Tyrants in Scarlet

Tyrants Many question why the Lady of Mysteries bestows her gifts on those crimson-garbed tyrants living menacingly to the East. But those who worship Mystra know that she delights in the Art above all, caring little for how it is wielded in her name. For all their fey posturing, the Red Wizards serve Mystra well in this regard, and in their quest for mastery over the Art, they do Mystra honor. History shows that the Zulkirs are the means by which this mastery finds order in the chaos that is Thay. High Spellmaster Ammaloth Bree in a sermon at the Shrine of Seven Stars Year of the Blazing Brand (1334 DR) Introduction The Red Wizards of Thay harbor a notoriety and reputation for dark doings that is perhaps unequaled in the lands throughout the Inner Sea and the North. For centuries Thay was ruled by a council of eight wizards known as the zulkirs, a group of which little was known outside the realm itself. While the membership and identity of the zulkirs over the years has always been layered with secrecy, an even greater shroud of mystery lies draped over the origins of this dread assemblage. Revealed here for the first time is the tale of the founding of the Zulkirs of Thay, providing insight into the forces that shaped that fellowship and that may yet still lurk in the shadows. A Land of Magic They called themselves the Ba'etith, but to the elves they were the Aan'Faer'Ister. Human sages named them simply "the Fosterers of the Art". Narlothas, Sage of Neverwinter On the Origins of Magic: A Postulation Year of the Awakening (1001 DR) Legends abound regarding the Creator Races and their hegemony over all of Toril through their in Scarlet mastery of the Art. In that regard, the deeds of the Ba'etith, that mysterious group of sarrukh, batrachi and aearee who were responsible for the creation of the Nether Scrolls, stands in the highest regard. What is less known is that the Ba'etith constructed hidden sanctuaries across the breadth of Faerun and that one of the most important was located at the site of the present-day Thaymount. That lair, known as Assikhath to the sarrukh, was used to house and safeguard various dangerous artifacts and items that they had discovered over many centuries of wandering the planes. The most secret of these was a truly ancient magical artifact that the sarrukh Missashak discovered while wandering the planes and managed to bring to Toril with the help of his brethren. There they deposited this huge, twisted mass of black metal (as large as a good-sized castle) in a mountain cavern in the south-easternmost area of Thaymount. The mysterious artifact was "alive" with magic, radiating power like a small, raging star and when discovered by Mystra, was swiftly made one of the anchors of the Weave. This artifact's power slowly leeched into the very soil of the Thaymount, producing random spell effects at times but most importantly enhancing those individuals with an affinity for the Art. In the millennia that followed, as the sarrukh became a figment of legend, the area of Thaymount became known as a place of mighty magic, a location for grand rituals and as unfolding history would demonstrate, a haven for those who thought to master the Weave to their will. The cavern of the Athora


The Athora The mysterious artifact beneath the Thaymount was dubbed Athora by the goddess Mystra ("darkness" in a now forgotten Elder tongue), who commanded all her servitors, including the Chosen, to ignore it and not go near it. As one of the most important anchors to the Weave, Mystra feared that to bring it to the attention of other beings was to invite disaster and so "walled it around" with the Weave to mask its presence from divination magic and at the same time reflect magic back at it, so as to prevent someone harnessing its power to blast away the earth and stone around it and remove it from its "home". The presence of the Athora made the Thaymount and other parts of the Priador Plateau areas of strong magic, suffusing and saturating both the very soil of the place and the people who lived there. Individuals born there evinced a greater potential for the Art and so many were born with innate talents (see Volo's Guide to AH Things Magical, p.82-83) that the Thaymount was spoken of in hushed tones, becoming a destination for spellcasters the Realms over. It is believed that without the presence of the Athora, such great workings of magic as the creation of the Orcgate, the summoning of an avatar of Kossuth by the Raumathari and the summoning and binding of the demonlord Eltab by the Red Wizards of Thay would not have been possible. It is believed that the Athora resisted the Spellplague and the Sundering and was the prime reason for the survival of the Weave and the rebirth of Mystra. Today, the Lady of Mysteries strives to maintain its secrets, knowing that the Athora remains her first and best weapon against any who would seek to usurp her divinity again in the future. The Great Rebellion The Dark One is no more, for my shining masters have decreed it so. The maakheren will sing no tales of his betrayal, for he is kuras and unclean before the gods. Mesehti, Sepatab of Rauthil in an address to the slave-prisoners of Thayd The famed wizard who gave the realm of Thay its name was born in the Imaskari city of Omhouz sometime in the Late Period of that ancient realm's history. A contemporary of such fabled wizards as Hilather, Tengar and Nirama "the Shadow Phoenix", Thayd placed himself in magical stasis when the Empire fell to its Mulan slaves, thereby escaping the disaster. He emerged into a very different world when his thousand year magical exile was over, for Imaskar's slaves had forged great empires of their own and prospered under the aegis of their divine rulers. Thayd gazed upon the kingdoms of Unther and Mulhorand with cold and bitter fury and vowed to bring these upstarts to their knees and re-establish what he considered to be birthright of the Imaskari. In that regard he noted that the wielding of arcane magic was afforded a place of secondary importance to that of the divine, and that wizards in both realms chafed at their place in the social and political framework. Operating from the shadows, Thayd began to recruit wizards to his cause, granting them insights into the magic of the Imaskari, and making promises of power and status once the rule of god-kings had been overthrown. From a lair in the Dragonsword Mountains, Thayd and his followers were soon emplaced in every city throughout the lands of the Old Empires. As his plans for rebellion matured, Thayd granted status to a select group of wizards, an inner circle of trusted "loyals" known as the zulkirs (from "zul": black and "kir": master in the local tongue) for the black garb they wore in imitation of their leader. The zulkirs served Thayd as his messengers, enforcers and assassins and helped him retain his power and dominance as he dealt with organizing the oft-fractious wizards of the South into an army. Thayd unleashed his followers and launched his Great Rebellion in -1087 DR catching the god- kings unawares as many important local rulers and military commanders were slain in the first flurry of spellhurling. Marshaling their forces, the god-kings swiftly ascertained the nature of the threat against them and responded with might and fury, led by the manifestation of an affronted Thoth and his priesthood. The direct threat to the security of both Mulhorand and Unther was swiftly quelled but Thayd and his conspirators then began a long campaign of guerilla warfare, striking from the shadows the length and breadth of the two realms. Aided by a portal network that Thayd had created using his mastery of Imaskari magic, his zulkirs and their apprentices continued to strike at military encampments and slay civic leaders until the day in -1081 DR when the great Thayd himself was discovered and captured by the forces of Heshethoth, high priest of Thoth. Thayd was executed mere months later and his few remaining followers fled into the northern wilds. War and Strife The qabasen beasts are without end, and stream forth from a glaring crimson "eye" on the escarpment. I fear they bring with them our doom. Isetemkheb "the Valiant" commander of the Golden Spears garrison in a last message to Mulhorand The death of Thayd and the failure of the Great Rebellion did not usher in a period of peace and prosperity for the Old Empires. In retaliation for the death of Thayd, the surviving handful of zulkirs put into motion a plan he had resolved to use only as a last resort. The Imaskari had discovered many worlds by means of their mastery of portal magic, one of which was a barren, wasteland known as Adzadar to its inhabitants. This wretched place teemed with orcs and their goblin slaves, and Thayd saw that their savagery could be harnessed to bring ruin to the hated Mulan, enabling him and his followers to gain control over the shattered remnants of their empires. In their desperation, a great portal was created and the orcs came forth, hesitantly at first but then with speed and vigor, hungry for an escape from their barren home. So it was that the Orcgate Wars came to pass and for a time, the Old Empires teetered on the brink of destruction. Such did not occur however, for the deific rulers of Mulhorand and Unther recognized the threat posed by the orcs and unleashed their full fury against the grim horde that marched against them. In the terrible battles that followed, gods were slain and a multitude sent to the afterlife before the Mulan prevailed and scattered the orcs, forcing them north and away from the Old Empires. In the wake of this cataclysm, the young and vibrant nations of Narfell and Raumathar arose far to the north and the lands ravaged by the Orcgate Wars were only sparsely settled due to the lurking evils that remained there. The fey empire of Narfell eventually clashed with Mulhorand when it turned its ambitions south, and in doing so ushered in an influx of settlers into those lands after the Shining Clashes, when the region came once again under the direct rule Mulhorand and Unther. Brotherhoods of Art Beginning in around 860 DR the lands of modern Thay were collectively the Mulhorandi precept of Shamulrand, but in reality only a cluster of independent cities and settlements named "tharches" by their local warlord rulers, the "tharchions". These warlords used not just warriors and slaves to control their domains, but also used wizards and monsters controlled by those wizards to maintain power. In response to these despots, various wizards started to form cliques for mutual protection and in order to make these groups seem grander, more mysterious, and less of a direct response (and threat) to the tharchions, the wizards insisted they weren't forming "cabals" but rather "orders" in response to divine directives from the deity of magic Thoth. They further insisted that the gods would afflict non-wielders of the Art with various dooms and curses if they tried to eradicate or control any order, and the fearful tharchions suffered these orders to garner a measure of independence. An early Thayan mage, Alaerdrus founded one of the first of these orders which he called the Order of the Ordraukh (in early Thayan speech, "ordraukh" was the name of the beast known today as the "fire lizard"). The wizards of this order were viewed as wise but miserly, greedy, and cantankerous old men. They were all of these things, being exclusively mature and elderly human males who wore dark robes, jealously guarded their spell-knowledge, and sought high prices for casting the mightiest spells, so as to (in the words of Order member Nalriekus Rauntoun) "cool the bloodlust of each rising tharchion." For some three decades various other orders rose and fell, appearing and collapsing with regularity, and all seeking to challenge the might and influence of the Order of the Ordraukh. At last in the summer of the Year of the Open Tome (892 DR) the Order of the Ordraukh was destroyed in an orgy of spell-duels, murders of member by member, and raids upon the weakened survivors  by rival non-Order mages seeking the magic items and spell-tomes of the old Ordraukh wizards. Most of the tumult among all of these orders was a matter of simple lust for power, but it was influenced by certain deities such as Mystra looking to expand their influence, and by those in power in Mulhorand, who wanted to manipulate the wizards to temper the ambitions of the increasingly-unruly tharchions. Others in Mulhorand, notably the merchant cabal known as the Iron Sheaf and other more secret societies, saw the orders as a means to further their own ambitions to overthrow the temple-dominated slave farms or gain control over the use of magic throughout the realm. Wizards and Blood They were called "bloodcowls" even then, but never to their face, for it was at one time an insult hurled at the order's founder by the wizard Morlakkar of Kensten. It is said that Ulzunder gained his revenge years later, and that Morlakkar was "unusually imbruing". Letramos, Loremaster High of Airspur When Wizards Were Feared Year of Seven Trinkets (1205 DR) The Thael were a minor order of wizards named after a fanciful beast in Mulhorandi folklore who "changes those it doesn't devour", and so was used as a symbol by many groups throughout the history of the Old Empires as the Bringer of Violent Change. Their ambition exceeded their strength until the Year of the Moonbar Crest (872 DR) when they were subsumed by a cabal of renegade Halruaan archmages, exiled from their native land for persistent slaying of rival mages, brazen theft of magic and attempts to undermine and overthrow the Council of Elders. Through the Thael, they seized the opportunity to establish power over another minor junior order known as the Order of the Red Wizards, by mind-controlling its founder, the wizard Ulzunder. The Red Wizards wore blood-red robes because Ulzunder liked to "bathe in the blood of virgins" (that is, magically sacrificed young, strong, and virginal males and females of human, elven, and half-elven bloodlines) as part of his experimentations toward achieving lifelong youthful vigor, and wanted some means of readily concealing bloodstains. He wore blood-red robes, and so did they, many of them attempting the same evil processes Ulzunder indulged in, which was his main inducement to other mages to join him in his order. Ulzunder was brilliant but insane, even before the spells and manipulations of the four Halruaan wizards, Ythazz Buvarr, Jorgmacdon Odessier, Velsharoon Tartragul and Zhengyi Arulath started meddling with his mind, and his Red Wizards were ruthless but subtle; for they preferred secrecy in their dealings to all else, fearing retribution from more powerful mages and Mulhorandi rulers and priesthoods. The covert support of the Thael allowed the Red Wizards to rise swiftly in real power for they shielded Ulzunder from his rivals and counter-acted a handful of attempts by rival mages and orders to destroy the Red Wizards. Ulzunder recruited carefully and rewarded generously, slowly bringing the tharchions into his sphere of control and fostering their individual, naive thoughts of creating a realm for each of them to rule over. As more wizards flocked to join Ulzunder's Red Wizards and tharchion after tharchion was swayed by his persuasive utterances, so too did his activities come more and more into the open. It was at that time that the Thael saw that Ulzunder had outlived his usefulness, and withdrew their protection culminating in his death at the hands of four rival wizards in the Year of the Chase (919 DR). It was at this time that the Thael revealed themselves to the rank-and-file of the Red Wizards and assumed control over that order. Harking back to the legends surrounding the great wizard Thayd and his Great Rebellion, the four wizards named themselves zulkirs and gathered their forces for a reckoning that would see the birth of a new nation. The symbol of Velsharoon
