Mirabar

Mirabar is the mining center for the Sword Coast. The city's shield dwarves live underground to oversee their workshops. The humans above cooperate with the Dwarves to handle the mining, move the ore to market and defend the city against magical threats. The nominal ruler of Mirabar is a hereditary marchion, but the true power is in an assembly called the Council of Sparkling Stones, a Dwarven and Human group that meets once a year to determine target production quotas and whether or not to threaten current clients with reduced output.

The city itself stands on a knoll on the north banks of the river Mirar. It is linked by good roads to it's major mines in the Spine of the World mountains. These mines yield up almost all known metals and gemstones so they are guarded against Orc and monster raids by a standing army, the axe of Mirabar. The craftsmen of Mirabar also work the stone and metals taken out of the mines, transporting the stone to Luskan magically (for an exorbitant cost) to be shipped to the south, the worthless stone is crushed to improve the city's roads. This means that the city is the richest city north of Waterdeep bar none.