method to summon a Shadowstorm, did it really come from Shar? Then why didn't Shar keep a copy herself or write it down? On the contrary, its earliest version came from the interpretation of the Book of the Black by the "Dark Diviners," a wizard organization in Myth Drannor in 684 DR. This brings up two issues: The Book of the Black itself, along with the Roll of Years (the source of our naming convention for years as "Year of the...", and seemingly the origin of the Dale Reckoning calendar? The original Roll of Years is now kept in Candlekeep, perhaps it could also be called the Year Dice? lol), both came from the mad Netherese seer Augathra (speaking of which, she seems to still be alive, yet 5E has zero lore on her). Although Augathra herself believed these "dark visions during sleep at night" (as opposed to the daytime visions of the Roll of Years; speaking of which, do these daytime visions come from Selûne? Could the Dark Moon heresy actually be true? Are Selûne and Shar different aspects of the same god? But didn't Shar have her subordinates make that up?) came from Shar, the bizarre thing is: Augathra was not a follower of Shar, and even the Dark Diviners weren't necessarily followers of Shar. So why bother sending the prophecies to these unconnected people? She even placed an unreadable curse on the Book of the Black, and later had to arrange for her own followers to steal it (this event happened even later than the appearance of The Leaves of One Night in 684 DR; as the goddess of secrets, didn't Shar know about this beforehand?)... If it was a prophecy Shar intended to publish anyway, wouldn't it be better to just give it directly to her own followers? Wouldn't that have started the Cycle of Night a full 2074 years earlier? What's the point of letting these middlemen pass it around so many times over two thousand years? Another question is, what exactly does the Book of the Black record? It is known to include at least the Black Chronology (also known as the Shadow Roll, the chronology/calendar part in the Book of the Black that opposes the Roll of Years), as well as the original information of The Leaves of One Night—yes, there is no evidence that the original Book of the Black recorded the method of summoning a Shadowstorm as later written in The Leaves of One Night... All these doubts ultimately lead to one point: what exactly does Shar know? Doesn't she know this summoning ritual herself? If she does know it, why go through all these convoluted twists and turns, only to have her plan ultimately fail in 1484 DR (the Ordulin Maelstrom was destroyed, and Mask was suspected to have reincarnated)? What's the point?

Question 7: Meanwhile, what has Selûne been up to? It is said that on a certain month and day in 1358 DR, she was captured by Shar and subjected to some deeply humiliating... ordeal (well, actually I'm also very curious about the exact month and day this happened; the comics don't seem to say, does anyone know? And what exactly is the relationship between Luna and Selûne? Luna seems to have mortal parents, so when did she become Selûne's avatar? Speaking of which, do the good gods in Faerûn really feel no guilt about hijacking mortal bodies?), after which records are extremely scarce. Compared to the massive amount of things Shar and Cyric did during and after the Time of Troubles, did Selûne really do nothing during this time? (Except for her Tears of Selûne and prophets being present when Cyric's followers attacked Zhentil Keep in 1368 DR—I mean, what exactly did they do in that event? Team up with Cyric?) So how exactly did she manage to gradually restore her divine power and faith after being reduced to such a miserable state by Shar? What was the reason? What was the process?

Question 8: Finally, I know that if I write all this in a module, absolutely no one will care. I just want to confirm some specific divine motivations as story conflicts, and ensure I don't make silly mistakes when referencing certain portfolios or genuinely existing items. But I do need to provide a complete appendix for DMs who want to understand or expand/explain the worldbuilding to their PCs, to explain this complex history. So, to what extent would everyone accept my homebrew modifications to the lore? Especially for parts that don't have detailed official settings? For example, the idea that the Dark Moon heresy might be true, and that Shar and Selûne might actually be aspects of each other at times? Or that Shar might, for some reason, genuinely not know the method to summon a Shadowstorm or initiate the Cycle of Night? (Although that's really silly...) Or that I set a specific date for the events of Baldur's Gate 3 (if really no one knows...)? I don't want to be flamed by lore purists for not being rigorous enough, but I'm really out of options... One more thing: to what extent are these modifications compliant with the D&D Adventurers League Dungeoncraft Design Guide? I may need to publish the final module on the DMs Guild in accordance with Wizards of the Coast's fan content policies. Is there anything specific I should be aware of?