The Town of Rathor

The tharch of Gauros, updated to show created settlements

Rathor

Alignment: CN

Races: Rashemi, significant half elf population, half elves are commons slaves

Classes: Druids predominate, rangers common, rogues and experts common

Temples: Beshaba, Malar, Shar, Talona

Shrines: Auril, Geb (open secret), Shaundakul

Age: Recent

Reputation: Discounted

Virtue: Industry

Vice: Vanity

Recent Event: Attacked

Desires: Recognition

Security: Top Notch

Access: Often Visited

Repair: Basic

Impression: Fuming

Sanitation: Comfortable

Lighting: Decent

Streets: Dirt

Rathor is a small town of woodsmen and miners nestled at the base of the foothills of the Sunrise Mountains. What maps do not tend to show are the forests which cover the foothills and provide much of the town's livelihood. There are two reasons for this: first, maps are not made with intimate knowledge of Thay (and are often seeded with false information), and second, because Rathor and its environs are largely forgotten on the country's stage. On one hand, the inhabitants are glad to be away from political nonsense, but on the other hand, they secretly crave recognition for all they contribute. For better or worse, they may soon get it.

Normally, Rathor receives many visitors for trade, so it is set up with more inns than one might expect. They also welcome the druids and rangers who frequent the region, however, so they are mindful of the land when they build anything. Streets have not been paved and the town has carefully developed away from the treeline. The wooden walls are treated with fire-resistant alchemical pastes. Waste is carried by slaves to central vats and then disposed of in batch lots, by magic or creatures. Food animals are used down to their smallest components and composting is mandated. Magical lights are set close to the forest rather than fires, and only trees marked by druids are logged (and are swiftly replaced). This makes Rathor a more pleasant place than it might be otherwise.

The presence (and protection) of druids and rangers is relatively rare in Thay; this is one of the few places they are powerful, well away from the city streets of sprawling metropolises like Eltabbar. The town also has a higher population of elves than elsewhere, particularly wood elves; they have been sent for specifically to benefit the forests. Elves who think they will have an easier time escaping soon meet defeat in the woods, where the druids are not kind, and in the steep, unforgiving mountains. Slaves in Rathor are worked hard and given the more unpleasant tasks, but the townsfolk all work hard, so they do not tend to outright abuse slaves who perform well. Justice in Rathor is swift and harsh for all, with duels to the death, being hunted by beasts of Malar, and being fed to wicker men being common sentences.

Once each year, the temple of Malar hosts a High Hunt. Slaves who wish to participate are hunted in the forests and hunted for the next night and day. They are not forced to do so, generally, because it is a challenge of their will. Those who survive win their freedom. Needless to say, few have ever succeeded. One who did was Vesdan, an elven woodsman who hid his druidic magic. Upon winning the hunt, he left Thay - but to everyone's surprise, he returned to Rathos and married a local Rashemi woman, taking her surname of Szollos. His daughter Lucindiya was born free and developed skill as a wizard. Although he was often scorned, Vesdan worked in the town's defense and won some begrudging respect.

Recently, the tharchioness Azhir Kren fell in battle, trying one last time to strike at Rashemen. There was no clear successor and a number of contenders arose to take her place, throwing Gauros into civil unrest. Attacks from strange Underdark creatures were on the rise, but all anyone seemed to care about was the power vacuum. It was then that Vesdan Szollos threw his hat into the race and petitioned the temple of Malar in Denzar to end the stalemate. He knew this would outrage the populace and wagered that it would get them to work toward a conclusion, and he was right. A Battle of the Tharchions was arranged and overseen by the temple on the plains near Rathor. The various contenders gathered and moved their forces, not against each other, but against hordes from the Underdark that were driven upward.

When all was said and done, Vesdan Szollos had the most - and most impressive -  victories and was declared tharchion. He is the first and only non-Mulan tharchion, and although he moved to Denzar shortly after to take up office, he has brought outside attention to Rathor for the first time in many years. What this will mean for the town has yet to be seen, but if it is going to make a name for itself, the time is now.