The Founding of Thay The Sepatab of Shamulrand hung suspended in mid-air by their wizardry, pleading for his life as the small flame beneath his feet grew steadily larger and brighter. Without a sound the flame leapt up and surrounded him in a corona of searing agony. As his screams punctuated the air, his red-robed tormentors looked on grimly, knowing that they had taken their first step on a long and bloody road. Gharan Tarklar, Fang of the Zulkirs Tyrants I Have Known Year of the Bright Standard (969 DR) The tale of the founding of the realm of Thay is one that is well known in the annals of the Inner Sea. Countless bards have recounted songs and tales of the summoning of the fearsome demonlord Eltab, the horrors of the Battle of Thazalhar and the destruction of the armies of Mulhorand. Fewer today know what occurred in the aftermath of that period of turmoil and how the Red Wizards of Thay came to be ruled by the Zulkirate. That tale has its genesis in the machinations of Tarloth Narmandur and clashes with wizards and other enemies far afield. In the aftermath of Thay's independence, Ythazz Buvarr and his zulkir companions sought answers to the wellspring of magic they had tapped to both summon and bind the fiend Eltab to their bidding. Their quest unveiled to them the majesty and sheer might of magic that was the Athora in the Year of Sudden Sorrows (941 DR). In their folly they sought to wrest parts of the Athora free so as to carry them on their person and call on its power at will. Their efforts resulted in a magical backlash that saw the cavern containing the Athora collapse, burying it and slaying over a score of the most powerful Red Wizards, including the zulkir Jorgmacdon. Ythazz was saved only by his pre¬prepared spell contingencies that whisked him away to a hidden lair but the power of the Athora triggered his transformation to lichdom and accelerated it so that within a matter of months he had become an insane demi-lich, shunned by all. Both Velsharoon and Zhengyi escaped the explosion but were severely wounded such that  when Tarloth Narmandur struck at them from the shadows, they were forced to flee Thay leaving it without clear leaders. Rudderless, the Red Wizards of Thay showed all the worst traits associated with grasping wizards presented with an opportunity to seize power. Attempts to govern their number by means of a Grand Council failed utterly when the factions of the powerful Red Wizards Tarragas and Haramadonn "the Flame-Etched" annihilated themselves and a score of neutrals at a gathering held ostensibly to discuss a system of rule. All the while Tarloth Narmandur took his opportunity to winnow the Red Wizard ranks of any mage he deemed a potential threat. In this turbulent time, the Red Wizards were also confronted by two formidable foes in the form of the mages of the Covenant and the Harpers. These two groups countered, slew and harassed any Red Wizard that sought to upset the power balance in the Heartlands and the North leading to a series of escalating retaliations that saw wizard after wizard perish. This state of affairs eventually came to the attention of the deity Mystra herself, who was dismayed at the wanton use of the Art and the deaths of so many promising wizards. The carelessness of the Red Wizards and their clawing, greedy grasping after Art frankly disgusted both Mystra and Azuth and they resolved to bring order to the chaos that was Thay. The Zulkirate While it is true that the zulkirs rule Thay, even their number is policed by the ustakir. You've not heard of that office, milord? You keep common company then. Drammagar, the Voice of Thay in discussion with the High Blade of Mulmaster Year of the Tankard (1370 DR) In the Year of Warlords (1030 DR) one Red Wizard rose above all others, to bring order to the chaos that enveloped Thay and reluctant obedience to its wizards. That mage was named Escalthar although in truth he was a pawn of the deity Azuth. He summoned his brethren to Laltharr, a bare crag in southwestern Thay, very near to the location of the Athora and convened the Council of the Black Star (after the black star mage-sigil used by Escalthar). There he outlined his proposal to have the realm ruled by eight zulkirs, each of them a master of a different school of wizardry. In soliciting candidates for the positions, Escalthar displayed a set of eight thrones of Netherese origin that provided immunity to spells or physical harm to whoever sat in them, as well as regalia for each office that granted enhanced spell might and powers. To counter-balance this group of eight wizards, Escalthar advised that the position of "ustakir" ("master of thrones" in the Mulhorandi tongue, from "usta": throne and "kir": master, but crudely rendered as "the Chairmaster" by outlanders) would be created also. That office controlled the thrones of the zulkirs and ensured the sanctity of the Conclave of Zulkirs, when such was called.
