It is forbidden to make maps of Eltabbar under penalty of death. The reason, though not commonly known, is that the glyph that imprisons the demon Eltab under the city is composed of the streets of Eltabbar!
Good summation. Thay is a convincing example of a (mostly) stable LE society: surrounded by both enemies and potential conquests, the Zulkirs have more incentive to work with than against each other... most of the time, anyway.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention his unique appearance: that unlike most liches who are most often encountered in a severe state of advanced decay, Szass Tam treats his body the way a mortician treats a cadaver. He indulges in endless lotions and oils, rejuvenative unctions, and layers on heavy cosmetics and perfumes to maintain an appearance that is passable among the living. In other words, he’s the opposite of the Lich Mellifleur, Who is described as completely skeletal with no remaining shards of flesh…
I can see liches being a good subject for Terry Pratchett-style comedy, like a lich who has bits dropping off, but is always trying to stick them back on.
Szass Tam is one of my favorite bad guys. He is constantly trying to take over Aglarond and continually fails. It's almost a sport now for the Witch Queen of Aglarond. There is a great scene in one of the Elmister books (I think?) where a Thay assassin comes to kill her while Elminster is visiting and they just destroy him. It's pretty comical.
At 3 mins and 55 seconds I Waagghed with JOY! I Love how you use Warhammer pictures every now and then! I have been a happy follower of your channel for years now. As I'm going back and enjoying a major D&D Lore Kick right now ( both for hobby fix because I haven't gotten to really play 5th and for film/manga reasons) . I look forward to catching up with your new content in due time but right now I'm enjoying memory lane with the Forgotten Realms series that you did. It's helping me get through my time with the flu and again get some major studying in. Thanks for all of your hard work on every single video you produced Jorphdan! Aloha Amen Shalom ~Kane On The Brain~
Really enjoy these videos. Helps me come up with D&D content for games i run. Also, really cool to spice up my homebrew worlds. There's just so much to Faerun that it is almost overwhelming. Thanks for taking it head on and being "A river to your people!"
These videos are great. I fall asleep listening to them. They make good bed time stories. Only problem is I fall asleep before they finish and I never hear the full tale. 🤔
@@ProffessorYellow it's more of a trend than a hard rule on average. Similar to netheril being made up of mainly humans w/ elves potentially spliced around due to being their teachers. Having a variety of races isn't completely wrong it's just red wizards on average are humans.
Then why is there official art of Red Wizards who aren't human? Bruce R. Cordell (August 2008). “Rose Keep”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #366 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41.
"So Thay is deivided into eleven regions known as tharches, and they're each ruled by a tharcheon" Thay themes thoroughly through thick and thin. Good for them.
thanks for these are amazing i ended up bindeging this series after this video. this explains a lot that i wanted to know while playing through baldur's gate.
Thayan Gladiator and Thrall of Eltab are the best prestige classes for a monster character and supporting wizard. I cant wait to play a Minotaur Thayan Gladiator with flaming horn, tower shield and a giant flail. Bonus, every DM I talk to says that flaming horns give a +? to intimidate.
I know I’m late the the party but theoretically depending on the culture of the country you could have aristocratic that maintained there privileges irrespective of wealth. E.g. Patricians in Rome.
I like how scary and dangerous Szass Tam is, however, that just makes me even more wondered with another character, called The Simbul. As you may know, The Simbul, is one of the seven sisters and was the main reason preventing Thay legions to overcame west Faerûn.
Is there any lore in Forgotten Realms explains how the Dragon Masks were made which were used by the Cult of the Dragon to raise Tiamat? Running TOD and would love to provide some back story in these masks and how they were created, etc.
Just watched your entire video library! Love your stuff! Keep making lore vids! :) suggestions: Lord's Alliance, Zhentarim, The Harpers. Also, Dragons. Just, like, Dragons. :)
Fantastic UA-cam video on my favorite fantasy world 😊. I have seen all your videos so far and very impressed. I hope that you'll continue the historic line and I would love to see vids on the anthropology of Faerun. please do continue ... like forever 🤘
Great video as always. I was wondering if you might be able to link all the artwork you put in your videos in the description from now on or if it is too much work? In particular the picture you used for Yaphyll I cant seem to find it online.
