Hashtur Om: Waverider of the Red Scourge

[DOT]

Hashtur Om

She held tight the shawl loosely draped about her head.
The strong grip of fear reaching deep into her bones.

She had witnessed the ending of an era, and she alone survived.
Her property, her peers, her teacher.
Torn or now one of the mass that was the horde of undead.

The boat creaked loudly as the waves smacked against its stern.
An unpleasant ride... but an expedited one. By Umberlee's favor.

The loyalists on Alaor still held strong, but she would need to go even farther to ensure her safety.

Through the porthole, one could see the dark smoke rising from the burning coastal town.
A dark horde... lumbering slowly along the beach, their collective groans reaching far out into the waters.

The Council of Zulkirs was beaten back... and Szass Tam had gained another foothold.

[DOT]

S  U  R  V  I  V  E

Alone. She was alone... again.

Her gown of overlapping belts, torn several times. Cuts to her person. Some bleeding.

She had addressed the injuries with what items were left.

Evidence of an attempt at herbal healing clotted a wound.

The waterfall rushed with a heavy sound, as the storm clouds thundered overhead.

She could not hear. It did not matter. The two goblins were fast approaching.

The skies cried out as the deafening rainfall surrounded her.

"Thhhuck!" A bolt struck home. One more...

How many bolts were left, not many. No, it did not matter. Focus.

"Thhhuck!" The bolt missed the running goblin with its axe high. It ricocheted off the stone face.

Reload. Faster. Reload. She steadied her breathing. Closer. Closer...

...how did it come to this?

~

Aumonator's rays pierced the forest canopy of the Bramblewood.

The dwarf was not as she expected, but he would suffice.

Tahlmed flew over head, his ebony wings flapping softly.

A group of goblins was spotted just ahead. They were easily dispatched.

Rounding the bend, appeared a hidden path well traveled by small feet. A lair?

They would do well if they were cautious. It was at that moment, the dwarf left.

She stood dumbfounded. Pleasant as she was, she bid farewell to the fellow.

She turned towards the direction from which they came.

The leaves were drifting downward before landing lightly on the ground.

She paused, then looked back towards the lair entrance.

I will persevere. Press on.

~

At a walking pace, she had made short work of the of goblins within the cave.

Timing was important, as were tactics. Tahlmed disabled foes, while a summon assisted.

Aim with care. Aim with speed. Shoot to distract, shoot to kill.

Tunnel after tunnel... den after den.

Why was she doing this? It was unbecoming... and yet, she did.

Mind the traps, disable or recover, hide, listen. Skills atypical of a wizard.

They were not honed, but the talent was there.

Learned in desperate times during Thay's civil war, she would use them to her advantage;

however slight of a percentage that might be.

I can do this. I will.

~

The chieftain was near beaten. His barbarism on display.

"Nnngh!" Blast. His shaman was clever... too clever.

She reloaded as she ran to the side, ducking behind a stone outcrop.

Too late, as a pair of arcane missiles struck her leg.

She winced. Come on. Come on!

The familiar? She heard the telltale sound. Gone.

Tahlmed. She clutched her chest... no, run Tahlmed flee.

Spells? Yes. Conserve. This will get worse.

She made a dash and rounded the corner, but not before letting a bolt loose.

It struck one of the chieftain's servants mid run. Falling back in an arc, its head hitting stone.

Keep breathing. She lost the shaman and two other aids.

The chieftain was persistent. Did she lose him?

She waited... running steps. She let loose another bolt as the goblin rounded the corner.

Miss. Blast. She struck a trap as she turned.

Move. MOVE!

~

She was more than halfway back through lair.

Things became quickly familiar. The entrance is not far.

She pulled feints, played tricks, and used the terrain to her advantage.

The light crossbow was back in place.

A magic staff in hand, close quarter combat.

The remainder of goblins were dispatched.

Four by hand, two by bolt.

I will survive. I am my own... scarlet Knight.

Her shawl flowed with the cave wind, as she ran for the opening she had entered those many hours before.

