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View Full Version : Seeking a Sage in the field of Forgotten Realms



SamTheCleric
2008-06-25, 09:45 PM
I'm going to be working on my backstory for my living forgotten realms character. My region is Algarond, which is from the Unapproachable East, from what I can tell.

I intend on making an Elven Fighter. The "basic" story is that at a young age he was captured and sold into slavery for the Thayans. Rescued by his brother (a ranger, played by a friend here locally).

Now... tell me about the Thay... :smallcool:

LoopyZebra
2008-06-25, 09:58 PM
I'm not exactly a sage, but I'll just say what I know. Note that this is based upon third edition Forgotten Realms, so much could have changed.

Thay is a magocracy that's separated into eight provinces, each governed by a master of magic of one of 3e's 8 schools of magic. The ruling class was the Red Wizards, a group of skilled, evil wizards, who, as it happened, wore red. (If you have the 3.5 DMG, there should be a Red Wizard PRC in there IIRC.) They were also bald and had tattoos if I remember correctly. The country has legalized slaves (many of the cities had huge portions of slaves). The country was relatively expansionistic, attempting to conquer it's neighbors with relative frequency. The 3e sourcebook mentioned that the Thayans had begun to turn to economic and political expansionism, not military expansionism. For example, there was a Thayan enclave, essentially a small shop and embassy, in NWN: Shadows of Undrentide.

Of course, you probably knew that, but specifics would be useless given how much the setting changed in 4e.

AslanCross
2008-06-25, 11:20 PM
Not a sage either, but here's what I know (based on the Unapproachable East).
Although the capital is officially Eltabbar, the power of the Red Wizards is centered on the Thaymount, a chain of volcanic peaks that's off limits to everyone but the Red Wizards and people they deal with. Unauthorized people are executed on the spot.

Thayan commoners are Rashemi by blood and are thus related to the people of neighboring Rashemen. They aren't exactly oppressed, but they don't have the same opportunities as their Mulan overlords.

The Mulan overlords (including the Red Wizards) are a very xenophobic group, which is why non-humans are not allowed to be members of the Red Wizards.

SamTheCleric
2008-06-26, 06:31 AM
Is slavery common amongst the Thayans?

Chineselegolas
2008-06-26, 06:36 AM
Is slavery common amongst the Thayans?

...The country has legalized slaves (many of the cities had huge portions of slaves)...

I'm also not a sage for it, but the Thayans are evil, so slavery sounds right. Can't see Edwin doing it, but he was a good guy deep down so...

Morty
2008-06-26, 06:36 AM
Preety much. Whole Thayan economy runs on either magic or slaves, and slaves in Thay are treated like objects, i.e slave's propetitor can do everything he or she wants with a slave.

Keld Denar
2008-06-26, 06:39 AM
Does water flow downhill?

In other words....yes, very common.

Talya
2008-06-26, 06:56 AM
Thayan culture is entirely based on slavery. Might makes right, and wizards have the might.

bosssmiley
2008-06-26, 07:36 AM
Thay is a magocracy that's separated into eight provinces, each governed by a master of magic of one of 3e's 8 schools of magic.

Not quite. Thay is divided into 11 provinces called Tharches (although I've only ever found 10 on the UE map), each run by an appointed governor called a Tharchion. Tharchions can be Red Wizards, but don't have to be.

This civil government answer to the ruling council of the Red Wizards, the eight Zulkirs (one for each school of magic). These fellows hold their position at the top of the ever-roiling Red Wizard heap of ambition and treachery by classic Mafioso tactics; politic/kill your way to the top, then stamp downwards regularly in order to stay up there.

Red wizards in general are the top caste in a social hierarchy that goes:

Red Wizard -> Mulan nobility -> Mulan commoners -> Rashemi commoners / humanoid mercenaries -> slaves / foreigners.

RW's can legally do more or less whatever they like in Thay and the local government has to smile sweetly and take it. The biggest problem a Red Wizard faces is the risk of finding he's accidentally interfered in a Zulkir's schemes.

Religion? Classic 'we despise the gods' magocracy, although some of the RWs and the commoners like Kossuth (FR fire god).

Schemes? They tried outright conquest against Aglarond, Thesk and the Rashemi using the Tuigan horde, and scrap regularly with Mulharond, but have generally given up on open war as a bad lot. Recently they've settled into foothold enclaves in ports across the Sea of Fallen Stars to sell magic items, drugs, etc to foreigners, eventually hoping to parley financial reach into political influence.

(all the above is 3E fluff and subject to change with the new Thay = Leng meme 4E seems to be pushing)

Thay as a whole: a thinly disguised 'evil scheming oriental wizards' nation (look at a map of the FR and tell me Thay's not meant to be Anatolia) that gets tons of fanboi love thanks to the Thayans bad-ass tattoos and general evil wizardiness.