Dmitra Flass

Dmitra Flass, also known unofficially as the First Princess of Thay or The Tharchioness, was the Tharchion of Eltabbar within the realm of Thay during the mid-to-late 14 century DR, and subsequently the Zulkir of Illusion among the Red Wizards during the War of the Zulkirs.

Description
Dmitra had been dubbed the "First Princess of Thay"&mdash;although only outside of Thay itself&mdash;owing to her famous beauty. She specifically cultivated an "exotic" look with her clean-shaven head and elaborate tattoos (which she maintained as per Red Wizard custom), although as a master of illusion magic, she could simply change her appearance at will. She had green eyes and a rose-and-alabaster complexion.

She stood at and weighed.

Personality
She was known for her sharp wits and iron will. She was the most diplomatic among all of the tharchions and zulkirs, and her efforts to discourage feuds and to help settle disputes between them were said to have been the only reason that Thay had not descended into civil war in the mid-to-late 14 century DR. She had a noble bearing, but also a violent temper. In her youth, she was quite flirtatious in service of her political ambitions.

Abilities
As a powerful wizard and master illusionist, Dmitra could plant visions of nightmarish assailants in an adversary's mind. She could also conjure a flying horse.

Possessions
Dmitra wielded a staff and an ebon lash. She often wore a crimson brocade gown or a robe of scintillating colors.

Activities
As the Tharchion of Eltabbar, Dmitra presided over the Thayan capital of Eltabbar as well as Lake Thaylambar and many of the fishing communities around it. In general, she spent most of her time in the city and paid little heed to the more provincial parts of her lands. She was known to delegate much of the day-to-day running of the tharch to her Autharches while she remained politically active by managing relationships with neighboring realms. Relative to other Thayan tharchions, she was said to have an almost "enlightened" style of rulership.

She owned a great many of the public spaces in the city of ELtabbar, as well as thousands of slaves.

Dmitra was involved in actively expanding Red Wizard power and trade outside of Thay. She was also closely allied with Szass Tam for much of the mid-to-late 14 century DR, operating a large network of spies and covert agents on her own and the lich's behalf. Hers was the largest and most effective network of spies in all of Thay, and were known to ruthlessly dispose of their enemies. Dmitra often did some spying herself, mostly in the guise of a pretty Rashemi young woman.

Prior to the Time of Troubles, she was thought to pay respect to Leira, the goddess of illusion.

Relationships
Dmitra Flass had no allegiance to the Flass family, and she would frequently use different names as a result. This led to many simply referring to her as "The Tharchioness" within Thay or the "First Princess of Thay" beyond its borders, a title that her fellow Red Wizards found quite amusing.

She was married to the High Blade of Mulmaster, Selfaril Uoumdolphin&mdash;which was actually his twin brother Rassendyll Uoumdolphin, who had imprisoned and impersonated Selfaril&mdash;making her an authority figure in Mulmaster. Her and Selfaril's relationship was known to be marred by violent arguments, and she didn't spend much time in company of her husband or in his town, preferring to visit Mulmaster only three times each year and using magic to make the trip quickly. Their political marriage greatly increased both her and the Red Wizards' power within the Moonsea region. She maintained a large retinue at the Thayan enclave in Mulmaster&mdash;led by Conjuremaster Ahryn Firefinger &mdash;to promote the Red Wizards' interests and to counter the influence of rivals like the Zhentarim.

One of Dmitra's most trusted servants was Malark Springhill, whom she brought with her from Mulmaster to manage her network of spies.

The Red Wizard Rembert Wellford was a distant cousin to Dmitra.

Early Life
Dmitra was born into the Thayan noble family of Flass in the. Following a major dispute, she severed ties with the family, and although the dispute itself was soon mostly forgotten, the grudge endured and the young Dmitra preferred to avoid using her real name.

