Calimport - The Eyethe-eye.eu/public/Books/rpg.rem.uz/Dungeons & Dragons/AD...First Impressions...

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Transcript of Calimport - The Eyethe-eye.eu/public/Books/rpg.rem.uz/Dungeons & Dragons/AD...First Impressions...

  • CalimportBy Steven E. Schend

    CreditsDesign: Steven E. Schend

    Editing: Dale DonovanDesign Consultant: Ed Greenwood

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    Campaign setting based on the original campaign world of Ed Greenwood.Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, FORGOTTEN REALMS, and the TSR logo are regis-

    tered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

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    9589XXX1501 1st Printing, October, 1998 ISBN 0-7869-1238-3

  • Table of ContentsFirst Impressions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

    Calimport as a Whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5The Structure of the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Look of the City.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6The Byways of the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trade Roads In & Out.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7The Port of the City.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Subterranean Calimport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    The Wards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The Sabbans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    The Sabban Archetype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Drudaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

    The Drudache Archetype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Finding Ones Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

    Secret Byways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P o p u l a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l l

    History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-24The Ages of CalimshanRecurring Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

    F i r e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2Plagues.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2Tradewars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

    T i m e l i n e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3

    The City at Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-69The Buildings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

    Building Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Building Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

    The City Ward Keys.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27The Elder Wall Remnants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Shackles Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

    Astare Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Edijo Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0Minqa Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Qhibal Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Shackles Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

    Faiths Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Bakkal Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Erehnir Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Evyrtaan Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3Faiths Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

    Trades Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Bajhit Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Larau Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5Sahar Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Trades Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

    Emerald Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Axash Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8Marekh Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8Otahl Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Emerald Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

    Khanduq Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Kaval Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Naiid Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Sholeh Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Khanduq Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

    Hammer Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Amyran Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

    Tyrbos Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hammer Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

    Crypt Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adlel Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Irataq Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Kirruk Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crypt Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......

    The Risen Sabbans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Palace Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    Darehj Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Khatrev Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Najlet Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Palace Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....

    The Pashas Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Ways In and Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Buildings and Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sabban Defenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....The Sabban Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....

    Jewel Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............Kalils Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Mjôm Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Nadana Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Jewel Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......

    Grand Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........Cajaan Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Casajr Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Makista Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Vahlen Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Grand Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......

    Quill Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............Hapij Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Jhaapir Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Nasim Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Quill Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......

    Wizard Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Etarad Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Najja Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tarshaj Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......Wizard Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

    Makers Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........Golnar Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Jaleh Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........Sojrab Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......Makers Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

    Armada Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........Tavihr Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Djenispool Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...Armada Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

    Dock Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............Aktorral Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....Jarûz Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........Ylar Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dock Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......

    Hook Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ajvent Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Eraré Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Osiir Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........Hook Ward Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......

    Caravans Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........Drakhon Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....

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  • Pahlemm Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Thytos Sabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Caravans Ward Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

    Calimport Muzad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67The Upper Muzad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68The Temple of Old Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68The Sewers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68The Dark Bazaars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68The Samesaj Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69The Muzaddi Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

    The Eraré Campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70-83The Eraré Sabban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

    The Badjit Drudach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70The Taorahl Drudach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Tynars Drudache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72The Garrisons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

    Eraré Sabban Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72The Taorahl Drudach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

    The Embassies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Major Eraré NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

    Syl-Pasha Ralan el Pesarkhal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Sultan Tahyr el Pesarkhal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Sabbalad Khomaya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Raqill yr Pesarkhal el Khomaya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Druzir Aban el Yedat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

    Shyk Hassan yn Jafar el Saffar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Other NPCs of Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

    The Armory Arcane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84-94Battlecloak of Vycaena. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84The Codex Thealnakkar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

    The Pagina Savilara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Calishite Mosaics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

    The Endless Bag of the Saref Adnan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Halasahrs Slippers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Harness of Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Janyras Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Najjars Cloak of Weaponry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Saarkanlyths Antaglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89The Qysari Rings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Xamars Baldric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9l-94

    Janyras Tome (Tome of Secrets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91The Staff Shoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

    Rumors & Rumblings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95-96Scenario Starts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

    Genies Unbound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95The Arcane Armories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

    Adventures at Random. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

    Introductionather than bore you with the trials and tribulations of attempting to fit enough details about a city threetimes the size of Waterdeep into 96 pages, I thought Id present the many different views on Calimportfrom the Realms most notable and notorious. As you can see (and will find in successive pages), Calimportis a place hardly for the faint of heart.. . .

    So many make so much about an alleged rivalry betwixt Calimport and Waterdeep, as if the cities themselves were jug-gernauts spoiling for a fight. I care about Calimport as much as I care not to step on a viper. It is a vile place of tangled in-trigues miles thick that end up in the few profiting ever over the many. Folk such as a certain chronicler I hesitate to men-tion ask whether my fair home or the syl-pashas is the greatest port in the Realms. To them, I merely quote the Old Sage

    himself: Judge ye only by their names and know the truth, for while one is the city of Slaves, the other the city of Splen-dors. Tis refreshing to agree with him from time to time. Khelben Blackstaff" Arunsun, Archmage of Waterdeep

    Despite what the more fastidious might say, there are quite a few parallels between Calimport and Waterdeep, beyondboth being cities, of course. In short, those who rule are rarely those who seem to do so; survival in each city comes fromknowing which shadows to pierce and which to avoid; and as long as commerce brings all the factions together, the city willexist, regardless of all else. Now, as Im sure Khelben pedantically represented Calimport as a vile place, Ill shock him andagree to that. That said, it is a better place for business if one is more inclined to fear lost coin over a little danger or a fewlimiting scruples. It was once my home and it proves to be both boon and bane on a daily basis. Sammereza Sulphontis, secret Lord of Waterdeep and expatriate Calimpanni

    Calimport? My purse is heavier each day for its existence and its commerce. Much of what passes hands in that city ofsin may not seem morally or ethically right to most, but anothers business is just that. Balduran taught us well with his ex-ample: Judge all things in life but not in business, for morals and ethics do not balance the scales when the deal must beweighed up. Me, I hate slavery and everything to do with it, so I make certain to involve myself not in it. Lord Aldeth Sashenstar, merchant lord of Baldurs Gate

    Calimport? Its like a grand card game in which everyone holds aces in their sleeves, everyone knows everyone elses

    hand, and yet the final throw-downs always up for grabs. In a lot of ways, its not who wins but how you play the game.Heckuva place it is, guvnor, but only go there if youve got a golem watching your back. Foxilon Cardluck, halfling bon vivant and first mate of the Realmsmaster

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  • FirstImpressions

    qualor and splendor are the two sides of the coin that is Calimport. Depending

    on who you are and how you first experience the largest city in the Realms, it iseither the City of Glory or the City of Slaves. Calimport was briefly examinedin the Empires of the Shining Sea boxed set (TSR 09561), but here were taking acloser look at the infamous home of the pashas, peeling back the layers of in-

    trigue and wealth to see Calimport as it truly is.

    Calimport as a WholeT

    aken in its entirety, Calimport is a bustling mass of humanity, inhumanity, and historyboth alive and dead. Nestled on the southern coast of Faerûn just east of the Calim

    Deserts fringes, Calimport is one of the oldest still-functioning ports on the subcontinent.The city boundaries have waxed and waned over the millennia, but since the time of the

    Shoon Imperium nearly 1,000 years ago, the city has never shrunk smaller than the current sizeof Waterdeep regardless of what changes have occurred. The city measures no less than threemiles from the coast to its northern outskirts and approximately six miles east to west along thecoast of the Shining Sea. The official boundaries delineate a city smaller than that (to avoidhaving to wall in and protect the outer fringes of buildings and their people), but Calimportsleaders embrace the whole when claiming their superiority over other cities of the Realms.

    For centuries beyond the entire lifespan of some northern cities, Calimport has not had anouter defensive wall. Not since the time of the Mameluk rulers of the Seventh Age has thisbeen a fully walled city. The citys massive size and huge population defend it well enough fromconventional attack, as there are few forces that could be mustered to surround and holdCalimport. Still, this surprises many visitors from the North, to whom defensive walls aroundcities are an absolute necessity. Since he took the Calephs Throne, Syl-Pasha Pesarkhal hashad guilds, soldiers, and slaves working to restore the once-proud walls of Calimport, but it isslow and hard work building sabban walls up to the status of effective defensive walls.

    The Structure of the CityLike nearly every settlement in Calimshan, the drudach system built Calimport, though it had toadapt to maintain order in the massive capital. From smallest to largest sectors, Calimport is di-vided into drudachs, sabbans, and wards, a new district imposed by Syl-Pasha Pesarkhal in the Yearof the Banner (1365 DR). In effect, each sector of the city is walled individually, creating a puzzle-piece effect with each district fitting up against its neighbors walls. Thus, despite the lack of ex-ternal defensive walls, this organization of internal, walled districts has proven its extremely hardto march an army into Calimport.

    The drudachs are the smallest areas recognized by the city leaders, as is normal. Standard dru-dach walls are six feet wide and of mud-brick construction, but in Calimport, those standards arenine to twelve feet wide on average, given the larger amount of traffic. Sabbans are the next rec-ognized strata of the city, and these encompass an average of three to five drudachs. While mostCalishite sabban walls add only a stone parapet to existing drudach walls, Calimports sabbansfully surround the drudach wall with a stone facade, widen the pathways to twelve to twenty feet,and build a series of merlons and defenses along the parapet. There are as yet no major physicaldistinctions between sabban walls and the boundaries of the wards, and there may never be any.

    4

  • The Look of the CityThe most surprising thing about Calimport, many first-time

    quickly realize that the streets are only important to thoseforced to use them: slaves, the poor, the lowly oxen and draftanimals pulling carts, etc. Most folk of money never walk onthe actual ground of a drudach, sabban, or ward. Travel is cer-tainly possible at ground level, as gates to allow such move-ment pierce the walls separating all the districts of Calimport,but movement at street level is socially and literally lookeddown upon. Of course, there is still a great amount of traffic onthe streets below, as 85% of Calimports people control lessthan 15% of the money. Thus, there are only about 70,000people using the upper byways, and over 1,000,000 unfortu-nates crowding the streets below.

    visitors exclaim, is the broad expanse of vibrant color barelymuted by the dust and dirt of ages. In general, much of the cityis of stone and mud-brick construction, but Calshite architec-ture allows for much aesthetic design. Bricks are laid in patternsto give a decorative look where paint or glaze would prove prob-lematic or costly. Wherever possible, the glints of metals andthe bright splashes of paint and glaze fill the eyes with a Realms-bound rainbow of colors along roofs, walls, fountains, or in themosaics beneath ones feet. While Calimport has areas of dark-ness, abject poverty, and filth. few remember those beyond all ofthe citys great beauties and many wonders. The dominant fea-tures of Calishite architecture after the Second Age are three-fold: the dome, the arch, and the minaret.

    The walls of drudachs and sabbans form byways all theirown, and here is the primary road upon which most mon-eyed folk travel within the city. Where one drudach or dis-trict meets another, there are arches that allow ground move-ment between the drudachs below and small stairs that allowthe worthies to remain above it all. At each of the gates orarches are steps set into the walls, allowing access from thelowly ground up onto the wall. It is most common to see therich standing atop the drudach walls, yelling down to ser-vants who have stepped down to ground level to enter a shopand buy goods for their masters. Should someone of impor-tance have to step down onto common ground, retainerscarry rugs so the less-than-exalted earth does not soil their

    Many of the buildings are domed, some with round,smooth domes of metal or metal-plated wood, and others aremore classic faceted domes of glazed bricks. While flat roofsare the norm across the Pashas lands, placing a dome atopones building is a sign of prosperity.

