Helmsport

Helmsport was an Amnian fort on the shore of Payit established by Captain-General Cordell in 1361 DR. By 1370 DR, Helmsport was a major trade center.

Description
Helmsport was a port town and a fortress to the north of Ulatos. It was very likely that eventually, both settlements were to merge into one with population growth. By 1370 DR, Fort Cordell, the first fortified settlement that later spread to become Helmsport, expanded its influence east and westward. Helmsport's close neighbor Ulatos spilled over both sides of the River Ulatos. Helmsport and Ulatos shared a workforce of settlers, clerics of Helm, and local Payits. Together they cleared a ten-mile plot of jungle land between the cities, turning it into farms and land for arriving merchant and noble houses of Amn in Faerûn.

After the conquest of Payit, Helmsport's dwarven engineers used the local workforce to construct fortified ramparts around Fort Cordell and a secret underground vault to hold Maztical gold and silver. In 1362 DR, the town was still only had a dozen permanent buildings of wood and stone with many tents and lean-tos.

New Amn's Helmsport/Ulatos were the most diverse in the region, with the highest population of foreigners. By the late 14 century DR, between one and two thousand immigrants from the Sword Coast found a new home in the New World, and most of that population settled in Helmsport/Ulatos, or within a hundred miles from the two cities. Font population of the two cities counted over 20,000 people, with Payit natives being the ethnic majority.

Geography
The settlement had an anchorage for ships and served as the Golden Legion's main base in Maztica. The fort was located on the ocean, separated by five miles of savannah from the native city of Ulatos. Helmsport was built on the shores of Ulatos Lagoon, a beautiful natural harbor in the waters of the Gulf of Cordell. By the late 14 century DR, the growing population led to establishment of many roads and tracks that connected the cities, towns, and fortified ramparts, around Helmsport.

Flora & Fauna
There were numerous species of exotic monsters, animals, and plants unknown to the newcomers. One such strangely cunning predator animals were red wolves of Payit.

Government
Helmsport and Ulatos were governed by a mix of traditional Maztican and new Amnian laws. Mazticans were allowed to rule, govern, and enforce the law among themselves, only involving the Revered Counselor in extreme cases. If a legal dispute arose between a newcomer and a Maztical or a crime was committed by one party against the other, the law was enforced by the military tribunal at Fort Cordell. The tribunal was staffed by government officials assigned by Amn, commanders of the fort, a representative of Caxal, and the Church of Helm. The tribunal was heavily biased in favor of non-Mazticans, however, their opinion could be swayed through bribery. The most common form of punishment was slavery, with a minimum term being a single year. Tribunal also handled law among the non-Mazticans, and similarly, it was swayed by wealth. A hefty fine was the most common punishment among newcomers. Crimes committed against nobility were often punishable by death, as well as the most heinous of crimes.

Trade was regulated in Helmsport. Even though anyone was allowed to sell, only those with valid permits were allowed to purchase trade goods. This strict regulation gave birth to a black market for stolen and smuggled goods that operated out of Ulatos.

Metal-smithing was another highly-regulated industry. By Governor's order, the Smithy Complex of Helmsport was the only place in the two cities where metalworking was legally permitted.

Trade
With some legal tribulations, Helmsport became a major trade hub. Ships from Waterdeep, other Maztican and Faerûnean ports. In 1369 DR, Tethyrean merchant vessels opened trade with Helmsport and achieved small successes. Helmsport traded with the nearby Calishite colony of Drakmul. It brought in rich croup of tabacco via sea and a land trade route was planned. Exotic feathers were among trade goods that left Helmsport and reached as far as Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden. Various livestock animals, like cows, pigs, horses, and sheep, as well as raw steel, weapons and armor were imported to Helmsport from Faerûn. These goods rage in Maztica were sold wholesale in Helmsport from where merchants took the goods across the neighboring regions as well as the markets of Ulatos.

Unseen before the coming of the Golden Legion, a year after the establishment of New Amn, Helmsport received a blacksmith shop that started producing invaluable metal arms and armor.

The Commonspeech brought from the Sword Coast was the preferred language in Helmsport, while the native Payit language users were much more numerous, however, the number of bilingual inhabitants was growing quickly.

Religion
Helmsport's main deity was Helm, The Vigilant One. The main Temple of Helm stood in Ulatos and was under the leadership of Bishop Devane circa 1370 DR. Another temple was established in Helmsport, early on after the town's establishment. The Bishop's main goal was increasing Helm's worship, both trough conversion, and immigration. As of 1370 DR, Bishop Devane was at odds with the leader of New Amn, Cordell. The priest was dissatisfied with the number of arriving devotees of the Vigilant One and demanded the Golden Legion be sent inland to "reveal Helm's truth to the savages who do not benefit from daily exposure to us and our holiness." The demands were refused by Cordell as he prioritized stabilization of Helmsport and Qoral over sparking another conflict.

Defenses
In the years that followed the conquest of Payit, Helmsport's total garrison numbers consisted of 300 horsemen and 2,000 footmen. The town's armories, stables, and barns, as well as its tent city, were all used to house military men and women of Amn. The garrison stationed within Fort Cordell consisted of approximately 100 horsemen and 500 footmen.

Guards of Helmsport were mostly Amnites adorned in light half-plates and armed with spears.

History
Helmsport was founded in the by Captain-General Cordell of Amn during the settlement of the New World campaign. Shortly after being established, Helmsport became a battleground for the Golden Legion and the army of Payit. The battle was known as the Battle of Ulatos. Payit forces were numerous, but Amnian metal armor shifted the odds, and the nation of Payit fell to Captain-General Cordell. Following the battle, the city of Ulatos was annexed by the Captain-General, and its temples were ransacked by the Golden Legion under the command of the Church of Helm. Objects of worship were destroyed and items of gold and silver were melted down and eventually transported to Faerûn. The stretch of land between the new fort of Helmsport and Ulatos was turned into lush farmlands.

Subsequently, Cordell and his command moved further inland to continue the expedition and conquest, accompanied by about five thousand Payit warriors. Helmsport was decided to remain the center of Amnian operations and received a garrison under the rule of a veteran sergeant-major of the Golden Legion.

By the, Cordell's war with Maztica was over, and Helmsport was declared the capital of New Amn. By the, the second Amnian colony, Qoral, was settled further inland from Helmsport, creating a trading relationship between New Amn and native nations of Maztica. The colony was given the name of an old Maztican town that once stood in the vicinity of the new colony. Later that year, the first non-Amnian ships from Faerûn arrived at Helmsport, bringing traders and mercenaries to help with the exploration of the new lands. More than two-thirds of these mercenaries ended up killed by the dangers of Maztica and wild elven attacks. In the, New Amn's Lord-Governor barred twelve Waterdhavian merchant vessels from Waterdeep from entering Helmsport due to the council’s restrictions on transoceanic trade.

Sometime in the early years of Helmsport, the settlement became the target of attacks by red wolves of Payit. The cunning beasts took the lives of a dizen builders before the colonial authorities to assemble a group of hunters to kill the pack's alpha. The hunt was successful, and the aptly named leader of the attacks, the Red Wolf of Payit, was stuffed and proudly displayed in the Temple of Helm of Helmsport. The stuffed beast caused an uproar among the natives, who thought it disrespectful to the killed creature. Soon after, a chain of maladies afflicted the temple's inhabitants, leading the Payit folk to whisper of the Red Wolf's angry spirit punishing its killers. Helmites and settlers considered it to be nothing but superstition. Their opinions started to waver after the temple's High Priest perished of a heartstop right by the display of the stuffed wolf. After some unrest, the stuffed animal was removed and sent to Amn to calm the superstitious.

Sometime after 1362 DR, the cities of Helmsport and Ulatos became threatened by bacar of the sacred site of Ixtzul, deep in Far Payit. A group of adventurers was tasked by the Church of Helm with stopping the looming threat of the ant-men and, hopefully unique, H'Calos, the Sky Worm.

The brought the opening of major trade routes to Helmsport and New Waterdeep, following eighteen months of intense negotiations. All merchant ships were welcome in both trade centers. Helmsport and New Waterdeep became busy ship-building sites and developed a rivalry.

In Alturiak of the, more mercenaries were dispatched to Helmsport from Amn to bolster the Council of Six's power in New Amn, following the influx of Waterdhavian mercantile influence. In Ches of the same year, sixteen ships of troops from Murann and Athkatla were sent to Helmsport. Two of them, vessels that belonged to the Church of Helm, one colonial ship, and two mercenary ships, never reached their destination. This led to the reduced power of Amn in the region.

Notable Locations

 * Docks consisted of three quays built on the shores of the Ulatos Lagoon.
 * Fort Cordell, the original stronghold built by Cordell forces after landing in Maztica.
 * Shipyards of Helmsport, the center of New Amn's ship-building industry launched after 1362 DR.
 * Smithy Complex, three large buildings south of Fort Cordell used to forge precious arms and weapons made of metal, as well as melting down loot and smelting traded gold ore.
 * Temple of Helm, the first place of worship of the Vigilant One in Maztica.

Organizations

 * Church of Helm, the main religious organization in New Amn as of the late 14 century DR.
 * Flaming Fist, a mercenary company of Baldur's Gate that arrived to Helmsport in the late 14 century DR.
 * Golden Legion, Captain-General Cordell's company that settled the lands of Maztica in the mid-14 century DR.

Individuals

 * Alanza DaNosta, Captain and "Count" in charge of Helmsport and Fort Cordell circa 1370 DR.
 * Gontonia, a Godseye of Helm who researched Maztican customs and lore in the late 14 century DR.
 * Stonekiller, a native Maztican dwarf adventurer in the late 14 century DR.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Fires of Zatal &bull; Endless Armies
 * Novels
 * Ironhelm &bull; Viperhand &bull; Feathered Dragon
 * The Druid Queen
 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate