Jharl Thusk: Founder, Chairman, and Chief Enslaving Officer of SLAVE*MART.

SLAVE*MART

Jharl Thusk founded SLAVE*MART in 989 AH and soon took the company public on the Caratha Stock Exchange, while maintaining a controlling interest. He oversaw the construction of the Ubercenter in the Market of Chains. By ruthless business tactics, Thusk's new firm soon captured ninety-five percent of the slave trading market in the city-state. Much of the firm's infrastructure and supplier relationships must have pre-existed the establishment of the firm, perhaps operating under a variety of seemingly separate owners and fronts, all secretly controlled by Thusk.

Red Lotus Juice

Thusk synthesized the SLAVE*MART red lotus juice preparation, extracted from the flowering red lotus, which could be produced in large volume to render slaves docile and obedient. 

Conflict with Jason Cosmo

In 990 AH, Jason Cosmo vowed to rid Caratha of slavery and free the slaves in the city-state. This soon brought the hero into conflict with Thusk. Their first encounter came during a visit to the SLAVE*MART Ubercenter by Cosmo, accompanied by the twins Sapphrina and Rubis Corundum. Thusk baited Cosmo by offering to buy Sapphrina and Rubis from him. He then explained his evil plan, boasting there was nothing Cosmo could do about it. He further enraged Cosmo by predicting that he would break his oath to free the slaves, forsake The Gods, betray the slaves, and willingly sell Sapphrina and Rubis to Thusk for a penny each, before calling Thusk master. When the enraged hero swung at Thusk with his enchanted sword Overwhelm, the blade passed harmlessly though him as if he were made of vapor.

Evil Plan

Thusk claimed that SLAVE*MART was the culmination of almost one thousand years of fiendish machinations. By means of persuasion and corruption, Thusk claimed to be responsible for the reintroduction of slavery into the Eleven Kingdoms after it was abolished by the fall of the Empire of Fear and the rise of the Mighty Champion. After consolidating the slave trade in Caratha, he intended to gain control of the slavery industry across all border, build Ubercenters in every realm, and flood the Eleven Kingdoms with an endless supply of cheap, plentiful, perfectly obedient slaves, with the intention of making it uneconomic not to use slave labor. "All labor will be slave labor. And all slaves will come from SLAVE*MART!" he claimed.

Once SLAVE*MART established a complete monopoly on the labor supply, Thusk intended to raise prices and drive the Eleven Kingdoms into debt and ruin. Free people would be forced to sell themselves and their families into slavery to survive, ending with one percent of the population owning the other ninety-nine percent, with the small cadre of owners beholden to Thusk, the would-be Master of the World.

Thusk was not concerned about this being exposed to the news media, as SLAVE*MART was the largest advertiser for the newspapers and fora, and was confident they would bury the story while defending slavery. Likewise, all but a few members of the Carathan Senate were either involved in the slave trade, owned many slaves, or were otherwise under the sway of Thusk. He dismissed possible intervention by Prince Ronaldo on account of his age, reported poor health, and rumored imminent demise.

Relations with Dark Magic Society

Thusk is contemptuous of the Dark Magic Society, considering them pitiful posers and boasting there was more power in his beard than in all their ranks combined. SLAVE*MART traded with the Society, buying from and occasionally selling slaves to them.

Connection to the Corundum Twins

Recognized by Rubis as "that creepy guy from Whooshday night yoga" who was always leering at her. Offered to purchase Sapphrina and Rubis from Jason Cosmo and predicted he would sell them to him eventually. Was aware of their abduction and enslavement of 989 AH at a time when this was not common knowledge, suggesting he may have had some involvement.

Powers

Claims to be at least one thousand years old while maintaining his youthful appearance by eating right, bathing in the blood of virgins sacrificed under a full moon, and yoga.

Possibly supernatural powers of persuasion and mental domination, but that may just be due to lots of practice.

Can dematerialize his body such that weapons pass through him harmlessly.

Appearance

A tall, slender man of indeterminate age, with a long, lean face and dark, wolfish eyes. Long black hair, often tied in back. A spade-shaped spike of a beard. 

Typically wears a black high-collared merchant's robe. He carries a long staff of polished black wood, which appears to be sablewood, but isn't.

Courtly and cunning of speech, Thusk has a smooth, silky voice that often lulls the listener into agreement.

Appears in:

Noble Cause