"Alvairthae, may your skill prevail," began the speaker on the podium, his crimson robes stained with ink, and his potbelly tugging softly at the folds of his tunic. "I congratulate you on your efforts and welcome you to the ranks of the red wizards." he stopped to clear his throat, waiting for the commotion to die down, "But, do not forget, you have only passed the first of many trials that await you in the days ahead. It is here that you shall learn of the fundamentals of the art. But, for those who have the desire and ability to succeed, there lies the greatest honor that we may bestow upon you, to be a Zulkir." Sleyvas Human Dual 7th Ftr(Myrmidon)/18th Mage(Invoker) S 16 I 18 W 9 D 13 CN 16 CH 12 AL LE AC -2 HP 75 # Att/Rnd: 3 with longsword & sabre Wpn Prof: Staff, Longbow, Firarms(tight), Dagger, Dart Specializations: Longsword, two-wpn Style, Ambidextrous, Sabre N-Wpn Prof: Alchemy, herbalism, spellcraft, engineering, swin, ride (land), seamanship, military history, blind-fighting, fire-build, endurance, navigation Languages: (speak)common, dwarvish (read) common, thorass Appearance: Sleyvas has a beard which seems always grizzly. He typically wears a dustcovered grey cloak worn from years on the road. He wears a broadrimmed, leather hat which, through the years, has become stained with cigar smoke. He is never without his tobacco and rolling papers. On his hips are a longsword and sabre, on his belt are several pouches and two starwheel pistols, and on his shoulder is a blunderbuss rifle. Noone would ever expect him to be a mage. Sleyvas started adult life as a member of the watch in Thazalhar, advancing quickly through the ranks by showing true ingenuity and an ability with tactics. He married a woman named Melarra that he had rescued on one of his campaigns. They enjoyed several happy years together, until something dreadful happened to her. Melarra was in the marketplace when the battle started. It was only a minor skirmish between a paladin and an accused thief, but a misplaced blow by the paladin sent her into the afterlife. Sleyvas was crushed, and he sank into a deep depression. After several months, he had a falling out with his commanding officer and decided to head out on his own. He decided that he had to strike out against the paladin which had ruined his life. However, he knew that he would have little chance without magic. He turned to the college of invocation magic, relying on his uncle's influence as the son of a former Tharchion to gain him entrance. It was also during this time that he heard about the new smoke powder weapons developed by Lantanese inventors. He decided that these weapons would make him a deciding factor in the eastern inner sea, and promptly set about to capture a shipment of the weapons. He and his newly formed riflemen quickly gained the notice of his Thayvian masters, who hired them for this and that military initiative. It was on one of these missions that he found a clue to the whereabouts of the paladin. When he finally struck, he and his soldiers struck hard and swift, killing the Holy Knight and nearly all of his family in one blow. His vengeance was horrible to behold and with no bounds. As he left the house, a mist rose about him and his men, and when they emerged, they were no longer within the realms which they knew. He stood before a throne of jet black stone. On it sat a man of power, someone greater than a normal human. Bane, the god of Tyranny, beckoned for Sleyvas to step forward. It was revealed to him that the lord of Tyranny, as well as the other gods believed to be dead after the time of troubles, had become imprisoned within a single domain of Ravenloft. It was revealed to each that they could only be released upon the death of the other two, after which they would return to godhood and would seize their sphere of control from Cyric the Usurper. As the lord of Tyranny, Bane had been placed as the open ruler of the kingdom in which he became trapped, a military state that controlled the peasantry with a tight fist. Bhaal, lord of murder and assassins, actually led the sides of both good and evil, training those who would overthrow the government as well as those who simply killed for monetary purposes. But of them all, Myrkul, lord of the dead, found his powers greatly increased and fueled by the dark mists of Ravenloft itself. And therein lay Bane's problem, for Myrkul quickly emptied the graveyards of the kingdom, hurling the undead legions against his soldiers in overwhelming numbers. Bane faced extinction if he did not do something