| Priador | |
|---|---|
| Area | Thay |
Inhabitants of Priador Locations in Priador Organizations in Priador Settlements in Priador | |
Priador is the coastal region of Thay. Tharchion Aznar Thrul, the zulkir of evocation, rules this tharch with an iron fist. Thay’s trade enclaves in other lands brings immense wealth into Bezantur, the tharch's largest city. Thrul has almost unlimited resources at his disposal, and there is little to stop him—other than the other zulkirs, that is. Thrul derided the notion of selling magic items early on when Thay was establishing the enclave system, so he has reaped little of the enormous profits of the Guild of Foreign Trade. The zulkir simmers over the lost opportunity. He believes a hefty cut of the Guild’s take is due him as the tharchion controlling Bezantur, and he is considering how to claim his portion against the interest of those who supported the idea from the beginning.
The Priador extends along Thay’s southern coast, from the River Lapendrar all the way east to the River Thazarim. Its northern boundary is the Lapendrar and the First Escarpment. Along with the Alaor and Surthay in the distant north, the Priador is not actually part of the Plateau of Thay. Besides Bezantur, the tharch holds two other major settlements. Thasselen lies on the shore seventy miles west of Bezantur. Another hundred miles or so farther in that direction squats the port city of Murbant. Both of these ports are closer to the Sea of Fallen Stars—and therefore the bulk of Faerûn—than Bezantur, but they are poor sisters to the tharch’s capital.
Bezantur is one of the largest and wealthiest cities in eastern Faerûn, and its port is thronged with the ships of a dozen lands at all times. The High Road, one of the nation’s two major roads, starts in Bezantur. From there, it climbs the First Escarpment, passes through Tyraturos, and ends in Eltabbar. Some of the locals call this road the Slave Way, for large numbers of slaves are driven north along it to the markets of Eltabbar.
Unlike most of Thay, much of the Priador is still wild. In fact, a number of preserves throughout the region permit monsters to roam freely. These creatures are kept on hand for use in the Red Wizards’ unethical experiments. Travelers accosted by the creatures are allowed to defend themselves, but more than one monster-slayer has discovered that damaging a zulkir’s property brings more pain than claws and teeth.
History[]
During the Salamander War (1357 DR-1358 DR) that ravaged the coastal cities of the Priador, the forces of Thay found themselves sorely beleaguered by former salamander allies. The salamanders burned everything in their path, because the Red Wizards had betrayed a promise to them to build a permanent portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. An up-and-coming Red Wizard, Aznar Thrul, pleaded with the fire god Kossuth for aid, and Kossuth drove the invading salamanders away with his own elementals. Thay then occupied the Priador March and Thul was named tharchion of the land.