Bezantur

City

Eltabbar may be the capital of Thay, but Bezantur has long 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 shore beyond 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.

Law

Temples

Trade

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.