Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

Illustration by Wayne England
Thaymount
The Thaymount is a not a single peak but a chain of volcanic
mountains in the middle of High Thay, the plateau above the
Second Escarpment. Knifelike ridges of rock and smoldering
cinder cones reach an altitude of more than 17,000 feet, and
soot-covered glaciers cling to their upper slopes. Access to this
region is restricted to Red Wizards and their guests—unauthorized
visitors are executed on the spot.
Three rivers have their sources in Thaymount’s icecovered
peaks. The River Umber runs west
toward the Sea of Dlurg. The River
Lapendrar flows south to the Wizards’
Reach, and the River Eltar pours east
into Lake Thaylambar, the largest
body of fresh water in the nation.
Eltabbar may be the capital of
Thay, but Thaymount is the nation’s
heart. Private fortresses of the most
powerful Red Wizards are scattered
across the smoking slopes like
black stars in a fiery sky. Gold
mines, volcanic forges, and the
dark barracks of elite monstrous
troops, as well as the magical workshops
and armories of the Red Wizards,
cluster around the foothills of
the Thaymount. Many of the magic
items created for export, along with
deadlier devices the Red Wizards
keep for their own use, come from
these forbidding factories.
The troops here—mostly gnolls,
blood orcs, darkenbeasts, and other
evil creatures—number in the thousands.
They stand ready to be launched
in any direction their masters send
them. The current peace has left
these aggressive warriors restless for
action. This pent-up violence has been
painful for the few foolhardy souls who
have trespassed in Thaymount over the past
couple of years, as the creatures take out their
frustrations on folk unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
Many of the Red Wizards’ fortresses contain laboratories
for dangerous experiments in magically influenced breeding.
The more promising results are sent out into the world to test
their abilities, striking fear into all who encounter them. The
greatest success so far has been the blood orcs, which have exceeded
their creators’ wildest dreams. Now the Red Wizards
have started trying the same techniques on members of other
races to build even broader populations of creatures under
their control. (For more information, see the Blooded One
entry in Chapter 6: Monsters of the East.)
The Thaymount’s peaks include a number of active volcanoes.
Ash falls and pyroclastic flows are more common than
lava fountains or explosive events. In recent years, the activity
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The Thaymount
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of the Thaymount has been increasing, giving rise to stories
that demons imprisoned there before the founding of the
realm may be close to escaping. The earthquake that shook
Eltabbar a few years back broke the seals holding the demon
prince Eltab under the city, and rumor has it that this creature
was—or still is—behind the latest geological troubles too.
What’s not in doubt is that the Red Wizards are more agitated
and secretive than usual. The sinister mages are spending
a great deal of time and effort on constructing new
fortifications around their keeps. Some are even working to
connect their fortresses for mutual defense, something that
was almost unheard of just a few years ago.
Thazalhar
Thazalhar is the smallest of the
tharchs outside of the islands of the
Alaor. It covers much of the land between
the River Thazarim and the
River of Dawn. This gives Tharchion
Milsantos Daramos (LN male
human Ftr14) complete control over
any land routes between Thay and
Mulhorand. In the realm’s earliest
days, this tharch was a vital point of
defense between Thay and its old
master. For a long time after
that, it was a launching point for
Thayan troops rolling into Mulhorand.
Today, it is a primary
conduit of trade between the
two formerly bitter enemies.
Daramos is the only one of
the tharchions who is not evil, and
it shows in the way he governs his
territory. Many of the other tharchions—and
even some of the
zulkirs—think the old man has
gotten soft in his later years. In
fact, Daramos has never cared for
killing, but he saw it as necessary to
protect the interests of his people. He’s
thrilled with the growing success of the trade
enclaves. A true patriot, Daramos hopes this method will finally
allow the vicious Thayans to lay aside their differences
and work together. He knows he is past his prime and has no
chance of bringing the factions under a single banner, but
perhaps Szass Tam has finally managed it, using money not
to purchase weapons but as a weapon. No other land could possibly
stand against the might of a united Thay.
Thazalhar’s main source of income is the bridge fees it
charges to pass over the River of Dawn into Thay (1 sp each
for Thayans and 10 gp each for everyone else). Some foreign
merchants pay the fees, but many sell their goods at a cut rate
to Thayans on the Mulhorandi side of the bridge, then turn
around and go home again.