Red Wizards of Thay

The Red Wizards of Thay, colloquially known as the Red Magic Cult in the Eastern Heartlands, are the notorious and nefarious magocratic ruling class of the inhospitable but well-inhabited country of Thay.

Historically they own their power to being cruel slavers, demonologists, and arcane experimenters, before most of their numbers wholly dedicated themselves into creating a nation of undeath.

Members

The Red Wizards of Thay were highly selective about to whom they granted admittance. They nearly only took in members of the Mulan ethnic group. Very few Rashemi were allowed to join their ranks, and only then if they disguised themselves as Mulan. As their name suggested the Red Wizards admitted wizards over other arcane spellcasters, such as sorcerers or bards. Even then, only about one of every six wizards in Thay was a member of the Red Wizards.

Notable Red Wizards

• Maligor: The notorious zulkir of alteration once famously, and foolishly, challenged the authority and might of Szass Tam.
• Rath Modar: One of the exiled members of the Thayan Resurrection, Rath sought to summon forth the dragon deity Tiamat.
• Szass Tam: After serving as the zulkir of necromancy for centuries as a lich, Szass Tam elevated himself to Regent of all of Thay.
• Zhengyi: The Witch-King of Vaasa was once a mortal Red Wizard.

Structure

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.

In the years following the War of the Zulkirs, the Red Wizards of Thay were led by the feared lich and supreme regent, Szass Tam.

Since Szass Tam's takeover, the exiled Red Wizards have transformed enormously, becoming a loosely organized chain of merchant enclaves who specialized in procuring magical items.

Public Agenda

For most of their history, the Red Wizards enjoyed their status as the aristocratic ruling class of Thay. Led by the Imperialists, they used their authority and arcane power to spearhead numerous battles of conquest against their neighboring nations. The Red Wizard regularly assaulted both the wild lands of Rashemen to the north, and the nation of Aglarond to the west. During the mid–14th century the Red Wizards spent much of their efforts spreading their influence via their trade enclaves. They used these havens to act as spies and concealed against for the nation of Thay.
When traveling across the realms, Red Wizards were always well protected. They were often accompanied either by the fearsome gladiators of Thay, clerics of Kossuth, or even Thayan knights, who dedicated their lives to the role as their protectors. They were hardly discreet in their journeys, often carrying themselves with boorish swagger or haughty detachment.
In the years following the Second Sundering, the Thayan Red Wizards were once again relegated to serving as agents the zulkirs or even Regent Szass Tam himself. They were often directed to travel the Realms to acquire powerful magical items in order for the zulkirs to further consolidate their power.

Foreign Relations

While the Red Wizards held supreme authority in their homeland of Thay, they were not well trusted and in fact reviled across the Realms. Despite the suspicions held by many, the Red Wizards were often allowed to operate their enclaves in many Faerûnian cities. From here they ran a lucrative business in the trade of magical items, spells, and even artifacts. This made them virtually indispensable to many of their clients, and as such allowed them to further expand their sphere of influence. They constantly schemed to bring down their neighboring nations of Rashemen, where they were thwarted by the equally famed magicians the Witches of Rashemen; Aglarond, where they were turned back by the Simbul of the Seven Sisters; and Mulhorand, from where the people of Thay first emigrated.
During the height of their influence, the Red Wizards were the enemies of many forces in Toril. Amongst those who opposed them were the Witches of Rashemen, the Seven Sisters and their allies, the goodly Harpers, and even the Zhentarim, who disliked the Wizards encroaching on their territory. The Fangshields fought against th Red Wizards due to their horrific experimentation and creation of black unicorns.
Although the Red Wizards' allies were few, they often proved to be powerful assets. The church of Kossuth in Thay provided much aid throughout the years, and monks from the Order of the Long Death were often called upon to carry out assassinations.
The Red Wizards often drew agreements with and received great support from fire genasi, drow and fiendish beings, such as tieflings, demons and devils. They utilized savage gnoll warriors among their legions of soldiers.
Utilizing dark spells and horrific arcane experimentation, the Red Wizards created new species of beasts to be designated as their servants. Among their twisted creations were: Black unicorns, twisted versions of the magical steed; Blooded ones, magically "enhanced" orcs; chosen ones, monstrous-looking humanoids; dread warriors, fearsome undead champions that were unequaled on the battlefield; and Neo-orogs, a sub-species of the monstrous orc–ogre hybrid.

Type

Geopolitical, Magocracy

Alternative Names

Red Wizards of Thay, Red Magic Cult, Red Wizards of Mulhorand

Notable Members

• Sister Agathe
• Szass Tam