First Impressions - Thay - Land of the Red Wizards (D&D)

Welcome to Thay...

Although I've played or run most editions of D&D, I've spent very little time in the Forgotten Realms. I never felt the need to go deep on any of the official settings. However, I did enjoy the recent D&D movie Honor Among Thieves and was intrigued by the Red Wizards of Thay who fulfilled the role of antagonist wonderfully. I decided to find out more, and discovered that Ed Greenwood and friends had released a setting supplement for Thay through the Dungeon Master's Guild website.

TL;DR: Overall, I'm impressed with this book and setting. The content could easily be used for other D&D editions and even other game systems. It would have been easy to write a much more simple book with cardboard cut-out evil Red Wizards and a cartoon-like treatment of Thayan culture. Instead, we have a properly realised and believable fantasy society. Thay is a repressive police state ruled by an undead lich which exploits slavery, but it's also a place full of energy, hope and opportunity. It feels real, full of conflicts and contradictions.

I picked up the premium colour hardback version. It's 108-pages long and packed with gorgeously evocative images that relate well to the text. Nominally written by Greenwood's fantasy alter-ego, Elminster, most of the book is system neutral setting material. 

The book opens with a section on the people of Thay, and how the society works. It's written sensitively, something which is necessary because Thay is controlled by the powerful Lich, Svass Tam, who operates an arcane police state employs undead and slaves. The undead are mostly used in armies and to support state objectives (for example, mining or building infrastructure such as roads). The text is clear that the rest of the Forgotten Realms find Thayan slave ownership abhorrent (partly because they've often been a source of slaves) and also shows that opinions and attitudes are shifting within the country itself. The book describes how Thay is ruled, and how the Red Wizards are organised (including how to enter the order, and the internal rivalries). The relations with the rest of the Realms are touched upon (TL;DR: they aren't good). Svass Tam has a council of Zulkirs who advise him, each representing a different form of magic, but all are subservient to him. That said, he does allow dissent and different views to avoid the risk of the whole leadership of the country having the long-lived perspective of an evil rich-lord.

There's an internal cold war ongoing between Svass Tam and an exiled rival Red Wizard, Dar'lon Ma, gives plenty of opportunity for adventure. Ma wants to use the power of Thay to conquer other states and grow in power and influence, but Tam is more subtle. Dar'lon Ma has self-declared as a ruling Zulkir, and built his own council of rebels to challenge Svass Tam's authority. Trouble is brewing between the two factions; apparently this is covered in the Adventurer's League Dreams of the Red Wizards campaign. I can't comment on that as I've not read or played it. 

One thing I love about the book is that it covers cuisine, with a selection of (real) recipes provided so you can make a Thayan meal! 

Thay's military is detailed, both the undead hordes and the fearsome Thayan Knights. In addition, the Thayan navy, colloquially known as the "Water Fist",  is described along with its fearsome undead rowed galleys. The final organisation is the frightening Probity Corps; the secret police feared by all Thayans. An example of one of their operations is given in the scenario later in the book.

There's a chapter going into points of interest which starts by describing a Red Wizard compound, before moving on to describe typical Thayan homes and the famous -and sometimes magical - serpent statues popular across the country. This is followed by a tour of Thay describing each of the Tharchs (regions) and a nutshell summary of the local ruler. This is gazetteer material, and done well. It rounds out with a section recounting the advice of Shelmazra Hornwyntur, a Thayan-born half-elven merchant, based upon her extensive travels throughout the country. Her notes describe where to eat, what good trade opportunities are, the places to be seen worshipping at, contacts for guides, along with general sound advice for the traveller. 

Between these two sections, Thay comes to life. Thay is a repressive police state ruled by an undead lich which exploits slavery, but it's also a place full of energy, hope and opportunity. It feels like a real society, full of conflicts and contradictions. Thayan's aren't presented as cut-out villains but as more complex and likeable real people.