fast. Sleyvas' soldiers carried the answer, the blunderbuss, a smokepowder weapon which when fired would affect large numbers of enemies at once. Bane's greatest technician's and metalworkers hurriedly put together as many of the weapons as possible, as Sleyvas taught alchemists how to create smokepowder, and his own soldiers set about to train Bane's elite force with the weapon. They proved very effective against the shambling hordes when used in conjuction with one another or similiar missile weapons, and once again the balance of power began to come back to normal, that is until the alchemists and weaponsmiths began making inferior material. Although it did not happen often, the weapons were known to backfire on their user, and Bane found, to his dismay, that he could not train his soldiers fast enough to replace those lost by malfunctioning or misfired weapons. Luckily, Sleyvas once again established contact with Thay and escaped the demiplane of madness, and apparently very little time had passed on the Prime Material Plane since his own disappearance into Ravenloft. But, he had gained greatly in power during his absence, and he slew the current Zulkir, taking his own seat on the council. He gained strength by leading the army on several successful forays into forests of Aglarond and the nomadic hills of Thesk. He also established his own arena, meant to train spellcasters how to use their spells most effectively, in hopes that he would be able to lead these forces back to the ethereal arena and seize control by force. But, his return back to his homeland had brought back his old memories of Melarra and the few happy years that they had held together. He came upon the idea of using her genes to create the sons which they had never had, using an ancient spell of cloning that he had discovered within the book that Bane had given him. However, he knew that, unlike humans who require only 2 partners, there would have to be 3 sets of genes in order to create stability in the clone. As a result, each has slightly different build, but all are warrior-mages like himself (though they have differing skills). He loves them like his own children, but they have their own initiatives in life. There are 5 altogether: one has turned to the military life, working as a general in the Darkriders Mercenary Company in King's Reach, he is a strict disciplinarian; one is a darkskinned, burly pirate with a dragon tattoo on his chest and a long braid, he cares little for his "father" whom he considers himself smarter than; two of them became bounty hunters, one of whom uses unusual crossbows and mechanical equipment to entrap his enemies, while the other is highly skilled with daggers, swords, and poisons; the final "son" has turned against Sleyvas, whom he sees as the epitome of evil, due to the donors swashbuckling habits. Unlike most Myrmidons, who are stiff and rigid, Sleyvas leads through unspoken words. He lets his men know what he expects from them, and they do their best for him out of fear. If they get in his way, he will have no qualms about ending their lives. If there is one thing that he is, it's untrusting. He constantly tries to outmaneuver his enemies, and he therefore feels that they are doing the same to him. Perhaps the only people that he does trust are his "children", sadly to say, for those are the ones whom he can trust the least, as they share his own personal thoughts and secrets. Ectar Odesseiron, zulkir of abjuration human male S 8 I 18 W 15 D 10 CN 12 CH 10 AL: NE 23rd lvl abjurer (patrician kit) wpn prof: dagger, darts, staff nwp: etiquette, heraldry, riding (land), History of Thay, astrology, herbalism, spellcraft, religion, weather sense, swim, rope use, History of Great Magical Discoveries, Study of Demonic beings, seamanship languages (speak) common, elven (read/write) common, elven, Thorass, Mulhorandi Ectar is one of the last of the line of Jorgmacdon, the first Zulkir of Conjuration, who had summoned and captured the Demon Prince, Eltab, to fight against the forces of Mulhorand. Ectar has been plagued by nightmares since his youth; nightmares filled with images of Eltab's revenge for his ancestral grandfather's slights against him. This led the thin, little man down the road to a severe case of paranoia. So, when it came time to choose a school of magic, he opted for the school which would provide him with the protections that he would need. His fears led him quickly through the ranks, until now, as the Zulkir of Abjuration, he is responsible for capturing and placing any maps of Eltabbar under