The Fortress of Dhalinax

The tharch of Gauros, updated to show created settlements

Dhalinax

Alignment: LN

Races: Rashemi, significant dwarves and gnomes are commons slaves

Classes: Fighters, clerics, rangers, rogues and experts common

Temples: Helm, Oghma, Shar, Tempus

Shrines: Auril, Beshaba, Grumbar

Age: Historical

Reputation: Tolerated

Virtue: Hope

Vice: Sloth

Recent Event: Imbued With Evil

Desires: Necessities

Security: Nearly Impenetrable

Access: Major Hub

Repair: Luxury

Impression: Too Quiet

Sanitation: Tolerable

Lighting: Poor

Streets: Tile

Once an abandoned, historic dwarven fortress, Dhalinax is now the northernmost town in Gauros. It bridges the gap between the Sunrise Mountains and the nearby hills, serving as security between Gauros and Rasheman. It is also a gate of trade between Gauros and Surthay, as well as the drow outpost below the shores of Lake Mulsantir. It serves as a launching point for expeditions into the mountains and the Gorge of Gauros. There are several great main gates on either side which require heavy-duty mechanisms to open; they are made of layers of stone and metal and benefit from magical wards. The machinery was based on old dwarven designs but has been updated with gnomish ingenuity, and it is no surprise that there are more dwarven and gnomish slaves than are typically found elsewhere in Thay.

The fortress is locked in a vicious cycle of feast and famine. At times, it is overcrowded with adventurers and merchants flush with currency and goods. At other times, the vaults are mostly empty and those who live there ration necessities. It survives because it is strictly organized by the temple of Helm, which has the greatest influence on the populace. Everyone who shelters within its walls must donate time and services to the upkeep of the fortress. All visitors are apprised of this before they are allowed inside. If they refuse to serve, they are turned away, but if they wish, they can trade their service for room and board. The central garrison has a system of task boards and tokens to keep track of chores, and an interview matches a person’s skills with a set of duties.

Given its location, the fortress does not enjoy the full protection of the Thayan weather net. It’s believed that the Red Wizards see little use in protecting the mountain range, especially when bad weather will help hamper escaping slaves. While the worst conditions remain in the peaks (hail, blizzards, avalanches, and anything else Talos can send through the porous net), the fortress is known to be colder than most places in Thay. The great vaults are not temperature controlled, but the rooms which line the vaults are warmed through magic or mundane means. Locals tend to wear layers as they venture from one side of the fortress to another and then shed them once they’ve reached their destination.

A stream from the Sunrise Mountains has been routed to serve as the fortress's main water source, emptying into a magical pit that stores the excess. Altogether, the fortress is impressive, with marble tile floors, high arched vaults lined with terraces, as well as a series of elevators that are operated via a blend of magical and mundane means. The lowest levels are forbidden to most (requiring permission from the mayor and/or the temple of Helm), and while justice is swift for offenses, it is not as inhumane as elsewhere in Thay. 

This is because there is more of a focus on order and efficiency than kindness and cruelty, and this attitude even extends to slaves. They work hard but they are allowed more freedoms in their spare time. They can craft, cook, brew, and so on, so long as they do not work against Thayans or Thayan interests. As a result, although the slave district is in the dankest part of the fortress, it has an engaging blend of styles, scents, and sounds. Visitors and inhabitants alike venture there for experimental gnomish cuisine and dwarven specialties. Slaves who follow the gods represented in local temples and shrines are allowed to worship at these official spaces. (In most of the country, slaves worship on their own and must construct their own shrines out of detritus.)

All in all, a visit to Dhalinax is a memorable experience, if one has occasion to go there.

Denzar, capital of Gauros

The tharch of Gauros, updated to show created settlements

Denzar, capital of Gauros

Alignment: NE
Population: Sufficient
Races: Rashemi, significant half orc population, gnomes are commons slaves
Classes: Rangers predominate, fighters common, clerics and adepts common
Temples: Malar, Tempus, Shaundakul
Shrines: Shar, Garagos, Beshaba, Bane, Auril
Age: Well Established  
Reputation: Accepted 
Virtue: Confidence 
Vice: Wrath
Recent Event: New Attack 
Desires: More Time 
Security: Basic 
Access: Often Visited  
Repair: Poor 
Impression: Belligerent
Sanitation: Tolerable
Lighting: Poor
Streets: Gravel

The Slave Way - The Key Road Through Thay

Dear Salia Valgon, daughter of High Cleric Fury Valgon, squire-in-training to Bane's Blackened Fist, Augustus Valgon (glory to Bane) - 

I could not help but overhear your inquiry about the Slave Way at your family's last gathering.  Unfortunately, I was unable to answer your inquiry right then, but as an aspiring warrior and a noble Thayan young lady, you should know about that road's very special place in our lives.  (Which is why your father probably shushed you; it was harsh, but he saved you some embarrassment, so hate him a little less for it, if you can.)  With this letter, I offer you a less boring way to learn about a path you will travel many times in your life.  Because until you work your way into one of the flying corps, you will be using it any time you travel south.
  