I'd love to put all my sources but I don't think I have enough time. I believe this is the artwork you were asking about. s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/27/59/72/27597204695cf54098ac707d805ef1b2.jpg
I really like these very informative videos. Thanks for the hard work and research. It's really nice to know more about the homeland of Edwin, or should I say Edwina.
The only thing I don't like about your videos is that THEY ARE TOO SHORT....lol.Its hard to do justice to your topic this way.The Realms are a vast world so I know why you do short vid's.I have to admit these get my D&D blood fired up.I just turned 50 and have played in the realms once it became clear that WOTC was going to focus on this world.I do however miss The World of Greyhawk and the Realms as I haven't played with dice/character sheets since 1998.The small Canadian town I now live in doesn't have any groups for D&D so I cant even satisfy my first love.I even still have most of my books and dice.Oh well,I guess my comp. games will have to suffice.Please keep doing this work as I think it is important and the depth of even short vid's keeps this place alive.Cheers.
so... if you can create an army of undead that is smart enough to handle tactics, organization, etc, why would you worry about slaves? You have to *feed* slaves. An army of zombie slaves might have some downsides (what's that smell?), but they never get tired, stop, etc.
On the other hand, undead don't follow you just cuz they think you're cool - you have to expend a *lot* of magical energy on a constant basis to maintain control.
I believe it was the opposing side on the magic relationship wheel. static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/b/b0/Second_Edition_Schools_of_Magic_Relationships.jpg
They'd likely be very aware of Red Wizards as they place themselves all over Faerun selling magical items and (where possible) trading slaves. Would they be familiar with the hierarchy? Probably not, unless they have some particular reason to be well versed in a culture on "the other side of the world."
It's kind of a long story and was an inside joke back in 2010! I was commenting on how kids now seemed to have creative parents where their kids name would be Tiffany, but they would spell it Tiphanni. So as a joke I decided to become Jordan with a silent PH in the middle :)
why does everyone hate on the Spellplague? I've only recently started playing (started with 5e) so maybe there's a lot of stuff I don't know about but I thought the Spellplague was a pretty cool concept.
+Eric Young I believe it is that WoTC used the spellplague to justify the complete overhaul of DnD for 4th edition. But I'm with you, I think it (and 4th edition) are over hated.
It was a disrespectful overhaul of the entire setting that came with massive retcons, all of which happened for no better reason than, "D&D switched editions." The players didn't want it. The authors didn't want it. It was a 100% corporate, "let's freshen things up" decision.
Genasi are planetouched humanoids, typically crossbreeding between humans and genies. The Genies were most prevalent in Zakhara; Thay on the other hand is in Faerun. Although possibly a few Genasi made their way north to Faerun.
It is forbidden to make maps of Eltabbar under penalty of death. The reason, though not commonly known, is that the glyph that imprisons the demon Eltab under the city is composed of the streets of Eltabbar!
Really? That's awesome
So cool
...and every time a drawn map is destroyed, the prison is weakened. #realmslore
@@rpgmatch5726 I wonder how many maps have been made and recovered and preserved.
I am not sure!@@grimsgraveyard3598
There's a 5e book out now from Ed Greenwood about the Red Wizards of Thay.
Worth of saying that the Szass Tam story is been told in the fantastic novel series "The Haunted Lands" by Richard Lee Byers.
I LOVE that series. I'm about to read it again!!
I just saw the movie in theaters. and OH MY GOD!!! It was incredible
It was ok 🤷♂️
Yes!!! It was so much fun and the way they portrayed magic was amazing
It's a great romp. I was happy with it
Good summation. Thay is a convincing example of a (mostly) stable LE society: surrounded by both enemies and potential conquests, the Zulkirs have more incentive to work with than against each other... most of the time, anyway.
The Red Wizards are going to be the villains for the upcoming DND movie.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention his unique appearance: that unlike most liches who are most often encountered in a severe state of advanced decay, Szass Tam treats his body the way a mortician treats a cadaver. He indulges in endless lotions and oils, rejuvenative unctions, and layers on heavy cosmetics and perfumes to maintain an appearance that is passable among the living.
