Crimmor

Crimmor, also known as the City of Caravans or the Caravan Capital of Amn, was a fortified city and focal point of practically all trades between the Sword Coast North and the Lands of Intrigue.

Built on the southern shore of the Alandor River, Crimmor was a city constantly bustling with life. A strong stink of ox dung filled the streets, courtesy of the unusual quantity of wagons roaming them. On most days, a thin haze of dust hanged over the city, flung around by the beast's hoofs. On rare occasions a westbound wind cleaned the dust from the air, bringing with it the reeks of tanneries, paddocks and slaughterhouses.

Caravaneers set camp outside of the city, filling the southern lands with tents and cattle.

"Crimmor, City of Caravans, what shall I say of thee? The life-blood of half Faerûn streams through thy streets, by coin and creaking wagon-wheel. Here Amn works for its glittering gold, and by such striving half the Sword Coast North is fed, and fine-work of a thousand-thousand hands set forth to remote stead and backland croft. Crimmor, where barge, drover, and wagon are lords, work never ceases, and folks can sleep through din worthy of a siege. Crimmor, the beating heart of the haughty Merchants' Domain, bones beneath the striding skin of gold. No man is truly a caravan master, who has not passed through Crimmor."

- Extract from Tales of a City Unsleeping by Mandivvur Taeruld

Geography
On the northern side of the city, docks allowed barges traveling the Alandor River to load and unload their cargo.

Flora
"No tree grows in Crimmor."

- Amnian saying

Inside the city, no space was dedicated to parks or gardens. To find trees and grass, one had to step outside the fortified walls: they would first pass through the Keepclear, a grassy area as large as "the flight of a ballista-bolt fired from the wall towers" and used by townfolks for moots, walks and picnics. On the limit of the Keepclear near the Orc Road, visitors could find the first trees: a majority of duskwoods, as well as some felsuls. Those trees were a favorite playground of local children, and marked the beginning of the area where visiting caravans would set up their encampments. Lovers and paramours used to meet near those trees, but this tradition declined over time as caravan-riders enjoyed playing pranks on such couples.

Fauna
Most domesticated animals inside Crimmor were draft animals &mdash;mostly oxes and mules&mdash; as well as riding-horses and coach-horses. Those animals wore large brass badged stamped with the symbol of the city and graved with their owner's name. The badges were issued by the Thaeldorn and served to prove that the animal belonged to a tax-paying citizen, as visitors were forbidden to bring their own beasts of burden inside the city.

Crimmans kept few pets, as cats and dogs were banned from the city&mdash;except as caged cargoes. As a result mice and rats were plentiful, as were snakes and scavenger birds feeding on them. The locals hunted those pests using stones, poisons and drowning-traps whenever given a chance.

Law & Order
Crimmor had several protectionist laws related to the handling of commercial goods: A whole economy was built around those laws, allowing jobs such as dockhands, wagonmakers and drovers to thrive.
 * Only oxen and mules belonging to Crimmor citizens could enter the city.
 * It was forbidden to build shore-docks outside the city walls, to prevent evading inspection and fees.

Crime
"No thief thrives in Crimmor."

- Amnian saying

Festivals and Holidays



 * Wheelmoot:
 * Organized once a year, when winter sets in and caravans stopped running because of the ice and snow, the mayor declared open the festival of Wheelmoot. Because it was linked to weather conditions, the exact dates of the festival changed from one year to the next. During Wheelmoot, every shops closed except for the ones selling food and drinks, and townsfolk locked valuables and fragile objects away, after which the revelries would begin. For four days and four nights people would don masks and eccentric costumes, get drunk and perform acts of debauchery in public. Most of them would live in the streets for the duration of the festival, eating from street feasts during the evening and sleeping around bonfires on cloaks provided by the mayor. For the duration of the festival, law enforcement was relaxed, and most small crimes were dismissed altogether: public debauchery was not only tolerated, but expected and celebrated. The Bargemen, Guards and Shadow Thieves were nevertheless extremely vigilant during the festivities, preventing major issues from troubling the celebrations. As for the numerous clubs of the city, they stayed open and were bustling with customers during the entire festival.

Defenses
The city was surrounded on the north by the Alandor River, and in all other directions by impressive gray granite walls. The walls were high, and guard towers equipped with ballistae were located on regular intervals along the periphery.

History

 * Foundation of the city.
 * Prince Imnel Torlath and his armies fought ogres on the Small Teeth, restoring trade between Crimmor and Murann. The town of Imnescar would later be founded where that battle took place.
 * Crimmor was affected by the Coast Plague, killing approximately 20% of the townsfolk (i.e. thousands of people)

Idioms

 * A proper earner: Was said of a very nice tool or implement. Such tools would impress Crimmans very much.


 * Caught in crimson: Was said of a thief caught red-handed.


 * Guarding mine/his glints : Hiding mine/his valuable wares from public eyes to avoid having them stolen after leaving Crimmor.


 * Having too little coin to buy their own confidence: Was said of someone ostensibly flaunting their money by owning unnecessary ornate buildings or clothing.

Slang

 * Ardragons: Mythical mock-dragons carved around windows and other wall features.


 * Djauncesome: A term of admiration for architecture or garments.


 * Exalted window: A really narrow window. Crimmans never used the term arrowslit, which was considered insulting.


 * Sward-feast: A picnic. Its literal meaning was a meal on the grass.


 * Throus: The local name for leeks.

Notable Locations
Crimmor was divided into three city wards, demarcated by two major roads. The High Ride ran east-weast through the city and marked the southern end of the River Ward. The Wagonrun ran north-south and separated the Wheel Ward from the Purse Ward.


 * River Ward:


 * Wheel Ward:


 * Purse Ward:

Temples
All temples within the city walls are located in the Purse Ward.
 * Chauntea's Cradle, a temple dedicated to the Earthmother.
 * The Theater of Joy, an old amphitheater serving as a temple to Lliira, Milil and Sune.
 * The Allfaiths Altarhall, a shrine dedicated to many deities.

Guilds
Five guilds controlled the major trades in Crimmor: the Smiths, the Dockhands, the Leatherers, the Wagonmakers and the Wheelwrights. To reduce the risks of corruption, they had no guildmasters but elected small, short-term ruling councils instead.

"A lazy Crimman is a sick Crimman."

- Amnian saying


 * The Smiths Guild


 * The Dockhands Guild
 * The Dockhands worked with barge and wagon crews, and controlled all loading and unloading on the docks.


 * The Leatherers Guild
 * Among the members of the Leatherers were very good harness-makers, saddlers, and bootmakers. Crimman boots were known to be extremely durable, yet stylish.


 * The Wagonmakers Guild


 * The Wheelwrights Guild
 * The wheelwrights made and repaired wheels and carriages. As per order of the Mayor, drovers where also part of this guild. This was the result of convincing by the three grand families, who feared that fees should steeply increase should drovers be allowed to form their own guild.


 * The Shadow Thieves Guild