[Balanor]

Important Letter to Dimon

Dimon,

The time for action has arrived and Thay stands on the brink of great change. All zulkirs and tharchions will soon be forced to pick sides and either ally with us, or become our enemies and be swept away. The time for neutrality is over. The time for Thay to unite and sweep over Faerûn is about to begin.

As you know, a report on troop strength and correspondence between the zulkirs involved in the upcoming war against Rashemen is being conveyed by a messenger for transfer at the tomb of Hargrid Tenslayer in the Keep of Sorrows within the next tenday. You must ensure that your agent is ready and waiting at this transfer point by then!

The information that will be passed there is key to the entire success of the Rashemen invasion. If it should fall into the hands of those who do not wish it to succeed -individuals either inside or outside of Thay- it would almost guarantee the failure of the entire upcoming Thayan offensive.

This mission to the Keep of Sorrows is a critically important task to ensure the future of Thay and our rightful place at the head of all nations in Faerûn. I am trusting your judgment in this matter, but make sure your agent is up to the task. You are staking your reputation and well being on her ability to deliver results in this matter.

Do not fail me.

-Unsigned

[Balanor]

Current State of Affairs

With information collected from my extensive spy network, I feel confident providing this list of allies and enemies in our current state of affairs. Despite what zulkirs or tharchions may say to one's face -and then what they do behind one's back- this list is as accurate as possible. As you will see, our illustrious leader Szass Tam already commands considerable support compared to those who still oppose his vision and leadership.

Allies
-----------------------
Zulkir Lallara Mediocros
Zulkir Druxus Rhym
Zulkir Yaphyll
Tharchion Pyras Autorian - Thaymount
Tharchion Dimon - Tyraturos
Tharchioness Azhir Kren - Gauros
Tharchion Invarri Metran - Delhumide
The Tharchioness - Eltabbar

Enemies
-----------------------
Zulkir Lauzoril
Zulkir Nevron
Zulkir and Tharchion Aznar Thrul - Priador
Tharchioness Nymia Focar - Pyarados
Tharchion Hezess Nymar - Lapendrar

Neutrals
-----------------------
Zulkir Mythrell'aa
Tharchioness Thessaloni Canos - Alaor. She supports whoever gives her navy support.
Tharchion Milsantos Daramos - Thazalhar. He tends to oppose us.
Tharchion Homen Odesseiron - Surthay. He tends to oppose us.


Do not share this information among others outside of Szass Tam's faction - especially to agents or enemies from beyond the borders of Thay. We do not want to tip our hand, or reveal the allies Tam truly commands, until the command is given. But the time is swiftly approaching where these games will no longer be needed.

-The Tharchioness

[Balanor]

Letter to Lauzoril

My Dear Lauzoril:

It is with great pleasure that I report the success of our mutual endeavor. Using the antiquated documents which you sent me last fall, I have finally duplicated the formulae by which the so-called "god-kings" of Mulhorand created their invincible gemstone golems.

These creatures, crafted of solid gemstone material, are as mindlessly loyal and efficient as our more familiar golems but appear highly resistant to magic, particularly that used by the hateful Rashemaar witches, and to the strong place-magic of Rashemen itself. It is my opinion that these two forces are most to blame for our lack of success during past invasions of Rashemen, and if they are even partially neutralized our warriors can easily crush the ill-disciplined berserkers and their savage chieftains.

To this end, I am sending you 100 gemstone golems now, and more over the coming weeks. By the 15th of Nightal, all should be in readiness for our invasion. As this is near the beginning of winter, our attack will have the added advantage of taking the enemy entirely by surprise, for our attacks have rarely come in these months.

With a quick victory over the Rashemaar in the Gorge of Gauros, the entire land should be under our control in a matter of weeks. With this overwhelming victory to our credit, Szass Tam will suffer a major setback in his shameless attempts to seize absolute power in Thay. Hopefully, several major tharchs and at least one zulkir will be won over to our cause, enough to tip the balance in our favor, and against Tam.

