Veil (town)

Veil was a village in Thay that sat half in the Material Plane and half in the Shadowfell.
==Description==
The village was named for a shimmering planar rift that bisected the town, known as the Shadow Veil. Buildings viewed through this veil appeared dim and indistinct.
As of , the town primarily served as a fortified garrison for the military of Thay.
==Geography==
The village sat in the shadow of the Thayan Plateau very near to Surcross on the northwestern border between Thay and Thesk, in a region known as the Bonedark Hills. Through the Shadow Veil, the town lay at the eastern terminus of the Shadowfell Road between Evernight and Thay. A further Thayan supply line continued along a twisting road to Surcross.
==Government==
Veil's inhabitants had a number of local leaders. The commander of the Thayan forces in the village as of 1479 DR was Renault Abrecht, a Banite priest who conspired against the local leadership.
==Defenses==
Thayan troops—especially undead—stood guard all along the Shadow Rift both on the Material Plane and in the Shadowfell. They were holed up in fortified stone bunkers and supported by arcane siege engines. They had enchanted horns that would be blown if they came under attack, and which could be heard as far as Surcross.
==History==
While the village had apparently existed before the appearance of the Shadow Veil in its midst, the population as of the late 15 century DR had recently arrived as part of the Thayan effort to secure the Shadowfell Road. This mission was complicated and became much more dangerous with the arrival of the Netherese enclave Kolthunral in the , which spearheaded Netheril's attempts to deny the Thayans access to the Road. Kolthunral leveled much of the surrounding countryside and spent a great deal of time in the skies above Veil, however the presence of the Shadow Veil interfered with its weapons and prevented the Netherese from leveling the village.
Acutely aware that the Netherese still planned to attack Veil, the Thayans took countermeasures. The village was heavily fortified and reinforcements from Surcross were ready to counterattack against any ground invasion. In addition, the Thayans took care to defend the road between Veil and Surcross: they lined it with undead servants disguised as corpses impaled on wooden stakes, and placed necromantic glyphs beneath the dirt that attacked the minds of any who passed over them. These traps deactivated for five minutes whenever an undead creature passed them, which allowed the Thayans' supply caravans to use the path without fear of triggering the defenses.
==Notable Locations==
*The Shadow Veil, a heavily fortified entrance to the Shadowfell that dominated the heart of the town. 
*A temple that was fortified and occupied by the Thayan commander. 
==Inhabitants==
The village was predominantly populated by Thayan soldiers—including undead, gnolls, and orcs—however it also had a modest civilian population—mostly craftspeople transplanted to help build Thayan fortifications. These inhabitants were predominantly loyal either to Valindra Shadowmantle or to Surcross's military governor, Ukulsid, both of whom were in turn loyal to Szass Tam. 
As circumstances in the city became increasingly stressful under the looming threat of Netherese invasion in 1479 DR, the makeup of the Thayan garrison became increasingly undead and the inhabitants began turning to the worship of Bane at the urging of Renault Abrecht. He further sought to turn their loyalties toward himself and away from any other local leaders.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Settlements
Category:Villages
Category:Locations on the Shadowfell Road
Category:Locations in the Shadowfell
Category:Locations in the Parallel Planes
Category:Locations in the Inner Planes
Category:Locations in Thay
Category:Locations in the Bonedark Hills
Category:Locations in the Unapproachable East
Category:Locations in East Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril