Red Wizards of Thay

The Red Wizards of Thay is an organization that features in Dungeons and Dragons.

History

The Red Wizards of Thaywere once a secret cabal of 10th century Mulhorandi spellcasters. Originally, they were known as the Red Wizards of Mulhorand who sought nothing more than to achieve sovereignty away from their overmasters.

They launched their first failed invasion of Aglarond in the Year of the Bloody Wave, 1194 DR. However they would repel an Aglarondar invasion at the Battle of Lapendrar in the Year of the Broken Blade, 1260 DR. When the elves of Cormanthor began to leave their forest in the Year of Moonfall, 1344 DR, the Red Wizards set their sights on the ruins of Myth Drannor. They gradually and discreetly established an enclave in Scardale Town within the Dalelands in order to gain access to the ruined elven city. In the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, two members of the Council of Zulkirs forged an alliance with two of Kossuth's lesser rivals, Fyzzar the salamander lord, Marrake al-Sidan al-Hariq ben Lazan, Sultan of the Efreeti, in order to conquer the coastal cities near Thay. The zulkirs were taken advantage of by their allies, and permanent gate to the Elemental Plane of Fire was established. The creatures of flame and fire would not return to their home plane and devastated the region of Priador. It was only when Zulkir Aznar Thrul was able to strike a deal with Firelord Kossuth, that the conflict known as the Salamander War came to an end. After another failed attempt at securing Rashemen in the same year, the Red Wizards planned to infiltrate the nations of Faerûn legitimately. They founded Thayan enclaves in cities across Faerûn, in which they publicly sold magic items, and discreetly trafficked in drugs, wicked spells, and slaves. Using these enclaves, they hoped to infiltrate foreign politics. They would themselves powerful and indispensable to these foreigners, ensuring future global domination. The Council of Zulkirs and Red Wizard organization as a whole began to experience internal strife in the Year of the Helm, 1362 DR. The Zulkir of alteration Maligor attempted to seize power from the rest of the council. His efforts were thwarted by a surprising alliance between Szass Tam and agents of the Harpers.

Less that a decade later, in the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, Szass Tam plunged Thay into a civil war when he began a coup against his fellow zulkirs. The Red Wizards were divided into two separate factions and fought each other in a war that lasted ten years. To defeat his foes, Tam harnessed the devastation of the Spellplague to gain god-like powers and ravage the landscape of Thay.

The rebel zulkirs and their followers were driven from Thay as exiles. The Red Wizards' dark plots came back to haunt them and many of their enemies used the group's turmoil to assault the many enclaves. Many Thayans chose to flee their home nation and settle elsewhere across the Realms.

Overview

Each Red Wizard was expected to wholly dedicate themself to a single school of magic. While they could prepare more spells each day than other wizards, and cast exceptionally potent spells from their preferred school, Red Wizards were forced to forego spells from two separate schools of magic. They were considered to be among the most powerful spellcasters, with access to the most potent spells and stalwart arcane defenses.

Thayan children were tested for the Art at an early age within the walls of the Arcane College in Eltabbar. Red Wizard youth received tutoring from older, aging, oftentimes embittered, and disabled Red Wizards. The training was done throughout the nation and overseen by the Probity Corps of Thay. In cases where the trainer was believed to be disloyal or in any way suspicious, their wards were sent to the Arcane College for re-training. Most Red Wizards, however, only see the Arcane College once in their lives as they were being tested.

For centuries, the leaders of the Red Wizards and in fact all of Thay was the Council of Zulkirs. The ruling body comprised eight of the most powerful Red Wizards, each of whom represented one of the schools of magic. Each of the zulkirs and their subordinates fomented intense rivalries with one another, leading to great feuds and near-crippling internal strife.

The Red Wizards have historically been fraught with in-fighting and turmoil. As the stakes rose over the years, these conflicts became more dramatic and impactful to their operations.

When conflict arose, Red Wizards gave decisive orders to the soldiers, knights, or other allied forces under their command. They worked especially closely with Thayan knights in order to coordinate defensive and offensive shifts in combat. Red Wizards were well-trained in the arts of war, but still readily listened to those trusted individuals who offered tactical advice. During battle, Red Wizards acted aggressively. They often utilized large-area-of-effect spells to incapacitate or harm a large number of their forces. They regularly employed the various spell scrolls and wand to which they had such ready access.

From the mid–14th century onwards, the Red Wizards maintained enclaves in many major cities all across Faerûn. While each one was considered an autonomous entity, each of them had the shared goal of greater accumulation of wealth. Prior to the Thayan civil war, the Red Wizards could act with complete impunity within their enclaves, as they were considered to be set upon Thayan soil and only subject to Thayan law.

Members

• Szass Tam :
• Rath Modar :
• Aznar Thrul :
• Tarul Var :
• Sofina :
• Umara Ankhlab :
• Phaia :
• Edwin Odesseiron :
• Zhengyi :

Notes

• The Red Wizards of Thay were created by Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood where they featured in the setting of the Dungeons and Dragons universe.

Appearances

• Forgotten Realms Adventures: (1990)

External Links

• Forgotten Realms Wiki Entry

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