Thakorsil ' s Seat Thakorsil ' s Seat was a powerful minor artifact that had the power to completely bind and enslave those who sat upon it . Constructed in the ancient kingdom of Yhalvia in Narfell to yoke a devil lord , it found its way into the possession of Larloch , the Shadow King of Warlock ' s Crypt . He gave it to Szass Tam , Zulkir of Necromancy , for his plot to control the demon lord Eltab and take over Thay . However , use of the dread " Seat " had a terrible cost : it required mages of good heart to be sacrificed and destroyed body and soul in the " ritual of twin burnings " . Their essence fueled the creation of the runes of chaos and a nine - sided crystalline pyramid , which progressively eroded , bound the occupant of the " Seat " to the will of its owner . Operated by such rites , " Thakorsil ' s Seat " was a device of great evil and corrupting influence . Description . " Thakorsil ' s Seat " was a massive and elaborate throne carved of dark veined stone . It had a keyhole - carved back , its arms were in the form of the neck and head of snarling dragon s and each foot was a draconic claw clutching a sphere . Powers . " Thakorsil ' s Seat " had several limitations and the " ritual of twin burnings " was long and complex with very specific conditions , which made the " Seat " very difficult to use and gain its great power . The chair immediately attacked all who sat in it with continual and overwhelming mental domination and physical binding . If the victim had been forced or tricked , then they had a chance to resist when the " ritual of twin burnings " was performed . If they had sat willingly or been magically compelled , such as by a separate " domination " effect , then they had no chance of shaking off the chair ' s effects . Only those with an innate magical resistance could try to resist in such circumstances . In any case , if they failed , then they were magically bound , trapped in the throne and unable to move . All they could do was talk and think . At that point , the owner of the " Seat " had to perform the " ritual of twin burnings " to create a crystal pane inscribed with a rune of chaos around the " Seat " , so that the prisoner would remain and trapped and bound . The ritual involved the sacrifice of a good human mage of a certain level of power dependent on the number of runes of chaos inscribed . This act was utterly evil , completely destroying the victim in body and soul . It took a full night and day to perform , it could only be performed during the full moon , and only once a month . During the ritual , the runes already on the " Seat " played deep and eerie musical chords . Finally , the " ritual of twin burnings " had to be successfully performed nine times to assemble a nine - sided crystalline pyramid around the " Seat " , with each face bearing a rune of chaos . With every rune created , the victim ' s will to resist grew steadily weaker . With at least one rune of chaos in place , the victim could not leave the " Seat " by any means , but someone outside could shatter the crystal panes and free them . A broken pane would necessitate the " ritual of twin burnings " to be performed once more . If all were destroyed , then the victim was freed from the bonds of " Thakorsil ' s Seat " . However , if all nine runes of chaos were created and the crystalline pyramid around throne was completed , then the soul of the occupant was permanently bound to " Thakorsil ' s Seat " and fully enslaved to its owner . They had no more will to resist . The bound creature could then physical leave the seat , and even pass through the crystalline pyramid , but remained under the will of the chair ' s owner . At this point , the enslaved creature could only be liberated by multiple " wish " spells , direct intervention by deities , or the destruction of " Thakorsil ' s Seat " ( itself an equally massive undertaking ) , or an action of similar magnitude . Furthermore , while the " Seat " was active , it radiated magical interference that dampened all divination s spells and effects with a radius of 200 miles ( 322 kilometers ) Greater Divinations were reduced in efficacy over much of the area , and blocked entirely in the immediate vicinity of the " Seat " . Spells such as " clairaudience / clairvoyance " , " ESP " , and even " detect evil " , and magical items that had similar magic , like crystal ball s and " amulets of ESP " , became completely useless . This apparently inadvertent side - effect worked to conceal the chair ' s owner ' s wicked activities from the outside world . Thus the creature occupying the " Seat " could not be located by any power or ritual cast by all but the most absolutely powerful casters . History . " Thakorsil ' s Seat " had its creation in Yhalvia , an ancient kingdom that was part of the empire of Narfell ( −946 DR to −150 DR ) . Yhalvia was ruled