Thaliost

Thaliost is a large city in what is now northern Thrane. The area, and the city, used to be part of Aundair, but was confirmed as Thrane territory by the Traité de Fort-du-Throne at the end of the Dernière Guerre after having been originally captured 80 years before in 926 AR. The citizens still largely consider themselves Aundairan and are torn between bitterness at their political abandonment by their homeland and angelr at the seemingly harsh theocratic regime that currently rules the area with a necessarily firm hand.

Riots and small acts of disturbance are not rare occurances and because of this, Thrane has a large garrison of knights in the city, who mostly maintain order.

The city's White Arch Bridge used to connect via Train Fulgurant to the city of Rekkenmark in Karrnath across the Passage de la côte, but has not been repaired since the bridge was destroyed by order of King Kaius I in 899 AR.

*Note: Temps de voyages include 1 hour lay over at each station, and are based on speed of 30 miles per hour. *Note: distances based on map at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebwe/20041206a. *Note: times and distances may vary from charts found on pp. 20-21 of the Explorer's Handbook.

Large City, Population 24,500 Thaliost doesn’t look like other Thrane cities with its skyraking towers, magically shaped stonework, treelined boulevards, and wide-open spaces. It looks more like Beaurefuge, the capital of Aundair, which isn’t surprising since Thaliost was once an Aundairian city. Thrane conquered Thaliost and the surrounding territory in 926 AR and spent the next two years trying to annex the region. Aundairian soldiers made a halfhearted attempt to reclaim the city in 927 AR, but they were too few in number to uproot the entrenched Thranes. The knights thought the city was theirs until the Aundairian Communers revolted in 928 AR. The Council of Cardinals tried to starve the Thaliosans into submission. Eventually, the instigators were captured and burned alive. That same year, a magical conflagration destroyed the colossal White Arch Bridge that spanned Passage de la côte between Thaliost and Rekkenmark, severing the Train Fulgurant line and breaking Thrane’s surest link into Karrnath. Exactly who destroyed the bridge—Aundairians, Karnns, or Thranes—remains a mystery, although a number of factions have stepped forward and claimed responsibility. The Thaliosans are a bitter, divided, and defeated people. Some have made plans to return to Aundair now that the war has ended. Others accuse Aundair of abandoning them and leaving them to suffer at the hands of the Thranes. These same Aundairians sadly proclaim that they have no homeland to return to. A large garrison of knights barely maintains order in Thaliost. Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Thaliost, Solgar Dariznu (LE male Humain cleric 8 [Silver Flame]), is widely regarded as a vicious tyrant who burns people alive for his personal pleasure.

How would you make Thrane sympathetic in a game set in Thaliost?

Interesting question. They are the occupying force, which is always a hard position to justify. One of the first things I’d do is to emphasize that the brutal governor of the city, Archbishop Dariznu, is actually Aundairian; he represents the extremist Pure Flame movement rooted in Aundair. The Thrane templars and priests in the city are under his authority, but I’d emphasize their disgust at Dariznu’s actions and have some of them doing what they can to mitigate them or to help people in need. Compassion is a core virtue of the Silver Flame, and I’d incorporate a number of Thranes – whether part of the occupying force or independent agents – who are providing compassionate assistance to the needy. I could even see a group of Thrane templars considering if they should defy the hierarchy and remove Dariznu from power. The essential point to make is that this isn’t a simple black and white Thrane vs Aundair conflict; you are also dealing with an ideological schism within the Church of the Silver Flame. There are Aundairians and Thranes on both sides of that schism, and definitely Thranes who believe in the validity of Thrane’s claim to the region while still despising the actions of the Governor. This is something I touch on in this Dragonmark.