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, at the moment, Elastul Raurym 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. It is led by the Dwarven cleric of Dumathoin, Agrathan Hardhammer.

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.

Recent History
The reopening of Mithral Hall has caused tensions to flare in Mirabar. The Clan Battlehammer stronghold has better and more metal coming out of it's mines which has taken a lot of custom away from Mirabar. Although in public Mirabar greets it's fellow Dwarves with warmth, in reality most curse them for the loss of their buyers. The council members are also divided on the matter, some welcome their new rivals as a prompt for the miners to work harder to up their production. Most want the miners to explore further into the mines to unveil deeper and richer veins of metal and ore (unfortunately, Mirabar doesn't have enough miners to work new veins of ore without reassigning members of the Axe but they are needed to protect the existing mines from Underdark monsters so little exploring has been done in the more dangerous deeper levels), while others want covert operations to be taken out against the hall, weakening their charcoal to spoil smelting. Still others want to confiscate all Battlehammer trading caravans coming west of Mithral hall's territory but most agree that would likely provoke a war. At the moment, the only action being taken is the marchion hiring 30 alchemists and metallurgists who promise to make a new metal stronger than Adamantine that is easier to enchant as well but so far all they have provided is a plan that will take five years to complete this ensures that they are well paid for this time without providing any evidence. It seems all but the marchion agree that they are con-artists. Luskan, as a sign of 'good faith' has reduced it's annual harbour fees by half but Mirabar has paid through until 1377 so it matters little at the moment. In fact, Mirabar's 'Shadow District' reports that rumours tell of Luskan attemting to work out the same deal as it has with Mirabar with Mithral Hall as well, prompting security to lax in the city. Making maps of the city is still illegal but the sentence has been reduced to life in the mines, rather than death.