Rules-based material appears after sixty-six pages. This includes an intriguing Paladin variant: part-Wizard, part-Warrior, the Weavebound Paladin can draw upon the magical weave that underlies the world. At high level, they can temporarily shed Paladin levels to gain Wizard levels. They're unique and interesting. There's a new magic option to use circle magic, a way for the Red Wizards to work together to cast more powerful spells. A technique developed by Svass Tam, both the land and the casters can be damaged by using this magic form but the power gained is ever so sweet.

There are three new backgrounds; the Blank Slate (someone linked to the aberrant who has woke up without memories, having escaped from a ruined Red Wizard's laboratory); the Expatriate Mage (a wizard who has abandoned the Red Wizards); and the Thayan Deserter (a soldier who couldn't conscience carrying on doing what they'd been ordered to and escaped). All of these backgrounds give lots of scope to roleplay, with plenty of hooks for the GM. The chapter concludes with descriptions of the more unique Thayan equipment. 

The next chapter is a short bestiary of creatures unique to Thay, several of which are goat-based! They're unique and fun and quite fitting for the setting. 

The final section of the book is an adventure which can take a group of characters from first level to third level. They'll be recruited into a conspiracy (although they likely won't realise this initially), have several side quests and then face a serious moral dilemma. Whichever option they take, there will be plenty of hooks for an ongoing campaign, even if it just initially focuses on getting out of Thay alive. 

Overall, I'm impressed with this book and setting. The content could easily be used for other D&D editions and even other game systems. It would have been easy to write a much more simple book with cardboard cut-out evil Red Wizards and a cartoon-like treatment of Thayan culture. Instead, we have a properly realised and believable fantasy society, a society where it wouldn't be a stretch to play characters in or visit. 

Recommended. 

30 April 2023

Books in March 2023

The graph goes on...

March saw eleven books (two roleplaying, one non-fiction and the rest novels) and 2,984 pages. There's also the read through of 'Stealing Stories for the Devil', Monte Cook's new roleplaying game, but I didn't really have the time or energy to add the three books in on the Storygraph.

The roleplaying games were Alice is Missing, which looks really interesting and I may try to set the game up online as it looks quite intriguing, and Pirate Borg, which I reviewed at the time and really want to get to the table.

The non-fiction was Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing (Peter Robison) which left me sad at the way that neo-liberal changes in the way that US companies are governed enabled the dismantling of the strong innovation, safety and engineering culture of the once admired giant in favour of financial engineering and cutting safety margins on aircraft to save money. It also left me angry that the company had ultimately partly escaped from being held to account thanks the the arrival of the pandemic meaning the scandal of the two crashed aircraft with complete loss of life fell from the news cycles.

I went to Shanghai in the 1920s with Tom Bradby's "The Master of Rain", a detective story set amongst the corruption of the international settlements in the city. I also read a promising first novel by Helen Ingle, "Subject Alpha", which had an enjoyable energy to it.

I went back into the world of espionage with Mick Herron's short Slough House story 'Standing by the Wall', and Olen Steinhauer's 'All the Old Knives'. The latter has a film version out, and I think the book spoiled it for me. I think you can probably do one media format or the other.

Crime featured with Hanna Jameson's 'Something you are' and 'Girl Seven', both fast-paced novels set in London's underworld, and quite enjoyable. Violence and sex are common in these, so if that's not what you like in a crime story, don't go there. I will return to read the final part of this loose trilogy.

Now I come to my favourites for the month. I finally read Aliette de Bodard's novella 'Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances' and loved it for its fusion of cultures, magic and delightful characters, as well as the mystery at its heart. I really need to read the full novels soon (and they're on my Kindle). 

My favourite novel for the month was Ken MacLeod's "Beyond the Hallowed Sky",  the start of another trilogy from one of the author's whose books are automatic buys for me. Ken's novels are sharp, different and often have a socialist streak that counterbalances the more common capitalist stories that are found in SF. This is set in a future where Scotland has gone its own way into the 'Union' (think successor to the EU) and England is part of the 'Alliance' (US etc). Climate change has happened, AI exists, and a permanent base has been set up in orbit of Venus. An academic publishes a paper which indicates the potential for FTL travel, and events ensure. The second part has just come out and is in my plans to read soon.

I managed to read every day this month, once again.

2nd April 2023