Bezantur
{{City
|Name=Bezantur
|Type=Metropolis
|Region=The Unapproachable East
|Population=136,800
|Demographics=human 98%, gnoll 1%, orc 1%
|GP Limit=200,000 CGP
|Assets=684,000,000 CGP
}}
Eltabbar may be the capital of Thay, but Bezantur haslong been the commercial center of the realm. The city
is the capital of the tharch of Priador and is
the largest port in the Red Wizards’
domain. For centuries, Thayan
cotton, fruit, and grain flowed
through Bezantur, enriching the
masters of the city and the tharchion,
but the wealth pouring in
now is unimaginable. To Bezantur
flow the gold, goods, and slaves exchanged
in dozens of Thayan enclaves
across the Sea of Fallen Stars, so it is
not only the largest city in Thay but
by far the wealthiest.
Black-walled Bezantur squats
on the northern shore of the Alamber Sea. Artisans, merchants,
priests, and soldiers live
crammed within its walls,
while beyond sprawls an immense
and squalid shantytown
of commoners and slave pens.
No tree grows within twenty
miles of the city; great shipyards
even larger than those of
the Alaor lie along the shorebeyond its walls, employing
hundreds of carpenters and shipwrights
and thousands of slaves.
On the eastern side of the city,
within newly built walls even higher and stronger
than the city’s own, stands the Guild of Foreign Trade,
the heart of Thay’s sinister enterprise to enslave the
West through commerce.
Government
Before Tharchion Aznar Thrul's reign, the city of Bezantur was effectively ruled by The Guild of Foreign Trade, presiding over a council of merchant lords, many of whom were either Red Wizards themselves or in their direct employ. The purpose of this government was to facilitate trade--or, perhaps more aptly, to make the guild members rich.
Aznar Thrul's Reconstruction saw the formation of a new government; a simple hierarchy, in military style, reporting directly to the Tharchion of the Priador, which is Thrul himself. All positions are appointed by the Tharchion, and are held for life, or until he changes his mind. Appointment to any of these positions is an elevation to noble status, per Thrul's New Nobility.
- The Tharchion of the Priador
- The Lord Mayor of Bezantur
- Reports to the Tharchion
- Duties include representing Bezantur as Head of Government, solving government disputes
- Prime directive is to maintain order, allow efficient implementation of Tharchion's wishes
- The Lord Marshal of Bezantur
- Reports to the Tharchion and the Lord Mayor
- Duties include maintaining Bezantur's standing army and police force
- Prime directive is to keep fighting force in ready condition, gain new recruits
- The Lord Trade Master of Bezantur
- Reports to the Tharchion and the Lord Mayor
- Duties include maintaining efficient harbor and market operations, excising tariffs
- Prime directive is to consistently increase tariff income year over year
- The Lord Quartermaster of Bezantur
- Reports to the Tharchion and the Lord Mayor
- Duties include keeping city's foodstuffs and supply stock full, drafting of emergency plans for all possible contingencies
- Prime directive is to improve Bezantur's siege endurance; stocks also intended for military use during protracted campaigns
Each of these positions are served by a hierarchy of inferior officers. It is from such ranks that these positions are usually filled.
In theory, Bezantur is run as the capital of a police state. In practice, the massive throngs of people in the streets, a significant portion of which are foreigners and other temporary residents, are nigh impossible to control. A curfew would be impossible to enforce, since huge numbers of people have no homes to return to. Strict control of trade is a pipe dream, with the labyrinthine network of black market traders so firmly entrenched in centuries of tradition--not to mention the many and powerful thieves' guilds.
In practice, the military is used to provide temporary security and order to any area of the city where it is needed. The 20,000 men of the city's army and police force are spread over many square miles of the sprawling metropolis; the army of the Priador is used whenever greater security is needed.
Military and Police Force
Bezantur has a standing army of 20,000 soldiers, under the command of the Lord Marshal of Bezantur. One third of the army consists of free men; another, gnoll slaves; and the last third, orcish slaves. The free men outrank all slaves; a platoon of free soldiers usually controls a platoon of gnolls and another of orcs.
The gnolls and orcs have been bred in such a way that they despise one another more than their masters; in the event of an uprising, the demihumans would turn on one another, and only attack their masters when their numbers were greatly reduced, making for easy kills. Though a full-scale uprising has not occurred in Thrul's reign, several small altercations have proved this theory mostly true.
The army of Bezantur serves as its defense in wartime and as its police force in peacetime. At any given time, five to ten thousand troops are deployed throughout the city, walking beats, monitoring important sites and intersections, and guarding key installations.
The Lord Marshal is authorized to draft up to 20,000 additional free men and 40,000 slaves from the reserve forces of the Priador in times of need. In this case, the Lord Quartermaster is required to provide 70% of the basic foodstuffs and supplies for the reservists.