Proskur Plus: More Areas in the Proskur Thayan Enclave

The FR book Lords of Darkness describes a Thayan enclave in the city of Proskur.

For those who don't play FR, a Thayan enclave is a small part of a city owned by the government of Thay (a generally evil magocracy historically known for attacking its neighbors but apparently turning over a new leaf by exploring mercantilism by exploiting their readily available apprentice labor to create magic items). Inside an enclave, Thayan law applies (they can own slaves, ignore silly laws of the host city, etc.), and it is inhabited and run by native Thayans. It's basically the equivalent of "Little Italy," if Italy were run by tattoed shaven-headed wizards. In exchange for this physical space, the enclave sells magic items at a 10% discount and pays a portion of its income to the host city (often in the form of magic items the enclave makes). This is beneficial to both sides; the host city has an influx of magic that it can use for its own purposes, and the Thayans have access to a market they otherwise would have trouble reaching because of distance and reputation.
If you catch a mention of a "Red Wizard" below, they're the prestige-class elite wizard members of Thayan society; all eight members of Thay's ruling council are Red Wizards. A "khazark" is the leader of the enclave, roughly equivalent in status to a guildmaster. Thayans are human, either of the Mulan ethnicity (roughly Egyptian in build and coloration, shaving or plucking all of their hair) or the Rashemi ethnicity (shorter, with more hair, and males having thick beards). References to characters "taking xxx" probably refers to a kind of FR drug presenteh in the book.

When I wrote up the enclave for Lords of Darkness, I made an enclave that was full of hand-picked people who would represent the non-evil side of Thay so that they'd get a warmer welcome (not that the enclave wasn't completely evil-free, it just wasn't dripping with obvious evil that would have paladins charging the walls all the time). This didn't exactly suit the creative director's vision, who wanted a darker, more creepy place, with some underground slaving and other nasty stuff going on, and so he reworked this material. The end result is mostly the same, with a few extra nasty things and most of the nicer things cut from the book. This document contains the cut material.

The first part is some additional intro material for the enclave (or is the original version before the changes made for the print version). Later bits are locations within the enclave. Locations with a number are additions or modifications to the corresponding numbered sites listed in the book. Sites with an "X" for the number were cut entirely and do not appear on the map in Lords of Darkness (but you could always have them be a second floor to an existing building or include them in some other way).

Proskur Enclave
…
    There are seventy wizards living and working in the enclave, four of which are Red Wizards. Approximately seventy other Thayans live in the city, mainly shopkeepers, tradesfolk, and bodyguards to the wizards, with a small number of clerics in the temples and potion shops. A small number of locals are employed within the enclave, performing base but necessary skills such as painting, street cleaning, and porting. Most other Thayans in the enclave are commoners or experts of level 1-8 and have their statistics listed in the area in which they work.
…
    Not all of the wizards are accounted for in the listing of location entries. The remainder are either on leave (and often out adventuring) or serving with the Proskur military or city guards to replenish their experience points necessary to make magic items.
    The presence of so many wizards with familiars has changed the way that the people of Proskur deal with some of the common wild animals that roam the streets. Most use cages to trap animals rather than poisoning them outright, for many times has an angry Thayan wizard tracked down the location of their slain familiar and demanded compensation. A trapped animal is kept for half a day before being killed, as this is judged sufficient time for its master to appear and claim it. Smarter wizards instruct their familiars to avoid such traps in the first place.

Other Known Thayan Enclaves
The following cities also have well-established enclaves of at least 50 Thayans: Hlath, Innarlith, Messemprar, Yhaunn.

The Shadow Weave Users
There are at least three spellcasters in the enclave that tap Shadow Weave. Because Shadow Weave users make Shadow Weave magic items, this means that a greater than normal proportion of the items in this enclave are of this sort. 10% of the items created in the enclave draw upon the Shadow Weave, and therefore deal Wisdom damage to the user when activated.

4. Mother Sivarra’s Kitchen (Restaurant)
Note this additional text added to the end of the location description:
    Unfortunately, the Red Wizards know this, and send spies here or scry it to find information and see who is interested in such things.

8. This place was originally called “Masterful Metals”

10. This place was originally called “Pleasing Your Tongue”

11. This place was originally called “Findings and Bindings”

13. This place was originally called “Bottled Spirits”

21. This was originally called “Cleansing Waters.”
Note this additional text:
    One 1st-level and one 2nd-level enclave wizard are assigned to this business, both to protect the guests (two War1 guards also serve in this manner) but to provide magical assistance for unusual tasks.

