Rise of the Thayan Empire

The Empress makes a deal with the Simbul and the witches. She would gain an alliance with Aglarond and Rashemen by giving them what they wanted most: the Red Wizards, and Tam's head on a platter.

The great betrayal didn't go quite as planned; Tam was, amazingly, pulled in by her deceit, but her efforts were betrayed by Lauzoril. In the end, she mostly succeeded; some of the zulkirs and many Red Wizards died -- all those who refused to swear loyalty to her. The Red Wizards became a renegade organization, exiled from Thay but still very much present there.

The tenuous alliance didn't last long--the Rashemi were the first to break their word, and the Empress' vengeance was swift. The nation of Rashemen was conquered, save for the strongholds of Wychlaran power. As for Aglarond, the nations waited for a battle that never came. Instead, the Simbul erected a massive barrier against the Thayan border, impenetrable to any native of Thay--then summarily disappeared. In her wake, Aleric Argentsworn was tapped to serve in her stead; he did so, reluctantly, and with the insistance that Aglarond take the reins of its own destiny.

Tensions were high in the wake of Thay's rapid rise, and the nations of good around the world were clamoring for a united front against them. Mulhorand was easy with their threats, but faced the difficult prospect of fighting Thay's staunch ally, Unther. With Thay having conquered much coastal land from Aglarond, and rapidly expanding into Thesk, all nations of the Inner Sea were greatly concerned.

The King of Impiltur called a grand convocation, in which he gained solemn pledges from Cormyr, Myth Drannor, Chondath, the Lords' Alliance, and Luruar to come to the aid of any free people Thay might assault.

In a mad show of power, the Empress assaulted the Pirate Isles. Though they were not subject to the compact, the regent of Cormyr called for an intervention, to prevent Thayan domination of the Inner Sea. They were joined by Impiltur, and assisted by virtually all free peoples of the sea.

At the Pirate Isles, a fierce battle was waged, with the pirates themselves putting up a valiant, if futile defense. The entrenched Thayans defended their gains against an increasingly intense siege from the alliance, until it was broken...by the arrival of the fortresses.

From the sky, through the dark clouds of winter, came three black fortresses, massive monuments to the power of the Shadovar. They made it clear which side they were on, and aided the Empress in conjuring a storm to sink the combined fleets. Those who survived the unearthly typhoon limped home to their respective coasts, vowing to fortify themselves against future aggression.

Then, into Thay's relatively weak underbelly, came the thrust from Mulhorand. They were aided by an ally of convenience--the exiled Red Wizards. The wizards' knowledge of Thay and considerable arcane might gave them an edge, sacking and razing Bezantur even as they fended off a powerful counterattack from Unther.

The Thayans had no choice but to recall their navy to liberate their southern coast, leaving the Pirate Isles in the hands of the Shadovar. They battled brutally with the Mulhorandi, achieving only a stalemate, as the increasingly vile tactics of the Red Wizards eventually earned them the disfavor of the Pharaoh. He offered a white peace to the Empress; she did not accept, but she did accept a truce, leaving the question of peace yet to be decided.

Today, Thay's power is clear, as is the current extent of that power. The lands they lost to Mulhorand were retaken, and better for it--Bezantur was left to rot, with a new, much grander southern port under construction by imperial decree. The lands they took from Aglarond and Rashemen were in no danger of slipping away; they had been fortified against far greater threats. Thesk was theirs to toy with, with no city able to mount a serious defense, though they continue to contest their will against that of the Shadowmasters.

The Pirate Isles remain an imperial claim of Thay, but are in truth held by the Shadovar, who are relishing the central location. The alliance between the two seems to be a flexible one, as the Shadovar are also allied with the Zhentarim, who espouse total opposition to Thay, despite refusing to ally with the empire's many other enemies.

Though the nation of Thay is strong, they face greater opposition than ever, and not just from angry and fearful neighbor states. The Red Wizards have been culled, but are stronger for it--freed of their bureaucracy and responsibilities, they are a dangerous threat to the Empress, and to the rest of Faerun.

Perhaps more dangerous is the vengeance of the Wychlaran, who, though they hide in their sacred forests, are anything but content to wait out the seige of their home land. Rumor has it that there has been a great power shift in their ranks; newer, more radical ideas are prevailing, and the old ideals are being blamed for the weakness that cost them their home. Many are willing to mark dark bargains, to call on powers long thought extinct, secrets long thought forgotten, and magic that should never be resurrected.

What the Empress offered the Shadovar for their aid, no one knows, but she surely paid no small price. What power that gives them over her is unknowable.