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Port Nyanzaru[note 1] was a port city in northern Chult. It was the major trading center for all of Chult.[4]

Although independent in the mid-to-late 14th century DR,[4] it subsequently became an Amnian colony until at least 1479 DR[2] before regaining independence sometime in the 1480s DR.[3][note 2]

Geography[]

The small port city was located on the Bay of Chult at the mouth of the River Soshenstar.[4] It was built atop four hills: Mount Sibasa, Temple Hill, Throne Hill, and Yklwazi Hill.[5]

Wards and Districts[]

Port Nyanzaru Map

A map of Port Nyanzaru.

The walled portion of the city was roughly separated into three wards: the Merchants' Ward, the Harbor Ward, and the Market Ward.[5]

Additionally, three slum districts lay outside the city's walls: the Old City, Malar's Throat, and Tiryki Anchorage.[5]

Government[]

As of the mid–14th century DR, the Triceratops Society (a.k.a., the Ytepka Society) was the most powerful organization in Port Nyanzaru, and controlled the unloading and loading of all cargo at the docks. They kept tabs on all visitors coming ashore, especially if a visitor was suspected of being a mage or of carrying magic items. If the visitor headed off into the jungle, the Society would send agents to notify the surrounding villages.[4]

Amn asserted colonial control in Chult during the late 14th century DR,[6] and by the late 15th century DR, they controlled all mercantile activities in the city.[2] The Amnian rulers were profiteers,[7] and their taxes were notably high as residents were effectively charged for the safety that the city offered from the jungles. People unaffiliated with a major trading company were forced to live in the shantytowns outside the walls.[2]

Merchant Princes[]

Sometime in the 1480s DR, the city gained independence from Amn due to the influence of a consortium of Chultan traders backed by the Triceratops Society.[8] With help from the Society, the seven richest of these traders then rose to the title of merchant princes and ruled the city in a council where each had equal vote.[8][9] This council could freely create or change the laws of Port Nyanzaru, and would then defer to the city's judiciary to interpret their laws with wisdom and flexibility.[10] The merchant princes took on relatively few day-to-day responsibilities of running the city—preferring to delegate to family members and underlings[9]—and so their government was loosely organized[11] and somewhat inefficient,[5] but it was reinforced by the vigilance of the Triceratops Society, who rooted out real and potential disruptors of the princes' rule.[12]

The merchant princes' power was predicated on their wealth and mercantile influence.[9][5] The princes leveraged their personal fortunes to manage relationships with foreign realms and to forge profitable alliances, and their tactics were not dissimilar to the Amnians from whom they'd learned statecraft.[7] However, they lacked the military power to claim the treacherous Chultan jungles[10] or to contest nearby rivals such as the Flaming Fist from Baldur's Gate stationed at nearby Fort Beluarian, who claimed control of most of Chult as of the late 15th century DR.[13] The merchant princes' influence was thus almost entirely confined to Port Nyanzaru[10] and a few lumber and mining operations along the Bay of Chult.[12][14]

The palace of Goldenthrone was the seat of power for the merchant princes. This was where they held audiences and met with their subjects or official visitors,[9][11] while each prince also managed their private businesses from their personal villas.[15]

In addition to ruling the city, the merchant princes solidified their power by taking total control—either directly or through their intermediaries—over the sale and export of key products, trade goods, and services that passed through Port Nyanzaru. Any sale of a good or service which was claimed by a merchant prince but fell outside of their oversight was considered to be an illegal black market dealing.[9]

If a prince chose to retire, they could pass their wealth and title to a family member or to another wealthy individual of their choice, although their decision was subject to a vote among the other princes in the latter case.[9][5] By the late 1480s or early 1490s DR, the seven merchant princes of Port Nyanzaru were:

Law and Order[]

As of the late 15th century DR, the city was patrolled by guards paid by the merchant princes.[9][12] In addition, certain laws—notably those that involved a threat to Chult's social fabric or to legal economic activity—were enforced by the Triceratops Society.[12] The city's judges had broad leeway in their interpretation of laws, and fortunately, they had a reputation for being surprisingly resistant to bribes, intimidation, and other forms of corruption.[10]

Most criminals were sentenced to Executioner's Run, a beast-filled pit in the Old City where the brutal deaths of the condemned served as cheap entertainment for the city's populace. However, the Run offered the tantalizing promise of freedom, exoneration, and even fame if the condemned was able to escape the pit alive.[5] Crimes as minor as theft or offending a merchant prince could get someone thrown into Executioner's Run.[17]

It was possible to legally kill someone in Port Nyanzaru by purchasing a "sanction" from the merchant prince Jessamine. These were writs that allowed for a specified individual to be killed via an approved method—usually by stabbing or by poisoning—and cost a minimum of 150 gold pieces (which was subject to be raised based on factors such as the reason for the sanction, the status of the target, and the ability of the purchaser to pay).[10][16] These were not common—no more than six sanctions tended to be sold in a given year—and many chose not to purchase sanctions for fear of being sanctioned themselves in retaliation.[10]

Smugglers and black market sellers were dealt with particularly harshly under Port Nyanzaru's laws.[12] Slavery was not illegal, although it was unwelcome in the city and slavers were not able to do business with the merchant princes.[10]