~

She blinked. She was back on the bridge, the running goblin with its axe high. Aim.

The downpour made for poor visibility.

Closer.

"Thhhuck!"

...

The goblin gurgled, a bolt impaling it into the wood bridge.

She hurried past it, throwing her back onto the stone face as she neared the corner.

Listen. Three more.

Move. Go. Go now.

She rounded the corner tossing the light crossbow aside after loosing a bolt into a goblin.

She ran for the pair as she gripped her staff.

Thunder cracked overhead.... the sound of rain deafening.

[DOT]

The House Om, an old noble house of the Thayan tharc of Alaor. 

It came to the fore early in Thay's founding.

With a strong grip on shipping, cartography, and of course the beast that fed it... the transportation of slaves... it grew by leaps and bounds.



ALAOR

This is a small but essential tharch, only encompassed by the small, craggy island of the same name in the Sea of Fallen Stars. 
Despite its size, it housed Thay's largest naval base and was vital to the nation's navy.

The Alaor comprises two islands off the southern coast of Thay, where the Wizards' Reach meets the Alamber Sea.
While this is the smallest of the eleven tharchs, its position makes it one of the most vital.
The bulk of the Thayan navy is housed here, along with the primary Thayan shipyards.
The principal harbor of the Alaor is an expansive cove guarded by a sea-arch.
In the rock of the headlands lies a network of sea caves large enough to hide an entire fleet.
The rugged islands have no other good landing spots or sheltered bays, which is one reason no other country thought to use them as a naval base.


Tharchion Thessaloni Canos commands the tharch.
The evoker Mur Vhol assists her, supervising the various magelings assigned to the tharchion's fleet.


Over 15,000 souls call this tharch home, including sailors.
The fleet consists of a dozen slender, deadly dromonds, powerful galleys each crewed by over one hundred well-armed warriors and twice that number of slave rowers.


Each warship carries a pair of Thayan bombards, as well as a ship's mage and a ship's acolyte - a wizard and a cleric specializing in battle magic.
The pride of the Thayan navy - a massive metallic warship known as the Red Scourge - lies at anchor here when not escorting Thayan merchant ships in and out of the area.
Most pirates flee at the first sight of the ship's crimson-colored sails, for they know that to confront such a powerful vessel is to invite a swift and sorcerous death.

Altogether, the fleet is crewed by almost 5,000 officers, soldiers, and slaves; most of the remaining folk who call this barren island home are carpenters, stevedores, provisioners, sailmakers, shipwrights,
and all the other artisans and professionals needed to maintain a fleet in port.

With the advent of Thay as a mercantile power, the Alaor has become even more vital to the nation's interests.
The Thayan navy had long worked to keep the waters of the Sahuagin Sea (as the Alamber Sea is also called) free of pirates.
They have since extended their operations to include a good stretch of the Wizards' Reach.
Between the forces of Thay and Aglarond, there are few safe places for pirates to operate in this region.
Several naval ships have even been converted into mercantile vessels carrying Thay's goods to the rest of the world.
Merchant ships from Bezantur carry much of Thay's trade to other lands, but shipments to and from major enclaves are entrusted only to Thay's navy.

The Alaor is well defended.
The zulkirs know the islands are Thay's first line of defense against an invasion by sea.
If the islands were to fall into a foreign power's hands, the results would be disastrous.
Any foe who had control over such a base could attack up and down the southern coast of Thay with impunity.

Besides the garrison of 1,000 soldiers on duty here at all times, the islands are outfitted with dozens of batteries of Thayan bombards.

[DOT]

FRIENEMIES

Another dull day in the dull land of the unfortunately founded Cormyr. 

An odd occurrence. A conversation struck up with a fellow red wizard apprentice, though a supporter of the usurper Szass Tam, we are both in the same position.


The wars of home are not the wars of the enclaves... business. as. usual.

Norzt is an unfortunate individual, though his companionship is better than the locals. 


It is good to keep in practice as we trade barbs. How unfortunate for him to be the color of the ground I walk on.