As expected, not every Red Wizard present at the Council of the Black Star enthusiastically embraced Escalthar's proposal, and at least one suffered that wizard's signature spell known as Escalthar's Everlasting Curse (which caused the target to shapechange every few breaths, uncontrollably for the rest of their likely short lives) when he dared attack him. Grudgingly, the Red Wizards present acquiesced to Escalthar's demands and after several days, eight Red Wizards volunteered and were ultimately selected to the office of zulkir. Escalthar named himself ustakir and immediately gained the trust of his zulkirs by opening his mind to those of their number who wished to spell probe him and his intentions (in this he was safeguarded by the power of Azuth). Unsurprisingly, the transition to the rule of the Zulkirate was not a seamless one. Many Red Wizards refused to accept the authority of Escalthar or the zulkirs, while other powerful Red Wizards departed from Thay to be free of, as the paranoid wizard Naresha of Pyarados bluntly put it, "veiled menace wrapped in a hollow promise of solidarity". Thay was soon plunged into civil war as the Red Wizards who opposed the zulkirs gathered their followers and went on the attack. These Red Wizards greatly outnumbered those who had thrown in their lot with the Zulkirate, but despite their numbers, they were unable to make any immediate decisive gains. Their endeavors were initially supported from the shadows by the activities of Tarloth Narmandur who had not foreseen the formation of the Zulkirate and rightly considered it an impediment to his plans to ultimately control all of Thay. When Tarloth sought to solve the problem in one fell swoop by slaying Escalthar, he was brutally rebuffed by the ustakir, who drew on the power of the Athora to sweep away his attacker's spell shields and wound him severely, causing his mystery antagonist to teleport away in agony-filled, haste. Having tasted the ustakir's power, Tarloth resolved to learn more of the means by which that individual and the zulkirs were able to wield such powerful Art, seemingly at the click of a finger, and withdrew back into the shadows to observe and study. He was forced to slay the Zulkir of Divination when that individual's scrying came too close to revealing his secrets, but otherwise he bided his time. Without his secret aid, the Red Wizards who opposed the Zulkirate could not prevail and despite their opposition lasting nearly half a century, their efforts were in the main feeble and erratic. When the fugitive Red Wizard Intratha and her five sisters were slain in a mighty spell duel at Joronim's Vale north of Hurk, the last of the threats to the Zulkirate was ended, and their rule was secured. That rule was to last exactly 301 years before the lich Szass Tam finally succeeded in his grasp for ultimate power and overthrew the Zulkirate. Again however, that is a tale for another day.
The demon Eltab, “Lord of the Hidden Layer"



The "First Zulkirate" appointed at the Council of the Black Star in the Autumn of 1030 DR were: Hahlomede Teeos (Abjuration): known as "Blackwyrm" for his everpresent tattered black robes and cloaks, that rendered him immune to dragon attacks and made dragons actively avoid him, Teeos loved to act mysterious and to track down lost treasures, old magics, and deceptions. This last sort of hunting quickly making him very unpopular with many Thayans; he became the feared, tireless, and increasingly hated "investigator" of the First Zulkirate. Tlantros Tulhoond (Conjuration): an aloof, private man who feared attack at all times, and was therefore always ready for battle, with schemes and "hanging" spells galore ready as both defenses and deterrents, in addition to the monsters he could magically whisk from elsewhere to his side; a sophisticated lover of music, wines, subtle behaviour, and "refinement" who opposed Thay's ever-greater reliance on slavery and the plundering of its resources at the expense of rejuvenating the land (he hated mines and quarries, preferring that Thay take what it needed from other lands by conquest or magical seizure and transportation). Zurkyl Mananthor "the All-Seeing" (Divination): was a tall, burly man who hid his features behind a floating enchanted mask that glowed with an aura from its inner (towards his face) surface when mentally activated to unleash its powers, which were largely defensive and detection wardings. Mananthor kept aloof from politics, sharing whatever he'd seen and learned impartially with all fellow zulkirs when they asked, but very seldom volunteering anything. His voice was deep, he always wore long black robes, and he kept to himself, in seclusion, farscrying all manner of events so as to maintain and improve an unmatched overview of what was unfolding in Thay and its vicinity. He disagreed with colleagues' ambitious intrigues from the