In other words, he’s the opposite of the Lich Mellifleur, Who is described as completely skeletal with no remaining shards of flesh…
I think him and Arklem Greeth go to the same beautician. :D
I can see liches being a good subject for Terry Pratchett-style comedy, like a lich who has bits dropping off, but is always trying to stick them back on.
I always thought he kept a disguise spell up.
Everyone should pay as much attention to skincare as him. Keep your skin fresh, y’all!!
Szass Tam is one of my favorite bad guys. He is constantly trying to take over Aglarond and continually fails. It's almost a sport now for the Witch Queen of Aglarond. There is a great scene in one of the Elmister books (I think?) where a Thay assassin comes to kill her while Elminster is visiting and they just destroy him. It's pretty comical.
death or assassination..which is..well...DEATH lol
Excellent.
At 3 mins and 55 seconds I Waagghed with JOY! I Love how you use Warhammer pictures every now and then! I have been a happy follower of your channel for years now. As I'm going back and enjoying a major D&D Lore Kick right now ( both for hobby fix because I haven't gotten to really play 5th and for film/manga reasons) . I look forward to catching up with your new content in due time but right now I'm enjoying memory lane with the Forgotten Realms series that you did. It's helping me get through my time with the flu and again get some major studying in. Thanks for all of your hard work on every single video you produced Jorphdan!
Aloha Amen Shalom
~Kane On The Brain~
Really enjoy these videos. Helps me come up with D&D content for games i run. Also, really cool to spice up my homebrew worlds. There's just so much to Faerun that it is almost overwhelming. Thanks for taking it head on and being "A river to your people!"
Spell plague, city of torment, Key of Stars, were books where I learned about the red wizards of thay.
All of the Forgotten Realms stories are SO FREAKING COOOOOL
Every Wednesday I wake up to watch these before work.
Can't say enough how much I love these videos.
Thanks for watching :D
These videos are great. I fall asleep listening to them. They make good bed time stories. Only problem is I fall asleep before they finish and I never hear the full tale. 🤔
Red wizards are exclusively human, you forgot to add that.
Yo what's the source on this? I may have to redesign some things.
@@ProffessorYellow it's more of a trend than a hard rule on average. Similar to netheril being made up of mainly humans w/ elves potentially spliced around due to being their teachers. Having a variety of races isn't completely wrong it's just red wizards on average are humans.
@@ProffessorYellow "redesign" some things? 😆 why?
I had a bunch of non human red wizards set up@@The_Gent
Then why is there official art of Red Wizards who aren't human?
Bruce R. Cordell (August 2008). “Rose Keep”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #366 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41.
"So Thay is deivided into eleven regions known as tharches, and they're each ruled by a tharcheon"
Thay themes thoroughly through thick and thin.
Good for them.
Back after the D&D movies trailer.
Looks like ol' red Lich boy is gonna be the big bad.
Well he was involved
Maybe in a sequel he’ll be the big bad in stead of the big bad’s boss
Always look forward to your videos. Excited you are going to cover the spell plague next!
thanks for these are amazing i ended up bindeging this series after this video. this explains a lot that i wanted to know while playing through baldur's gate.
Thayan Gladiator and Thrall of Eltab are the best prestige classes for a monster character and supporting wizard. I cant wait to play a Minotaur Thayan Gladiator with flaming horn, tower shield and a giant flail. Bonus, every DM I talk to says that flaming horns give a +? to intimidate.
Steve Mallon which book are these classes in?
"Wealthy Aristocats" thats a great Freudian slip
"the position of bulk here is permanent and changes with death or assassination... which, uh, is really just death so.. that... yeah"
lol
I enjoy this series immensely, keep 'em coming!
wealthy aristocats :D
LOL
I'm glad I wasn't the only one to catch that
Beat me
As opposed to poor aristocats
I know I’m late the the party but theoretically depending on the culture of the country you could have aristocratic that maintained there privileges irrespective of wealth. E.g. Patricians in Rome.
I like how scary and dangerous Szass Tam is, however, that just makes me even more wondered with another character, called The Simbul. As you may know, The Simbul, is one of the seven sisters and was the main reason preventing Thay legions to overcame west Faerûn.