Excerpt from the official map of Thay

You already know why it is called the Slave Way - it's the route we force the slaves to walk once they get here so they can see just how far from help they are.  It weeds out any of the sick or weak we might have missed and gets any escape attempts out of the way.  Those who attempt to flee are brought down mercilessly in front of the rest.  By the time they get up the First Escarpment, most slaves have little fight left in them.  The journey is hard and slow, but it works wonders for morale.  Those who are not sold along the way and make it all the way to Eltabbar are docile and awed.  They accept their fate.

But we did not build the road in the first place.  Mulhorand seized this territory after Raumathar and Narfell blew each other to bits, and the basic path up the middle of the plateau was already in place.  There had been trade between the lake and the sea, but the road was torn apart in the war.  The Mulhorandi improved it when they rebuilt Kensten (which is called Bezantur now), but only as much as necessary.  At the time, Eltabbar wasn't much more than a series of docks and warehouses called Pyceles (its Raumviran name), so the trading was much slower and less valuable.  Like everything else about Mulhorand.

Plans really started to take shape after we won the war for independence.  When Eltabbar was remodeled and chosen as the capital, we knew the road would have to be redone, too.  It led right through Tyraturos, which was already a larger city, and many Thayans had schemes for a more impressive interior.  The Mulhorandi hadn't put many resources into the land because it was so far away from the center of their empire.  Now it was our empire, and once we stabilized our first cities, we began to build it up.

Foreigners do not understand much about how our interior works, which is for the best.  For one thing, the Slave Way has never been just one road, and it was not built all at once.  Different stretches were funded by various patrons between 1000 and 1200 DR.  They have their own styles, defenses, and upkeep.  They also have their own names that locals use.  The Slave Way no longer "starts" in Bezantur, either; acquiring Murbant and Escalant in 1357 gave us an excuse to extend the road out across the Wizards' Reach.  Slaves do most of the basic repairs and cleaning, but citizens take care of any serious problems.  The road carries caravans and our humanoid allies where they're needed, and maintaining the road is much cheaper than trying to teleport everything everywhere.

The main stretches of the Slave Way are:

Escalant to Bezantur: This part is called Wizards' Row, since it's marked with plinths bearing symbols of magic and the Red Wizards.  Some of them are enchanted and some of them are not at any given time, but they are always reminders that we own the area now.  (Anyone found vandalizing them is given a very public execution, but idiots still try.)  The surrounding land is also rigged with magical traps for those who stray from the road without a guard bearing the chosen glyph.  They wear many glyphs stashed on their person to confuse slaves who try to pick-pocket the right one.

Bezantur to Galresh (just before the First Escarpment begins): This stretch is called the Tower Gauntlet because it's lined with impressive watchtowers all the way to Galresh, which is the town at the base of the cliff.  Some say that the towers are based on Raumviran ruins that have been found deep within Thay but no one knows how much.  Spells have been cast from them, but whether they were cast by wizards or the towers themselves is anyone's guess.  Most caravans will stop to rest at Galresh before starting the climb, and the town stays alive by catering to visitors and watching over slaves until they are ready to be moved.

Up the First Escarpment: The road that leads all the way up the cliffside is steep and long, with few alcoves dug into the cliff face for a rest.  It is a place begging for accidents and attempts at revolt, along with attempts at suicide and infighting.  For all of those reasons (as well as the ruddy color of the bare rock), it is called the Red Road by those who survive.  And more survive than you might think.  We learned long ago that crazed slaves will try to throw themselves over the edge because they think they would rather die than serve us - so we have nets and magic in place to catch them.  There are also secret entrances to caves that belong to our humanoid allies.  That is where those who fight or fuss are sometimes sent to be punished.  Most are returned, worse for wear but alive.

Rise to Delabbar: After reaching the main plateau, the path to Delabbar is named Yadara's Way for the patron who finally saw fit to develop it.  It was one of the last lengths to be given a Thayan touch, mostly because those who got past the Red Road didn't care what it looked like, as long as it was mostly flat.  Yadara was the last of her line and too old to bear children, so she chose to leave behind another legacy.  She commissioned statues of Thayan heroes who were not nobles and even placed a likeness of herself among them as a way of revealing that she had been adopted from commoner stock.  She killed herself at the opening ceremony and her ghost is said to wander anywhere along the path she pleases.  She terrifies slaves back to their masters - but she also delights in tormenting nobles who act too proud for their own good.  Trying to replace one of the statutes (or dishonor it) without her leave will result in immediate attack.

Delabbar to Mophur: Tyraturos held a city-wide competition to bring in the bones of the largest creatures their heroes could kill.  Nothing less than gargantuan sized foes would do for what they had in mind, and Spine Row is the end result.  Ribs, tails, other bones and carapaces are embedded in the dirt beside the road all the way up the middle of the plateau.  Closer to Delabbar and Mophur, the ground is moist and the bones stand out from greenery.  Closer to Tyraturos, the bleached remains gleam against desert sand.  At first, there were only so many, but they have been added to ever since.  These trophies make the journey to the massive gates of Tyraturos truly impressive and stand as a warning to any big monsters that might want to drop in on us.  Nobles can submit their trophies for use in the project even today.  I would not be surprised if your cousin Augustus added to the collection someday.  Tyraturos is the city of his birth, after all.

Mophur to Nuthretos: Mophur is the city of satisfaction (because it is the center of the drugs we spread across Faerun, not because they necessarily have more fun).  Nuthretos is the city of poison and basically dedicated to Talona.  Their solution was to sew the area with narcotics and dangerous plants, and good luck figuring out which is which.  Locals refer to it as The Wandering, but most of them won't risk stealing from the noble houses involved.  Slaves sometimes grab what they can, hoping to die, but they only become mildly ill.  Sick enough to wish they weren't.  Others just want to zone out and if they find the right leaves, they have a much better trip.  Some of the slave masters will spread rumors to calm the herd.

Nuthretos to Eltabbar: The influence of Eltabbar begins at the doorstep of Nuthretos, where the road becomes a marble expanse lined with columns.  This is one of the most costly stretches of the Slave Way to maintain but it is also the most elegant, as you've seen for yourself.  The problem is that you have not traveled much or far yet, so you cannot appreciate just how glorious it is.  One day, you will.  One day, you will ride out of the Wizard's Eye gate on your own steed and take the Steps of Thayd at your own pace.  If you follow your cousin Augustus's teachings, you will return a conqueror for certain. 

For you see, it is the Slave Way for the conquered, but it is the High Road for the conquerors.  You will not hear it called the High Road often, even though that is its official name, but it leads to the mightiest cities in Thay and there is no higher path to power here except the one that leads to the Thaymount.  Since neither of us were blessed with the gift of magic, mastering the High Road is our lot.

I hope this will be of use to you, and feel free to show off your newly acquired knowledge at the first available opportunity.  Just do not tell anyone where you learned it from, even if your cousin Augustus asks.  Let this be between us, and between us, let us make your house look even stronger in ways that others do not expect it to be.

Sincerely,
Tari Govannon

The Bridge of Bones near Keluthar

Excerpt from the official map of Thay

On the coast of Lake Thaylambar is the small port city of Keluthar, an important supply point for all of the northern tharchs.  It is one of the oldest continually settled locations in the area, chosen for its strategic value alongside the mouth of the River Thay.  Not only does it have regular visits through its extensive docks but it is an end point along the Sur Road which connects Surthay and Gauros by land.  Since it is also almost directly across the lake from the grand markets of Eltabbar, Keluthar handles all southbound shipping of note.

Keluthar was the capital of the tharch for a brief while after the sack of Delhumide city, when Thayans were trying to solidify their power after gaining their independence.  As a Mulhorandi town, it had been dedicated to Osiris and the rites of the dead for Mulan citizens.  It had the most opulent resting places and its priests tended nearby necropoli.  It was no surprise when Keluthar suffered a particularly violent wave of "renovations" after the revolt, as the old signs of worship were destroyed.  Instead of giving the town a whole new purpose, however, edifices were slowly but surely restored in bold new ways.  

