Phsant

Phsant was a trading city in Thesk in the Unapproachable East. It was well known as the site of the defeat of the Tuigan Horde and for its multicultural diversity, with large populations of both Shou and orc peoples.

Geography
Lying in central Thesk, between the Forest of Lethyr and the Thesk Mountains, Phsant sat on the Golden Way between Phent and Tammar. A trail ran south to Blackhill at the foot of the mountains.

History
Phsant was founded in.

Some time in the early 14 century DR, Hargrid Tenslayer killed the child of the hierarch of Phsant and was driven out of the city.

In the, the advancing Tuigan Horde laid siege to Phsant and swiftly conquered it on Kythorn 20, and the Tuigan sacked Phsant. Finally, in a valley a few miles west of Phsant, the Tuigan Horde and the Army of the Alliance fought the First Battle of the Golden Way on Flamerule 3 and in the Second Battle of the Golden Way on Flamerule 5, the Alliance was victorious.

In the immediate aftermath, nearly 900 Zhentish orc soldiers—part of the Army of the Alliance under Commander Vrakk—remained behind in Thesk, ostensibly under orders from Zhentil Keep to establish an outpost. Before King Azoun IV informed Theskian authorities, he warned Vrakk the orcs would be treated as trespassers, but Vrakk teased they'd survive by raiding and thieving. But the outcome would be very different. At first the Theskians were unhappy and fearful, with some even seeing the orcs as demons having not known them for centuries. The Shadowmasters bribed and pressured them to settle someplace well away from Telflamm. The druids of the Forest of Lethyr refused them. After a while, the orc soldiers appeared to have simply been abandoned by Zhentil Keep.

However, some Tuigan had also remained behind and turned to banditry, even occupying Tammar in the and extorting and harassing merchants on the Golden Way for months and attracting more bandits wanting in on the action. In the, Phsant's Merchants' Council sought out and hired 100 of the most capable orc warriors and sent them to Tammar, where they soundly defeated the bandits and hunted them down and wiped them out. The returning people of Tammar celebrated them as heroes and they worked together to rebuild.

Ultimately, the orcs went back to Phsant and settled there without issue in the, while others stayed on in Tammar and several hundred went to Phent. In time, the locals accepted them, setting aside their suspicions and remembering their role in defeating the Tuigan that had once conquered their cities and how hard and bravely the orcs had fought. While the Theskian oligarchs worried whether the orcs' still had loyalties to Zhentil Keep, and if the Zhents might reactivate agents among them, the majority of the former Zhentish soldiers had been treated well enough to think twice about any orders from the Keep.

A Thayan enclave was opened by Red Wizards in Phsant in the. It was immediately popular with merchants travelling the Golden Way. However, the Zhents hadn't forgotten the orcs, and the Zhentarim plotted to foment racial conflict through a false prophet around Phent in 1372 DR. By 1374 DR, Fzoul Chembryl had sent many emissaries to get them back in his grip, without success, and escalated his efforts.

Around 1400 DR, Tai Shing fought the crime gangs that dominated Phsant at the time and drove them underground. Known as a hero, he became First Council Lord and was later even elected as Thesk's first Suzerain before he died in 1453 DR.

Government
Phsant was governed by the Merchants' Council, an oligarchic group of wealthy merchants. Circa 1372 DR, it was led by First Council Lord Bartan Helfer and after around 1400 DR, by Tai Shing.

Although Thesk had no overall government or capital city, the leaders of its cities formed the Council of Thesk to discuss issues and work together. Phsant was commonly chosen as the site of their meetings. It was the next most powerful and influential of the Theskian cities after Telflamm. It had a defensive alliance with the other cities.

Trade
Phsant was a prosperous city of merchants and the most common place to stop on the journey between Telflamm and Mulsantir, whilst lying in the most densely populated part of Thesk.

Defenses
Like the bigger Theskan cities, Phsant maintained a small army of professional soldiers, called the Legion of Phsant. They were supported by a militia and tidy and disciplined mercenaries as needed. There was also a city watch, led by Captain Tendan Helfer circa 1372 DR. These forces were bolstered significantly by the orcs.

Inhabitants
In 1372 DR, Phsant was a large city recorded as having a population of 21,564 people, comprising 74% humans, 12% orcs, 6% half-orcs, 2% dwarves, 2% gnomes, 2% half-elves, and 2% halflings. As of 1479 DR, it was a city of 30,000 inhabitants, still with a great number of orcs and half-orcs, the most in all Thesk. It was a cultural heart of Thesk with astonishing diversity.

The orc soldiers who'd settled in and around Phsant adjusted surprisingly well, learning to curb their more violent habits, and they became accepted members of the populace. Thesk was one of the places most welcoming of orcs in the Realms. Nevertheless, some distrust and fears remained around Thesk. Some local human women married immigrant orcs, but there was still a sizeable remainder of orc men in search of wives. This high population of orc bachelors attracted half-orc women who sought sturdy husbands with a more civilized mentality than normally available in a traditional orc tribe. Since the first settlement, hundreds of orcs and half-orcs came to Thesk. By 1372 DR, orcs in Phsant had taken a variety of jobs, not just as soldiers, guards and mercenaries, but also as laborers, miners, and farmworkers, and some had even bought their own small farms in the area. The many orc miners went south to the Thesk Mountains to work the small iron mines, but regularly returned to their tribemates in Phsant to relax when they'd earned enough coin and time. The orcs of Phsant were led by Captain Grattz.

In addition, many Kara-Turans displaced from their towns and villages by the Tuigans had settled in Thesk looking for a better life, with nearly 5000 choosing Phsant after the war. The biggest Shou-town in the Realms was found in a crowded district here. They were similarly welcomed and were known for their hard work and honesty. Many Shou managed prosperous businesses and some had even risen to the Merchants' Council by 1372 DR. By 1479 DR, Phsant still had the largest Shou population and largest Shou-Town in Thesk, showcasing their culture.

Organizations
The Nine Golden Swords criminal society and the Golden Master himself were based in Phsant's Shou quarter, with their yakuza having come among the refugees. They restricted their activities to the Shou district, extorting and bullying people there, even engaging in assassination. Supposedly, they could call on hundreds of people for a battle if needed and the Golden Master was building resources to extend his reach across the city by the early 1370s DR. The yakuza remained in the late 1400s DR, but had been replaced by the Black Dragons.

However, the Shadowmasters already had a thieves' guild or chapter in Phsant, as they did everywhere in Thesk. The local chapter was led by Guildmaster Tipret Prenskylvar. However, the Shadowmasters had no influence over the majority of Phsant's merchant rulers. There was naturally an underworld gang war between the Shadowmasters and the Nine Golden Swords.