The end of the Last War did not bring an end to the conflict that divided Galifar—it merely froze the conflict in place, replacing the boiling heat of open warfare with ice cold subterfuge. Thaliost is an occupied city and the focal point of the differences between Aundair and Thrane.

Source: Cultures of Thrane


An ancient Aundairian city seized during the Last War, Thaliost was ceded to Thrane under the Treaty of Thronehold. Many of its people bitterly oppose the Thrane occupation, but it’s also become a haven for Aundairian followers of the extremist Pure Flame sect; violence often breaks out between these two factions.

Source: Rising from the Last War


An Aundairian city captured during the Last War and ceded to Thrane formally at Thronehold, Thaliost is a hotbed of trouble. The people frequently protest Thrane rule, and the response of the city’s governor, Archbishop Solgar Dariznu, has been to crack down with ever more savagery.

Source: Eberron Player's Guide

Cultures of Thrane

Governance

The current Archbishop of Thaliost is Solgar Dariznu (he/him), who was appointed in the aftermath of the 993 assassination of Archbishop Syro Drosin (he/him). High Cardinal Krozen elevated the bishop from Wyr for two reasons. First, an Aundairian-born-and-raised bishop might have more legitimacy with the Aundairian-descended residents of the city. Second, Krozen has no love for the Pure Flame and hoped that putting such a vocal proponent of the sect in charge of an impossible situation would discredit the movement and strengthen his position against the revanchist cardinals who support it.

The new Archbishop almost immediately became a controversial figure, responding to the assassination of his predecessor by rounding up a group of suspects and publicly executing them by burning them at the stake. Clad in a silver cloak that appeared to be trimmed in actual silver flames, Dariznu declared a zero-tolerance policy for disorder and vowed to pacify the city by any means necessary. Few people are convinced that these were the real assassins, and the mystery of who assassinated Syro Drosin remains unanswered to this day. In an attempt to control the violence in the city, Dariznu has enacted a ban on the public carry of arcane spellcasting implements; the same wand that can cast prestidigitation can cast fireball. Given the city’s Aundairian history, most residents have some spellcasting training, making the ban a major affront not just in practical terms but symbolically as well, fully suppressing the city’s rich history as a center for magical prowess.

History

When humans arrived in central Khorvaire, Thaliost was one of the five dominant city-states to emerge on the continent. While Daskara to the west established dominion over territories to the south, the mages of Thaliost controlled the land between what is now known as the Aundair river and the Eldeen Bay. New arcane traditions were pioneered, drawing both on the power of fey pacts as well as the ambient energy of the Ring of Siberys. However, for all their arcane might, the mages of Thaliost were brought to heel under Galifar, with his daughter Princess Aundair taking control of the territory as its first governor. Adding insult to injury, Princess Aundair chose Fairhaven as her seat of governance, rewarding that city’s nobles at the expense of Thaliost.

The outbreak of the Last War immediately embittered Thrane and Aundair with each other, as Prince Wrogar of Aundair supported Mishann’s right to ascend to the throne, while Prince Thalin of Aundair contested her fitness to rule. Thaliost was an immediate target for the Thranish military, both for its strategic relevance—access to the Bitter Sea—as well as its relative isolation from the bulk of the Aundairian military.Thrane claimed the city for the first time in 926 YK, within thirty years of the war’s outbreak. For the next fifty years the two sides traded control of the city, with Thrane constructing Silvercliff Castle not just as a home for the regents but as a permanent fortress on the opposite side of the Aundair River. By 977 YK, Thrane claimed the city for the last time; no Aundairian assault in the next twenty years was able to wrest the city from Thranish control. The Treaty of Thronehold formally declared Thaliost to be part of Thrane, a concession that Queen Aurala ir’Wynarn of Aundair has come under intense criticism for. While control of the city is settled, this has not brought peace to the city, and many residents still consider themselves Aundairian.

Points of Interest

Thaliost has a mix of business and political interests, any of which alone could draw adventurers into a spiderweb of tensions.

