Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

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