Trade[]

A wide variety of both mundane and exotic goods could be found in Port Nyanzaru. The majority of foreign trade within the city took place in the Grand Souk.[3]

Culture[]

Residents of Port Nyanzaru spoke the Chultan language.[7] They dressed in light and colorful clothing, often long shirts and knee-length kilts, pants, and sarongs that were dyed with bright blues, greens, oranges, reds, and yellows.[7][18]

Cleanliness was very important to the people of Port Nyanzaru of all social classes. The people strove to bathe every day, either at the public Bathhouse, the Temple of Sune, or at one of the dozens of private bathhouses across the city.[19][20] Saunas and baths were likewise the cornerstone of the villas of the city's rich.[21] Thanks to the frequent rains, the city itself was also quite clean.[19]

The recreational alcohol of choice was tej.[22] Popular foods in the city as of the late 15th century DR included atkilt wat, asa wat, crema Athkatla, doro t'ibs, kinche, and kita.[23] Fish and other seafood were staples, and were sold at a fish market in the Market Ward where prices tended to be higher in the mornings when the selection was better.[19] Chultan fisherman preferred to fish in the ocean rather than the rivers because it was safer to stay out of the jungle.[23] Reptile meat was also eaten, but was seen as tough and undesirable relative to fish.[19]

Defenses[]

The city was designed with defense as a priority due to the many pirates in the waters of the Shining Sea.[4] It was protected by a high stone wall[2] that encompassed the inner wards of the city, while the slums remained outside and relatively undefended. Meanwhile, additional walls within the city created added security for important or wealthy areas. The walls themselves were massive edifices of fitted stone adorned with colorful geometric patterns and images of beasts and heroes.[5] The harbor was protected by Fort Nyanzaru, from which was controlled a massive iron chain that spanned the harbor entrance and could be raised to completely prevent ships from entering or escaping the city.[24]

As of the late 15th century DR, the merchant princes paid a large force of foreign mercenaries—many of whom were Zhentarim troops—to man the walls, patrol the streets, watch the markets, and guard their personal interests.[9][12] These guards generally did little to defend the people who lived in the slums outside the walls[5][25] and the merchant princes made no effort to send mercenaries into the jungle to reduce the threats it posed.[26] As such, the residents of the districts outside the walls organized their own volunteer "Citizens' Brigade" to defend themselves. In cases of an attack, warning horns were used to tell people outside the walls to flee through the gates to safety.[5][25]

Rumors[]

While unconfirmed, it was thought that the harbormaster in control in the late 14th century DR paid tribute to a powerful dragon turtle living in the Bay of Chult. In exchange for this monthly pay, the dragon turtle kept all other sea monsters from harming the port and hindering trade.[4]

Inhabitants[]

Dinosaur Race

A race through the streets of Port Nyanzaru.

Port Nyanzaru was inhabited largely by humans of chultan descent. A few tabaxi lived in the city, working as minstrels or guides out of Port Nyanzaru. Chultan Shield dwarves lived in the port, including albino dwarves. Yuan-Ti spies resided in Port Nyanzaru, monitoring the merchant princes, treasure hunters, and adventurers.[3]

Notable Inhabitants[]

History[]

In the late 1480s DR, vegepygmy outside of Port Nyanzaru was on the rise. The plant creatures threatened the port inhabitants' safety. Port Nyanzaru's government paid well to adventurers to venture out into the jungles and cull vegepygmies and their chieftains, slowing the creatures' rapid territory expansion.[27]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. The spelling is "Nyanzaru" in all written sources until Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide but is spelled "Nyranzaru" on the map that came with Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. In Tomb of Annihilation the city is again spelled "Nyanzaru", which implies that "Nyranzaru" was simply a misspelling.
  2. Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in Tomb of Annihilation, however it is understood to take place sometime between 1488 DR and 1492 DR. The earlier date is based on the fact that Port Nyanzaru is stated to have gained independence from Amn nine years prior to the start of the adventure (p 15), which would be 1488 DR at the earliest given the city was firmly under Amnian control as of 1479 DR (as described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p 102). The later date is based on the presence of Volothamp Geddarm, who is promoting the in-universe Volo's Guide to Monsters during the adventure (p 24) but is stated to have concluded his promotional tour and begun a new book as of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (see pp 5, 24), which is understood to be set in 1492 DR. Unless a canon source states otherwise, this wiki will use this range for events related to this sourcebook. The adventure is also assumed to take place concurrently with or slightly after the events of Storm King's Thunder based on the subplot involving frost giants in the service of Jarl Storvald (p 13).

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 15–36. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 James Lowder, Jean Rabe (1993). The Jungles of Chult. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 1-5607-6605-0.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  6. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  13. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  14. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  17. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  18. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 24. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  20. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  21. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  22. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  23. 23.0 23.1 Cryptic Studios (July 2017). Neverwinter: Tomb of Annihilation. Perfect World Entertainment.
  24. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Rich Lescouflair (2017). A City on the Edge (DDAL07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 24.
  26. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  27. BKOM Studios (2017). Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation.
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