Athkatla

Athkatla, also known as the City of Coin, was the oldest settlement and capital of the mercantile nation of Amn. It was one of the wealthiest countries in all of Faerûn, where nearly every aspect of life revolved around money and commerce. The concept of affluence was so well-connected with Athkatla there were rumors in foreign lands that the city's streets were paved with gold.

In reality the city was abuzz with peddlers and hustlers, hard-haggling merchants who were as competitive as they were ruthless in their pursuit of coin. The city offered a stark contrast between those who held power, i.e. money, and those who did not. Organizations that ran the city's economy, such as the oppressive Cowled Wizards, the enigmatic Shadow Thieves guild or obscenely wealthy mercantile houses could act with complete authority and near impunity. For the weak and the poor in the slums of the River district, life in the city was overwhelming affair where danger loomed at nearly every turn.

Government
Athkatla was ruled by the Council of Five (formerly the Council of Six). Although council positions were once held anonymously, the council members now rule openly. The five council positions were held by: House Selemchant who sponsors the Cowled Wizards of Athkatla, House Dannihyr which belongs to the Shadow Thieves, House Alibakkar, House Ophal and House Nashivaar which is closely allied with the Church of Cyric.

Laws
Just about anything was acceptable in Athkatla and actions that would be illegal or immoral in other lands were tolerated. The law permitted nearly anything including lewdness and slavery.

Thieves within the city operated under written contracts more than anywhere else in Faerûn

Bridge district
The narrow, winding streets south of the Athkatla's bridge was home to the city's many poor laborers, who lived lives a mere step above those within the river district. It was full of small, shoddy shops selling illicit goods and businesses that served the great number of caravans that entered Athkatla's walls.

Gem district
Home to the "new money" families within the city, the Gem district was an ostentatious display of the excesses of wealth. If the streets of Athkatla were paved with gold, they were surely found in this district.

Guards district
The quarter of Athkatla catered to the city's mercenaries and adventures. The adventuring lifestyle was looked down upon in the city, and were not often found in other areas of the city.

River district
Home to the slums of Athkatla, the river district was home to the city's poorest and most destitute citizens. The mean streets near the Alandor River stunk of trash, which was shipped out of the docks by means of barge.

Temple district
Previously the hub of arcane societies within the city, this quadrant has changed to encompass the business offices and homes of many wealthy merchants, as well as a number of holy sites and inns that catered to pilgrims from across Faerûn.

Trades district
Home to the great many independent merchants lived and operated out of Athkatla.


 * Landmarks:
 * Dunstul's pump: This water pump was a popular gathering place


 * Taverns:
 * Black Frog: The tavern of choice for local citizens

Wave district
A region of the city that housed a number of seafaring business such as cartographers, shipwrights and other nautical craftspeople. Due to its proximity to the temple district it was home to a fair number of scribes and sages.


 * Landmarks:
 * Great Griffin: This massive, seven-ton (6.5 Mg) bell was used to warn ships docking in the harbor during storms


 * Temples:
 * Moonhall: A well-recognized temple of Selûne

Daranthur's Hall is a market found in downtown Athkatla. It is the first of the "shared-roof" markets that is becoming increasingly popular in Amn.

The hall was severely damaged during an attempt to uncover a smuggling ring. Storl Thammuraster, Amaront of Selgaunt, and Onth Tarralus of Silverymoon used an gem-exploding spell to detonate the gems hidden in bottles, causing a series of explosions that killed dozens of traders and shoppers. After calling additional contacts, three merchant families (the Aerlonds, Kravalondurs, and Morornds) were exposed as smugglers.

Waukeen's Promenade
The market of Athkatla, named Waukeen's Promenade, was twice the size of Waterdeep's and in it one could buy any item found above-ground (and some from below) for a price. The promenade itself was found in the center of the city and built as an open, oval stadium surrounded by terraced, 50 ft. walls. It had four stories, each 75 ft. wide, with the upper levels providing shade for the lower ones. Each story was accessible from wide ramps leading from the story below. Illegal goods were hard to come by in the promenade as it was patrolled regularly, though contacts for such items abounded. It was cheaper to trade in other areas of the city, but it would vastly lower the merchant's and buyer's reputation if seen doing so.

History
The city was founded around 100 DR by the Shoon Imperium along with Murann and Crimmor with mostly Calishite immigrants, in what was then known as "the emirate of Amin". The Empire fell and in 460 DR, Amn became an independent nation with the city of Esmeltaran as its capital city (despite Athkatla being the oldest and most established city).

The nation was blessed with peace and prosperity for over 700 years, a period during which the rulers of Amn initiated trade with the far north. Money became the center of every good Amnian citizen's world, and the nation's taste for accumulating wealth corrupted many of the mercantile classes.

Things got worse from 1238 DR forward as every three or four decades saw a trade war erupt that would last for two or three years at a stretch. The worst one came in 1333 DR when all trade in or out of Amn was stopped. A young merchant from Athkatla named Thayze Selemchant had just inherited a rich spice-importing business and the most affluent trading house in the city. He refused to allow this trade war to squash the wealth and power he would inevitably gain from his inheritance, so he personally went out and "persuaded" (using his intelligence, charisma, secret powers of magic and the third largest personal fortune in the country) five other Amnian merchant house leaders into forming a new government that wouldn't be so susceptible to these trade wars. The attempt succeeded and peace reigned once more (though only with a compact of mutual nonaggression with the Shadow Thieves). The new "Council of Six" was based in Athkatla and the city became Amn's new capital and busiest trade port on the Sword Coast.

In the late 14 century DR as the last free port in Amn, Athkatla became the hub for nearly all the trade from Maztica although contact with Maztica ended when the entire continent was transported to Abeir during the Spellplague in 1385 DR.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Rising Tide
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn novelization


 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn