Esmel Torlath I

King Esmel Torlath I, known as "Serrus the Great," was the legendary first king of Amn and the founder of the Torlath dynasty.

Possessions
Esmel bore the magical blade Namarra, "The Sword That Never Sleeps." It was passed down to his descendants for several generations until Prince Ereskas Torlath.

Activities
King Esmel set about building Amn as a proper realm with an eye to the future, not a mere warlord's domain. One of the first projects he ordered was the construction of the King's Arch over the River Esmel, while one of the last was the construction of the new capital of Esmeltaran, only completed the year after his death. The fortress of Citadel Amnur was finished in 500 DR, and named after his son.

Relationships
Esmel's grandchildren included Imnel I and Amnur, each of them a heroic figure in their own right.

History
The Shoon Imperium was shattered in the, following the sacking of Shoonach and killing of Emperor Amahl Shoon VII by King Strohm I of Tethyr. A period of civil war ensued as nobles and courtiers fought among each other to claim the empty throne. In 460 DR the Western Emirate of Amin was claimed by the native-born General Esmel, who declared himself the King of Amn and first of the Torlath dynasty. At the time, his domain consisted of the city-states of Athkatla, Murann, and Crimmor, with the furthest territories extending to Lake Esmel.

In the, his son Prince Imnel led the armies of Amn against the ogres of the Small Teeth in a series of battles called the Ogre Wars. During the battle of Imnel's Scar, his son discovered the Armory of Nedeheim, a cache of powerful magical giant-made weapons that were stored away in Athkatla.

Calishite nobles led an expedition in 491 DR to conquer and colonize the lands east of Amn, absorbing Valashar and Meiritin and building Eshpurta. Hostilities with the oppressive and violent realm would continue on and off for centuries.

King Esmel died in 511 DR, and was succeeded by his grandson Imnel.