outset, and soon paid the price when he fell afoul of the intrigues of Tarloth Narmandur—but to most of his fellow zulkirs and almost all of wider Thay, he "simply vanished." Zarhandro Laeluth (Enchantment): a fat, jovial man who deceived his fellow zulkirs — and everyone else he had any contact with, in life — as much as possible; made frequent use of doubles to make it appear that he was in one place while he was busy in another; often bubbled with gleeful laughter as he tricked or slew or took cruel revenges; trusted by very few, and feared by many, especially tharchions (whom he was known to have personally slain scores of, over the unfolding years, many by torture a hedonist who loved exotic foods and long, gluttonous feasts. Dlueae Sharshyndree (Evocation): the first female zulkir, Dlueae [pronounced "Dul-LOO-ay"] was a curvaceous woman with a melodious voice and alluring walk—who also had a coarse-featured and mannish face; she "had to shave like a man" and had acquired several disfiguring facial scars in her youthful adventuring career, and as a result customarily hid her face behind full head masks, which she sometimes augmented with a warrior's battle-helm; a bold and calm battle-leader and a good tactician, she served Thay well in warfare and built ever-increasing influence over her fellow zulkirs, both by taking them as lovers and befriending them with aid and assistance for their personal projects, and by often stating and refining successful policies for Thay that she got her fellow zulkirs to support (and that they therefore took pride in a mediator and peacemaker among her fellow zulkirs. Yaerind Mahl (Illusion): an inscrutable man of few words and fewer direct answers, stances, or clear statements, who customarily cloaked his true appearance with magical disguises, and preferred to spend much time roaming Thay appearing as various creatures, to spy and learn (and sometimes strike down treachery—which he widely defined as "anything he disliked" — where and when he found it was the first zulkir to force many apprentices and dupes to pretend to be him, so they perished in attacks meant to slay him, so he could strike down those who'd thought they'd killed the Zulkir of Illusion; possessed a pair of golden lions (figurines of wondrous power) that hunted and slew at his command. Tarabbas Mroound (Necromancy): a tall, sardonic, cadaver-thin man who "disappeared into bones" at will, and apparently did so permanently, soon after being named zulkir, apparently of his own volition and not due to any attack launched by a rival or would-be successor; many Thayan night-rumors insist he lives on, still, watching over Thay and covertly bringing misfortune to those he dislikes, whilst aiding those he favors. Kulvur Naraelond (Transmutation): a sly, witty, smart-mouthed trickster of a man, handsome and acrobatic, who was trusted by few; most men loathed him, and most women found him irresistible; a hedonist who seemingly cared more for enjoyment of food, drink, lovemaking, and diversions — even elaborate pranks — more than anything else in life; made many foes very quickly, and did not last long in office (or life).
Timeline Presented here is a truncated and annotated 922 Year of the Spouting Fish The Red Wizards rebel against Mulhorandi rule and sack Delhumide. The realm of Thay is founded after they unleash the demonlord Eltab timeline of the origins and rise of the land of Thay: and rout the armies of Mulhorand at the Battle of Thazalhar.10 -1087 The wizard Thayd leads a rebellion of mages against Mulhorand and Unther, seizing the northern provinces of both empires as his own 923 Year of the Bloodied Soldier The demonlord Eltab is bound by the Red Wizards of Thay beneath the city of Eltabbar.11 territory.1 932 Year of Fireslaughter -1081 Thayd and his co-conspirators are defeated by Mulhorand and Thayd is executed.2 The Thayan city of Kensten is renamed Bezantur.12 -1076 The Orcgate Wars: The Orcgate opens in the southern portion of the Plateau of Thay. Renegade Mulhorandi wizards employ Imaskari portal magic to open planar gates to an orc 934 Year of Fell Wizardry The Red Wizards of Thay launch their first invasion of Rashemen through the Gorge of Gauros but are repelled.13 world. Hundreds of thousands of orcs inundate the northern territories of both Mulhorand and Unther.3 941 Year of Sudden Sorrows The founding zulkirs of Thay are slain or scattered after they fail to tap into the power of -1069 The Orcgate is destroyed and the invading orcs the Athora. and their deities are defeated.4 952 Year of the Rings Royal -1045 The Pharaoh Horusret I, first incarnation of Horus-Re, becomes ruler of Mulhorand. The Red Wizard Baerzius Anagathiir becomes the Magister of Mystra and slays over a score of -1043 The Time of Broken Staves: the priesthood of his order before he is destroyed.14 Thoth establishes its control over all