Early during his rise to power, Severin enlisted the aid of a group of Thayan exiles in his scheme to return Tiamat to the world. He needs the Red Wizards' expertise in the rituals that will open the portal between Tiamat’s home on Avernus and the Well of Dragons. Without the Red Wizards, Severin’s plan can’t succeed.
The Red Wizards enlisted by Severin are among the many exiled Thayans who have fled the rule of Szass Tam, the lich lord of Thay, and his council of undead zulkirs. So great is the lich lord’s wrath that all such exiles are under a sentence of death. The leader of the Red Wizard exiles allied with Severin is Rath Modar, a human illusionist.
Though he has no particular bond with dragons, Rath Modar believes that when Tiamat returns, she will be willing to do favors for those who supported her. In comparison to the feeble members of the Cult of the Dragon, who offer Tiamat devotion but little else, the Red Wizards who opened the gate for her can wield great magical power in her name. All Modar plans to ask in return is the Dragon Queen’s aid in overthrowing the hated Szass Tam and restoring Thay to its former glory. Rath Modar and his splinter sect refer to their movement as the Thayan Resurrection.
The Enemy of My Enemy
At the start of this chapter, the characters are summoned to a secret meeting by someone they trust on the Council of Waterdeep. At the meeting, they learn that the council has been approached by a Red Wizard of Thay named Nyh Ilmichh. Ilmichh has extended an invitation to the council to send an envoy to Thay, to discuss ways in which Thay and the Sword Coast might aid each other during the current crisis. The adventurers have been specifically requested to represent the Sword Coast at this meeting, after which the characters will be returned to Waterdeep unharmed.
The visit to the embassy will last only a few days, but the location of the meeting is not negotiable. The duties of the tharchion (a Thayan governor) the characters will meet precludes her leaving her post. The characters' council contact tells them that Ilmichh has been carefully questioned and subjected to a
The characters should understand that without the Red Wizards, Severin’s plans are severely compromised. Moreover, it is common knowledge that Szass Tam wants all exiled Red Wizards dead in the worst possible way. Despite reservations from some on the council, most believe that since the factions and Szass Tam have a common goal, the invitation is worth accepting.
The final decision is up to the characters, of course. No one will compel them to go to Thay. But in the council’s estimation, the potential to delay or even undo Severin’s plan at a single blow is too much to pass up.
A Dark and Forbidding Land
Thay is an isolated and arid windswept plateau some twenty-five hundred miles east of Waterdeep, its dark skies constantly clouded by volcanic ash. This land is defined by the prevalence of undead within its borders. The supreme leader of Thay is the lich Szass Tam, whose council of advisers—the zulkirs—are powerful liches themselves. Everyone of consequence in Thay is a spellcaster, and necromancers are common there. Undead servants are everywhere, and many of the commanders in Thay’s armies are the free-thinking undead soldiers (use the wight statistics).
Travelers to this land must be wary of its dark politics—rampant paranoia, a police-state mentality, and necromancers commanding the top of the social order—as much as the threats of the undead and Red Wizards that dwell here. Thay is a place filled with extraordinary danger.
Preparations and Departure
The Harpers keep a close watch on developments in Thay, and they are the characters' best resource for current information on that land. If the characters don’t seek advice from the Harpers, Leosin Erlanthar approaches them.
In addition to providing the characters with the information about Thay above, Erlanthar arranges for them to receive sealed warrants indicating that they are acting on behalf of the Lords of Waterdeep and the Lords' Alliance. The party is under the protection of both groups, though such warrants are no guarantee of safety in Thay. Erlanthar advises the characters to address anyone of importance deferentially and by title, never by name only. As well, characters who know any necromantic magic should feel free to show it off.
When the adventurers are ready to depart, Nyh Ilmichh teleports with them to Nethwatch Keep in the Tharch of Lapendrar, just inside the Thayan frontier.
Reception and Audience
Nethwatch Keep is under the command of Tharchion Eseldra Yeth. She has been tharchion of Lapendrar for nearly a century—long enough to have firsthand memories of the past rebellion.
At the fortress, the characters are assigned to luxurious individual rooms, though the doors have no locks. Nyh Ilmichh tells anyone who asks that they are utterly safe in the tharchion’s keep. The adventurers see no other living creatures until their audience with Eseldra Yeth. All the servants and staff are undead, but the food and comforts of the fortress are of excellent quality and entirely safe.
Tharchion Eseldra Yeth is a female human vampire spellcaster. In the audience chamber where the meeting takes place, she is accompanied by 10 Red Wizards (use mage statistics if necessary) and 5 Wight. Eseldra Yeth reviews the characters' warrants briefly, then delivers a prepared message.
“We find ourselves bound in common cause against common enemies. Those who sought to destroy us in ages past now seek to destroy you. Our thirst for vengeance is strong, as is your thirst for continued life.
“Our enemy has become your enemy. We know their weaknesses and the ways of destroying them forever, without destroying their usefulness. You have the opportunity to discover their hiding places in your struggle against their cult allies. Together, we can remove them as a threat to us both.
“Our agent, Nyh Ilmichh, will return with you to your city of Waterdeep, there to serve as our liaison to your council. What you learn of the enemy, she will relay to us by means of our own. You need only find the enemy. We will deal with them, as is our custom.
“I am authorized by our eternal master, Szass Tam, to say these things, for I act in his name.”
The tharchion waits for the characters' response, and engages them in a discussion of what is known of the plot to release Tiamat and the Red Wizards aiding that plot. Her questions are straightforward and intelligent, and offer little opportunity for sly or clever responses. If a character is less than truthful, Eseldra Yeth probes for more information. She addresses questions to specific characters, never to the group in general. If she detects a lie (see below), she never addresses that character again.
Toward the end of the audience, each character must make a DC 20 Charisma (
- Arcane spellcasters gain a +6 bonus.
- Characters who openly worship a deity associated with death gain a +4 bonus.
- Clerics and paladins of good-aligned deities take a–6 penalty.
- Other characters wearing visible signs of worshiping any good-aligned deity take a–4 penalty.
- A character takes a–4 penalty each time he or she addresses Eseldra Yeth without using her title of tharchion.
- Any character who lies to Eseldra Yeth takes a–8 penalty, unless he or she succeeds on a DC 18 Charisma (
Deception ) check for each lie. (Don’t reveal the DC of this check.)
Feel free to introduce additional modifiers based on specific arguments the characters present and their overall behavior. Sincere (or at least convincing) praise for necromancy and for Thay’s twisted social order might earn a +2 or +4 bonus. Insincere praise, obvious hollow flattery, or outright hostility should invoke a penalty.
Make note of which characters succeed at the saving throw and which fail. The outcome determines what happens to them that night.
At the end of the audience, the characters are dismissed. Before being returned to their rooms and fed a sumptuous evening meal, Nyh Ilmichh tells them they will meet again in the morning.
Dreams and Nightmares
That night, each of the adventurers are targeted by a customized version of the
Each character must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw with disadvantage. On a successful save, a character remembers vague, disturbing dreams in the morning, but suffers no other effects.
Each character who fails the saving throw experiences a similar nightmare. He or she is
Each answer the character gives must be accompanied by a DC 15 Charisma (
A character who struggles against the bonds or who tries to cast a spell or use some other ability not hindered by physical restraint is struck by pain so severe that he or she is briefly
The nightmare ends when a character answers five questions successfully or eight questions in total. If the last question was answered successfully, the character sleeps fitfully the rest of the night. If the last question was answered unsuccessfully, the character wakes up screaming and drenched in sweat. Blood stains the bed sheets, though the character has no visible wounds. The character also takes 10 (
In the morning, any character who underwent this questioning has a deathly pallor and dark, hollow-looking eyes. The character’s appearance returns to normal when he or she finishes a long rest.
Outcome
In the morning, after another delicious meal, the characters are ushered back to the audience chamber. Eseldra Yeth is not there. Instead, they’re greeted by Nyh Ilmichh and one of the Red Wizards present at the audience the previous day. Only Nyh Ilmichh speaks.
What she says is determined by the number of characters who answered five questions successfully during the dream. If that number accounts for more than half the non-elven party (that is, elves don’t count toward the party total, because they cannot be affected by the Red Wizards'
If the tally is half the number of non-elven characters in the party or fewer, Nyh Ilmichh states that Tharchion Yeth thanks them for their information, but that Thay’s attention is commanded by matters within its own borders and the Red Wizards cannot help. Before the characters can react, the other Red Wizard waves his hand and a previously
Conclusion
If the mission to Thay was a success, it benefits the factions during chapter 17. Additionally, hidden in a backpack or pocket, each character finds a human finger bone tied to a loop of dried gut. Each bone acts as a
If you choose, the characters gain a level at the end of this chapter.