The Queen of Aglorand, one of Thay's greatest rivals along with Rashenen. :)
as far as D&D [Wizard] Lore Summaries go? ... 'Well-Done', Jorphdan. was interesting, thank you
Thank you! 😁
I love the profile pic. I love Go!
“Wealthy aristoCATS”. 😆 I think you mean “AristoCRATS” Not the Disney movie. Love your videos partner. Keep ‘‘em coming!!!
🙃
Just to say, I believe some of the 7 Sisters have had dealings with the Red Wizards.
His name was Alt Tab? lol, there was one in world of warcraft named Alt Tabin. They should tell the story of Alt F4.
Is there any lore in Forgotten Realms explains how the Dragon Masks were made which were used by the Cult of the Dragon to raise Tiamat? Running TOD and would love to provide some back story in these masks and how they were created, etc.
6:50 correction...called Thakorsil's Seat.
Just watched your entire video library! Love your stuff! Keep making lore vids! :) suggestions: Lord's Alliance, Zhentarim, The Harpers. Also, Dragons. Just, like, Dragons. :)
Looks like this video is gonna get some extra love after the new dnd movie trailer
Fantastic UA-cam video on my favorite fantasy world 😊. I have seen all your videos so far and very impressed.
I hope that you'll continue the historic line and I would love to see vids on the anthropology of Faerun.
please do continue ... like forever 🤘
thanks for watching! I'm glad you're enjoying the series!
the video quality keeps going up and up!!
Really love your videos. Very informative. Do you think you'll ever touch on the Harpells of Longsaddle?
Possibly! I'll add it to the list of topics!
I almost finished the first book of the "haunted lands" Trilogy. Sick af
Given there appearance in the Dungeons and Dragons Honor Amongst Thieves; maybe a recap on Szass Tam or the RWoT?
One realm that can't be forgotten is Thay : Realm Of The Red Wizards. I wonder if that NWN server still exists.
3 years later I see Red Wizards and instantly hit "like"
They always try to imprison the Diviner just like Savras! My favorite spell school is a trap.
Best channel, no lie.
Thanks!
thats from the movie!
Awesome watch!
I have a question Red wizards summon demons or devils?
What position have in the blood war ? And the underdark after Out of abys
Great video as always. I was wondering if you might be able to link all the artwork you put in your videos in the description from now on or if it is too much work? In particular the picture you used for Yaphyll I cant seem to find it online.
I'd love to put all my sources but I don't think I have enough time. I believe this is the artwork you were asking about.
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/27/59/72/27597204695cf54098ac707d805ef1b2.jpg
Thats the one thank you, and I understand no worries man!
4:53 aristoCATS lol
Double-do tickles me every time
These are really good.
So everything about the death moon orb is referenced in Fable Lost Chapters
this channel is awesome !
Thanks!
Spellplague, or the giant middle finger from WotC to not only its fans but it's creators.
I had a "potential" DM that I was going to play with that wanted to run a Spellplague centered campaign. Yeah we didn't get to starting that campaign.
How did Larloch influence Szass Tam. I heard something happened between the two
YAY A NEW VID!
Thay/Them
"slaves are treated decently but may be killed for minor infractions"
>audible WAT
i.imgur.com/7kZ562z.jpg
4:55 bro did you just say "aristo-cats"?
do a video on the Eldreth Veluuthra
Sooo... are they importing slaves or exporting slaves?
Asking for a friend who hasn't prepared for next Session.
I. love. this. channel.
Another good video!
Clicked because of Curse of the Azure Bonds, Though maybe that Red Wizard wasn't one of THE Red Wizards? Anyone?
Did he say Aristocats instead of aristocrats at 4:55? I think he did...
I really like these very informative videos. Thanks for the hard work and research. It's really nice to know more about the homeland of Edwin, or should I say Edwina.
Nice Greenskins army you got there.
The only thing I don't like about your videos is that THEY ARE TOO SHORT....lol.Its hard to do justice to your topic this way.The Realms are a vast world so I know why you do short vid's.I have to admit these get my D&D blood fired up.I just turned 50 and have played in the realms once it became clear that WOTC was going to focus on this world.I do however miss The World of Greyhawk and the Realms as I haven't played with dice/character sheets since 1998.The small Canadian town I now live in doesn't have any groups for D&D so I cant even satisfy my first love.I even still have most of my books and dice.Oh well,I guess my comp. games will have to suffice.Please keep doing this work as I think it is important and the depth of even short vid's keeps this place alive.Cheers.