wizardry in Mulhorand. Rise of Narfell and Raumathar.5 955 Year of the Telltale Candle The Orcgates Affair: The Red Wizards of Thay c. -900 magically transport an orc horde from the North -150 Year of Recompense End of the Great Conflagration with the destruction of both Narfell and Raumathar.6 to the lands of the Old Empires by means of great portals, wreaking much devastation through the south.15 -148 Year of the Black Marble The Shining Clashes: the God-Kings of Mulhorand defeat a host of summoned horrors that survived the Great Conflagration.7 976 Year of the Slaying Spells Upon discovering that the Red Wizards of Thay are responsible for the Orcgates Affair, the Covenant begins to subtly work against these -135 Year of Old Beginnings wizard foes.16 The Mulhorandi found Kensten (Modern: Bezantur) at the site of ruined Prianar and establish the precept (province) of Shamulrand.8 989 Year of Dark Stalking The Red Wizards of Thay come into direct conflict with the mages of the Covenant. -97 Year of Amulets Delhumide is founded on the banks of Lake 1020 Year of Smoldering Spells Thay develops much of its unique fire magic.17 Ghagat (Modern: Lake Thaylambar). 1021 Year of the Howling Axe -59 Year of Whims Delhumide is named the capital of Shamulrand. Thay strikes against the Harpers throughout the Inner Sea and the Heartlands, forcing that 204 Year of the Avarice enemy to go underground.18 Priests of the God-Kings lead by Kesanhur, incarnation of Anhur, defeat the demonlord Eltab and imprison him beneath the present-day Thaymount.9 1030 Year of Warlords The Zulkirs are established as the rulers of Thay by Escalthar at the Council of the Black Star, who is named the first Ustakir.19 860 Year of the Tired Horsemen Rise of the tharchions, regional warlords who 1032 Year of the Nightmaidens Iphonos Cor becomes Ustakir of Thay. give lip service to the rule of the Sepatab of Shamulrand. 1074 Year of the Tightening Fist The Zulkirs crush the last opposition to their rule over Thay.20
References 1 Grand History of the Realms, p.38; Unapproachable East, p.163; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.268. 2 Grand History of the Realms, p.38; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.61. 3 Grand History of the Realms, p.39; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.61. Note that this last source dates this event as -1075 DR. 4 Grand History of the Realms, p.39; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62. 5 Grand History of the Realms, pgs.39 & 81; Races of Faerun, p.99; Sea of Fallen Stars, p.5; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62; Unapproachable East, pgs.122 & 140; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.268. 6 Grand History of the Realms, p.57; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.268; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62; Unapproachable East, pgs.104 & 163; Races of Faerun, pgs.89 & 99; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127; FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards, p.4. 7 Grand History of the Realms, p.57; FR10 Old Empires, p.5. 8 Grand History of the Realms, p.57; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62; FR10 Old Empires, pgs.4-5. 9 Grand History of the Realms, p.67; Champions of Ruin, p.132. 10 Grand History of the Realms, p.111; Unapproachable East, pgs.141 & 163; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), pgs.207 & 270; Races of Faerun, p.100; Sea of Fallen Stars, p.6; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127; FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards, p.4. 11 Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127. 12 Sea of Fallen Stars, p.6. 13 Grand History of the Realms, p.112; Unapproachable East, pgs.141 & 163; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.270; Races of Faerun, p.100; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127; FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards, p.4. 14 Secrets of the Magister, p.59. 15 Grand History of the Realms, p.113; Prayers From the Faithful, p.45. 16 Grand History of the Realms, p.113. 17 Grand History of the Realms, p.115; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127. 18 Grand History of the Realms, p.115; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.270; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127. 19 Grand History of the Realms, p.115; Unapproachable East, p.163; Lost Empires of Faerun, p.62; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.270; Sea of Fallen Stars, p.6; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127; FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards, p.4; FR10 Old Empires, p.6. 20 Grand History of the Realms, p.118; Unapproachable East, p.163; Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (III), p.270; Sea of Fallen Stars, p.6; Spellbound - Campaign Guide, p.127.