lock, key, and spell to provide for their safety (it is a little known fact that Eltabbar has been laid out in the shape of a giant glyph, which if copied (say as a map of the town) and destroyed, lessens the bonds ever so slightly on the demon prince trapped within. As a result, they have banned all mapmaking (covering it by saying that it would make assaults by the enemy so much easier if they had maps) within Thay.) Many consider Ectar to be suffering from the typical abjurers case of paranoia, but there may be some truth to his madness?!?! Cravex, zulkir of conjuration human male S 10 I 18 W 13 D 12 CN 16 CH 6 AL CE 19TH LVL CONJURER (WARLOCK "WITCH" KIT) wpn prof: none allowed nwp: herbalism, spellcraft, brewing, swim, ride (land), ride (airborne), astrology, navigation, religion, animal training (scorpion), animal training (snake), History of Thay languages(speak) common, elven (read/write) common, Thorass, elven, Undercommon Cravex has made a pact with the goddess Talona to bring about her will. In return, she would train him to become a great mage. He has proven an able emissary, learning all that he could of poisons and their uses. He has secretly established himself as a master assassin, using his magics to sneak into an area then summon the necessary aid that he requires to make the hit. In return for his allegiance, he has recieved a large death dog for a familiar, which he has appropriately named Plague. Like many of Thay's upper nobility, Cravex has shaved his pate, decorationg it with tattoos. But, he did not stop there. His whole body is a mural dedicated to the poisonous beasts of the world. It is rumored that he can somehow summon these tattoo creatures to aid him in times of trouble. Cravex keeps several unusual mounts for himself and his followers, including a flight of wyverns, but his favorite mount is a specially bred giant scorpion. His tower is guarded by many unusual and deadly creatures, including giant scorpions, snakes, poison gas traps, wyverns, an imp or two, giant spiders and Driders, as well as several members of the assassin's guild, who work for him in trade for poisonous extracts from his pets. Cathgar Lossoth, zulkir of divination human male S 13 I 18 W 16 D 9 CN 16 CH 10 AL: LE 23rd lvl diviner (militant wizard) wpn prof: longsword, longbow, dagger, hand axe nwp: endurance, riding(land), blindfighting, hunt, swim, engineer, tracking, spellcraft, herbalism, artistic ability (sculpture), rope use, History of Thay languages (speak) common (read/write) common, Thorass, elven Cathgar Lossoth was born to a family of red wizards known for their battlefield valour. Unlike other mages, he was raised to respect the skills of his father's soldiers, and he regularly trained among them. But, despite their skills, his parents' lives were ended during an extended foray into Chessenta due to an ambush which they were unprepared for. Had they but used their magics to check for enemies in the area, they might be alive. It was their mistake which led Cathgar to take up divinatory magics, (note, I feel that the opposition school as listed in the wizard's handbook was a bad choice, his oppositional schools are conjuration & enchantment/charm). His military upbringing led him to stay in the Tharch of Thaymount, where he can send his forces into the the sparsely populated herding hills of Thesk or down the river Umber into the heavily wooded marshes of Aglarond. At present, he and Spiros Dehkahks, Tharchion of Thaymount and a masterful general, have captured the towns of Nethentir and Nethjet. The population has put up little resistance, and he has established his own ruling council. He is apparently building up the fortifications in the area, and plans to develop some sort of base of operations for an military maneuver. Unfortunately, their next step is, as yet, unrevealed. Cathgar is a very strict and disciplined individual, who likes to make sure that all operations are running smoothly before leaping into the next stage. He trusts noone, except his hand-picked lieutenants. As a general, he is cruel but efficient and well-loved by his subordinates. Lagash Eldacar, zulkir of alteration human male S 16 I 18 W 16 D 15 CN 10 CH 11 AL: TN dual class 8th cleric of oghma (fighting monk)/ 19th transmuter wpn prof: wrestling (x5), flail, lasso, single wpn style (x2) NOTE: he recieves an additional +2 to hit w/ wrestling due to religion and +2 to hit w/ lasso due to rope use. nwp: tumbling, swim, tightrope walking, rope use, spellcraft, herbalism, navigation, religion, History of Thay, History