Summary
Quick Traits:
- Less secretive about their work; ‘show-off’ what they have achieved
- Up-tight and arrogant; believe everyone is below them and are like ‘dirt’ or ‘slaves’
- Very clean and keep everything tidy
- Don’t get their hands “dirty”; use diplomacy and gold to work their way out of things
- Principal consumers of drugs, slaves and prostitution in Sundren and see this as something normal
With the Thayan Civil war now decades in the past, a war where Szass Tam was victorious, all Thayan Enclaves have become independent wizard orders. Members of the old Zulkir Council have been killed or fled Thay as a new Council was filled with vampires, liches, and other undead. With the landscape of Thay changing and Bane becoming an even a more dominate religion, political refugees have become popular in Enclaves all across Faerûn. These Enclaves continue to strive to keep their culture and wealth while many of them have been placed under local rule. A rule that is still seen as foreign to many of them.
One of these Enclaves is the Thayan Enclave of Aquor. Its become a fairly popular choice for those wishing to place themselves as far away from Thay as they can. The former head of the Enclave, Alcazar Tel’Rune, has left and is rumored to have gained a considerable amount of wealth and power under the rule of Szass Tam. Some fear he has left behind spies and servants to keep an eye on things as a new master has taken over the Enclave.
The new head of the Thayan Enclave of Aquor was met with great concern when he arrived and took charge of the Enclave. He is a known demonologist, The Zulkir of Conjuration, and declared enemy of Szass Tam and by extension the newly reformed Thay. Though no longer recognized as Zulkir in Thay, Nevron continues to use the title in open dispute of his reduced station. With the Thayan Enclave no longer considered a sovereign state, Zulkir Nevron has reluctantly bent the knee to House Pendraig. Red Wizards of Thay no more, this Enclave is now the Red Wizards of Aquor.
Thayan Caste
Traditionally the Thayans have had a very rigid caste system, one based not only on race but on family line. Most Red Wizards come from noble stock, most often of Mulan decent, but there have been situations were a talented Rashemi have entered their ranks. These Rashemi have only been accepted to increase their numbers and often have a harder time within the Red Wizards than those from the right family. Fire Genasi and Tieflings born to Red Wizard families are often accepted within the Mulan culture, even celebrated to a degree. This is proof that you come from a noble wizard line that is powerful enough to travel the planes. But due to the nature of these races, Fire Genasi being too impatient and Tieflings too untrustworthily – both seen as lacking the discipline, they have never been made Red Wizards. Most Rashemi and other races are considered lesser beings, and as such are treated as though they are below the Mulani Red Wizards. Now with Szass Tam having won the war, the living people of Thay have been increasingly disregarded. Those Red Wizards now in power fully embrace a new existence as vampires, liches and other servitors of undeath. Most Red Wizards choosing exile still hold to the old ways, compromising when needed.
Slaves
Slaves make up the vast majority of the Thayan population. They can be of any human race as Thay imports them from other countries regularly. Elves are rare, seen as too problematic and weak to be slaves, and anything else is practically non-existent. Most of the slaves are procured legally with other nations, despite fearful claims of Thayan slavery parties. While Thay used to conquer and raid for its slaves, most are now prisoners from other governments sold to them as payment for the economic boost their Enclaves provide.
Slaves are not allowed to cut their hair except in the very rare situations that a master wishes them to. If a slave goes sick and has to have its hair cut, it is often kept in isolation until its hair grows back. Usually, a slave that does have its hair cut is one a master has grown fond with (such slaves can even sometimes be given their own private estates and attain some measure of power. However, they can never be freed. Once a slave, always a slave). Slaves that are granted permission to have their hair cut are still not allowed to have it cut shorter than halfway down the back.
Slaves serve most lower positions in Thayan society. Manual labor in fields, mines, and so on. Other slaves, usually the better looking, are personal servants in rich Mulan estates, and often have much better existences than the slaves used for manual labor. In addition, some very few slaves are used for magical experiments. Though people in other nations like to yell about this, it is actually far rarer than the tales–slaves are too expensive to be used as such lab rats except for the richest of Red Wizards. Generally, other, more easily procured creatures are used, unless experiments specifically would be better with a human subject.
Slaves have no rights. They are treated as property for their master to do with as they will. Murdering a slave is not murder, it is damaging one’s property.
Addendum: It is possibly possible for slaves to purchase their way out of slavery or be bought and freed, however, such a thing is probably underhanded and not officially recognized.
Commoners
Commoners aren’t much better off than slaves, though the fact that slaves have all of the worst jobs put them as a cut above automatically. Commoners in Thay are not all that common, at least in comparison to other nations.
While commoners used to have a rather drab rating on the importance scale of Thay, the Enclaves and growing of Thay as a mercantile state have served to bolster them. The merchant class, especially members of the Guild of Foreign Trade, is growing exponentially and some merchant commoners are now richer than some Red Wizards.
Most commoners are Rashemi.