by the devil lord Orlex , but a band of rebellious wizard s arose to depose him . Led by the archmage Thakorsil , they created the throne known as " Thakorsil ' s Seat " to imprison and permanently bind and enslave the evil fiend . Unfortunately , although they had the best of intentions , the device demanded deeds of despicable evil to function . Thus , they devised the " ritual of twin burnings " , which involved the sacrifice of beings of good heart , believing this was for the greater good , that the ends justified the means . They went ahead with the horrific rites , and successfully bound and enslaved Orlex in the " Seat " , forming a council of wizards that governed Yhalvia . However , corrupted by the sacrifices and with Orlex as their slave , they soon became as cruel , depraved , and wicked as the devil they had replaced . In time , others overthrew them , Orlex was banished to the planes and " Thakorsil ' s Seat " was lost and believed destroyed . At some point , " Thakorsil ' s Seat " — and presumably the details of the " ritual of twin burnings " too — came into the possession of Larloch , the Shadow King of Warlock ' s Crypt , who never actually made use of it . Szass Tam , the Zulkir of Necromancy of Thay , visited Warlock ' s Crypt around 1366 DR . What transpired was unknown to the outside world ; the two came to some deal or alliance , the details of which were again unknown to outsiders . Larloch gave Szass " Thakorsil ' s Seat " and several other powerful magic items and artifacts , including the " Death Moon Orb " , and a number of hooded companions , to aid him in his plots to control Thay and the demon Eltab . Szass Tam then embarked on his scheme to bind the demon lord Eltab . Centuries before , Eltab had aided the Thayans in shaking off Mulhorand i rule , but was subsequently imprisoned beneath the capital , Eltabbar . Szass Tam had realized that the demon lord would soon break free , and decided to instead hasten his escape and then fully enslave the fiend . In the Year of the Shield , 1367 DR , Szass Tam used the " Orb " ' s power to first free Eltab — which triggered a major earthquake in Eltabbar — then compel him to sit in " Thakorsil ' s Seat " , which immediately imprisoned him again . He then began the terrible task of performing the " ritual of twin burnings " and inscribing the runes of chaos upon the " Seat " to make Eltab his eternal slave . This generated a magical damping effect over central Thay , reducing the efficacy of divination spells and completely blocking them around Thaymount , preventing the Simbul of Aglarond from scrying on events in Thay . During this time , the " Death Moon Orb " hovered in place over Eltab in " Thakorsil ' s Seat " in the Chambers of Twin Burnings . Nathor , a Thayan civil servant , bore witness to much of Szass Tam ' s wicked deeds , and saw Eltab seated on " Thakorsil ' s Seat " . Nathor later fled to Aglarond in horror . However , before Szass Tam could inscribe the ninth and last rune of chaos , a band of mighty adventurers got into the Chambers and foiled his scheme . A terrific explosion shattered the crystal pyramid and the runes of chaos , releasing Eltab . " Thakorsil ' s Seat " was buried in the subsequent destruction of the Chambers . Szass Tam eventually retrieved the " Seat " by 1372 DR , and stored it in his Citadel on Thaymount . It was still there in 1479 DR . Destruction . Several possible methods were proposed for destroying " Thakorsil ' s Seat " . Firstly , it might be obliterated by being struck by a weapon swung by a greater deity . Secondly , it could be taken to the Abyss and dropped into the great forge belonging to the balor prince Vrr ' maal . Thirdly , 100 wizards of great power could arrange themselves in a circle and hurl destructive magic at it for 100 days . Lore . In the library of the Chambers of Twin Burnings , Szass Tam owned historical texts that covered " Thakorsil ' s Seat " and the Runes of Chaos . A number of " false Seats " were in circulation , similar in appearance but lacking any powers . These had been built by wizards who sought to create their own devices of enslavement and failed . Adventurers were naturally more like to find one of these than the genuine article . Reputation . " Thakorsil ' s Seat " was a tremendously powerful magic item yet was also unspeakably evil and utterly corrupting . Any attempt to perform the " ritual of twin burnings " , create the runes of chaos , or use " Thakorsil ' s Seat " to trap and bind another being was considered a terribly evil deed and grounds for punishment . It was a device many believed should never fall into the wrong hands — unfortunately , it was already in them : Szass ' s Tam ' s . With the horrific rites required and the total enslavement of potent beings , " Thakorsil ' s Seat " could well lead to continent - wide warfare and strife .