I warn you, however, that a few minor problems still exist with the gemstone golems. The most pressing is the fact that they require a circle of wizards to maintain control and direction. Without such a circle, led by a wizard of the greatest skill and magical might, they will wander aimlessly about and be unable to press the attack. Please keep this in mind during your invasion.

In closing, I salute you and your efforts to stop the mad schemes of Szass Tam. If there is any further assistance I can offer you, please do not hesitate to tell me.

Sincerely,
Zulkir of Evocation and Tharchion of the Priador, Aznar Thrul

[Balanor]

Lord Thorvald's Correspondence

This thick, waxed paper envelope was closed and sealed with the sigil of the Six Coffers trading house and the elaborate crest of a noble lord by the name of Thorvald.

However, upon opening it, it becomes apparent that the seal and 'Lord Thorvald' are only a ruse to draw suspicion away from the true nature of the enclosed materials. Within you find critical information, secrets - troop strengths, movements, names of Aglarondan agents in Thay, among other highly sensitive information.

Worse than that, the documents describe war plans for an upcoming Thayan invasion of Rashemen.

[Balanor]

A Letter to Szass Tam
Found in the Tam Estate:


Omnipotence Szass Tam,

I am pleased to report your plan is progressing as expected.

As you were aware, Dimon's agent -Gray Falasia- failed to retrieve the correspondence that Moredryiss Vrinn was carrying for Thrul and his allies. In a strange twist of fate however, they were set upon by a band of adventurers and Vrinn lost the information anyway. It seems very likely that these meddlers were acting on information stolen from Dimon's tent at his damned jousting competition.

Fortunately for Falasia and Dimon, this party apparently did what they failed to do - and provided that information to the enemies of Thay. My agents report that, as I write this, a band of adventurers has been dispatched north by the Simbul herself with the details of the stolen correspondence. This will most certainly doom the invasion of Rashemen as the Rashemaar will now know how to stop the army of Gem Golems.

I see now the brilliance of your plan: the three zulkirs actively opposing your rightful place as Emperor of Thay will be thoroughly discredited, and you will likely gain additional allies in the fallout and panic that will come from a major Thayan army of your enemies being practically obliterated. You will be emperor with hardly a fight. Although it is doubtful that Thrul and the Priador will fall to your side without a fight, I understand that we need Bezantur and components of your ally's armies are being quietly moved south to sweep off the plateau and take the city once the zulkir's Rashemen invasion fails.

As always, your plan is as brilliant as it is effective. I eagerly await the day that Thay is united under your rule, the bickering zulkirs are silenced, and the power of Thay is finally focused by one leader and ready to consume Aglarond, Rashemen, and the rest of eastern Faerûn.

The Tharchioness

[Balanor]

[A Partially Written Letter]
Found in the Tam Estate:


Tharchioness,

For one with such an extensive spy network and experience with the clandestine, your willingness to put into writing my plans and their progress is extremely disappointing. As Dimon's and Falasia's lessons should have taught you, letters can be intercepted and taken by the enemy.

Do not risk reporting the progress of my plan to me in a letter again! Provide it in person or send one of your lackeys if you are far too busy to meet with me.

Since you must be too occupied to present yourself in person, you need to know that the actions of our enemies progressed more quickly than anticipated. I have yet to complete one remaining vital component to my plan as it can move only as fast as the cycles of Selune. Therefore, no direct military action is to be taken at the onset of our enemy's failure while I finish...

[The letter ends at this point]

[Balanor]

Nathor's Report

Should you still wish to enter the Citadel despite my warnings, note that it is well protected and has many dead ends, labyrinths, and endless corridors. Follow the instructions I give here to the letter, lest your soul be in peril.

First, the Citadel itself is accessible only through a pair of great iron doors, which cannot be opened by any means known to man, save with the following incantation: "Hovas Nar. Kandra Mil. Volas Nar. Hilasha Mil. Dhrovik!"

These words cause the doors to open. As soon as the travelers enter the Citadel, care must be taken to say the following word: "Nyphar!" If this word is not pronounced upon entry into the Citadel, magic mouths throughout its halls immediately begin screaming horribly.