Abandoned Arcane Congress Campus

While the floating towers of Arcanix are the most famous of the Arcane Congress’s campuses, the organization has universities of higher education all over Aundair. The Last War was not kind to the Thaliost campus. Many students fled, others fought, and still others kept their heads down. Of those who fought, many died, some were evacuated as wounded, and the rest were taken as prisoners of war.

Today, the campus has been transformed for Thranish purposes. The dorms have been turned into housing for Thranish soldiers, while the classrooms have been abandoned and marked for destruction. For the last few years, the Scion’s Liberation Front (SLF) has secretly met in these classrooms to organize their resistance. While many residents of Thaliost chafe under the legally recognized occupation, far fewer are willing to engage in violent resistance with a group that has been labeled “brutal terrorists” by Archbishop Dariznu. The SLF has targeted infrastructural, commercial, and political targets, however they deny responsibility for the assassination of Dariznu’s predecessor. 

The SLF also frequently comes into conflict with loyalist paramilitaries; while these Thranish citizens are not officially part of the state security forces, they are enabled by Dariznu’s forces looking the other way. Many of these loyalist paramilitary groups openly flaunt the rules around spellcasting implements, wielding both wands and symbols of the silver flame. Members of the loyalist militaries often bully the Aundairian-descended citizenry around, testing the patience of SLF sympathizers.

Crown Knights of Thrane Garrison

The Diet of Cardinals has deployed the bulk of the Crown Knights of Thrane to Thaliost in order to support Archbishop Dariznu, ostensibly because of its position as a forward point to protect Silvercliff Castle from a ground-based assault. Conveniently for High Cardinal Krozen, this also means that it is technically Diani’s forces who are responsible for the occupation. The local commander is captain Othmar Garithos (he/him), an embittered human who gladly follows Dariznu’s orders.

Demesne of Shape

The Shadow Schism with House Thuranni forced House Phiarlan to make some reorganizational choices. The Thurannis had always been the masters of Shape—an artistic domain which includes all manner of physical objects, from paintings to pottery to props. With the split, House Thuranni retained control over the original Demesne of Shape, which is based out of Atur and now refers to itself as the “True Shapers.” Viceroy Idal Tialaen d’Phiarlan (they/them) leads the new Demesne of Shape out of Thaliost and hopes to herald a new era of artistic vision as they try to distinguish themselves from the rival True Shapers enclave.

While Idal has legitimate artistic interests, Thaliost is an admittedly unusual choice for a major enclave of the house given its political instability. The truth of the matter is the spies of the Serpentine Table have extensive operations in the city, financed directly by Cardinal Krozen with church funds. While their primary mission is to maintain Thrane’s hold over the city, Krozen also has them collect intelligence on Dariznu and the Crown Knights of Thrane for blackmail purposes in case he ever needs to distance himself from Dariznu’s zealotry.

Storm's End Wharf

Unlike Rekkenmark across the sound, Thaliost was able to construct a wharf that ships can access. The Storm’s End Wharf is important as the last freshwater port before Scions Sound dumps out into the Bitter Sea. Not all ships are built for operations in freshwater, and Thaliost is a convenient place to stop before heading back north. The destruction of the White Arch Bridge that once linked Thaliost with Rekkenmark has only amplified this relevance, as with its loss there is no longer a direct path by lightning rail between eastern and western Khorvaire. Storm’s End Wharf has regular passage direct to Korth, cutting off Rekkenmark and earning House Lyrandar plenty of gold to compensate for the gaps in House Orien’s service.

A cell of Miron’s Tears, a secretive reform group, has made a secret base in the wharf, transforming an abandoned warehouse into a well-equipped base disguised by illusion magic. The cell leader is Loraleia Kes, the grandniece of the order’s founder, Samyr Kes. Loraleia seeks to discredit Dariznu and his pure flame followers, since assassinating him would just make him a martyr. For now, the cell has focused its efforts on rescuing people targeted by Dariznu, such as Oura Ghellast.

Lodge of the Eternal Flame

The Lodge of the Eternal Flame is one of Thaliost’s oldest wizarding circles. Long before even Karrn the Conqueror, a group of evokers discovered a minor manifest zone tied to Fernia within the city, a place where they could practice the Externalist magic the humans of Sarlona had relied on. Since its founding, the lodge has preserved its titular Eternal Flame and developed new techniques tied to it. Members of the lodge pledge themselves to the flame, allowing them to use some of the externalist techniques of old so long as they remain in good standing with the other members of the lodge.

Despite not being particularly devout, the lodge chose to become compliant with the occupation rather than resist; as such, wizards specializing in fire magic regularly support Crown Knight operations. The death-by-silver-pyres that Thaliost has become infamous for are created by wizards from the lodge, who use silverburn as a material component to give the appearance of divine magic.

Three Corners Bazaar

Even before the lightning rail was built here, the Three Corners Bazaar had been a center of commerce in Thaliost. Fishers from the Bitter Sea exchanged with farmers from the north and west, river elves from the sound, Rudari caravans from the south, and craftspeople from the city. The White Arch Bridge added commerce from Karrnath, further enriching everyone who exchanged in the Three Corners Bazaar.

The advent of the war disrupted the riches that the people of Thaliost had grown used to, paving the way for the ascendancy of its current criminal network. Today, small gangs, many loosely affiliated with either the SLF or the loyalist paramilitaries, run protection rackets. The biggest gang in the city is the Golden Crows, a smuggling ring affiliated with the Black Highway. Their leader, the mysterious Platinum Man, professes a preference for neither Thrane nor Aundair; the Golden Crows will gladly supply anything to anyone for the right price. While the Golden Crows generally eschew violence, they also collect tribute from most of the smaller gangs in the city.

In addition to the homegrown criminals, other nations have invested in keeping an ear to the ground in the city. Jennara Kole (she/her) is a human who serves the Dark Lanterns of Breland as a jewelry and art importer. Similarly, the dwarf Borval Rikartiol (he/him) represents the Dark Cabinet of Karrnath, using his job as a shipping financier for cover.

Tower of Judgment

Constructed after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, the Tower of Judgment is a symbol of Dariznu’s oppression of the city. Dariznu’s brutal public punishments are carried out here, with the most recent targets being the Rudari-descended citizens of the city. The archbishop is convinced that there is a secret cabal of lycanthropes in the city, and that they are being sheltered by the Rudari.

There is at least one moderate voice in the city government who tempers Dariznu’s outbursts. Oura Gellast (she/her) is one of a small contingent of templars stationed in the city and a strong moderate voice seeking reconciliation rather than executions. Thus far her faith in the Silver Flame has saved her from three assassination attempts; she now suspects that Dariznu, rather than the SLF, may be behind them.

White Arch Bridge

The construction of the White Arch Bridge during the Kingdom of Galifar was a major achievement of engineering that made commerce and cultural exchange between Karrnath and Aundair much easier. The 40-mile bridge received major upgrades under King Jarot with the addition of the lightning rail, promising a new era of continental exchange. Unfortunately, that era came to a swift end with the outbreak of the war. Unknown saboteurs—generally assumed to be Karrnathi— destroyed the bridge in the first decade of the war, cutting off easy transit between the east and west. The Mourning in 994 exacerbated this, eliminating the rest of the east-west connector lines, and handing dominance of intracontinental trade to House Lyrandar.

Today, House Orien wishes for the reconstruction of the bridge, but has thus far failed to secure an agreement from the Thranish and Karrnathi governments to do so; both Kaius and Krozen suspect the reconstruction of the bridge would only increase the risk of a new war breaking out. Viceroy Aafki d’Orien (she/her) is trying to organize a sort of “world’s fair” event that would coincide with rebuilding the bridge; investors from the Aurum are tentatively curious if this might be a way to gain leverage over House Orien. Jorlanna and Zorlan d’Cannith are also interested to show how their house is not just about manufacturing weapons.

The Voice of Thrane

One of Thrane’s most popular papers, The Voice of Thrane, is published out of Thaliost. With shockingly fast turnaround, the Voice of Thrane always has commentary on the latest issues—feeding its readers a constant stream of exaggerated, propagandistic stories meant to evoke primal emotional responses and inspire jingoism and xenophobia. Stories from Thaliost are especially common, highlighting the “Aundairian threat,” but the paper is plenty happy to fearmonger about monarchist worshippers of the Sovereign Host or the “curses of the Rudari”. In truth, the Voice of Thrane is part of the Five Voices, a project started by Aurum platinum concordian Tupert Molloch (he/him) in the aftermath of the war.

Of course, the conspiracy goes deeper than that. Tupert is a long running disguise for Mordakesh, the prakhutu of Rak Tulkesh. While the overlord is known as the Rage of War, his agents can be far more subtle—Mordakesh revels in turning people against each other, and the Five Voices are a perfect way to ignite a new war. Thaliost is an ideal place for these efforts, as a fragment of Rak Tulkesh’s prison lies beneath the city.

Despite this, not everyone within Thaliost subscribes to the Voice of Thrane. One defiant voice is the Whispers of Reason, a small publication authored by the pseudonymous White Poppy. The Whispers of Reason debunk the lies of the Voice of Thrane, advocating for tolerance and understanding in the face of violent, bigoted zealotry. The true author of the paper is Marek (they/them), a sakah tiefling of Rak Tulkhesh. Marek does not know that all the Five Voices are owned by Tupert, let alone Mordakesh’s direct involvement; they simply oppose the violence that the Voice of Thrane inspires. Marek however does know many of the political ins and outs of the city and has a deep desire to save it from the forces that seek to burn it down—or worse.

Politics of Thrane

The hottest city in Khorvaire, Thaliost is a bed of intrigue. Thrane captured the city in 926 YK and has held it against repeated Aundairian attempts to recapture it for over seventy years. One of the city's main economic lifelines, the lightning rail across the White Arch Bridge to Rekkenmark, was destroyed in 928 by mysterious assailants. Today, Archbishop Solhar Dariznu rules the city as a zealot, radically enforcing martial law upon the city.

Throughout its seventy year occupation, the citizenry of Thaliost has never been happy with what they see as foreign rule. During the Last War, the majority held out hope of rescue even as the Diet incentivized Thranes to move into the city. Almost the entire human population of the city has spent their entire lives under Thranish rule. As such, many residents no longer believe in resisting and have settled into the post-Thronehold reality. Others, inflamed by Aundair's perceived abandonment, have radicalized and demand that Thaliost become an autonomous city-state, separate from both Thranish and Aundairian influence.

For the various other nations (primarily Breland and Karrnath), keeping the tension in Thaliost has required treading a fine line. The Diet's recent promotion of Archbishop Dariznu was based on the theory that an Aundairian bishop would be better able to understand the positions of the people of Thaliost and bring peace to the city. They could not have been more wrong, underestimating the degree to which Archbishop Dariznu aligns himself with the "pure flame" ideology that is popular in western Aundair. Foreign intelligence agencies have exploited this mistake for the past two years, forcing Thrane and Aundair to pour increasing amounts of resources into managing this city, dragging them away from other schemes.

Nominally, the Scions Liberation Front is an authentic Aundairian rebel group that seeks to return Thaliost to Aundair's control. The truth is that its thirty year formal history is so tangled with support from the Dark Lanterns and Karrnath's intelligence groups that it's difficult to say who exactly is responsible or even in control of this amorphous movement. While the group is certainly unified around its goal of Thaliost's independence, how and when that happens is under constant contestation.

All this political intrigue has pnly enabled the criminal underbelly of Thaliost to fester. High tariffs and import restrictions have made members of the Black Highway (an international consortium of smugglers and war profiteers) very wealthy. The Golden Crows are the biggest and baddest of Thaliost's gangs, operating a nearly city-wide protection racket. The archbishop's harshness has only exacerbated the situation, with many residents afraid they'll be arrested too if they report any crimes.

The Forge of War

Few cities have seen as much recent conflict as Thaliost. The crossroads of three of the continent’s greatest powers, it has become the pivot point around which a number of bloody battles have been fought. Thaliost changed hands a half-dozen times over the course of the Last War, and today perhaps the only thing its citizens can agree on is that their suffering is not yet complete. The city has become a rallying cry for militants and nationalists of all stripe. If another great war erupts, Thaliost might be the spark that ignites it.

Thaliost at War

Well before the start of the Last War, Thaliost, then one of Aundair’s great cities, played host to a conflict of a different sort. Its position at the junction of three great provinces, the ship-heavy Scions Sound, and one of House Orien’s primary trade routes made Thaliost an economic power. Merchants and vendors of all nationalities came to the city to grow rich. Various dragonmarked houses and merchant consortiums attempted to one-up and undercut each other, hoping to claim the lion’s share of the city’s profits. Aundair clearly had the upper hand, since that nation collected taxes from every transaction, but the balance of power among the merchants fluctuated from government to house to private enterprise and back again. 

Thaliost’s position—literal and gurative—made it a prime target once the Last War began in earnest. Anyone who could take the city could not only plunder its riches and take advantage of its citizens’ resources, they could strip Aundair of a primary source of income.

 The rst serious move against Thaliost came from Karrnath in 897, three years after the war began. Up to that point, Karrnath’s efforts had been directed toward quelling mounting unrest in its starving population and curtailing large-scale Cyran raids. Thus, when soldiers swarmed over the White Arch Bridge in unprecedented numbers, they caught Aundair by surprise. Thaliost suffered surprisingly little structural damage or loss of life, other than the members of the garrison futilely stationed there to protect against incursion. Many history books don’t even bother to record this conquest, however. Aundair retook the city less than a year later, in conjunction with Cyre, to whom King Wrogar promised a large portion of the recovered wealth. By timing their attack on Thaliost to occur simultaneously with a major Cyran offensive, Aundair forced Karrnath to choose between holding conquered territory in the west, or protecting its assets in the south.

Thaliost fell again in 912, this time to the forces of Thrane. That nation was able to ward off Aundair’s attempt at regaining lost territory until 914, when the death of King Thalin and the ascension of the Church of the Silver Flame briefly threw Thrane’s extended forces into confusion. Taking advantage of the chaos, Aundairian General Mather Naklest (LN male human knightPH2 9) led an expedition that retook the economic center.

Three new attempts to take the city—one by land (Thrane), two by sea (Karrnath)—were repelled over the next twelve years, but the city’s defenders nally fell for the last time in 926, when Thrane once again occupied not only Thaliost but the surrounding territories. Neither a major Aundairian military effort to retake the city in 927, a commoners’ uprising one year later, a Karrnathi assault in 963, nor dozens of raids and skirmishes over the years have managed to shake Thrane’s hold on the territory. Thaliost was formally ceded to the occupying force by the Treaty of Thronehold at war’s end.

Thaliost Today

The Last War hasn’t ended in Thaliost—the ghting has merely quieted, in the eye of a storm that most citizens cannot comprehend ever fading entirely. Some treat the Knights of Thrane as an occupying force; others undercut or sabotage the businesses of neighbors who descend from a different nation. Spies and agitators are thick on the ground, and crime runs rampant.

Factions

Source: The Forge of War

Many factions struggle behind the scenes of this oncegreat city, and even if this tension doesn’t spark the next great war, violence is almost inevitable.

Aundair: Formally, Aundair has recognized Thrane’s right to Thaliost and its surrounding territories. Informally, Aundairian agents continue to spy on the city and agitate social unrest. If and when the city erupts into violence, Aundair intends to move in and use the safety of the city’s people as justification for violating the Treaty of Thronehold. In the interim, the majority of Aundair’s people despise the fact that their government ceded Thaliost, and they make frequent demands for immediate military action to retake territory that is theirs “by right.”