Why don't you get into worldbuilding, or even if you're really desperate there is ways to play DND online which I'm sure you might already know of.
Can we get a vid covering all of the schools of magic?
+AnKa アンカ good idea, I'll look into it!
Who are Thay? :)
Hell yeah thank you for the lore it's really gonna help my character
Jordan here, the PH assailant.
So did Szass create the orb or did Larloch trade it to him.
It was created by Larloch to control his court.
so... if you can create an army of undead that is smart enough to handle tactics, organization, etc, why would you worry about slaves? You have to *feed* slaves. An army of zombie slaves might have some downsides (what's that smell?), but they never get tired, stop, etc.
I believe Szass Tam would agree with you!
On the other hand, undead don't follow you just cuz they think you're cool - you have to expend a *lot* of magical energy on a constant basis to maintain control.
@@schwann145 Uh, slaves don't follow you just cuz they think you're cool, either.
what school(s) did each red wizard need to give up?
I believe it was the opposing side on the magic relationship wheel.
static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/b/b0/Second_Edition_Schools_of_Magic_Relationships.jpg
Eltab was raised from the Abyss by the Nar not the Mullhorandi.god kings. This was before the Narfell cataclysm.
Would people living along the Sword Coast be aware of the hierarchy and Red Wizards of Thay?
They'd likely be very aware of Red Wizards as they place themselves all over Faerun selling magical items and (where possible) trading slaves.
Would they be familiar with the hierarchy? Probably not, unless they have some particular reason to be well versed in a culture on "the other side of the world."
I want more please complete the yugi dex
Kepp it up !!
Is it Dnd artwork or 40k....can be hard to tell
Who is the girl at 4.44 - when you are talking about longhaired slaves?
That's Kate Mara from a movie called Ironclad.
www.imdb.com/title/tt1233301/
What was the major event in 3rd edition?
There wasn't one actually. Only the Time of Troubles for AD&D 2nd edition, the Spellplague for 4th, and the Second Sundering for 5th edition.
At 4:56-ish he says aristocats lol
Was there an event that changed things from 2nd edition to 3rd edition
The Time of Troubles!
@@Jorphdan ooh I thought that was 1.0 to 2.0
Yaaaay!
Do a video on acererak
That is a fantastic idea. I never thought about it. Thanks I'll add it to my list of potential topics :D
Binge watching Forgotten Realms lore so better understand Baldur's Gate 3 story and setting before game comes out.
Dooblee-doo... Someone was watching Colville.
Yes, and no. Created by Wheezy Waiter.
knowyourmeme.com/memes/doobly-doo
Thay are cool
Is your name really Jorphdan? Like where did that come from
It's kind of a long story and was an inside joke back in 2010! I was commenting on how kids now seemed to have creative parents where their kids name would be Tiffany, but they would spell it Tiphanni. So as a joke I decided to become Jordan with a silent PH in the middle :)
4:53 aristocats?!
lol yeah,
short story my significant other was directing the Disney aristocats, and well I guess it was on my mind
That guy's a real "Szass Hole." Does anyone ever make that joke?
why does everyone hate on the Spellplague? I've only recently started playing (started with 5e) so maybe there's a lot of stuff I don't know about but I thought the Spellplague was a pretty cool concept.
+Eric Young I believe it is that WoTC used the spellplague to justify the complete overhaul of DnD for 4th edition. But I'm with you, I think it (and 4th edition) are over hated.
It was a disrespectful overhaul of the entire setting that came with massive retcons, all of which happened for no better reason than, "D&D switched editions."
The players didn't want it. The authors didn't want it. It was a 100% corporate, "let's freshen things up" decision.
heh heh, doobly doo. Who doesn't watch Colville? :P
Do the Genasi come from these lands?
Genasi are planetouched humanoids, typically crossbreeding between humans and genies. The Genies were most prevalent in Zakhara; Thay on the other hand is in Faerun. Although possibly a few Genasi made their way north to Faerun.
Thanks =D
What if the ph wasn’t silent????
Thay is so flavorful
Vibe check
Human imagination ...