The necropoli in Delhumide were once the most revered and sought after, and in some ways, that's still the case.  Many nobles continue to find it fashionable to be buried at Keluthar or its outlying necropoli, especially if they live in the rough, less civilized lands of Gauros or Surthay.  And whether they like it or not, slave corpses are often shipped to the great clearinghouses operated by House Tam.  (Shipping the dead isn't compulsory, but it does bring in coin to offset the loss, and most organizations want to be in the good graces of House Tam.)  From there, bodies are distributed for experimentation, raising, and any other purpose the overseers approve.

Umratharos eventually stole the honor of being Delhumide's capital, choking off the lion's share of the gold and attention Keluthar had started to enjoy.  The city has since filled its coffers mainly through fees for services related to the dead.  It has struggled to become a reliable source for spell components, poisons, drugs, and shipping materials.  Local plants and creatures are often twisted by leftover magic, offering unique toxins and intoxicants.  Umratharos chokes off as many supplies from the north as it dares, however, and the Sur Road does not have a branch that doesn't pass through the new capital.  Thus, tere is a continual tug-of-war between the cities and while many Thayans pass through Keluthar, its growth has been sluggish in recent memory.

The Bridge of Bones is a great - and some say horrific - monument that crosses the River Thay near Keluthar.  Bridges were constructed on the spot for centuries before Thay's birth because the river's waters can be particularly treacherous.  The Mulhorandi Empire established a notably large and impressive bridge there, book-ended with mighty statues of their gods.  Of course, it couldn't stay that way, and a number of Red Wizards had the pleasure of bombing it into oblivion with spells.  The ruins were kept as a statement of their power for around a century until House Tam suggested a new design.

Thousands of bones of all sizes were gathered from across the country, taken only from enemies of Thay.  Keluthar gathered a panel to deem the donations worthy of being used and while anyone could submit a corpse, in practice few were allowed that were not presented by nobles.  The bones were magically hardened, coated in precious metals in some cases and treated with alchemy in others, and arranged to form the new bascule bridge.  Gnomish slaves provided the knowledge of how to install its two platforms, which raise and lower on either side through counterweight mechanisms (with a magical backup, in case anything goes wrong).  

Gate towers of volcanic rock on either bank also have room for rotating groups of guards.  These defenders are generally bored or busy trying to squeeze fees, favors, or diversions from travelers.  Guards rarely sleep in the towers but there are cramped bunks, as well as stocked armories and kitchens in both of them.  They can cut themselves off defensively if necessary, and a few times it has been.  The towers also anchor the latticed elevated walkways that cross over the river as viewing and offensive positions for the bridge's defenders.  They are identical five story buildings with ground-level entrances on the interior side of the bridge.  The surrounding banks are set with the large other bones of monstrous foes and laced with traps, and several gates must be raised to allow visitors to pass through them.

The towers and walkways showcase the skulls of Thay's foes, with the largest arranged along the towers' exteriors.  The collection has grown over time and permission must be granted to add or remove any.  While the smaller bones are an anonymous mix, the skulls are each numbered, named, and known, and it is a tradition to spit at them in disdain.  (The guards hate this practice, as it is sometimes used as an excuse to catch the staff in an ugly spray.  Only those who don't need to use the bridge spit near the guards, however, since they have authority to make even nobles wait.)

The guards will share the history of the bridge and its trophies for a donation, and will help spread rumors of the skulls' magical powers for free.  A number of the bones have been found to be enchanted, but the exact spells aren't known except to the guard captains and they are changed at irregular intervals.

The Withered Rose Tavern of Eltabbar

Art by SnowSkadi

Not long ago in Eltabbar, the hidden temple of Samora was blessed with a great influx of gold.  Its high cleric, Azonia Valgon, decided to gift some of the surplus to her newly arrived cousin, Viktor, with the stipulation that he invest it in his new city of residence.  With somewhere around 1,000 gold pieces to spare, he sought a run-down tavern amidst the many in the district known as Wayfinder's End.  And when he found just the place, he bought it through proxies so no one would know that it was sponsored by a noble.

Why a seedy place, you ask?  Because Vik enjoys slumming, and besides, lower end real estate is still expensive in the capital city.  Why pick a business destined to be surrounded by the competition of other taverns and inns?  Because the hospitality district sees a great deal of movement, welcomes those within the city and from without - and Vik was planning on adding an additional feature to the menu.  Having taken over prostitution in facilities great and small with the help of his family in Tyraturos, he knew it could work in Eltabbar.

He had learned that a simple start would be best.  The basement is for storage and whatever hijinx the crew wants to get up to on their breaks.  The first floor, at street level, is the front of the poor tavern dubbed the Withered Rose.  It serves alcohol and not much more, but is staffed by the best drunken bar(d) tender, Reggia, formerly in the employ of House Gozal.  Anyone she hired on as help was fun but wily.  The premises are also guarded by a fit and handsome crew chosen by Kayzin Molvar, a prostitute's son raised among them and fiercely protective of them.

The second floor is outfitted with a collection of sparse rooms that would be servants' quarters elsewhere.  In this location, however, two of the rooms have single beds for pleasuring customers and the other two have bunk beds for the workers to sleep in, if they have nowhere else to stay.  The stable of prostitutes is not much more than a handful, but specially picked by Vik's concubine Yasheira, a diamond in the rough that he plucked from the rough and tumble whorehouses of Tyraturos.  They even receive some of the special training she has learned from her patron.

Eventually, Vik's fledgling business drew the interest of his cousin Ustarra, a former head of House Valgon in Tyraturos who fled with Vik's aid to Eltabbar.  Since he helped her to secure a place after she escaped a suicide mission her half-sister was sending her on, she offered to become a silent partner.  As in, she would sneak in and around, helping the venture thrive whenever she had time to spare, and no one would be the wiser.  Very fond of his drow-blooded "aunt," Vik accepted her offer.

The establishment is, in its own way, dedicated to Samora, the goddess of forbidden pleasures Vik serves.  It is named for one of her unholy symbols, a withered rose.  No one reports what is said there, even when drunkards rail against nobles or zulkirs.  No one judges the patrons who ask for whatever dirty little things their hearts desire.  Nobles have slummed as patrons (including its owner) and even as the entertainment (giving his cousin Azonia some real fun).  It is a pit of wicked fun in a city that is often too staid and suspicious for its own good - which may account for its success.

Behind the Screen

This location was pioneered by my partner in crime and supported by his fellow players.  It is one of several player-owned businesses in our Eltabbar campaign and can serve as an example of how such a thing can be run.  As a long-time fan of the Stronghold Builder's Guide, I was already using it for the other players' venues and upgrades.  I was also already using a customized version of the DMGII's rules for determining profits, so all I had to do was add personal touches for Viktor and his new acquisition.  Once everything was set up, it became automatic.  New month, new roll.  Add the modifiers that apply and go.  Pay the costs or reap the rewards, and invest in upgrades if desired.  So far, the Rose has remained as rough as it was on opening day.

Keep in mind that I run for adults who enjoy adult material and have a twisted sense of humor.  While nothing here is graphic, it is not exactly tame, but it is all fictional and meant in good fun.

Tavern Cost

adjusted from the Stronghold Builder's Guide  

Basement Level - Storage, basic: 250 gp
First Floor - Tavern, poor: 450 gp
Second Floor - Servant's quarters, basic 400 gp

Staffed via the Cult Leadership feat, it has few bells and whistles so monthly expenses are generally low.

Tavern Monthly Profit Check

adjusted from the Dungeon Master's Guide II

Primary skill: Bluff
Secondary skill: Diplomacy, Perform
Roll Bluff check DC 20

Modifiers (vary by month):
Owner has 5+ ranks in secondary skills +1
Owner spends 40+ hours a week at job +2
Owner gone from city -2
Located in a city +2 (will go to metropolis numbers after spending 16,000 gp)
Previous profit check failed (-1 per consecutive check failed)
A business partner successfully aids during the term (Ustarra) +2
A specialist is on staff (Reggia) +2

Difference in DC check *20 gp is profit or loss for month.

The following chart is to see if any unusual activity has happened.  Roll d%.

