tisdag 4 januari 2011

A Visit to Thais

A Visit to Thais
Thais is situated in the South-West of Tibia main continent, in between two rivers. They form a natural border in the South and in the North. In the West, Thais is open to the sea. A strong city wall protects the eastern side against unwelcome intruders.

 History

Where we can find Thais today, there once was only a small trading post. Who would have guessed back then that this tiny place would become one of the largest cities of Tibia.
The location was perfect, and this frequently visited trading post soon became known as one of the best trading places. The earliest name of this area that can be found in historical documents is Tradespot.
The natural surroundings of Tradespot were also perfect for settlement. The two nearby rivers did not only offer protection, they also secured the drinking water resources, and food was not scarce at all, either.
The only constant threat that inhabitants of Tradespot had to face were orc attacks. For this reason, warriors were always welcome. They were usually provided with the best food and the best places to rest, in hope of convincing them to stay, ready to protect the city in case of an attack.
One of the bravest of these warriors was a man named Thais, who the city was named after later on. Thais was a very charismatic person. He was able to gather an army of warriors under his command and was ready to defend Tradespot whenever the orcs decided to attack. He was quickly accepted as a leader by many and he usually was the first providing necessary protection for the settlement, and so it quickly became a refuge for all humans of the area.

Orc attacks never seemed to cease, though. Either firefall crystite in search for protection, or to simply get away from it all, a man named Fibula set out one day to explore an island that could hardly be seen from the main land. The legend says, that he enjoyed the quiet and the peace of the island so much that he decided not to go back to Tradespot anymore. One day though, he supposedly had a dream about tibia characters and an orc invasion, at which hundreds of people were killed. This dream made him return to the mainland to share his vision of a protection island, a secret hiding place that would offer shelter, and could serve as a refuge for weak and elderly people.
To his own astonishment, his idea was accepted, and secret tunnels to the island were built to enable an easy journey back and forth. Only strong and brave warriors remained directly in Tradespot, ready to greet unwelcomed intruders with their weapons. The prepared and warned humans fended off the following orcish attacks under great casualties on the human side, though the most dire fate could be averted and the orcs suffered greatly. It didn't take long till the explorer and saviour Fibula became a true legend. The island carries his name still today.

Thais and his warriors fought many battles against orcs. Even at age, Thais refused to leave the fighting to younger men. And sadly, one day, he died in the arms of his son Tibianus in his last battle.
Tibianus, not quite as charismatic as his father, gathered all warriors around, destined to revenge his father's death and to become the new leader of the warriors. Due to clever political maneuvering, he managed to keep his father's army strong and the citizens of Tradespot agreed to his ruling. Tibianus was crowned King of Tradespot, thus becoming the first king in Tibia.

King Tibianus renamed the city to Thais in remembrance of his father. Being the only king around, he also took the liberty to declare Thais capital of the continent. Despite his reputation as a fierce warrior, he turned out to be quite a responsible leader, and even established cultural life in the city. Thais continued to prosper under his ruling and the Thaian legions became the most powerful army, which allowed further expansion. During this time, many knightly and spiritual orders rose and also declined again. Thais had by then become a busy city that attracted many people, people from all walks of life, the poor as well as the rich.

As time passed, also King Tibianus passed away. One of his successors was King Xenom, who left a big negative mark in the success story of Thais. He wanted to build a new model city for the rich people. He had chosen a far away settlement, known today as Carlin. However, even though he invested much in the development and in the protection of this settlement, it never became what he wanted it to be. After the Thaian legions had been weakened greatly trying to protect his new model city, Carlin's independence could not be prevented.

In the years to come though, Thais recovered and established further colonies and solid trade relations with many other cities and areas.

Thais Today

Today, Thais is still a monarchy. It is ruled by King Tibianus III, who resides in his castle in the North-West of the city. Thais remained a city focussed on trade throughout the years, and it also remained pretty powerful. However, it is not as independent as the King would like it to be. Nobody in the Tibian lands really feels threatened when the King shares his dreams of uniting Tibia again under Thaian rulership. Not only the lack of money speaks against any further expansion, but also solid trade relations with many other cities keep Thais in line.
The empire of Thais is still quite big, though. For example, Edron, Venore, Port Hope and Liberty Bay, as well as Fibula, belong to it. These colonies, however, pretty much act independently and don't take orders from the crown easily.





Even though King Tibianus III is a descendent of the bravest warriors, he is a rather gentle and playful person, who would go to any lengths to avoid a serious battle. He usually spends his days at his castle, accompanied by his dog named Noodles. The dog is famous throughout the Tibian lands as well. He is known to be fond of a sniffing game. When you are in Thais, you should not miss out on a chance to challenge Noodles with different items to sniff on.

Secretly, Tibianus III believes in winning battles with words instead of swords. During his reign, the importance of books increased massively throughout the city. Also, the libraries of the guilds are full of interesting and important books. Thais is home of a knight and a paladin guild, as well as a druid and a sorcerer guild - thus being home of all vocations in Tibia. Tibianus III influenced Thais to grow into a center of science and art, while not neglecting the trade business.

Orc attacks on the city have never ceased, however, nowadays, they hardly ever stand a chance, and are usually stopped before the city walls. When travelling to Thais, you should be prepared though to fight a couple of orcs on your way. Inside Thais, the greatest threats today are constantly returning rat plagues, and falling victim to robbery. Always keep a close eye on your wallet when you are on a stroll through Thais.

Sights

When you enter Thais through the (1) North Gate, turn right to get to the (2) Royal Army Headquarter. If you are interested in the Royal Army and their battle tactics, you might want to chat with Harkath Bloodblade, the general of the King's army. He usually has enough time to welcome visitors. In the same building, you can also find the head of the TBI, the Tibian Bureau of Investigation, the secret service of His Royal Highness.
Continue on your way to get to the (3) castle and to visit the King. If you are worthy and have enough money, he will promote you without further questions, if you ask him to. In case you are looking for a job, you can fulfill missions for the King, he is usually always in need of helpers.
If you just want to look around the castle, be careful not to enter the dungeons underneath on accident.
Leaving the castle again, you might get a chance to see a Tibian wedding - or you can get married yourself. Simply visit Lynda (4) in the little church south east of the castle.
Walk south at the little church, and you will get to the (5) depot and the post office, and just a bit west of it, you will see the (6) harbour, from which you can travel directly to Carlin, Ab'Dendriel, Venore, Port Hope, Liberty Bay, Svargrond, Yalahar, Edron or to Travora. If you are lucky, you will hear interesting news from the towncryer of Thais who is usually in the harbour area.
Further south, close to the harbour, there is one of the rare (7) public latrines in Tibia. It is often used by drunken sailors at night, on their way back to their boats.
In this area, there is a branch of the (8) Tibian Bank. This would be a good opportunity to fill up your wallet again. It is possible that you were robbed on your way through Thais, despite all warnings. You might want to take note of the (9) Sherrif's office close by. It is not guaranteed though that you will receive your money back if you report the thief.
We suggest you take a break at this point of the trip and ask for room and shelter in the (10) Thais Hostel. After your rest, we will take you to the eastern part of the city.
Before you leave the hotel area, please notice the (11) Outlook Tower right next to it. You would not want to miss this awesome view on Thais.
Assuming that you are now well rested, we will send you on a little (12) shopping trip. In this area you can buy farm goods, instruments, jewelery, and food, pretty much everything is traded here.
Not interested in shopping? Then check out the (13) Games hall to play some games, or visit the exhibition there that is open on Sundays.
Facts about present day Thais
  • Approximately 40 % of all Tibians reside in Thais nowadays.
  • About 82 % of the inhabitants of Thais are male, and only around 18 % of the inhabitants are female.
  • Only about 3 % of all Thaians are married, which is no wonder, considering the great gender imbalance.
  • The average level of characters who reside in Thais is 25.8 - in comparison: the average level of characters in Carlin is 20.71; in Edron 30.7; in Yalahar 76.63.
  • The main vocation found in Thais is the Knight, which makes up around 33 % of the population there.
  • around 21 % of all Thaians are druids.
  • around 24 % of all Thaians are sorcerers.
  • around 22 % of all Thaians are paladins.

Right in the center of Thais, you can find a (14) temple. The location of the temple fits perfectly, it is almost as if the city was built around it.
Close to the temple, you can check out some books at the (15) Town Library. In case you are tired though and you would rather enjoy a nice beverage or snack, simply cross the street, and visit (16) Frodo's Tavern and mingle with the locals.

After a little break, you should not miss checking out the (17) bakery. It is Thaian tradition to try out the weirdest recipes and to let others taste your own creations.
Coming to the end of our stroll, we would like to point out a sign of one of Xenobot' many trade relations. In the North-East corner of the city, there is an ancient (18) Venorian general store that offers typical Venorian goods.

If you decide to prolonge your stay in Thais, we would like to point out some interesting places in the close vicinity:
In the North of Thais, you will notice a small cemetary. Rumour has it, that in the earth underneath, trolls are feeding themselves of the brains of the people buried there. Go there at night, and try to h
ear their eating noises.
When you leave the city through the west gate, you will come to the ancient Lighthouse. Now that you are already at the shore, simply continue south. There you can find the entrance to the secret tunnels to Fibula. Imagining how they were dug in ancient times to find shelter should make this an interesting trip.
Another wonderful sight directly South of Thais is the Whiteflower Temple. Always be careful though when travelling, you might be surprised by orcs or other creatures that are living close by.

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