Thara

### Population

80,000 (Human 60%, Half-elf 13%, Elf 9%, Gnome 7%, Dwarf 5%, Halfling 5%, Other 1%)

### People Of Note

Amin Nur (Minister of Secrets), Jel al-Galiz (Minister of Riches),

Located on a broad plateau on the eastern edge of Amsha, Thara is a popular debarkation point for those seeking fame and fortune in either the Dunes of Ruin or the wastelands of the forgotten city. It is something of a last stop for caravans as very few would venture into the wastelands to get to the barbarian territories beyond.

The ruler of Thara is an elected emir or emira who is selected from among the merchants of Thara for a period of five years. Emira Hassana Alim al-Gaib is the current emira, though she seems more concerned with hiding away her riches than ruling. The emira operates a wide-open town, the sort favored by adventurers (especially foreigners). Interpretation of the Law is loose and usually to the advantage of the emira and her cronies.

The Ministry of Secrets registers and catalogs all ruins and treasure sites found throughout the Dunes of Ruin and the wastelands to the east. It is headed up by the emira’s long-time associate, an unenlightened Al-Badia native named Amin Nur. By insisting on continual reorganization and review, Amim guarantees that the Ministry of Secrets is always in shambles. Scrolls and reports are frequently lost, misfiled or stolen, but suitable amounts of gold always seem to bring the needed document or information to light. Individuals who visit the ministry in hopes of obtaining a map or a license to plunder often bring dinars instead of a scribe.

The Ministry of Riches is responsible for detailing and applying a minor tax to all treasure extracted from the ruins. The ministry is run (and fairly responsibly at that) by another of the emira’s companions, Jel al-Galiz, who holds the title “Minster of Riches.” She realizes that most of the treasure hauled from the areas disappears overland or is smuggled out of the area, with no reports made whatsoever. She focuses her attention on ancient magic, striving to control (or at least regulate) their flow. In particular, she watches for useful or dangerous magic items. Her bureau imposes only a 1% tax on monetary treasure, and the ministry pays full price for most of the rare magical treasures that are brought to it. Further, individuals who work with the system (and with Jel al-Galiz) often receive grants to explore newly discovered ruins (or to investigate other, nonpaying tomb-raiders).

Given its physical location as well as its politics, Thara is a frontier city, uncivilized when compared to other Amshan settlements. It is the clearing house for goods looted from the surrounding ruins. In theory, each ruin or site of treasure is registered with the Ministry of Secrets, and the treasure removed from those sites is registered with the Ministry of Riches. In reality, however, plunder flows as freely from the ruins as a river. Those who register with the ministries do so to create a thin veneer of legality (obtaining some protection) and to avoid arousing the suspicion of city patrols, who might then discover the most valuable (and truly secret) treasure vaults.

The buildings of Thara are a collection of baked brick and distinctive stone. The stone was hauled from a distant temple, or so it is claimed, for the city radiates a low level of magic, sufficient to scramble most detect magic spells. The palace and ministries, made of stone from elsewhere, are exempt to this effect. Other divination spells, including identify and legend lore, are not affected by the temple stone.

## People

The people of Thara are energetic, curious, progressive and, above all, acquisitive. Those who visit Thara should heed the following recommendations: keep your eye on your equipment, your hands on your valuables, and a short leash on members of your household.