of the Great Mulhorand Empire, History of Unther since the rule of Gilgeam, History of Orcgate Wars, The lost religions of the desert Raurin, healing languages (speak) common (read/write) common, Thorass, Mulhorandi, Untheric Major Access: divination, healing, protection Minor Access: guardian, sun Lagash has always sought enlightenmnet of the world around him. In his youth, this brought him to the temple of Oghma in Bezantur, the city of a thousand spires. They taught him that knowledge comes from the purity of the mind and the body. Thus, he spent the spare time between texts by learning the art preferred by his god, wrestling, so as to become more in tune with himself. But, Lagash was not content to sit within the walls of the temple. He had spent much time copying texts for the red wizards, and he had gotten to know one in particular very well. He turned to this man, offering to become an apprentice. He found transmutation magics much to his liking, being very versatile in its uses. The mage died several years later, and, as he searched through his belongings, he found several dozen texts related to Mulhorand and Unther (the pseudo egyptian/babylonian cultures to the immediate south of Thay). Apparently, the man had been in pursuit of a long lost item of the God-Kings, an ankh of power. Since that time, Lagash has turned his own life towards this pursuit. But, unlike other would-be historians, he did not turn to moldy texts for his answers. He went straight to the source. From long-forgotten tombs to arctic wastes, Lagash and his trusty lasso (which is endowed with several magics and is rumored to be intelligent) have seen it all. He cares little for the political cloak & dagger which occurs within his mother country, and wishes that he wouldn't have to deal with upstarts who would like to take away his seat on the council of Zulkirs. At present, he is one of the loudest speakers for the faction which call themselves the Researchers, those mages who have tired of conquest and would like the wars to end so that they won't interfere with their magical experiments. Sadly, he hasn't made much of a difference, despite his best arguments. Lagash is generally a vibrant and generous person, but he is very angered by those who won't help themselves or who use others. As a result, he does share some enmity towards the school of enchanters, and their Zulkir, Lauzoril, in particular. Lagash tends to stray away from the violent attitudes of most of the other red wizards. He would much rather incapacitate his foe than kill him. Because of that, he has learned to use appropriate tactics and weapons, especially his lasso. Malkar the Bold, zulkir of earth elementalism human male S 18/94 I 18 W 11 D 10 CN 16 CH 8 AL: NE dual class 3rd ftr (gladiator) / 21st lvl earth elementalist wpn prof: shortsword, trident specialization, net, punching specialization, weapons length, two-hander style, staff, sling (note wpn's length comes from a dragon article called the strategy of tactics) nwp: riding, swim, mountaineer, charioteering, tumbling, blindfighting, direction sense, mining, rope use, stonemasonry, engineering, gem cutting, spellcraft, blacksmith, carpentry languages: (speak) common (read/write) common Malkar began life as an upwardly mobile apprentice within the Thayvian school of transmutation. Unfortunately, before he could graduate, he was framed for murder by his own father (who feared his son would grow powerful and slay him due to a gypsy fortuneteller) and sent to the gold mines near Thaymount to live out the remainder of his life as a slave. Malkar worked hard, realizing that his only chance to survive would be if he impressed his taskmaster. He became very familiar with the ways of the earth, and his keen mind made him noticed by the mine controller, an earth elementalist, who moved him out of the dangerous mines themselves and into the smithy. He and the elementalist grew to like each other, and the mage even continued Malkar's magical tutelage, secretly. It was only several months later that the miners broke in on the Duergar stronghold. The squat, gray creatures poured through the mine, slaughtering helpless miners indiscriminately. When they reached his own cavern, Malkar found himself with little more than an unwieldy hammer to defend himself with. He was quickly disarmed by an enemy blade, so he lunged at the evil dwarf with nothing but his fists. With one punch, he had slain it. Seconds later, another approached him. He felt the blade enter his side, but not before his fists broke the spinal column in the