Nobles
Nobles own most of the land of Thay, and are often strictly of the Mulan class. Elevation to noble status is something very few commoners manage to achieve, as the nobles zealously guard their elite position. Being a noble is by family line, and most noble families have been in existence for generations. Those who become Red Wizards are automatically ennobled, as is their family line.
Those who serve well in the bureaucracy, military, or clergy can also work their way to noble status, or increase their status among other nobles.
Red Wizards
The highest and most important class of Thay, Red Wizards own the country. All Red Wizards are chosen at an early age, as children of noble families are tested for magical aptitude. This happens among noble families only, commoners and slaves are not tested (though in rare instances, powerfully magical capable commoners and slaves may be taken as apprentices and eventually achieve the status of Red Wizard).
Wizards are apprenticed to a Red Wizard and taught magic in a long and arduous apprenticeship before eventually graduating as a full Red Wizard. Many do not survive this process, as it is, essentially, a survival-of-the-fittest education.
It is illegal for Red Wizards to take on non-Mulan apprentices. However, in practice, some do, and openly so, and this law is rarely enforced.
Only Red Wizards are allowed to wear robes. It is legal to execute an impostor on the spot.
Red Wizards are lead by Zulkirs, service-for-life masters of the 8 separate schools of magic. While there is no declared single leader of the council of Zulkirs, Szass Tam, the lich head of the necromancy school, is generally regarded as the leader of the council and of Thay.
Addendum: Red Wizards all wear the same crimson robes, however, each school has different coloured trim indicating what school the individual Red Wizard belongs to. For instance, Necromancers have a black trim along their robes.
Thayan Knights
The Thayan Knight is a person who is dedicated to Thay and to the protection of their masters, the Red Wizards. They are not knights in the traditional holy warrior or chastising armsman way, but are brutal, vicious warriors that will do absolutely anything to see their duties fulfilled. They can be cruel, they can be terrible, but above all else they are loyal to their masters’ wishes.
They are powerful warriors, and well respected insofar as they are guardians of the rulers of Thay.
Schooling
Schools are the most important aspect of the Red Wizard society, and one’s power base is often measured in how many, how good, and how loyal the other members of their school are. High-ranking members of another school don’t have nearly as much power over low-ranking members that are outside of their own school, and, while they can make threats, backing up those threats takes careful politicking and maneuvering in order to make a reality.
Therefore, a tiff between a high-ranking member of one school and a low-ranking member of another school is unlikely to result in the dismissal or death of the low-ranking member of the other school, as such action would be direct aggression against the high-ranking members of another school as it’d be seen as attacking one’s power base (for instance, if a high-ranking member of Illusion got into an argument against a low-ranking member of Evocation, while they could try to take action against the low-ranking member, it would cause tension if not outright hostility between the entire local Evocation branch against the local Illusion branch). Such may still happen, however, it would require one to do extensive work and favor-brokering in order to ‘win’ the ‘permission’ to take action against someone one may be at odds with. Thus, few go to such great lengths to remove a dissident of another school due to the hassle in doing so unless the argument is extensive enough that the dissident is a true threat rather than just an annoyance.
Laws of Thay
Since the laws of Sundren aren’t applicable within the Enclave walls, the Thayans are always eager to provide Sundren inhabitants a list of the proper rules and regulations that govern their stronghold. This list is for any and all Thayans moving to Sundren to begin their careers as magi or knights.
Customs of Thay
The majority of the behavioral customs and practices of the Thayans can be found HERE.
Leadership/People of Note
Name: Nevron
Title(s): Khazark & Zulkir (disputed)
Location: Thayan Enclave Aquor
Birthplace: Thay
Gender: Male
Classes: Wizard/Red Wizard
Nevron has several tattoos on his face and body. Some with the appearance of hideous faces. He has a constant sneer on his face and the brimstone smell of his demon servitors cling to his person. He is known to despise the vast majority of human beings, preferring the company of demons and devils.
During the war, his powers enabled the Zulkirs to withstand Szass Tam’s attack by summoning denizens of the infernal oceans to counter the lich’s undead aquatic legions. Their flight thus secured, he escaped with the other Zulkirs to the Wizard’s Reach. He later relocated to the Thayan Enclave of Aquor.
Objectives
The objective of the Red Wizards, and the Enclave, is to gather as much power as possible. They seek to dominate everything from drug trafficking (although they would never admit to such) to slave trade, to power within the Sundren government. They are ambitious, ruthless, and calculating magi intent on seeing just how far they can spread their influence.
Ranks
- Slave
- Apprentice
- Arcanist
- High Arcanist
- Master
Initiation Process
If one wants to become a Red Wizard of Thay or a Thayan Knight, he or she needs to head to the Enclave within Aquor and speak to the wizards present. If he or she is of acceptable descent and power, they will be considered as an apprentice Red Wizard within the Enclave or a fledgling knight.
Timeline/Historical Events of Note
Dispater