By the 1350s DR, the young Dmitra was Tharchioness of Eltabbar, but her power in the city of Eltabbar itself was tentative. The large number of influential Red Wizards residing in the city meant that her authority&mdash;as a relatively novice mage&mdash;was subject to their whims. In most cases, she simply retreated from governing the tharch and left it to her Autharches, who in turn spent much of their time pandering to meddling Red Wizards. Disengaged from much of the politics of the city, the young Tharchioness instead began flirtatious relationships with the unmarried rulers of surrounding realms. In the, she began a courtship with her future husband, Selfaril of Mulmaster, when she sent him a gold earing soaked in perfume and he in turn sent her a cloak of yeti fur. This exchange of gifts allowed the pair to begin meeting in person&mdash;rather than just corresponding through proxies&mdash;without fear of scandal, gossip, or the risk of offending Thayan custom. Nevertheless, their long courtship would be characterized by several spectacular tiffs, and was punctuated by a major visit by Dmitra to Mulmaster in the.

Rise to Power
Over the course of the 1360s DR, Dmitra expanded both her political and magical power significantly, establishing herself as an important figure and becoming a staunch ally to Szass Tam. Following a major earthquake that devastated the city of Eltabbar in the, she began to consolidate her power more aggressively, and within eight months she wielded direct control over her subjects while her Autharches managed menial tasks such as rebuilding her city. Her marriage to Selfaril in the, also helped to solidify her power as it granted her influence beyond Thay's borders. Unbeknownst to her, Selfaril had actually been secretly usurped and replaced earlier that year by his twin brother, Rassendyll. Given that she only rarely visited her new husband, Dmitra continued to remain unaware that she had married a different man.

By the end of the decade, her spies were ruthlessly seeking out the agents of her and Tam's rivals, and her rule over Eltabbar was rarely challenged by fellow Red Wizards. Even so, she still worried over political intrigues in the city, often at the expense of attending to her broader tharch. By the, she had a notorious reputation and was a major proponent of expanding the Red Wizards' export of magic items to extend their influence. She was also acknowledged as a major player among Thay's leaders and as one of the leading authority figures in Mulmaster, which Tam and her other Thayan allies hoped to exploit as a path to influence within the Moonsea more broadly. She maintained constant contact with her agents in the city.

War of the Zulkirs
In the, when Szass Tam seized rulership of all Thay by force, Dmitra's loyalty for the lich ended. She called for a secret meeting of all zulkirs who had once supported Tam and convinced them to raise their combined armies and wizards to oppose the lich's forces. The council achieved a great victory at the Keep of Thazar against an undead army led by Szass Tam's necromancers. Szass responded by sending the combined forces of Gauros and Surthay, along with hordes of undead, south towards Bezantur. This enabled Dmitra to enlist the other opposing zulkirs&mdash;Nevron, Lauzoril, and Mythrellan&mdash;to her council of resistance as well.

Following the demise of Mythrellan, the long-serving Zulkir of Illusion, Dmitra assumed her title.

During a decisive fight at the Keep of Sorrows in the, Szass almost succeeded in magically forcing Dmitra to fight for his cause, but his magic failed as the Spellplague hit and Dmitra was released from his hold. The war continued despite the crippling effects of the Spellplague on magic.

Dmitra's spymaster, Malark Springhill, suddenly switched sides to fight for Szass Tam's cause. During another battle at the Keep of Sorrows, Malark attempted to kill Dmitra with the intention to spare her from undeath. Dmitra tried to save her life by planting an illusionary dream into Malark's mind of a peaceful day before the war, but Malark saw through the ruse and the attempt to have him slain by Dmitra's guards. He finally killed Dmitra by breaking her ribcage, the shards of which drove into her heart.

Legacy
Dmitra was eventually replaced as Zulkir of Illusion by Hlarkus Baltreyo, a lich supporter of Tam.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Crimson Gold • The Haunted Lands (Unclean, Undead) • Honor Among Thieves: The Junior Novelization
 * Film & Television
 * Honor Among Thieves
 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea