Calimport

Calimport is the sprawling capital city of the country of Calimshan. It is on both the water and the desert, so it can be reached either way. Memnon and Manshaka are close trading partners; Manshaka by sea and Memnon by caravan. Sometimes the local traders make runs that go as far as Luskan.

Sultan Vezhera is the nominal leader of the city, but the Crime Guilds run the streets. It is all well organized so an outsider wouldn't know the difference. Bead stands, harems and taverns line the streets, but as usual there is always a top provider of both. Taverns include Mystic Tavern, which has an opium den in the back, and the Glistening Harem that has a wondrous bath house.

Calimport also is the home of the assassin Artemis Entreri, known for his longstanding feud with Drizzt Do'Urden.

History
Calimshan is an ancient empire with a history that spans more than nine millenia and is categorized by sages in 15 periods.

It all began with the Calim Empire, founded by the Djinni Lord Calim and his human and halfling slaves. He was soon confronted by the Efreeti Lord Memnon in a destructive war that lasted almost five centuries, until the elves of Keltormir bound them together with High Magic - thus creating the Calim Desert. Humans and dwarves allied together to banish the remaining genies, but the alliance quickly came to an end and the Shanatar Wars began. Conflicts raged for almost three thousand years until the dwarves were defeated.

Calimport was later ruled in turns by Ylveraasahlisar the Rose Dragon, beholders, and then human clerics. The city was devastated multiple times by fires and plagues. The Night Wars against the drow of Guallidurth were disastrous, and the Syl-Pasha was finally forced to sign a truce with the Matron Mother after the Caliph's Palace was destroyed - with the royal family inside. After the strife, Calimport was known as the City of Rogues during a chaotic period provoked by the Imperial Plague.

The Shoon Empire saw the peak of calishite civilization, more than a thousand years ago. The capital was moved to Shoonach, and Calimport became an almost-deserted city. The undercity (nicknamed Muzad) generated by dozens of fires and collapses, became more powerful than ever during this time. After three centuries, the Qysar burned most of the Muzad before moving back to Calimport.

It was time for revolution against the cruel Shoon family. The Murabirs took control of the Empire, abolishing slavery and moving the capital to Manshaka. Unfortunately, the Moon Plague came and created hundreds of lycanthropes. During this age, a group of liches and dark powers founded the Twisted Rune and began manipulating the Murabirs.

This millenium witnessed several conflicts as well. The Rage of Dragons in 1018 DR brought Sapphiraktar the Blue to Calimport, who destroyed many wards. In 1235 DR, the Black Horde of orcs overran the Sword Coast and slew the Syl-Pasha. Forty years ago, an army of goblins and wizards attacked Calimport - backed by the Twisted Rune.

Organization
Calimport was built using the drudach system, an interlocking series of small brick-walled neighborhoods. All drudachs are organized into groups of two to five, called sabbans, which in turn are grouped into wards. The metropolis is a huge place, measuring almost 6 miles from east to west and 3 miles from the coastline to the northern drudachs, and it is subdivided into 17 wards, 53 sabbans and 166 drudachs.

Daunting as it may seem for a foreigner, most locals rarely abandon their home sabbans. Each sabban is a walled zone averaging 215 acres and 3600 inhabitants, and works as an auto sufficient town - it has its own water supplies, guards, markets, residences, and so on.

Government
Calimshan is ruled by Syl-Pasha Ralan el Pesarkhal, who resides in Calimport. The Syl-Pasha responds to no religion or council, he is the supreme ruler. Immediately below the Syl-Pasha we can find the Sultans, the princes who rule over the wards. The ruler of a sabban is called a Sabbalad, and each drudach is directed by a Druzir - the bottom of Calimport's pyramidal administration.

Calimport's domestic security forces are the amlakkars, the city watch, who are entitled to arrest any individual who breaks the law or interrogate suspects. A typical amlakkar carries a scimitar and a buckler, wearing studded leather armor. Given the rich local tradition in arcane magic, it is not surprising to find wizards among the ranks of the amlakkars. Most wield scimitars as well as standard guards, and use scrolls of dispel magic and web, sleep bolts, and even wands of ray of enfeeblement.

Justice
The city owes its legal system to the church of Tyr and its judges. There are two levels in the legal system: Viziers, whose jurisdictions cover entire wards, and the Magistrates, who work inside the sabbans. Tyr's influence is obvious, given the presence of at least one acolyte of the Just God in each courthouse.

Society
Nine out of ten inhabitants of the capital are humans. Other common races are halflings and half-orcs. The remaining 2% of the populace is a mixture of dwarves, elves, gnomes and exotic races.

Most humans have calishite blood, descendants of the slaves brought from another realm by the Djinni Lord Calim during the foundation of the empire. A typical calishite human is shorter and slimmer than northern humans, with darker skin, hair and eyes. Corrupt and lazy to the eyes of northern people, the calishites only strive for a luxurious life. Other ethnicities include tethyrian and chultan humans. The tethyrians are more open to other groups than calishites. Regrettably, most chultans are cheap slaves kidnapped from the jungles of the south.

Local halflings are worldly and prone to laziness, gathering in like-minded groups and absorbing some of the local calishite values. The highest concentration of halflings can be found in the Dock Ward, surrounding the Copper Ante - a gaming house/inn.

Half-orcs enjoy a better treatment here than in other realms - they are considered low class, nothing more, nothing less. Few half-orcs have adopted the calishite way of life, instead focusing on physical jobs or criminal activities.

Religion
Calimport is truly a polytheistic society. There are temples to gods of light and darkness, life and murder, freedom and tyranny, magic and war - just ask directions from the right people. The most prominent religions are those of Azuth, Bhaelros (Talos), Ilmater, Savras, Shar, Sharess, Siamorphe, Tyr, Umberlee and Waukeen.