Salabak Salabak was a human gladiator of the Arena of Blood in Manshaka of the mid – 14th century DR . History . Salabak hailed from a certain tribe in the Great Gray Land of Thar . Following the custom of all young males in his tribe , he ' d embarked on a rite of passage . Unfortunately , he was kidnapped by slavers , who led him away to the sea and thence to Calimshan and Manshaka . There , he was owned by Pasha Abon Duum and made to fight as a gladiator in the Arena of Blood , where he was billed as the " Savage of Thar " . Among Duum ' s stable of gladiators , he became a steadfast friend to fellow gladiator Vajra Valmeyjar , the popular champion , and he told her his story . In the mid - 1350s DR , however , Vajra escaped the Arena , seriously wounding several of Duum ' s best fighters in the effort . She left behind Salabak and her other fellow gladiators , and would for a long time fear they remained captives or had inevitably been killed . Afterward , Salabak completed his rite of passage himself — cutting his own throat and destroying his ability to speak , gaining the power of thought speech and illusion in return . He also revealed his treacherous side , making a deal with his master , Abon Duum , to recapture his old friend Vajra . In the Year of the Prince , 1357 DR , Duum ' s bounty hunters caught Vajra at the Selûne ' s Smile in Waterdeep and rode off with her . Salabak intercepted them , creating the illusion of a dracolich to distract the bounty hunters , before Conner and Timoth Eyesbright shot them with arrows . Rescued , Vajra was reunited with Salabak , and was shocked by his lost voice ; Salabak didn ' t explain . Together , Vajra , Conner , and Salabak tracked the kidnapped cat child and the mage Chancil Crystalheart to Memnon in Calimshan . Using his illusions , Salabak related a false story of how he ' d attempted to escape after Vajra , been recaptured , and had his throat slit on Duum ' s orders as punishment . Conner was dubious of how this led to thought speech , but Vajra believed her old friend , deciding that thoughts could not lie . Conner made good use of Salabak ' s power nonetheless , requesting an illusion of a kitten to trick Chancil ' s apprentice into leading them to Chancil ' s house , where they learned he had the cat child and served Abon Duum . Waiting outside , Salabak kissed Vajra , beginning a romantic relationship between them . However , their plan to rescue the cat child failed ; Salabak slew Chancil ' s apprentice as they escaped . In the aftermath , Conner and Vajra parted on bad terms . The treacherous Salabak then knocked out Vajra from behind . He ' d only rescued her from the bounty hunters and fought against Chancil so he could turn her over to Duum himself . Salabak delivered her to Abon Duum in Manshaka — Vajra did not learn of Salabak ' s duplicitiousness — but the avaricious Duum desired much more , having a plan to capture the Catlord as well . Salabak visited Vajra in the dungeon , promising an opportunity to escape when she fought in the Arena again . That day , Salabak created an illusory manticore to appear to assault Duum in the stands as Vajra escaped into the dungeons beneath the Arena . Salabak joined her there , where the Catlord appeared to slay Conner for his failings . Salabak comforted the grieving Vajra . They left Manshaka and hid in a swamp , where the Catlord revealed the secret of the cat child and Conner ' s role in his protection against Abon Duum . Vajra was torn over her mixed feelings for Conner , but was consoled by Salabak , before they kissed and made love . However , she awoke to find Duum and his forces had captured the lot of them , with Salabak in his employ and threatening the cat child to force the Catlord ' s obedience . Duum explained the truth of his treachery and the source of his thought speech . Duum went on with his scheme , using the Catlord ' s power to take them to the plane of Gladsheim to confront Tyr , god of justice . This failed , and Tyr returned Vajra , an alive - and - well Conner , the Catlord , and the cat child to the swamp , where Salabak stood waiting to see what had befallen Duum and Vajra , for fear she would seek revenge if she lived . At last , Vajra had her showdown against her true betrayer , Salabak . He manifested flames and a vargouille before she knocked him into a bog . He tried to drag her in and down with him , but a froghemoth burst out and devoured him . Thinking she could hear him screaming , Vajra grieved and was comforted by Conner . Abilities . All the men of Salabak ' s tribe sacrificed their voices to their god . Those the god apparently deemed worthy , as Salabak was , were granted the power of " thought speech " ; this was a high honor . Salabak was able to project his thoughts as images of any size , whether to communicate through thought pictures or to manifest illusions of creatures , such as a kitten , a vargouille , a squealer , a manticore , and even a massive dracolich . However , he was left a mute as a result . Description . Salabak had a strong build , pale skin , blue eyes , and long gray hair . His face was crisscrossed with scars of battle . He wore dark breeches and a loose open shirt , coat , fingerless gloves , and scarf he could wear as a keffiyeh , all in pale shades . He wore a belt with a skull - emblem buckle , an earring holding a fang or claw , and the golden skull manacle of a gladiator of the Arena of Blood on his right wrist . He wielded a slightly curved sword . Personality . Bereft of his voice , Salabak ' s personality was difficult to fathom , but the loss of speech actually enabled his treachery . Vajra trusted that his thought images reflected his true thoughts , but this was far from the case . He would even romance her after he ' d secretly betrayed her .