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The Red Wizards of Thay are a fictional organisation of evil and magic in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. In Dungeons & Dragons they have the Red Wizard character class.
Red Wizards are the notorious and nefarious spellcasters who are the ruling class in the inhospitable but well-inhabited country of Thay. Slavers, demonologists, and magical experimentors, the Red Wizards are much feared by most of Faerûn. They constantly scheme to bring down their neighbouring nations of Rashemen - where they are thwarted by the equally famed magicians the Witches of Rashemen; Aglarond - where they are turned back by the Simbul of the Seven Sisters; and Mulhorand - where the people of Thay first emigrated from.
The leaders of the Red Wizards are the eight zulkirs, each for a different school of magic. Chief amongst these, and, indeed, among all Red Wizards is Szass Tam, a powerful archmage and feared lich.
The Red Wizards are the enemies of many forces in Abeir-Toril - whilst they receive support from demons and devils and drow, amongst those who oppose them are the Witches of Rashemen, the Seven Sisters and their allies, the goodly Harpers, and even the Zhentarim - who dislike the Wizards enroaching on their territory.
The Red Wizards' latest plot, after another failed attempt at securing Rashemen in 1357 DR, is to infiltrate the nations of Faerûn legitimately - in Thayan enclaves which will publicly sell magic items and quietly also traffic drugs, wicked spells, and slaves. Using these they hope to eventually have strongholds and resulting political inflitration that will make them indispensable and powerful, and eventually get them something along the lines of world domination.
More information about the Red Wizards can be found in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, and the Forgotten Realms accessories Lords of Darkness and Unapproachable East.
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