• 1. Patient zero confirmed: Foul STD gets loose among patrons/employees. Pay 1D4*100 gold for healing, bribes.
• 2. Kay and the boys go overboard: Beat customers too bad. Pay 1D4*100 gold healing, damages, bribes.
• 3. Burning down the house: Major property damage (often fire-based). Lose 1D4*100 gold and/or items.
• 4-5: He's dead, Jim: The wrong person dies in flagrante delicto and is tied to the tavern. Lose 50% profit.
• 6-7: Only two sure things in this world: Unexpected taxes. Pay 1D4*25.
• 8-9: Rolled and raging: Whores accused of stealing from customers. Lose 2D6*10 in gold for lost profit.
• 10-11: Well, this sucks: Establishment robbed. Lose 2D4*10 in gold and/or items.
• 12-13: Everyone's staying home: Unusually slow. Lose 50% profit.
• 14-15: I drank what?!: That wasn't just a worm in that bottle. Fined 1D10*10 gold.
• 16-17: La cucaracha!: Infestation of vermin. Pay 1D8+2*10 to be rid of the vermin.
• 18-19: What did you call my mother?!: Tavern brawl gets out of hand. Pay 1D12*10 to fix damages.
• 20-21: Reggia really lets 'em have it: Insult a roomful of customers. Lose 3D4*10 in gold.
• 22-23: Bitches be trippin': Rumormongering and naysaying. Lose 1D12*10 gold.
• 24-77: Nothing to see here: Normal business.
• 78-79: Well-oiled machine: Served more brew, screwed more, too. Gain 50% profit.
• 80-81: The dirty Szass Tam: Patrons appreciate what the whores are willing to do. Gain 1D4*25 in items or gold.
• 82-83: The frat house special: Take on a private party. Earned additional 2D6*10 gold.
• 84-85: Donkey show: A spectacle boosts business. Gain 2D4*10 gold in additional business.
• 86-87: The bouncers are hot, too: Unusually busy. Gain 50% profit.
• 88-89: Have to buy wings to talk to the Raisins girls: Devoted regular. Gain 1D10*10 gold.
• 90-91: Bringing down the house: Solid performances bring in the customers.  Gain 1D8+2*10 gold.
• 92-93: Tits for tat: Temporary business relationship. Gain additional 1D12*10 gold.
• 94-95: Just passing through: Caravan is grateful. Gain additional 3D4*10 gold.
• 96-97: Must've dropped it on the way home: Forgetful patrons leave trinkets behind. Gain 1D12*10 in items.
• 98: Outdrink Reggia!: Well-advertised drinking competition. Gain 1D4*100 in gold and/or items.
• 99: Nobles be slummin': Generous donor. Gain 1D4*2000 gp to invest directly back into the business.
• 100: Samora's bounty: Anonymous donor leaves 3,000 gp of goods from the BoEF (or BoVD with permission)

The Temple District of Eltabbar - a.k.a. "The Zoo" - and its Major Houses of Worship

Art by SnowSkadi

The temple district is not at the heart of Thay's opulent capital city, Eltabbar, just as religion is not at the center of most Thayans' lives - but there is a religious district, and everything about it is arranged with purposes that have nothing to do with faith.  

All official public places of worship must be registered with city officials and confined to a private island of their own.  It is always set off to one side, even when the various islands of the interior are magically shifted around Lake Thaylambar to allow for the city's growth.  And as usual, this arrangement is codified in law.

Some of the oldest codes in Thay are about religion and establish a few central tenants.  First, no religious entities can control the country's highest offices; zulkirs can only be wizards and cannot even possess a touch of divine magic.  This keeps the country from reverting to a theocracy like the one Thay won its independence from.  

Secondly,  worship of the gods of Mulhorand, Mystra, and Velsharoon is forbidden.  All other deities are allowed until they prove detrimental to Thay, and Mystra might be forgiven if her next incarnation proves worthier of her power.  (In practice, evil and neutral deities have buildings dedicated to them in the interior of the country; very few temples to good powers exist, and those that do are roundly ridiculed.)

Third, places of worship cannot be raised in any city's center, which is reserved for places vital to the operations of the country.  In some cities, temples are pushed to the outskirts, or they are scattered throughout and kept far away from one another.  But in Eltabbar, the first tharchion decided to round them up, "the better to keep an eye on the zoo."  And that is the common nickname for the district, except amongst the most devout.