dwarf's neck. A few moments later, the mine's guards forcibly routed the dark creatures back to their own mines. His ferocity impressed the captain of the guard, who immediately siezed him, despite protests from the mine controller, and sold him to the arena of Eltabbar. For the next three years, Malkar fought for the pleasure of the citizens of Thay, hoping that one day he might be able to break the yoke of slavedom. He became a master of the trident, and although he never became a favorite hero, he was respected as a capable warrior. Luckily for him, the earth elementalist finally gained enough power that he was accepted as a true red wizard. He was bought by the mage, and freed so as to become the man's own apprentice. He worked hard and diligently, learning as much as he could, and eventually even he had attained the status of wizard. Then he became envious of his master, whose wealth had grown greatly through the aid of his apprentice in the mines. It was his next bit of treachery that earned him the title "Bold", for he slew his master in cold blood, despite the fact that it would make him a prime target for assassination himself. But, he proved to be strong enough to stave off the inevitable slew of golddigging wizards and assassins who tried to remove him from his new position. Malkar grew deeply embittered by the mage's death, and now regrets having committed the murder. He had after all been the only person to ever show him compassion. Since that time, he has expanded his mining operations. He runs a tight ship, and will not accept insubordination from anyone. Unfortunately, his own youth has made him hard and uncaring, despite his teacher's best efforts to reform him. He has developed a quick temper, and his workers rightfully fear him. He seems to not have learned a thing from his own slavery, in fact, he seems to resent those slaves who don't "work as hard as he had to". Yet, for all his faults, he controls a major portion of Thay's economic wealth, and therefore a great portion of Thay's power. Fibean Lysander, zulkir of illusion, human male dual class 7th cleric of Azuth (god of Magic), 18th illusionist S 18 I 18 W 15 D 18 CN 15 CH 12 Fibean is a rather large man, always with a cheerful smile on his clean-shaven face. He has devoted his life to the study of magic, originally being a member of Azuth's priesthood. But, he had only tasted a bit of magic, and he wanted to learn more of its many uses. He thus left off his studies at the temple to spend his time learning of illusioncraft, his favorite subject. He is never seen without his familiar, a pixie named Tarrididdler. He advanced quickly, due to his previous studies and his own naturally quick mind. Fibean has never had much heart for domination of people through force, and therefore he has devoted himself to the cause of the Researchers. OR IS IT Fib'ean Lysander, zulkir of illusion, gnome female 9th cleric of Leira (goddess of deception & illusion)/ 18th illusionist S 9 (18/00 w/ gauntlets) I 18 W 16 D 18 CN 15 CH 12 AL CN (good tendencies) wpn prof- single wpn style (x2), flail, hammer, sling, mace, bola nwp- astrology, engineering, gem cutting, herbalism, religion, spellcraft, healing, local history (Thay), musical instrument (lyre), swim languages (read/write) common, gnome (speak) common, gnome Fib'ean is not what he proclaims to be. Fib'ean is not a cleric of Azuth, he is, in fact, a cleric of Leira, the goddess of deceptions and illusion. In order to serve his goddess he has decided to carry out this hoax. In fact, Fib'ean is not even human, he is a rock gnome from the Sunrise Mountains. In fact, his familiar, Tarrididdler (his pixie) is just an illusion. In fact, even the names that he uses are not really his (Tarrididdler is a gnomish word meaning liar, and he chose Fib'ean Lysander for its overtures to fibs and lies). In fact, he isn't even a he; he's a she. Her real name is Calinda Garnetgetter, and she has defended her peoples from the ravages of the red wizards for the past 100 years (mostly through deft use of illusory magics to hide her clan). She came out of the mountains twenty years ago in order to keep an eye on the red wizards for her people. Through use of her magic, she and her clansmen were able to place her on the rolls of the school of illusionists. She also created a special amulet that allows her to alter her shape to that of her false identity, changing her voice as well. She amazed her(his) teachers by passing through the preliminary stages of wizardry and on to red wizard status within only 4 years. Of