Travelers then find themselves in a great, twelve-sided room. Each wall is marked with a different rune, and forms the doorway to a different part of the Citadel. I am familiar only with the wall which leads to the Paths of the Doomed. To use this wall, stand in front of the wall with the rune of the labyrinth, trace its outline and loudly say: "Thola Vos!" The wall vanishes, and the way to the Paths of Doomed opens.

The Paths of the Doomed are labyrinthine and confusing, their exact layout uncertain to me, as I was always blindfolded, and sometimes magically incapacitated, while we traveled there, and I can only pass on a few of the things which I experienced.

Throughout the maze, strange voices jabbered and alien words were given tongue. In many places, I heard the words, barely recognizable, "In whose name do you come here?" or "By what gods do you swear?" In most cases, the answer was "By fire (or water, or earth, depending upon the location in the labyrinth) we come, in the name of Szass Tam!" The gods worshiped include the usual selection of wicked Thayan deities such as Cyric, Umberlee, and Loviatar.

In a chamber filled with the sound of rushing water, I heard the word "thralliq," then the word "ekkala." Later, in a room that was so hot and stifling as to be barely habitable, I heard one of my guides shout, "khalos!" on one occasion, and "olash!" soon after. In a room that seemed to be composed of fire I heard "Hala vill thora!" and the flames ceased to caress my skin. Other phrases and counter phrases were shouted around me, but these are lost now, swept away by the memory of the horror which lurks beyond the Devouring Portal, and the monstrous acts to which I was compelled.

This is all I can remember. Again I warn against visiting this cursed place, but perhaps my description will provide some assistance. Already I feel the hand of Thay about my heart, and doubt that I will survive much longer.

-from the report of Nathor, Thayan refugee
two hours before his disappearance

[Balanor]

Letter from the Simbul

My friends,

It is with a heavy heart and great regret that I am forced to send you this information by messenger. Despite my most dedicated efforts to contact the Rashemaar witches, the magical interference in Thay continues to block any sort of magical communication.

You among my other agents in Thay have discovered a number of deeply disturbing facts, which in combination shed an entirely new light on my adventurer's mission to Rashemen.

First, the lich Szass Tam, most powerful of the Thayan zulkirs, has apparently set in motion a plan to seize total power in Thay, replacing the bickering wizards who now govern the land with his own iron rule. To this end, he is currently attempting to discredit those tharchions and zulkirs who oppose him, most prominently the zulkirs Aznar Thrul, Nevron, and Lauzoril.

Second, the current invasion of Rashemen was carried out by forces loyal to Thrul, Nevron, and Lauzoril, the latter two who have staked a great deal of their personal influence on its success.

Third, the Thayans were defeated as a result of the information you obtained, the three zulkirs have been extremely embarrassed as a result of their debacle, and several neutral parties in Thay have declared their support for Tam. This information came into your hands in what I feel is a highly suspect manner, almost as if you were intended to find it.

Fourth, Tam recently returned to Thay with a large number of powerful enchanted items and has been spending a great deal of time on Thaymount in the ancient complex known as the Citadel. There he seems to be involved in some sort of complex magical procedure, which may both aid him in his bid for absolute power in Thay, and in future attacks upon Rashemen, Thesk, Mulhorand, and my own nation.

I can only come to the distressing conclusion that we have all been manipulated and used by Szass Tam and his agents. You were meant to obtain Aznar Thrul's letter, the Rashemaar were meant to learn of the invasion, and were expected to defeat it, thereby humiliating Thrul, Lauzoril, and Nevron.

Already, Tam's agents are abroad in my land, preventing me from visiting you in person. I beg that you meet me at the Aglarond-Thay border for consultation. I pray that we might yet be able to thwart Szass Tam's evil plans, but it may already be too late. Meet me at the old Macoley Estate near the Halendos, which is approximately 3 leagues north and then a short distance west of Murbant - near the southern edge of the Umber Marsh. Do this as soon as possible. Regardless of your arrival time, I will be there within the hour. Please hurry. The fate of all Faerûn may be at stake.

-The Simbul