23. The Black Mortar (Apothecary)
Note this additional text:
    Tarithi administers raw nararoot to any woman that asks for it, at no cost.

29. This place was originally called “The White Fire Sword”

X. Alaor’s Reef (Tavern)
    This nautical-themed tavern is much like the other taverns in the city except for the unusually high concentration of Thayans within it. As many residents of the enclave feel uncomfortable letting their guard down outside of the enclave, they tend to gather at the taverns within it. The remaining patrons are those looking for some tension, fond of Thayan drinks, thrill-seekers hoping to spot a Red Wizard, or those that have business with the Thayans. The tavern serves only drinks and Thayan salted wheat cakes; those wanting food are encouraged to go elsewhere. Most of the main floor is completely open and occupied by many tables and chairs, with the rest of the space filled by the bar, the small kitchen, and two private booths screened from the main room by curtains. The tavern is owned by the government of Thay and staffed by people hired by employees of the khazark.

X. Armor
    A Rashemi named Stolv (N human male Exp4) and his family run this armorsmithy. While he normally only produces breastplate, chain shirt, chainmail, banded mail, and shields, he has one suit of each other type of metal armor available for a Medium creature, and takes orders for unusual or custom armors, including those for creatures of different sizes. Stolv is starting to get old, and has been taking tekkil to deal with the pains of aging. He is not yet addicted, but soon will be, and is likely to quickly fall into debt with the apothecary once that happens.

X. Beds For The Weary (Hostel)
This building is a series of large rooms lined with cots and bunks, essentially a low-rent low-privacy inn that doesn’t offer food or any services except a place to sleep. Its primary customers are the guards of Thayan caravans owned by miserly merchants, but just about any down-on-their-luck traveler from Thay might be staying here (non-Thayans typically prefer accommodations in other parts of the city).

X. Blue Fire Performance Hall (Theatre)
    This theatre is run by Urhul (N human male Com6), a sniveling Mulan man with no talent for magic. Urhul employs several mediocre actors as well as two enclave wizards (one 2nd-level, one 1st-level) to cast illusion spells to augment primary performances. The theatre controls the open property adjacent to it and has open-air performances on a temporary stage on warmer days. While they usually perform traditional Thayan stories (including a few odd love stories that usually end in tragedy), Urhul hears a lot of the city’s gossip and writes short plays about current situations. He sometimes hires other spellcasters for larger productions, if only to push blame upon them when the Red Wizards inquire about the slanderous material performed.

X. Cheese of the Priador (Cheese Shop)
    This cheese shop gets a lot of business from workers in the enclave and those that live outside of it. The proprietor, a quiet Rashemi woman named Tammil (N human female Com2/Exp1), makes local, Thayan, and exotic cheeses. She has a business arrangement with Tarithi of the Black Mortar where she arranges to have Tarithi’s drugs mixed into one of her bland cheeses for customers that don’t want to be seen going to the apothecary. In return, she provides Luiren cheese to the apothecary.

X. Chergova Garden (Food Market)
    This market is run by three generations of Rashemi gardeners. The Chergova family carries local staples and items more common in Thay. The roof of their building is a thriving garden, from which they get most of their uncommon fruits and vegetables. Grandmother Chergova happily shares her recipes with visitors and gives advice on how to select the best produce from their store. One of their teenage family members was replaced by a doppelganger about a year ago, although none in the family have realized it yet.

X. Creations of Stone (Sculpture)
    This place is filled with shelves of large and small sculptures, and most of the floor space is cluttered with works in progress or fragments, up to human-size statues. The proprietor is Jezzara (N tiefling female Com2/Rog4), who appears to be Mulan because she shaves her head and has tattoos, but if she ever grew her hair out it would be a hellish red and somewhat prehensile, reacting to her emotions. Her great-grandfather is a Red Wizard back in Thay, and her fiendish bloodline is the result of a dalliance he had with a demon. She avoids magic and fiends of all kinds, although her sculpture often reflects the nightmares and horrible visions that her demonic blood brings her. The enclave wizards love her work and one has commissioned her to help in constructing a stone golem.

X. Delicacies of Eltabbar (Sweets)
    Run by Hulmarra (LN human female Ftr1/Exp2), a fat Rashemi woman with a missing right leg, this shop gets an equal amount of business from resident Thayans and the people of Proskur, for its sweets are excellent and at good prices. Hulmarra lost her leg to a diseased wound from a battle, and so retired into the candy business. Thayan sweets range from simple and plain items like kuleph (honey mixed with flour, baked, and cut into cubes) to zestier ones like zuphet (made with cinnamon oil and sugar) and neb (gelatin lozenges soaked in sugar and the juices of cranberries and grapefruits). Some think she helps the local thieves’ guild smuggle gems and other small valuables in her soft candies.