Aundairian Citizens: Many Thaliostian citizens of Aundairian descent live a tiring, joyless life. Forced to suffer at the hands of Thrane oppressors, many view Aundair with hatred, feeling abandoned, while others simply resign themselves to the notion that their nation of origin lacks the power, or the spine, to rescue them. Though this glum outlook often results in depression and timidity it sometimes erupts in anger and riots. The community as a whole hasn’t tried to rebel since the residents’ grandfathers were brutalized by church forces in 928, but if groups such as the Scions Liberation Front ever have their way, the population of Aundairianblooded citizens might again rise up en masse.

Breland and Karrnath: As the only surviving member of the Five Nations that doesn’t share a border with Thaliost (or at least the contested territories), Breland would seem to have little vested interest in the region. In truth, agents of the King’s Citadel work in secret to keep tensions as high as possible without seeing them boil over. Neither peace nor open violence in Thaliost serves Breland’s interests, for so long as the city remains in a state of flux, it draws the attention of all the surrounding nations—and takes that much of their attention away from Breland’s own activities. The most experienced Citadel agent in Thaliost is Jenarra Kole (N female human rogue 7/dark lantern 1; see Five Nations 69), who masquerades as a jewelry and art importer.

Karrnath, too, has a vested interest in keeping the pot of Thaliost bubbling. Even after the destruction of the White Arch Bridge, Thaliost represents a potential gateway into that nation for two of its greatest rivals. By agitating to keep Thaliost in a state of unrest, Kaius’s agents force his enemies’ attention toward each other rather than eastward. Karrnath’s chief instigator in the city, Borval Rikartiol (LE male dwarf rogue 6), occasionally cooperates with Jenarra, though both also keep a close eye on one another.

Church of the Silver Flame: Many Thranes are content with Solgar Dariznu (LE male human cleric 8 [Silver Flame]), the Archbishop of Thaliost. They see him as a loyal patriot trying to do an impossible job in controlling the “ungrateful and bloodthirsty” citizens of the city. Many members of the Church of the Silver Flame, however, have grown increasingly horrified at the brutal methods Solgar uses to enforce his rule. A growing faction within the church, emboldened by rumors of support from Keeper Daran, seeks Solgar’s removal. It hopes to replace him with someone who can keep order more diplomatically, without resulting to public burnings and the like. This faction’s current spokesperson, Oura Gellast (LG female half-elf paladin 5), has survived three assassination attempts. Though she has not made her suspicions public, she fears that Solgar himself is responsible.

Golden Crow: Thaliost’s great wealth and constant unrest form a perfect opportunity for thieves and other criminals. Several bands and guilds operate within the city, but by far the largest and most sinister is the Golden Crow, so called because of the tiny pyrite statuettes left at many of the group’s crime scenes. Led by a shadowy figure known only as the Platinum Man, the Crow appears to have its fingers in almost every gang, guild, and syndicate in the city, and is an important stop on the Black Highway. The Golden Crow eschews violence where possible, but several individuals who have interfered with its activities or begun investigating the group have turned up dead.

House Orien: One of the few factions advocating peace in Thaliost, House Orien hopes to rebuild the White Arch Bridge and restore the lightning rail that once crossed it. Although the house has spent large quantities of money and political capital here, trying to smooth over the differences between the various factions, it has so far proved incapable of calming the region. Until it does, Orien’s leaders are unwilling to devote the resources and effort at rebuilding a bridge and route that might just be destroyed again.

Scions Liberation Front (SLF): Not every citizen of Aundairian descent is willing to accept the Thrane “occupation.” The Scions Liberation Front is, depending on whom one listens to, either a group of devout freedom fighters or a band of brutal terrorists. With cells and hidden assemblies in both Thaliost and across the Aundairian border, the SLF attacks merchant caravans, sabotages military operations, and sometimes blows up entire government buildings. Nobody knows for certain who (if anyone) leads the SLF, but the Thrane government has accused Aundair, Breland, and Karrnath of supporting the organization at various points—accusations that all three governments vehemently deny.

