Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
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the Red Wizards have little love for Gilgeam the Tyrant, but<br />
they also have no desire to see Mulhorand accomplish anything<br />
easily. <strong>The</strong>y hope to mire the Mulhorandi army in years<br />
of anarchy and chaos in the wreckage of Unther and are funneling<br />
gold, magic, and mercenaries south to prop up the remnant<br />
of Gilgeam’s domain.<br />
RASHEMEN<br />
Rashemen has been the subject of more Thayan invasion attempts<br />
than any other country. <strong>The</strong> land itself seems to work<br />
against the Red Wizards. <strong>The</strong> reason for so many invasions of<br />
Rashemen—and so many failures—is that the tharchions of<br />
Surthay and Gauros usually hurl their forces across Lake Mulsantir<br />
with little to no preparation. <strong>The</strong>y often have some sort<br />
of “guaranteed” scheme that never works out. Some of the<br />
darkest jokes told around Rashemi inns concern foolish Red<br />
Wizards and their latest plans.<br />
If Tharchions Azhir Kren and Homen Odesseiron have<br />
their way, though, the Rashemi will soon trade their laughter<br />
for tears. <strong>The</strong> two leaders have been secretly massing forces<br />
along the southern shore of Lake Mulsantir with an eye<br />
toward a lightning strike on the city of Mulsantir itself.<br />
Cities and Sites<br />
Thay is a large and long-settled country. Its great plateau is<br />
covered with towns, settlements, and villages, as well as a<br />
number of major cities. <strong>The</strong> cities of Thay are crowded and<br />
dirty, mostly because great portions of the population—the<br />
slaves and their humanoid guards—live in filth and squalor.<br />
<strong>The</strong> poor and enslaved live in little better than hovels made<br />
of adobe.<br />
<strong>The</strong> wealthy and the powerful inhabit a completely different<br />
world. <strong>The</strong>ir sprawling villas are surrounded by walled gardens<br />
designed not only to provide privacy but also to keep out<br />
the noises and smells of the city. <strong>The</strong>se brick or stone buildings<br />
are often several stories high, emphasizing the fact that<br />
the powerful in Thay are above the rabble physically as well<br />
as metaphorically.<br />
Amruthar (METROPOLIS)<br />
<strong>The</strong> city of Amruthar is independent of Thay, despite the fact<br />
that it sits in the middle of the tharch of Lapendrar. Four<br />
hundred years ago, when the Red Wizards launched their overthrow<br />
of Mulhorandi rule, a powerful satrap named Sekhotet<br />
governed the southwestern sector of the province, ruling from<br />
this city. Sekhotet desired to govern his lands without answering<br />
to a pharaoh in Skuld, so he threw in with the wizards,<br />
aiding and abetting their rebellion. <strong>The</strong> price Sekhotet asked<br />
was a free hand to rule Amruthar as he liked. Sekhotet’s line<br />
has long since died out, but the zulkirs have honored the letter<br />
of their agreement with the Mulhorandi lord’s successors.<br />
THAY<br />
165<br />
Amruthar may still be independent, but it’s commonly<br />
known that its current ruler, Hierarch Numos Thal (LE male<br />
human Ari9), is merely a puppet of the zulkirs. He and the<br />
rest of the aristocracy of the city are well paid for their complacency,<br />
and in turn, they surrender a portion of all financial<br />
transactions made in the city to Thay. <strong>The</strong> arrangement<br />
has worked well for centuries, and neither the hierarch nor the<br />
zulkirs see any reason to change it.<br />
This is not true for many of Amruthar’s citizens, though.<br />
Three factions vie for the chance to lead the people in a revolution<br />
against their corrupt and decadent leaders. <strong>The</strong> largest<br />
group is known as the Realists. <strong>The</strong>y wish to depose the hierarch<br />
while maintaining the city’s relationship with Thay. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
know that their city could never stand against the forces of<br />
the Red Wizards, so their leaders curry favor with the zulkirs.<br />
In truth, if the zulkirs have a falling out with the hierarch,<br />
they’d be happy to let the Realists take over, but that day isn’t<br />
here yet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> members of the second-largest faction are known as Independents.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want to sever all ties with Thay and transform<br />
Amruthar into a true city-state. <strong>The</strong> Independents<br />
realize that Thay would have a problem with this, but they<br />
hope the old agreement of Sekhotet and Thay’s current prosperity<br />
might dissuade the zulkirs from seizing the city by<br />
force of arms. In the meantime, they advocate the quiet<br />
growth of Amruthar’s military and economic might, hoping<br />
to strengthen the city for the eventual break.<br />
<strong>The</strong> smallest faction call themselves the Westerners. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
wish to join Aglarond, bringing their city under the protection<br />
of another land. <strong>The</strong> zulkirs would never allow this, of course,<br />
and while the Simbul is sympathetic to Amruthar’s plight, she<br />
is not prepared to commit herself to fight a war on Amruthar’s<br />
behalf. Aglarond has traditionally excelled at defending<br />
its borders, but even the most rabid Thay-haters in<br />
Velprintalar do not think it possible to fight the Red Wizards<br />
on the Plateau of Thay and win. Hierarch Thal is anxious to<br />
stamp out any public debate along these lines, fearing that the<br />
Westerners in their folly might provide the zulkirs with the<br />
excuse to end Amruthar’s special independence.<br />
cAmruthar (Metropolis): Conventional/magical/nonstandard/nonstandard;<br />
AL LE/NE/N/CN; 100,000 gp<br />
limit; Assets 205,200,000 gp; Population 41,040; Mixed<br />
(human 80%, half-elf-8%, halfling 6%, half-orc 4%, gnome<br />
1%, elf 1%).<br />
Authority Figures: Hierarch Numos Thal, LE male human<br />
Ari9 (hereditary ruler of the city, and a puppet of the Red<br />
Wizards); Hezass Nymar, NE male human Clr8 of Kossuth<br />
(the tharch of Lapendrar; he lives in Eltabbar, but maintains<br />
offices in Amruthar); Timbra Wenz, N female human Ari14<br />
(leader of the Realists); Purtek Friina, CN male human<br />
Rog6/Ftr4 (leader of the Independents).<br />
Important Characters: Yesvel Rethume, LN female human<br />
Sor16 (the city’s foremost arcane spellcaster); Tharek the<br />
Black Shield, LE male half-fiend Clr13 of Bane (leader of the<br />
city’s House of the Black Lord); Orimel Drudaryn, CG female<br />
half-elf rogue 5/fighter 5/Aglarondan griffonrider 4 (an