Melvaunt

Melvaunt was a city that sat on the northern coast of the Moonsea, adjacent to Thar. It was a city of smithing and mercantile services, serving as the port of entry to many travelers coming to the region. The city itself was cold and gray, with a mist that rose from the Moonsea seeming to cover it entirely.

Government
A Council of Lords ruled over the city of Melvaunt, though they were more often concerned with affairs that could line their coffers. All members were required to be merchants of some kind and vacant seats could be purchased for for at least 100,000 gp while a new one could be created starting at a sum of 2,000,000 gp. In 1373 DR, there were 21 seats on the council, with one vacant.

Four positions in the council had more influence than others. The Lord Chancellor was Chairman of the Council, Treasurer and also Last Speaker. The First Envoy was the Council's First Speaker and Diplomat. The Lord of the Keys was the General of Melvaunt's army while the Lord of the Waves was the Admiral of it's navy and Chief Inspector of the city's docks. Below these four lords, all of the others were theoretically equal in influence.

The council did not tax its citizens like most governments, instead, the treasury was filled by taxes on every single transaction made; taxes on the mooring of ships in the city's harbor; and taxes on every conveyance entering through the city's gates as well as state seizures of property. The lack of state taxation ensured the Council's popularity with the citizenry, despite near-constant infighting and jockeying for better position.



Trade
Guilds held much of the power within the city, primarily through legitimate trade but also as a front for criminal organizations. This caused many foreign traders to become apprehensive about underpricing the local merchants.

Ships from Melvaunt constantly traded goods to Mulmaster and Hillsfar, where they could be more efficiently distributed around the region. Legitimate trade with Zhentil Keep was dangerous and rare, but the black market was alive and well.

As well as the cities primary exports of worked metal goods, Melvaunt was also a popular stop for those interested in the purchase of slaves. The slave trade was tolerated by the citizenry due to fears of the involvement of powerful wizards in the business.

Defenses
Melvaunt had a curtain wall surrounding it, wide enough for armed patrols of five men to march atop, which they did night and day. The Melvauntian army doubled as the city guard and was kept at a steady number of five thousand trained men wearing plate mail and wielding halberds, longswords and clubs. Halmuth Bruil commanded the army as a whole, while Abarel Stendale was captain of those on guard duty. Meldonder Nurian was admiral in charge of Melvaunt's navy - which was small (between twelve and twenty ships of varying sizes), but being steadily upgraded. Old ships were sold when they became too outdated.

Adventurers were welcome to hire on as mercenaries for the ruling nobles and as long-range troubleshooters when threats arose from the sea, Zhentil Keep or Thar. The Council had also proven amenable to hiring entire mercenary armies from Hillsfar if they felt suitably threatened.

Finally, inspectors on the docks were all equipped with magical items that spewed fire for use if trouble arose on visiting ships.