X. Faurgar’s Meats (Butcher)
    The burly Rashemi man that runs this store laughs a lot, but a look in his eyes makes others uneasy. Faurgar (LE human male Rog7) is rumored to dispose of bodies for a fee, and is also said to provide such bodies or parts to necromancers. Despite this talk, nobody has found any evidence of human (or other sentient humanoid) flesh in his meats, and to all appearances he is just a common butcher. The floor of his shop is covered in a thick layer of sawdust to catch spills, and is swept out daily to prevent a stench from arising. Faurgar sometimes hires himself out as an assassin to the Red Wizards, always disguising himself beforehand.

X. Five Eyes (Inn)
    If any one place within the enclave could be described as a dive, this is it. The place is thick with smoke, serves cheap but mediocre food, watered down drinks, and is a haven for the underbelly of society. Guardsmen come here to get drunk and fight, enclave wizards come here to slum, festhall employees come here for extra money, criminals come here to make contacts, and nobody with any taste stays here long. Some of the people that get drunk here and pass out in the alley are never seen again (unless you happen to find them chains in Thay). The Red Wizards tolerate its existence because it acts as a vent for their more aggressive employees and provides a place for them to make contact with the city’s criminals (as well as an occasional source of slaves). The place is run by Ramas-Kef (LE human male Rog6), a Mulan member-in-exile of a thieves’ guild in Bezantur.

X. Glorious Day (Restaurant)
    This restaurant is popular with adventurers, for its owner, Borivik Longbeard (N human male Ftr7) is a retired Rashemi adventurer himself and he welcomes those that embrace danger—as long as they leave their egos at the door. Known for its large portions and stocks of dwarven ale and elven wine, the Day (as it is known) is visited by adventurers from all over the Dragon Coast, and even some of the more mellow enclave wizards come here, especially those that have done some traveling outside the city as part of their duties to the enclave. Unknown to Borivik, the main doorway to the Day, which is made of stone and part of a much older building, is a keyed portal that leads to a ruined circle of stones ten miles east of Silverymoon. The key is 100 gp worth of diamond dust, and the portal works only once in a tenday. Discovery of this portal would make the Day an extremely valuable place, and might result in the Red Wizards seizing it for their own purposes.

X. House of Larzon (Tavern)
    This is one of the few truly joyous places in the enclave. The bard who opened the tavern wanted a place where people of all classes and races could meet and share a drink or a story and forget about the pains of life for a while. The place opened and was immediately filled with locals and Thayans. Strangely, Larzon died suddenly that night of an unknown illness, but his friends swore to keep the place open. Many believe that the spirit of Larzon lives on in this place, for any that enters in peace and shares a story of their life gains a +2 morale bonus to saving throws against charm and fear effects for the next 24 hours (this is a supernatural, mind-affecting effect).
    The House of Larzon is now run by Selar (N human male Brd1/Exp2) and Grief (N human male Brd2/Exp1), two long-time friends of Larzon who helped establish this business. They live in the rooms on the second floor. The House serves Thayan and local drinks, and the owners use their magic to pacify patrons that become too rowdy (a rare occurrence). The Red Wizards tolerate the business and its bard owners because the place reinforces the image of Thay as a more benign place than its reputation would seem.

X. Jail
    The enclave’s jail is only for those that commit crimes within the enclave’s borders, or those criminal individuals handed over to the enclave as slaves by the government of Proskur in exchange for some magical compensation. It is a modest one-story building, as the cells are all in the basement level. Conditions are cramped and not very humane, with prisoners paired up in 5-foot square cells and often shackled to the walls. Three special cells exist for spellcaster prisoners, reinforced with iron walls and an iron door. In addition to the four guards on duty here at all times, two 2nd-level enclave wizards are on staff during the day. Although the security is tight, the jail rarely has more than three prisoners.

X. Kalark’s (Restaurant)
    This restaurant is run by Kalarik (N human male Sor4/Exp2), a particularly short Mulan man who has tattooed eyebrows but otherwise keeps all of his hair. He chose to leave Thay because he had no interest in wizardry and he knew his abilities as a sorcerer would make him a laughingstock, so joining an enclave was a perfect solution for him. He serves only traditional Thayan dishes, all excellently prepared, and his spiced lamb dish is a favorite among those with any taste. Kalark is indifferent to most of the concerns of the Red Wizards, but he loves his restaurant and the enclave because it allows him to experience his home and his people without worrying about being persecuted for his magic.

X. Koren’s Craftwork (Trinkets/Curios)
    Koren (N human male Exp7) is a very old Mulan craftsman and sculptor, specializing in wooden and ivory carvings and knick-knacks. He had his wife Chasesk (N human female Exp4) ran a small business in Eltabbar and gave it to their son when this enclave opened, as both had never been outside of Thay in their entire lives and they wanted to see some part of the outside world before they died. Koren’s work is good and he is particularly fond of making small items suitable for young lovers to give each other. He has been called upon to carve at least one small figurine that a Red Wizard later turned into an onyx dog. At that Red Wizard’s request he carved several dozen more like it, which she imbued with an inconsequential amount of magic (enough to make it radiate magic but not enough to give it any abilities) and has given to other wizards with the intent of concealing the identity of her own figurine. Unfortunately, Koren does not know her name and doesn’t remember what she looks like, so finding the owner of the true figurine will be difficult.

X. Mevik’s Oven (Bakery)
    The delicious scents of this bakery draw visitors from a hundred yards away. Its owner, Mevik (N male human Com3) is a Rashemi man of middle age and quiet temperament. He produces all sorts of Thayan pastries and baked goods, as well as local types. His surran (diced lamb’s meat and vegetables wrapped in dough and baked) are very tasty, and if baked until very hard they serve as adequate trail rations.

X. The Playful Whip (Festhall)
    This is one of the more decadent establishments of its kind in the city. In addition to the typical services available at this festhall, two worshippers of Loviatar (LE human Clr 2 of Loviatar) are on staff and able to provide more extreme forms of entertainment for those interested in it. In addition to the common employees and the servants of the Maiden of Pain, one 3rd-level and one 1st-level enclave wizard are assigned to this establishment, required to help out in any manner necessary (it teaches them obedience and reminds them of their low station among the wizards). Half of the building is a common area, the rest is divided into four small private chambers that can be rented for a higher price.

X. The Sword Brothers (Weapons)
    This blacksmith’s shop primarily produces longswords, arrows, crossbow bolts, and daggers, the weapons used most often by Thayans. They also make masterwork weapons of these types. The place is run by four handsome Rashemi brothers, Kanithar, Banithar, Kassar, and Valkar (N human males Exp4). The brothers are in search of wives, and are especially attentive to female customers, but are completely polite toward the enclave wizards, for the fifth brother Krosar now lives in a cage as a rabbit thanks to Torisk Haut. They would be very grateful to anyone that returns their brother to his original form.

X. The Tangible Weave (Cloth & Clothing)
    This clothing store is owned by three older Rashemi sisters, Hulmarra, Huldev, and Hulzel (LN human females Exp5). They are very meticulous in the details of their work, accepting only the finest wool or bolls for the cloth they make, and only the best cloth for the clothing they make. They can make any kind of outfit out of any sewable material, do custom orders, and have an amiable arrangement with a dyer outside the enclave. Their mother was a Thayan wizard that lost a spell battle that left her unable to cast spells, and the sisters have a lingering resentment toward aggressive wizards (which they keep concealed when Thayan wizards are around).

X. The Toasted Bun (Bakery/Restaurant)
    The very relaxed atmosphere of this combination bakery and restaurant makes it more like an inn (without the rooms for sleeping) or a tavern (without the drunkenness). The young couple that runs the place, Darvin and Miri Blackcastle (LN humans Exp2) serve mild wines, teas, coffees (imported at great expense from Maztica via Amn), juices, and pastries from the bakery, while bards sing or read poetry. The Blackcastles only hire young and attractive people to work here, and so The Toasted Bun has also become a place for young adults to meet and socialize. The Blackcastles ask that no armor be worn in their business, and all weapons be tied to their scabbards (called a “peacestring” in Cormyr, a term which is catching on elsewhere), to make sure the mood stays friendly. They are both agents of the Harpers, sent here to keep an eye on the Red Wizards.

X. Trusted Companions (Small Animals)
    This business is essentially a pet store and a source of animal parts for spellcasters (such as cat’s fur for the cat’s grace spell, grasshopper legs for jump, live spiders for spider climb, and so on). Its proprietor, Shandri (N human female Rgr4 of Malar) buys and sells small creatures and their parts to those interested in pets, familiars, or ingredients. For the proper fee she can acquire more unusual creatures, such as the monsters available to spellcasters with the Improved Familiar feat. She is assisted by a 1st-level enclave wizard she employs, who runs the shop while she is out searching for exotic creatures. Shandri knows a great deal about the nearby terrain and is a good source of information about monster lairs and tribes of humanoids within a two-week walk of Proskur.