Exemplars of Evil

CHAPTER 9
BORAK, THUNDER
TYRANT
Illus. by W. Mahy
AREA DESCRIPTIONS
The remains of the sultan’s palace are home to Borak, her
Al-Iborak spawn, and her human servants—the sacrifices
sent to her over the years that have managed to survive in
the ancient dragon’s shadow. The following areas correspond
with those on the map on page 151.
1. Entry Hall: The entry hall has been stripped of its
former grandeur. Wide sets of stairs spiral up to the broken
floor above (area 6), and the once-fine tile floor is cracked
and in poor repair. The hall is now used as a guard post and
common area by the Al-Iborak, and servants pass through it
as quickly as they can when carrying out their duties.
2. The Great Hall: This part of the palace is the only chamber
large enough to accommodate the Thunder Tyrant, and thus
has become her lair. When supplicants come to Imer to offer
tribute, they present themselves to Borak in this room.
Though the hall is in bad shape, it retains much of its
original majesty. Rising up from the 20-foot-high walls, a
vaulted dome arcs high overhead; it is inlaid with lapis and
resembles the night sky. Heavy pillars support the dome
along two sides, and an archway on the north wall opens
onto what was once a verdant courtyard, providing Borak
with easy access to the great hall from the outside.
The Thunder Tyrant reclines on the raised dais, which is
piled high with her treasure hoard. The sultan’s throne still
stands on the dais as well, half-buried by the contents of the
hoard. Borak rarely sits on the throne in human form, preferring
to take her natural shape while in this chamber.
3. Harem Quarters: This suite of rooms centers around
a long, rectangular chamber that contains a richly tiled bath
filled with magically heated and replenished water, as well as
sun-heated stones for resting and reclining. In the old days,
these rooms belonged to the sultan’s harem, and Borak uses
the suite for a similar purpose, housing her most “interesting”
human servants here. The harem slaves dwell in relative
comfort, awaiting the desires of the dragon—or that of her
most senior and favored Al-Iborak sons.
Few of the members of Borak’s harem entertain notions of
escape. Even if they could evade Al-Iborak hunters and the
all-seeing eyes of the Thunder Tyrant, they consider it folly
to cross the burning desert alone.
4. Al-Iborak Barracks: The rooms of this wing serve as
the barracks for the Sons of the Dragon—this is where they
live, train, and await the bidding of their mother and ruler.
These spare, militant quarters are adorned with weapons and
grisly trophies claimed by the half-dragon warriors, including
the skulls of slain enemies.
The northeast chamber houses the human servants who
were not favored to join the dragon’s harem. They live in
constant fear of their Al-Iborak overseers, to say nothing of
their draconic mistress’s cruel whims.
5. Courtyard: Once a magnificent garden of flowering
hedges, fruit trees, and statuary, the courtyard behind the
palace is now little more than a sand-choked area of cracked
stone, surrounded by a 10-foot-high stone wall. Borak likes
to sun herself here on occasion, and also uses the courtyard
to come and go from the palace.
6. Stairs to the Broken Floor: The upper floors of the
palace were sheared away in Borak’s assault on Imer. All
that remains is the floor of what used to be the second level,
piled with accumulated sand and rubble from the destroyed
walls. Here and there, various fixtures and low remnants of
the old walls stick up from the floor. Through the debris, the
ancient tile and carpet are still visible, though ruined by age
and weathering.
The Al-Iborak sometimes use the broken floor to gain a
higher vantage point for watching over the approaches to the
palace, and they guard the wide stairs that connect it with
the entry hall (area 1). Otherwise, this section of the palace
is of little use to anyone.
150
Imer the Lost