Houses of worship in the capital are showcases for the wealth and victories of the upper crust more than anything else.  Noble houses vie with one another to donate more extravagant pieces that will also bear their names.  Minor temples might be smaller in size but can be just as rich in magical additions, artwork, trophies, and the like.  Major temples often perform functions for residents that require more space (and this is often the case elsewhere, since Thayans want their gods to prove useful in this life and not just the hereafter).

Any citizen or guest with permission to see the capital city can go to the zoo any time they should not be elsewhere.  Commoners tend to go before or after their work for the day since worship is not an acceptable excuse for being late or absent from one's duties.  Generally, the poorest citizens only dare to go late at night so their relative unsightliness can be hidden by the scheduled rain.  Nobles go when they want to be seen, if their house does not have its own private shrines, or if their god is not represented in their house.  

Slaves are not allowed to set foot on the island to worship, though they may be summoned as servants, sacrifices, and so on.  Their prayers must be in private or in tightly regulated groups within the slave quarter, which houses many makeshift shrines.  Slaves, like all within Thay, cannot be forced to serve a deity or kept from worshiping their gods at all.  But any who are found praying or making donations at the zoo are punished, their donations moved to the appropriate shrine in the slave's quarter, where such pitiful fare belongs.

Major Temples

At the center of the zoo is the temple of Kossuth, known as the Flaming Brazier*.  The giant basalt stepped pyramid is the flagship for the entire faith and a frequent stop for many when they visit the area.  Lit from within and without with fires both magical and mundane, its topmost layer erupts in fire, smoke, and even lava during high ceremonies.  Interior chambers glimmer with jeweled mosaics depicting Kossuth's salvation of Thay in the Salamander War and other victories, as well as his eternal rivalry with Istishia.  

Nearby, the looming, black marble edifice called the Black Hall stands tall as Bane's contemptuous fist in the sunshine of the city.  It is permanently limned in purple flames and encrusted with glowing purple runes imbued with various spells, both defensive and offensive in nature.  It not only runs a combat and torture training facility for the faithful but also receives prisoners for punishment from all levels of society.

If the jaded people of Thay believe in anything, they believe in bad luck, so it is no surprise that the Beshaba has a sprawling temple in Eltabbar called the House of Curses.  Many Thayans visit before important ventures and bring sacrifices to beg the Maid of Misfortune to look away from them for a while.  Others go to pray for curses on their enemies, and bribe the clerics to see that their will becomes Beshaba's.

The Shadowkeep is boasted to mimic Mask's own palace in the Plane of Shadow and is constantly obscured by a thick, dark mist except for its primary opening.  It is said that only the high cleric and the tharchioness know how many ways in and out of the structure there are, but which ones you are able to access depend on your powers and skills.  Entering by the main door is mocked, and entering without being noticed is always a goal, whether one is a rogue or not.  Many seek advice in the ways of trickery here.

Not only is Oghma's temple, the Abbey of Artifice, a favorite with bards, builders, and seafarers, but it is also popular with wizards dedicated to research and invention.  Visitors enter the central round lobby where high rituals are held.  To one side is a library wing for stories, schematics, and documented inventions deemed appropriate for other Thayans to know.  Such knowledge can be offered by anyone, including slaves.  The other wing is a workshop, training, and debating area strictly for the faithful.

The Hanging Garden of Siamorphe is a lush white palatial estate arranged in tiers.  It is beset with all manner of greenery from across Faerun (and, reputedly, the planes) and ringed with columns carved with images of zulkirs, other important nobles, and former versions of Siamorphe.  The exterior is decorated with the official symbols of all 90 recognized noble houses of Thay, arranged hierarchically according to their founding date.  It is open as a venue for all noble ceremonies, is the place to inquire about bloodlines, and houses the local records of House Delizan.

Waukeen's lavish Gilded Cathedral is a resplendent testament to Thay's adoration of wealth and has only grown in importance with the success of the enclaves.  Its sheer profusion of precious gems, metals, and fabrics is only saved from ugliness through expert designs.  The Hall of Bartering is open to the public for auctions of all kinds, including very special slaves and divorce rights (from which the church gets its cut).  Smaller rooms can be rented when seeking clergy to broker deals, which they will do regardless of who the parties are, so long as the fees are paid.  Although the church will also store items or currency, either before auction or for safekeeping, they are kept off-site in secret vaults hidden throughout the city.

* Given some detail in the novel Unclean by Richard Lee Byers.