course, they accredited some of the speed to his teachings within the temple of Azuth; but nonetheless, there were whispers across the countryside about this child prodigy (actually she just wanted to simulate her advancement, but didn't want it to take forever). This both angered and scared those illusionists who were insecure about their own positions, but she(he) withstood their assaults by confounding them with her own illusions, then trapping them with spells which they had not assumed her(him) capable of casting. After several years, word got around about his(her) dangerous nature, and the attacks began to slow. What really confounded her was the fact that she has become a Zulkir. She had not counted on things going so well, and now that she is on the council, she has a direct influence on the goings on of Thay. Still, she misses her home among the mountains, and uses every chance that she gets to return home to her people, where she can resume to her practical joking lifestyle. Tiiushi the Sea Queen, zulkir of water elementalism, human female S 11 I 18 W 17 D 15 CN 13 CH 13 triple-classed 4th thf (buccaneer kit)/ 8th priest of Talos/ 15th Water elementalist wpn prof- javelin, nunchaku, martial arts specialization, two-wpn style, ambidexterity, footman's flail, sai (blunt) nwp- navigation, seamanship, swimming, fishing, gambling, rope use, tightrope walking, weather sense, healing, herbalism, ride (land) spellcraft, local history (Pirate Isles), local history (Bezantur) languages: (speak) common, sahuagin (read/write) common, Untheric, Thorass Tiiushi was born in Karatur to a family of "sailors" who earned their living through capturing other ships. One day a sudden storm arose, sucking their ship into it. Lightning tore through the rigging and set fire to the ship. Tiiushi called to the gods for help. Everything went black. When she awoke, she lay upon the altar of Talos the Destoyer, god of destruction, in a city of Sembia known as Urmlaspyr. It was at this time that she left off her thieving skills to become a priestess of Talos. After a few years, Tiiushi had secured enough money to buy her own ship and hire a crew. She hired her services to the Cult of the Dragon in order to recieve additional aid and funding from them. In order to prove her loyalty, they sent her into the desert Anauroch to convince a blue dragon to join the Cult, at which she failed. However, on this trip, she did meet Vayessa Ju'Ur Dai, a Bedine tribeswoman who was kicked out for using witchcraft. Vayessa travelled back with Tiiushi so that she could see the "Land of Plentiful Water". She has since proven to be a valuable ally with her wind and sand magics on the high seas. The two have become very good friends, as both feel alien in this outside world of "barbarians", and each would willingly give up their own lives in order to save the other. After returning from that desert trip, Tiiushi became intrigued with the study of magic itself (especially magic that deals with water). She hired a young mage to teach her the essence of wizardry while she voyaged. She also recovered several books of magical lore dealing with water magic, focusing her studies on this skill, as its use at sea would be inestimable. Within six years, she had actually reached the status of wizard. She and Vayessa brought their operations to the Alamber Sea near Thay, where they met with and arranged negotiations with the sahuagin of the Kingdom Aleaxtis for safe passage in return for a share of any loot from captured vessels. Tiiushi and her crew quickly became the scourge of the area, hunted by Thayvians, who quickly found themselves ambushed by sahuagin or overwhelmed by magic. But, she herself was not without losses from the red wizards. She had lost several ships to their attacks, which she replaced with captured vessels. Crewmen, on the other hand were becoming scarce, for few wished to face the risk of the Thayvian magi. Tiiushi felt that it was time to go on an "ad" campaign. She had heard stories of the galley of the Gods, a holy and magical ship of Unther rumored to have been created by a deity known as Enki. Slipping into the harbor under a fog created by Vayessa, she and her crew successfully acquired the ship. Once again, Tiiushi's name became hated upon the tongues of the Thayvian wizards. But, once again, both sides were being hurt terribly. Finally, the Thayvian's felt it was time to call a truce, offering her a seat on the council of Zulkirs if she could defeat the current Zulkir in battle. It was a no lose situation for them. If the Zulkir was killed, they would have a truce. If he won, they would be rid of a thorn in their sides. Of course, they were genuinely surprised when she did best their own, especially since she has not yet learned the greatest spells of her school. This has placed her at a very disadvantageous position on the council of Zulkirs, as they also realize that she has no access to certain spells. Therefore, she keeps her seat on the council only to protect herself, without passing any policy, and the red wizards leave her alone in order to stop her pirating attacks. Also, at this time, Tiiushi seems to have found some kind of fountain of youth, for although she is in her late 40's, she seems no older than 25. She seems to have shared this secret with her second, Vayessa. Combat notes: These two characters (Tiiushi & Vayessa (a 16th lvl specialist that I created called a desert elementalist who has no access to water spells, but is very good with wind & sand spells spells) work well together when prepared for a pirating attack. Using fog magics, they swoop in quietly, using their magics to devastate the crews quickly from a distance. They also keep a wall of force along one side of the ship to protect it from catapults as best that they can. If the enemy ship has archers, they may throw a wind wall on the other side until Tiiushi or Vayessa (or a lesser mage or priest of the crew) can eliminate the threat. They have made nearly the whole deck impervious to teleport magics (except certain areas known only to them) to keep rival mages from teleporting aboard. They also make good use of death fog against ships which come too close. If enemies try to approach them, they will usually be spotted from about a mile or so away. Tiiushi will then cast her several protection spells (protection from fire, protection from lightning, improved invisibility, non-detection, fly, or whatever she currently has available) while Vayessa casts bowgentle's fleeting journey (a teleport spell that lasts for a few rounds before teleporting the person back to their previous spot) on Tiiushi. Thus protected, and appearing in the air away from the rival ship(s) undetected, she unleashes lightning bolts (down the center of galleys), icestorms, as well as a 2nd lvl spell called Snilloc's Snowball Swarm (she favors this spell, as it has a large radius (30ft), even though it does little damage (5d4 save 1/2), it will take out most seamen, debilitating enemy vessels enough that they can outrun them or destroy them at their leisure, and by the time enemy spellcasters have targeted her (and figured out what protections she has up), she has been teleported back to her own vessel (just before teleporting, she often dives underwater to further confound the enemy). Once returned Vayessa will repeat the journey spell (if there are any ships left who are decently standing), making Tiiushi appear on the other side of the incoming fleet. Their ship is very powerful (see Old Empires for details, but here's a few short notes: crew is immune to fire & lightning, provides 35% MR to crew, can fly if needed for short duration, the prow is in the shape of Tiamat chained (the heads can fire 1 lightning ball / turn 20' diameter for 6d6 damage), plus the fire resistance allows them to use greek fire throwers with no worry of damage to the ship. They have also captured the essence of a minor demon, binding its will to the ship, and giving them access to its powers (it has no control anymore) of invisibility detection and telekinesis. These powers can be called upon by anyone on deck (but never by more than one person at a time). Generally, one person is assigned at all times to be detecting for invisible creatures, and the telekinesis is put to good use loading and unloading enemy vessels (or lifting masts off people who are trapped under them, etc...). They have renamed it The Mark of Kozah, after the desert persona of Talos the Destroyer, and it has truly lived up to its name, wreaking havoc everywhere that it goes. She also has several other ships under her command, including The Sea Wolf, a captured Thayvian galleon, and The Legacy, the flagship for a previous pirate lord. Each of these has its own commander (the first above is captained by a Thayvian transmuter, while the second is captained by a priestess of Umberlee, the bitch queen of the sea. Each ship has 1 or 2 additional mages and clerics (usually of Umberlee or Talos, but their are a few others recruited from Mulhorand and Unther) of varying levels (depending on the size and influence of the ship and its captain).