Who Are the Red Wizards in ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’?

While we know that there are a lot of evil elements in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, the focus of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is on a particular group of people that do evil things for their gain. Of course, we are talking about the Red Wizards, who played an important role in the movie’s events, especially because one of their own was why the storyline progressed. So, who are the Red Wizards?

The Red Wizards are a group of incredibly powerful and gifted sorcerers or wizards that belong to a magical cult based in Thay. Led by Szass Tam, these wizards seek to create a world inhabited only by the undead.

While Szass Tam was also in the picture during the events of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, it was Sofina, one of his disciples, who he sent to try to turn the city of Neverwinter into one that belonged to the undead. In that regard, we know that these people are incredibly dangerous and are all looking to further their nefarious schemes. Now, let’s learn more about the Red Wizards.

Red Wizards Explained

There are a lot of different factions that exist in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, and we know that not all of these factions are good. Of course, some are good but unlawful, while some are evil but lawful. But the Red Wizards of Thay are some of the worst kinds of people in the storyline of Dungeons & Dragons, as they belong to an organization that’s both evil and chaotic. So, what exactly are the Red Wizards?

The Red Wizards of Thay are mages, sorcerers, and wizards mostly based in Thay’s mysterious country. They belong to a magical cult that also rules the entire country of Thay. The ones that used to rule the Red Wizards were called the Zulkir, the eight strongest Red Wizards and the strongest representatives of Thay’s eight schools of magic. Szass Tam was the most prominent among them and was the Zulkir of Necromancy.

Historically speaking, the Red Wizards of Thay came into power due to their cruelty as slavers and demonologists. They used their powerful spells and magic to enslave the entire country of Thay. The Red Wizards also used to be arcane experimenters that tried to research different types of magic before Szass Tam, a powerful lich, came into power. Since Szass Tam’s rule, most of the Red Wizards eventually focused more on necromancy.

However, the Red Wizards of Thay were still gifted in all forms of magic and could cast different types of offensive and defensive spells. That is why the Red Wizards are some of the most feared people in the Realms, as they are powerful enough to affect entire nations.

What Do the Red Wizards Do?

Historically speaking, the Red Wizards stayed in Thay as they enjoyed their status as the ruling class of that country, while the Red Wizards mostly enslaved the non-wizards. However, the Red Wizards also spearheaded numerous wars and battles with neighboring countries, all for the sake of power.

But in the latter years and after Szass Tam came into power as the Regent of Thay, the Red Wizards were able to spread their influence throughout the Realms by traveling from one location to another as traders and nomadic people. Instead of going to war with different nations, they would rather try to obtain powerful relics and items or even put other cities and settlements under their influence through their deceitful means.

However, the Red Wizards traveled from one city to another, protected by knights and assassins that were powerful enough to keep the authorities of the other countries at bay. Some Red Wizards also concealed their identities so those who knew they were troublesome sorcerers wouldn’t suspect them.

Since Szass Tam came into power, most Red Wizards focused on creating a world where the undead could rule. This started when Szass consolidated power unto himself by turning the people of Thay into undead slaves using a beckoning spell after gathering all of the citizens in one place. Since then, most of the other Red Wizards that worked under him traveled from one place to another to try to create undead armies.

As such, different people around the Realms became wary of what Red Wizards could do as they knew how dangerous they were and how these sorcerers were looking to turn people into undead slaves under their command.

Who Are the Members of the Red Wizards?

There were a lot of different Red Wizards that were shown in the events of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves but not a lot of them were named. In fact, Edgin was responsible for putting behind bars several Red Wizards when he was still working for the Harpers. The two most prominent Red Wizards that were named were Sofina and Szass Tam.

Sofina disguised herself as a mysterious sorceress but was actually a Red Mage looking to get on a powerful relic that she could use to further her agenda. It was revealed that she was working with Forge the entire time so that he could rise to power as the Lord of Neverwinter and so that Sofina could use his influence for goals. And it was revealed in the middle of the movie that she was working for her master, Szass Tam.

The truth was that Sofina wanted Forge to bring back the High Sun Games to gather everyone in the city in the arena that would serve as the epicenter for her beckoning spell. She used the relic she acquired from Korrin’s Keep to try to turn the people of Neverwinter into the undead, only for Edgin and his allies to stop her. Still, in her fight against Edgin and the others, she proved incredibly powerful, thanks to her elite spells and time-stop magical ability.

As mentioned, Sofina worked for Szass Tam the entire time and was seen in contact with one another. Szass Tam was also shown in a flashback scene that showed how he turned the people of Thay into undead creatures. During that time, Xenk lost his family and became a half-undead human being.

Szass Tam may have a larger role to play in the future, especially if Honor Among Thieves becomes successful enough to earn itself a sequel film. If that were to happen, expect this evil lich necromancer to reappear and wreak havoc throughout the realm. Sofina was already strong as she was, and we can only imagine just how powerful and dangerous her master was.