Kismet's Thay A Walk on the Evil Side

My first exposure to Thay was in the figure of Edwin, an arrogant character in the Baldur's Gate video game series. He was very far from his homeland, but he brought a distinctive accent and attitude with him. Edwin's portrait was serious, his lines were sarcastic and amusing, and he was the best damned arcane caster in the game. He made such a first impression that I quickly thought of Thay when the time came to run my first evil campaign.

When I turned to the published materials, though, I couldn't find enough to satisfy my curiosity. For such a large and populous country, Thay seemed wide open for more development and personalization. I didn't just want the player characters to visit; I wanted them to live there. So I began the process of making my own version of it.

I want to encourage others to give Thay a chance as the setting for a whole campaign, and not just a one-shot raid into bad-guy territory. I also want to share the things I've created for Thay, in the hopes that someone else will be able to benefit from it. I don't follow the canon and have no plans to. Instead, I aim to develop unique details on the regions and peoples of Thay and provide a look at my own long-running Thayan campaign.