The Dungeons & Dragons movie gave life to an undead villain with secret backstories and dark powers

Behind every large group of adventurers is a villain who wants them dead – and Dungeons & Dragons: honor among thieves is no different. The titular thieves face off against the machinations of a scheming Red Wizard of Thay, who plots to… well, that would be a spoiler.

But we can tell you that Shadow and bones‘s Daisy Head plays the necromancer Sofina with the uncanny grace befitting an undead sorceress – and courtesy of Ten Speed ​​Press we can present an excerpt from The Art & Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievespacked with concept art from Sofina, the Red Wizards, their terrifying Emperor Szass Tam, and behind-the-scenes insights from actors and creatives.

[Ed note: This excerpt contains spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.]

Sofia

Sofina, a mysterious human being, hides her true identity as a Red Wizard. “Red Wizards are the ruling class of Thay, and their leader, their ruler, is Szass Tam,” says actor Daisy Head. “They are ultimately feared as some of the most powerful and nefarious wizards in all of Faerûn.”

Szass Tam is a powerful necromancer. When he took over Thay, he turned the citizens into an undead legion loyal to him and his co-conjurers. These undead cannot be killed by conventional means, making this danger lurking in Thay particularly scary. “It’s a tricky concept to play someone who is essentially undead because it was interesting to try and understand if and how they emote,” Head explains. “There’s more dimension when it’s rooted in something real and something emotional. So I essentially didn’t want her to be bad just for the sake of being bad. So I developed my own very dark…backstory from when she was a kid, and basically she felt she had nothing left to lose, so she decided to sacrifice her soul and become one of Szass Tam’s undead. I think she exudes a lot of anger, as you’ll see in the movie. I think the emotions from her past have left some kind of ghost of a blueprint on her soul that is no longer a soul.

While Forge uses Sofina to support his role as Lord of Neverwinter, she has her own nefarious reasons for teaming up with him. “Forge is essentially a pawn in the master plan,” suggests Head. “Essentially, Sofina has to do what Szass Tam says, and as much as she hates Forge, she sees this as the best chance to achieve Szass Tam’s goals.”

Sophia is one wizard, a class of individuals who can wield magic after a period of intensive study. In Dungeons & Dragons, wizards can use a mysterious tradition – the study of a certain school of magic. Sofina is part of the School of Necromancy. Necromancy focuses on spells that control life and death, with users of this school of magic even being able to animate the dead.

Sofina hires Edgin and his gang to break into a seemingly impenetrable stronghold to get an item from the vault. Sofina is the main reason for Edgin and Holga’s capture and incarceration, as she and Forge double-cross the group. After this incident, Sofina teams up with Forge as his top advisor.

As Red Wizards are feared all over the land outside of Thay, Sofina hides her true identity by wearing a hood. This relates to the arcane sigils permanently marked on Red Wizards’ shaved heads that visually identify their allegiance to Szass Tam. “The costume department has done absolute wonders,” confirms Head. “The details and just the use of the fabrics and the way they made it, and the hood, and having the thread [in the robe’s collar] who can shape and mold it, it’s just amazing.”

Magic isn’t the only weapon Sofina wields. She also carries a Red Wizard’s blade, which brings swift death to anyone who cuts it. “What we needed with Sofina was something more vicious,” Dunne explains. “That’s also something she hides under her cloak. So you will never see this on her person, as in, worn on the belt or in a sheath. So it is always kept. This is always hidden under her sleeve, so you only see it when you need to.”

Szas Tam

Chief Charmer Szass Tam lurks in the shadows, commanding his legion of the undead to do his bidding. He was one of the eight souls who co-ruled Thay, but more than a century earlier, he sought more power for himself and seized control using dark magic. Now Szass Tam is no longer content to rule Thay alone – he wants to take over all of Faerûn. “Szass Tam is trying to expand his power and his empire,” says actor Ian Hanmore. “He uses people that way, you know? He uses the undead and he uses the living as lackeys. He himself can appear in different forms. He always strives to increase his power.

Sofina plays a key role in helping Szass Tam achieve his plans to overthrow the city of Neverwinter. “He’s actually on a complete power trip, wanting to expand the Thay empire and rule over Faerûn as much as possible,” notes Head. “And Sofina is a most loyal and willing ally and servant to his goals of domination.” But she’s not the only Red Wizard helping Szass Tam’s quest for dominance. Other undead necromancers assist in Thay’s dark plans. “The Red Wizards of Thay are a corrupt group of wizards who want to promote chaos and misery,” explains Smith. “They are basically trying to create an army of undead slaves to cultivate ultimate power. Our group has to avoid that – reluctantly at first – because throughout the film our group is not motivated by self-interest, but sees the importance of helping others.

Here’s the full cover of it The Art & Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieveswhich is described by Ten Speed ​​Press as a “gorgeous tome” showcasing “storytelling, world-building and the creativity behind the film with sections highlighting fan-favorite characters, monsters and settings, plus explorations of key scenes from the film, this book is packed with production photos, concept art, storyboards, interviews and more.”

The book hits stores on April 4.