To start off with, evil clerics do not turn the undead, they command them. Bane is dead, so his clergy no longer receives powers as of old. Cyric did fill the void for a while, but he was deposed by Kelemvor.
The very adherence to Bane would raise problems with having the Red Wizards of Thay on the same payroll, as they are to a large extent devotees of the elemental god of Fire, Kossuth.
Anyway, Thay is fairly much ancient history since the War of 1391 DR when they felt the impact of the B52s of Cormyrian Strategic Air Command.
I have no pretty pictures to show, partially because pretty pictures are banned under my regime, as is talking on Fridays
As I am an Evil Dictator, the secrets of my success are many, including the most infamous, the screening of "The Bridges of Madison County 24 hours a day in re-education centres.
There is no opposition, as there is no one able or interested in taking on my enormous duties and tasks (taking the royal mammoth for a morning jog around the sacred precinct, etc., etc.) Combine this with an effective military, intelligence service, and security forces, and you get a situation where there are no challenges.
The carrot and the stick. I beat them with both, in a sort of drumstick combination much in the manner of Ginger Baker.
There is none of this "I rule because I am a rock star" stuff, or the "beautiful spies" that some seem enamoured with, but a rule based upon unflappable middle aged women sitting behind glass windows asking you in stentorian tones to "take a number and you will be attended to".
Curt, you must stop revealing all our secrets of maintaining power to the public. Most of the options are part of my methods!
My troops and assassins-, I mean "waste management consultants"
, do not dress in flashy death knight armour, but rather in bland pinstripe suits and standard BDUs.
My portrait adorns every house in the empire, having pride of place above the mantlepiece, upon which are Darkshade coffee mugs (made by Kobayashi Porcelain
), T-shirts, collectable cards, hats, pins, special edition DVDs and autographed books.
Their TV screens are two way, unbeknownst to the vast majority of citizens. When an evildoer is detected, we wait until he/she sits down, then switch on the transmitter with the order "Main screen turn on"
I then address the condemned fool from my desk
"How are you gentleman.
All your base belong to us"
With that, my guards kick down their door and drag them away to the sausage factory, where they are fed slowly feet first into the machine.
All of this is recorded, and shown after every nightly news bulletin courtesy of the Ministry of Truth, Information and Propaganda.
I conduct regular rallies, attended by vast numbers of followers, all in their appropriate organizations, culminating in grand torch lit rallies to the sounds of massed drums from the Darkshade Youth. Much like Triumph of the Will, basically.
I visit schools, and select my "secretaries" and "personal assistants" from the promising ranks. They accompany me back to the palace, expecting to be used as concubines for some bizarre sexual rituals, and are thoroughly confused when they are set to work in the secretarial school within. The concubines and children to scum for one etc are selected on tours specifically designated for that purpose.
I maintain a high profile, and the people love me, as I allow free admittance to the National League Quidditch matches, and provide full employment, health cover, comprehensive insurance and death by impalement if they are not satisfied