Thrane Citizens: Thaliost’s Thrane-descended citizens live in a twin state of prosperity and fear. Almost all of the city’s upper class, and certainly its governors, are Thrane by descent. Where others just scrape by, they grow wealthy, taking full advantage of the city’s valuable location. On the other hand, Thrane citizens are the most frequent targets of Aundairian anger when those people do rouse themselves to action. Many a wealthy merchant or official has been found beaten in an alley, lynched, or simply turned up missing

Eberron Campaign Guide

Until 926 YK, Thaliost was part of Aundair, a vibrant city central to that nation’s economy. In one of the most enduring land grabs of the war, the Thranes assaulted the city, crushing the defenders and annexing the area, plundering it for its resources and food stores. Aundair made several attempts to restore the former borders during the war, but failed each time. Queen Aurala intended to negotiate Thaliost’s return at Thronehold, but was unwilling to return lands in western Thrane that Aundair controlled. In the end, the treaty settled on recognizing what had been a military truth for decades.

Thaliost is a unique city in Thrane, its Aundairian heritage made manifest in its tower-filled skyline, austere structures, and straight roads. Even after years of Thrane rule, more than a few citizens still see themselves as Aundairians. They are profoundly discouraged by their former homeland’s inability or unwillingness to liberate them. The most bitter of them remain restless, and uprisings, rebellions, murders, and arson are common. Thrane has tried everything it can to keep the people in line, including cutting off food, employing secret police squadrons, and placing entire armies inside the city. Thus far, nothing has worked.

The Archbishop Solgar Dariznu, formerly of Wyr in western Aundair, governs the city with the aid of a detachment of Thrane knights. Despite exhortations from the church for him to be lenient, he rules savagely, using excessive force whenever and wherever there’s trouble. His knights round up treasonous ringleaders, stage trials, and at times burn prisoners alive in public to dissuade others from following their example. Citizens face random searches, invasion and seizure of property, and imposition of heavy fines for minor infractions. His methods have quelled the worst of the violence and pacified most of the population, but the people despise him. Many observers inside and outside Thrane wonder when the archbishop will finally overstep so much that he sparks a devastating uprising

Uprising: Thaliost is a powder keg—one spark, and the city could erupt in a conflagration of rebellion. The Council of Cardinals is well aware of the dangers the city poses, which is why it appointed an Aundairian archbishop for the place. Solgar Dariznu makes things worse with his brutal tactics, pushing even those who might become resigned to living in Thrane to join the rebels. Word has it that something big is in the works, something nasty enough that the rebels just might break Thrane’s stranglehold.

Five Nations

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 Fairhaven, the capital of Aundair, which isn’t surprising since Thaliost was once an Aundairian city.

Thrane conquered Thaliost and the surrounding territory in 926 YK and spent the next two years trying to annex the region. Aundairian soldiers made a halfhearted attempt to reclaim the city in 927 YK, but hey were too few in number to uproot the entrenched Thranes. The knights thought the city was theirs until the Aundairian commoners revolted in 928 YK. 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 Scions Sound between Thaliost and Rekkenmark, severing the lightning rail 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 human cleric 8 [Silver Flame]), is widely regarded as a vicious tyrant who burns people alive for his personal pleasure

The Demesne of Shape

The Demesne of Shape

The discipline of shape covers the creation of physical objects. This ranges from purely functional goods (the costumes, props, instruments and the like required by the performers of the house) to the physical arts of sculptors, painters, and potters. The masters of this discipline belonged to the Thuranni lines, and the newborn house claimed the Karrnath enclave that housed the demesne during the Shadow Schism. House Phiarlan has reestablished the Demesne of Shape in the Thrane city of Thaliost, but its operations are overshadowed by those of House Thuranni. Currently the demesne is led by Viceroy Idal Tialaen d’Phiarlan (N male elf expert 8)

Source: Dragonmarked