    The arch (and the corresponding high ceilings and tallcolumns) was not invented in Calimshan, though it is herethat it is a central feature in nearly every building. To makelife bearable within the often-hot surroundings of the south-ern Realms, most buildings are filled with archways and pillarsto support the ceilings rather than load-bearing walls that cutdown the circulation of air. While many are smooth and util-itarian, Calishite arches have developed scalloped edges (as ifa huge creature had bitten the archs space out the stone) andstraight or rounded points (a simple triangular arch or a moredecorative sweeping point from the rounded arcs, like a heartor rounded arrowhead).

    master’s feet.

    In various areas of the city, buildings are built up so theirmain floors are even with the byways of their paying cus-tomers. In such areas, the actual ground floor either is used asstorage, living space, or sometimes as a secondary sales areafor those less exalted than those above. Cellars are predomi-nantly used for storage as well, though some new tavernshave built ramps leading from the primary byways, past theground floors and down into the cellars to allow their patronsto take advantage of cooler temperatures without askingthem to debase themselves by touching the soil

    When some Northerners first see Calimshan, they believethe country to be littered with wizards, for they see slim tow-ers stabbing at the skies on every horizon. They soon realizethat minarets-slim, round or beveled towers of two or morestories, with numerous balconies and a rooftop parapet (ordome, or even both!)are a staple of Calishite architecture.While the ground floors are often stifling and cramped, thesecond and successive floors show why towers are so common.They allow folk to have their homes higher into the breezeswhere the air is cooler, the stench of the city is lessened, andfar fewer prying eyes and ears exist to eavesdrop on ones busi-ness. Minarets often seem slim compared to Northern towers,for their bases are reinforced by stone slabs supporting thelowest level and providing more stability than normal when abase diameter is never more than two-thirds as wide as thetower is tall.

    The Byways of the CityUnlike most cities, few of Calimports streets are named. Whilethis unnerves first-time visitors to the City of Glory, most

    Trade Roads In & OutTrade is, of course, the lifeblood of the city, and there are twoprimary avenues for trade to enter the city: land or sea. While airtransports such as Halruaan flying ships or spelljammmg shipshave visited the City of Glory in the past, they are very rare andoften stir up more attention and trouble than their trade goodsmerit. Still, no Calishite worth his gold turns down trade, or hewouldnt live in Calimport. Nevertheless, air trade is incrediblyrare, due to the limited nature of spelljamming, the insular na-ture of the Halruaans, and Calimports own notoriety.

    The trade roads see much traffic coming from the over-land cities and from inland shanates (estates, farms) despitethe dangers. The projects to restore safety to the Trade Roadthat passes through the Calim Desert still rely on the GuildsArcane of both Calimport and Memnon, and these guilds

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  • fight over political power to be gained by this task giventhem by the syl-pasha. Once restored, more overland tradeand travel will help fill Calimports coffers. Until then, theprimary method of trade with Calimport is by sea.

    The Port of the CityCalimport has lived up to its name for more than seven mil-lennia, and its port has ever been the largest on Faerûn. Thecoast extends south to the west of the city and protects thenatural harbor from the worst of the sea storms. With the addi-tional outer sea walls protecting the docks from further harm,Calimport can safely harbor over 600 vessels at any time in itspublic docks, and the Nallojal (the navy) keeps no fewer than30 ships at a time within its own docks.

    The sea walls that protect the entire harbor were con-structed magically by the marid and dao of the Calim Empire.While they are more than 30 feet thick and stand 20 feetabove the sea on a calm day, their bases lie more than 200 feetbelow and the walls there are found to be over 150 feet wideat their bases. Only the top 30 feet of the sea walls containstone blocks, as the rest is raw stone pulled up from the seafloor by the genies wills. The upper walls have been repairedand replaced many times over the millennia, given the tidalwaves, storms, and general chaos of the centuries. Unbe-knownst to most modern Calimpanni, secret chambers existwithin the sea walls that hold many wonders and riches. Of allthose in power today, only the Caleph Arcane of Calimport

    knows of these chambers and how to reach them, and heshares this secret with no one.

    The harbor is incredibly deep, as the sea drops to a depthof 50 feet within 10 yards of shore at most points, continuingat that rate until the harbor reaches an average depth of 200feet before it reaches the ends of the main docks. It is lessdeep beyond the eastern edges of the city (6 to 10 feet deepfor 20 yards before dropping off precipitously into thedepths), where folk swim and smaller craft tend to fishing.There are three dock areas in Calimports harbor. One is ex-clusively the port for the Nallojal, the syl-pashas navy. Themajority of the port contains the public docks, where all ofthe citys sea trade enters and exits. The third docks nestleabout the shipyards, which are constantly filled either withnew ships being built or existing ships being repaired.

    The harbor itself was once more easily navigated thantoday, but millennia of accidents, storms, and other activitieshave clogged the inner harbor with much debris, garbage,and sunken ships. Even with a large guild responsible forcleaning the harbor and removing any major wreckage fromthe docks, this is an enormous harbor and so many acci-dents happen on its docks, to cargo and ships alike, thatthere is often far more work than workers to do it. Thus,those ships wishing a more easily unloaded and lucrativeberth in the central docks must pay fees to the Harbormas-ters Guild, to be led into port by smaller boats that maneu-ver the large vessels around the worst of the hidden perils.

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  • Subterranean Calimport The WardsWhile not mentioned in the Empires of the Shining Sea,Calimport has recently undergone some basic organi-zational changes as ordered by Syl-Pasha Pesarkhal. In addi-tion to the long-standing system of sabbans and drudachs,these internal divisions are superseded by a new system ofwards. In order to make it simpler for outsiders to find theirtrade areas and to mimic the ward structures of many North-ern cities, the syl-pashas wards are only embraced currentlyby social climbers and the higher-ups of his court. It will takeanother two years or so before everyone within the city rec-ognizes and uses the ward system (though that wont stop im-mediate abuse of authority involved in this new system).

    Beneath the city, deep wells and underground springs providethe city with the fresh water it needs to survive. These wellsare monitored carefully by the amlakkar (the watch) and theGuild Arcane, for the city has been brought low numeroustimes in the past by poisons administered to the city wells. Poi-soning or any serious tampering in any way with these watersources is all punishable by death. The other sources of waterfor the citizens of Calimport are the roof and cellar cisternsthat catch the infrequent rainwater.

    The deep wells never connect with the other primarylinks to the city above: the sewers. Built during the SeventhAge of Calimshan, this massive labyrinth of pipes emptiesthe most base filth out of the city into the deep seawaters eastof the harbor proper. There are many levels to the sewers,though only two levels are discussed below. The primary pas-sages are 30 feet in diameter and there are 5-foot-wide walk-ways along either side of the passage; workers can cross thesewage every 50 yards, where three 5-foot-square steppingstones rise above the muck to allow them to reach the otherside. The secondary passages are only 15 feet wide, with al-ternating 5-foot-wide ledges along one side or another (step-ping stones leading the path from one side to the other every50 yards) There are smaller pipes ranging from 1 to 8 feetwide that can be messily traversed by slim Medium-sized orsmaller creatures, but these are neither mapped nor recom-mended for travel.

    Given the age of Calimport, it should come as no surprisethat there are secrets buried beneath its streets and the pub-lics notice. While the city does not cover the monstrousmazes and dungeons like Waterdeep tops the Dungeon of theCrypt and Undermountain, Calimport covers an entire sec-ond city of sorts, with its own laws, struggles, and powers.The area is called Muzhujaarnadah (loosely, the city ofshadow), by many that frequent it but its most common titleis Calimport Muzad, Calimport Below, Dark Calimport, orsimply the Muzad. In essence, with destruction of the cityover the centuries, rubble was rearranged and new construc-tions were built atop it rather than waste time clearing awayeverything and starting completely anew. Over time, this leftpartially ruined but intact chambers and even whole build-ings beneath the level of the citys new streets. Much ofCalimports illegal activity is linked with Calimport Muzad,but it is also home to many types of people, from simple out-casts to priests of dark gods and goddesses to monstersaplenty. Like Undermountain in Waterdeep, everyone knowsof Calimport Muzad, but few know it by experience and thusthe rumors and tales are often far more the result of fears andnightmares than truth. Enter the Muzad with caution, forjust as pashas do not walk beneath their station on the unex-alted ground, one does not easily walk Below without sharingthe shadows in station, mind, and heart.

    There are 17 wards about the city, as per the syl-pashascommand that all of the sabbans save the Pashas Sabban beorganized within wards; whether a ward contained two,three, or four sabbans was determined by the status of thesabbans. (In other words, the richer the sabbans, the fewer ofthem within that ward.)

    In Calimport alone, each ward answers to a vizar or sultanwho commands the sabbalads (sabban mayors) and numer-ous druzirs (precinct officials) among his ward. In general,there are also three substrata of wards: The Port Wards, theCentral Wards, and the Outer Wards. Mostly self-explana-tory in the Port Wards, the distinction between the Centraland Outer Wards has determined the location of the syl-pashas latest construction project: the city walls. While dis-turbing to some who live in the Outer Wards and worry thatthey will be shut out of city business, the syl-pashas long-term plans call for the eventual enclosing of the Outer Wardsbehind a defensive curtain wall. It will take another decadebefore work can begin on it, as the construction of the Pe-sarkhal Wall has only begun in the past year and is only com-plete between Palace, Armada, and Shackles Ward.

    All 17 wards of Calimport, their primary functions andlandmarks, and other details are detailed in The City atLarge chapter.

    7

  • The SabbansT

    he next major division of Calimport is by sabban, anenclosed district or neighborhood. The 53 sabbans of

    Calimport each act as a miniature city of their own, withtheir own peacekeepers, water supply, businesses, and more.They do not, however, have autonomous powers and mustanswer to the syl-pasha who rules both the capital and thenation of Calimshan. While many details and features makeeach sabban unique, they all share some basic traits. Below isan example of a generic sabban so DMs can easily use thistemplate to expand Calimports sabbans.

    The Sabban ArchetypeIn terms of general physical details, here is what can be ex-pected in every sabban:

    Walls: The entire sabban is surrounded by a wall of mudbrick either topped or covered in stonework (see Structureof the City). In many sabbans, the sabbans mark is set highinto all of the walls facing into the sabban, which act simi-larly to street signs. This mark also is set into the keystone ofthe arch leading out of the sabban while the other side of thekeystone is stamped with the new sabbans mark.

    Arches & Gates: All sabbans have arched gates withintheir walls (and beneath the byways atop them) that are shutand locked at night. The gates usually are a double set ofhinged metal gates locked by padlock and guarded by the sol-diers assigned to the sabbans on either side of the gate arch.

    Drudachs: Each sabban contains three or more drudachs,which subdivide the sabban with more mud-brick walls.These help to define areas and their people by classes and in-come levels. (See the next section for more details.)

    Villa: At least one major villa exists within the walls ofthe sabban, and this is the traditional house of the sabbalad,the ruler of the sabban. Often enclosed behind its own defen-sive walls, the sabbalads villa usually consists of at least threebuildings (or one large building with distinct wings) and onekhamarkha (a family mausoleum). Forces loyal only to thesabbalad and his house guard each villa (sometimes resultingin clashes with the local amlakkar). It is often one of thelargest landmarks in the whole sabban, as its walls rise higherthan the drudach-wall byways.

    Water: Every sabban provides at least one public source ofwater for its residents. This is most often a communal wellfrom which everyone draws water for all manner of things,including watering ones animals. Many villas have separatewells, allowing the rich to be less dependent on sabban re-sources. Long lines of commoners waiting to draw water fromthe well often form, especially during the hottest days.

    Minaret: Each sabban has a defensive minaret rising fromone of its outer walls, and the minaret exits both onto the by-ways and the ground. The minarets average 20 feet wide and

    40 feet tall, and contain at least a score of defenders. Oftenthe only way to tell which sabban is under its protection is bynoting the location of the minarets ground-level exit. If thesabban is wealthy, the minaret may be glazed (at least on theminarets dome) a color corresponding to the sabban mark.These minarets are often connected to other buildings rest-ing on the wallthe amlakkhan or the sadidah (garrison)most commonly, but sometimes to the walls and garrisons ofthe sabbalads villaso the sabbans defenders can instantlygain higher ground for missile fire and other advantages.

    Sadidah: The sadidah holds sadimmin (soldiers) or Nallo-jal (sailors or marines, if in a port ward) or Farisan (elitetroops). These troops are all sworn to watch over and defendtheir garrison and sabban when commanded by their sultancommanders (who oftimes also command the sabbalad of thesabban). Where the minaret is attached to it, the sadidah hasfour or more stories, and the amlakkhan average two or threefloors for garrisons, armories, and immediate access to the by-ways from the second-floor exits.

    Guildhalls: These buildings are often combined busi-nesses, meeting halls, and living quarters for many of theirmembers. Their primary function is to serve as a centralheadquarters for their respective guilds. These are often clus-tered in close proximity to khanduqs (see below) and bazaarswhere their skills or goods are sold.

    Khanduq: These permanent market and warehouse areasare the points around which the city grew. While markets sur-round the khanduq from outside its walls, the rarest goods oritems of greater value are bought and sold within the khanduqs(despite a tradition of selling all foods in proximity with oneanother). Common clothes and textiles are found in allbazaars, but furs and rare silks and precious fabrics would besold within the safer (and more expensive and exclusive)khanduqs courtyard markets. For moderate fees, these placesalso provide the secure storage of precious items and sums ofmoney for those who have expensive assets but no safeholds inwhich to put them.

    Market/Bazaar: Calimshan birthed the market form of thebazaar, where particular streets (even the impromptu streets oftent markets and the like) formed exclusive markets wheregoods of a type were sold in proximity to each other (thus,leather bazaars, metalwork bazaars, sages bazaars, etc.).Theopen-air tent and cart markets collect at the fringes of the pro-fessional and permanent khanduqs. Bazaars always splay outinto webworks of streets that grew in set patterns around for-mer temporary tent-and-cart markets. Set in patterns millen-nia old, there are proper patterns to bazaars, whether tempo-rary or permanent. Closest to the permanent khanduq mar-kets, bazaars spread out concentrically around the khanduq orlaterally along street and block patterns. Grouped by types ofgoods are carts and shops for foods, spices, wines and ales; nextare hardier items like clothes, leather-goods, wooden goods;

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  • the outermost bazaars are the heavy items like metal goods andweapons (which are always farthest from the gates of the khan-duqs). Surrounding the bazaars (either above them in second-story shop fronts or among the other services and goods) aresupplementary services, businesses, and people seeking work,from mercenaries and sages seeking employment to scribeslooking for books to copy for fees.

    The Drudach Archetype

    The DrudachsE ven less practical than listing the sabbans by name,naming every drudach in Callmport is nearly impossiblefor a number of reasons. There are the official names of eachneighborhood, as kept by the syl-pasha and his vizars, andthese are the names they are noted by in this product. How-ever, every native of the city has her own nicknames for thedrudachs she frequents. While the palace views one neigh-borhood as Twelvetors Drudach, many of its neighbors call itthe Blades Drudach or the Mameluks Drudach (in referenceto its large military forces garrisoned there or their comman-der and his alleged origins among the slave class). Thus, with166 drudachs contained within Calimport, the majority ofthem will remain undetailed save by individual DMs for theirown campaigns.

    Just like the sabbans that contain them, there are detailsthat make each drudach unique, but they all share basicstructural traits. Below is a generic drudach for DMs to use asa template for their own Calimport campaign. Some of the166 drudachs will be later noted in The City at Largechapter, but far from all.

    There is no standard size to a drudach and only a minimum ofservices and sites that each must contain. In general terms,though, most drudachs have from 10 to 30 buildings, manyof which only remain standing as they are tightly clusteredaga ins t one another and are a l l suppor ted by thebyways/walls of the sabban/drudach. The minimum ameni-ties of a drudach are:

    Archways/Walls: Like the sabbans they are part of, dru-dachs each have their individual walls, topped by the bywaysfor the affluent. However, very few drudachs have gates orguards at the points where one drudach intersects one ormore other drudachs. Instead, simple archways link alleys ortunnels under or through other buildings (limiting a buildingto second-floor and above businesses or lodgings, since thefirst floor is a throughway).

    Religious Sites: All drudachs have at least one temple orshrine, and some have other random holy sites. Not all areofficially recognized temples, but they can be pilgrimage siteswhere occurred events important only to those involved orto the religions and faithful of the gods or prophets involved.

    Entertainment: No city can be civilized without a placeto put up ones boots and slake the dust of the road with ca-maraderie and drink! While the public wells provide the ba-sics of refreshment, there is never less than one each of a tav-ern, inn, or festhall in a drudach.

    Business/Place of Trade: While one drudach from eachsabban contains a khanduq and permanent marketplace, theothers each hold a less formal bazaar formed of carts around

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  • a central court or along a wide street. Richer drudachs sub-stitute businesses within permanent buildings, like manycities to the north.

    Government Buildings: All drudachs contain at least twoadministrative buildings for the drudach and greater sabban.These include the houses and villas of the druzir and sab-balad, city-owned warehouses and granaries, public registrars(for ownership of land and goods), public stables, and so on.The sadidah or the amlakkhan do not count against theseminimums, as they are necessary regardless.

    Amlakkhan: This is a garrison of amlakkar (the watch) orsoldiers, all sworn to watch over and defend their sabban.The defenders quartered here number 13 to 25 persons, de-pending on the size of the drudache; all are 2nd-level fighterswith standard equipment of a scimitar, small shield, and twothrowing daggers. Where the minaret attached to it has fouror more stories, the amlakkhan average two or three floors forgarrisons, armories, and immediate access to the byways fromthe second floor exits.

    Row House/Living Quarters: Of course, there are nu-merous other buildings for use as living quarters for thoseworking in the drudach. There are other uses for the generalbuildings, and many of them overlap with other sites notedabove or among the sabbans features (one persons apart-ments in a row house acting as an impromptu shrine to a god,rooms or buildings owned by the syl-pasha for places to secretspies and goods, etc.).

    Drudachs from the Sabbans Perspective: Often, individ-ual drudachs having competing businesses within one sabbanoften leads to strife and street wars among those working to em-brace the Calishite dream of opulence. Thus, many sabbaladshave stratified their drudachs toward providing particular ser-vices for the greater sabban. In other words, like bazaars whichonly sell food or weapons or sage advice, some drudachs are lim-ited to being a trade drudach, entertainment drudach, residen-tial drudach, or government drudach. While more efficient andorganized for the sabbalad, only those drudachs destroyed byfire or other disasters and rebuilt (and reorganized into thisscheme) have been able to stratify their people and sites in thismanner. Thus, many more of the citys eastern sabbans arestructured this way, as that area of the city seems more prone tofires and destruction and to newer ways of life.

    Finding Ones WayT

    he first visit to any Calishite city is often a travelersmost memorable visit. After all, the panic of getting lost

    clarifies many details for the memory. Unless one is enteringas a rich noble or trading partner of a pasha (or better), an en-trant to Calimport will be seeing the city from amid the dustand grime of the unexalted ground. As there are many twistsand turns and far more walls to impede the view, newcomers

    easily get turned around and cannot find where they need togo. If the sabban and drudach walls werent difficult enough tomaneuver, the streets are often crammed full of carts andbazaars, the indigent poor and destitute, animals, and the like,all fighting and shoving to gain their rightful space. In addi-tion to the buildings mapped, there are often rough hovelsand shacks or tents pitched against or atop or beside themwhere people strive to live. All of these factors conspireagainst being able to tell a newcomer where to go at a glance.

    Always pay attention to highly visible landmarks such asparticularly decorated buildings or minarets or even places ofnote such as the Pashas Palace. Learning the sabban marks(and which sabbans intersect each other) is an important stepof being able to navigate Calimport. The sun is also one of thefew reliable ways to determine the direction of travel, as oncea person is turned around within the walls of the city, some-times only the sun provides any bearing (especially when en-tering a building via one entrance and exiting another).

    With all the security of multiple gates and overcrowdedstreets and other ways of keeping anyone from swiftly escapingfrom ones grasp, thieves and criminals are remarkably hard tocatch in this city. In effect, there are so many tiny alleys andcourtyards between buildings that if a pursuer turns a corner tocontinue chasing a thief, he is faced with four choices the thiefcould have used to flee. In essence, once someone drops out ofdirect line-of-sight, there is a 25% cumulative chance perround out of contact that the target will be able to escape hispursuers scot-free via the crowded streets of the day.

    Secret BywaysIf the thief knows of the many secret trapdoors and doors thatallow one to quickly drop beneath or inside the sabban anddrudach walls, that chance rises to 50% cumulative per round.While it is safer for each sabban to be locked up at night toprotect its citizens and assets from the usual miscreants activeat night, numerous secret passages beneath and within thewalls allow many (especially the druzirs and sabbalads) freeraccess to the city. While many (and all of the amlakkar offi-cers) know of the secret passages, the triggers and the exact lo-cations of all the secret doors are known to no one, not eventhe syl-pasha! Many apparent peasants hovels cover secretdoors, but one often learns of them only when necessary (orwhen attacked by assailants who werent there a second be-fore). If certain secret doors become too flagrantly and oftenused, the amlakkar or other defenders will seal up the door toprevent its use.

    For those in the chambers below or within the walls, thesepassages are only slightly slimmer than the byway above it,and they allow a clearance of about six feet. Lit only by lightfiltering through the seams of other secret doors or carriedlight sources, the passages could be single rooms (boltholes) or passages stretching from 25 feet to over a mile in

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  • length. These areas have their natives as well, and somemay charge a fee for using these areas, while others may try toprotect their secret door/room/passage. Thus, while theymay get one out of immediate trouble, these secret bywaysoften lead to worse things. While many of these passages

    persons, 95% of which are human.As the syl-pashas vizars restored the organized census of

    the Shoon Imperium, no slaves, dependant local rural fami-lies, or nonland-holding people are counted as true citizens.However, there are far more than 212,000 beings in the city

    open along secret doors into ground floors or cellars of ad-joining buildings, only a few of these byways containing exitsleading further down into Calimport Muzad.

    PopulationC

    alimport, as the largest city of Faerûn both by size andpopulation, has always boasted of its status. However,

    with the rise of Syl-Pasha Pesarkhal, the official figuresdropped precipitously. Where Calimport once held over twomillion citizens, the census now stands at roughly 212,000

    at all times. Factoring in the rise of the summer populationwith the trading season and the average of five slaves per cit-izen (even though 35% of the citizenry does not own slavesat all), the number of people within Calimport at any giventime ranges from 900,000 upward to nearly 2,000,000 people.With that unfathomable amount of people in one place, it isnot hard to understand how entire families and groups candisappear in Calimport without a trace or any question offoul play. Everyone knows foul play or some sort is likely in-volved, but the residents often learn from childhood to lookout only for themselves.

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  • Historyhe saying goes, Calimport has seen more years than its pashas have coins. Itshistory is long and colorful though not always well recorded, nor is its historywell represented in its architecture. As detailed below, Calimport has been de-stroyed and rebuilt on dozens of occasions, and this results in the loss of muchknowledge and history. Still, its continued existence speaks much for the im-

    portance of this city to its people, and any native of the southern Realms cannot envision lifewithout Calimport any more than a northerner could conceive of the Sword Coast withoutWaterdeep.

    The Ages of CalimshanW hile not immediately applicable to the history of Calimport, this table provides readerswith a general overview of the major divisions in Calishite history since its founding.Some of the terms herein are used within the timeline but often simply provide benchmarks tomatch Calimports timeline with the broader histories in the Empires of the Shining Sea cam-paign expansion (TSR 9561).

    Calim Empire - 7 8 0 0 to - 6 1 0 0 DRMemnonnar - 6 8 0 0 to - 6 1 0 0 DREra of SkyFire - 6 2 0 0 to - 6 1 0 0 DRCoramshan -6060 to - 5 3 0 0 DRFirst Kingdom of Mir - 5 3 0 0 t o - 5 0 0 0 D RFirst Age - 5 3 0 0 to - 3 2 0 0 DRSecond Age - 3 2 0 0 to - 1 9 0 0 DRThird Age - 1 9 0 0 to - 9 0 0 DRFourth Age - 9 0 0 to - 2 0 0 DRFifth Age - 2 0 0 to 27 DRSixth Age 27 to 450 DRSeventh Age 450 to 1018 DREighth Age 1018 to 1235 DRNinth Age 1235 to 1358 DRTenth Age 1358 DR to present

    Recurring Eventsalimport, as one of the oldest continuously settled cities of the Realms, has seen many of the

    C same ills that visit other cities of Faerûn. While Plagues, Fires, and trade wars are majorevents for any city, Calimport has seen each of these on hundreds of occasions throughout its ex-istence. Thus, unless other important events are tied to these standard disasters beyond theirimmediate scope, these catastrophes receive only abbreviated notes with the following details.

    F iresCalimport has been built primarily out of mud bricks since the arrival of the genies of Calim,which is flammable due to the straw used in fashioning the bricks. Many buildings and the ever-present tents and carts of its inhabitants are made of wood (not to mention slaves quarters,stables, and mounds of flammable refuse in hundreds of alleyways). The city periodically encoun-ters dry periods, and one spark will engulf whole drudachs and sabbans in flames. The standardnotes on a Fire in Calimport are the areas affected, whether by cardinal compass points or specificsabbans mentioned; and any losses suffered, usually in terms of a percentage of the population. If

    12

  • any major landmarks or personalities were lost as a result of theFire, they are noted as well.

    321 DR The Example Fire (Fire): All of northern and much ofeastern Calimport; 30% population and 42% of city;Anachtyrs Hall. the Bakkal Shipyards.

    PlaguesWhenever huge numbers of people live together in one area,the incidence of disease rises. This risk rises especially sharplyin places like Calimport, where corpses often line the streetslike so much common garbage due to whatever struggles in po-litical or criminal arenas currently grip the city. The installa-tion of large sewers removed much of the offal from the streets,but these tunnels also provided new homes to rats and othervermin, which were often (but not always) the origin of manyof the Plagues.

    Standard notes on Plagues include a name (if given one);which cities in Calimshan or its protectorates were infected(and Calimport may not always be so, though its trade andrulership of Calimshan is always affected); any extraordinarydetails on the disease (such as what it did or how it wasspread, etc.); and the percentage of deaths among the generalpopulace (including a separate percentage of how many ofCalimports people suffered).

    321 DR The Example Plague (Plague): All cities; fever andconsumption, spread by touch; 12% (10%).

    Trade warsWith an average frequency of every 20 years or so, wars breakout among those people who control the money of the city, orat least those wish to do so. These street wars begin when onegroup attempts to take control of a particular trade or businessover the objection of one or more powers; these powers couldbe legitimate rulers and traders or criminal powers. While onemight expect the amlakkar (the watch) or the sadimmin (thearmy) to quell any such disturbances, they are often some ofthe forces engaged in such conflicts. In a city and countrywhere money and politics hold greater power than blood ties orduty, the only constant history teaches Calimport is thatpeople move to stop others only when they profited by the ac-tion in some way. In the present day, this is changing slowly,but it was a common event for more than 6,000 years.

    Unlike the other disasters listed below, there are no stan-dard notes for these conflicts, as each has a different impacton the city and country. If nothing else, the conflicts will benamed or noted as Trade War and what effect it left onCalimports business or power groups will be noted. Other in-formation may be provided sometimes, varying from thesource of the conflict to who or what started and stopped it.Note that the only trade wars that come to light in this man-

    ner note major changes in the status quo; if every conflictamong the power groups of Calimport were even brieflynoted, this timeline would be noted by days, not years!

    TimelineB elow are many of the major events that affected Calim-shan in general and Calimport in particular. The his-tory of the city is presented in timeline format for ease of ref-erence, though keep in mind that many more events haveoccurred than merely those noted here. These events aremerely the major happenings that have been noted in Cal-ishite histories (or at least those considered important in thepapers of sages, scribes, and the current Syl-Pasha Pesarkhal).Also, since it is the capital of the country, many events thatencompass Calimshan beyond Calimport are noted as well;generally, each expansion of Calimshans territory saw a re-sulting increase in the size and opulence of Calimport.

    Year Era or Year Name &(DR) Events of Import

    c.-11,000 Dwarves establish the first holds of Deep Shanatar inthe southern Underdark (Modem: Alimir Moun-tains, Lake of Steam).

    c.-8,100 Deep Shanatar at its greatest expanse beneath south-western Faerûn (Modem: Amn, Tethyr, Erlkazar,Calimshan, Alimir Peninsula).

    c . -7,800 The Great Arrival/Calimports Founding: The areathat will become Calimport witnesses the arrival ofthe Djenthe collective mass of genies and theirhuman and halfling slavesled by Calim the djinnilord. Within months of the arrival, the spires ofCalimport rise above the plains and woods of south-em Faerûn. They quickly clear and seize all the landssouth and west of the Marching Mountains.

    c . -7790 The Dragon Wars: A flight of dragons destroys thecity of Calimport. This initiates a century of war be-tween Calim and the genies against the dragons. Byits end, every dragon in the Marching Mountainsdies at the hands and magics of the genies. The ge-nies magic rebuilds Calimport within a year of itsinitial destruction.

    c .-6,800 Arrival of the Army of Fire led by the efreet, Mem-non, and the establishment of Memnonnar.

    c .-6,500 Era of SkyFire begins: Full-scale war erupts betweenthe Calim Empire and the Army of Fire.

    13

  • c. -6, 100

    -6, 060

    -5,960

    c.-5,600

    c.-5,400

    c.-5,350

    c.-5.300

    c.-5,000

    c.-4,900

    c.-4,770

    Era of SkyFire ends: The rule of the genies ends andthe Calim Desert is created.

    Fall of Calims Rule: Lands east of the Calim Desertand south of the Marching Mountains become thehuman nation of Coramshan after the humans win arebellion (with the aid of the dwarves) against sur-viving minor genies.

    Dwarven realm of High Shanatar is founded in thelands cleared by the Genie Wars and other forces.High Shanatar extends from the ruins of Memnon-nar to the Sulduskoon River and the southern edgeof the Forest of Tethir.

    Height of High Shanatars civilization.

    Ambrils Bane: Dwarves kill human tomb robbers onthe slopes of Mount Kellarak, including the bakkalsheir to the throne of Coramshan. This incident pre-cipitates three millennia of war with the humans ofCoramshan.

    The Murabir (warlord-ruler) Mir of Coramshanseizes much of southern High Shanatar whiledwarves fight the Giant Wars to the north.

    First Kingdom of Mir is founded in lands west of theDarthiir Woods and south of the Wurlur (Modem:River Ith). For the next 300 years, Mir andCoramshan aggressively expand eastward and sharethe conquered territories until their defeat by theforces of Jhaamdath along the Lake of Steam.

    Coramshan and Mir unite under the Bakkal andMurabir Ukhar IV to form the Calimshan Empire,which claims all lands south of the Wurlur (Modem:River Ith) and west of the Iltkazar Mountains.

    The Warriors Plague: Calimport, Almraiven; berserkrages and battle madness in afflicted, spread by bloodcontact; 40% (14%), most casualties among militaryforces.

    The Plague of Terror mysteriously affects Calimportalone, the disease driving many mad from imaginedspectral foes and other fears. As a result of the plague,the entire waterfront and other inner parts of the citybum as a few dockworkers imagined great sea mon-sters attacking the city.

    In less than a tenday, the Sunset Plague claims thelives of most everyone in Calimport, including more

    c.-2,600

    c.-2,400

    -2381

    c.-2280

    -1,931

    c.-1,900

    -1838

    -1783

    than half of the Marekh ruling family. The ship cap-tain Daud yn Khadil Marekh survives the plagueand maintains the dynasty for another 12 years,though the loss of the capital weakens his grip on theBakkals throne. Calimport lies empty for nearly acentury, as many are afraid of the plague.

    End of the Shanatar Wars. Last known dwarves ofHigh Shanatar fall on the northern shores of the Sul-duskoon River, sealing an entrance to DeepShanatar.

    Calimshan garrisons eastern Iltkazar in the vicinity ofthe Omlarandin Mountains, south of the Wurlur(River Ith).

    The palace of the Tavihr Bakkal erupts in flames,ending that corrupt and vicious dynasty. The firesspread and destroy the western half of Calimport.

    The Erehnir Reconstruction: After guild wars andother conflicts destroy much of Calimport, manyareas are rebuilt in the religious and artistic mannerthey are known by to this day. The walls of at leasttwo western sabbans of modem Calimport retainhints of murals that graced the walls when they werecreated during this decade.

    The armies of Calimshan destroy the Idol of Nomog-Geaya and its hobgoblin worshipers. Henceforth, thisarea is known as the Gorge of the Fallen Idol.

    Calimshan rules as far north as the Snowflake Moun-tains and is composed of four separate kingdomswithin its empire: Calimshan (the original lands ofCoramshan and the Calim Empire), Mir, Tethyr, andIltkazar.

    In retribution for Calishite adventurers plunderingher hoard and slaying one of her brood, Ylver-aasahlisar the Rose Dragon destroys Calimshansarmy, the Calephs Court, the Bakkal Raor, and two-thirds of Calimport before she settles onto theBakkals Throne and rules the heart of the empire.Much of Calimport Muzad comes into being with thered dragons attack, as her demands for the citys im-mediate reconstruction forces builders to simplysmooth out the rubble and begin again.

    The Dragons Wrath (Fire): All of central Calimport;15% population, 40% of city.

    14

  • -1,726

    -1,708

    -1428

    -1403

    -1402

    -1280

    -1202

    -1161

    -1156

    Dragonslayers led by Rafak el Cajaan sorely woundthe Rose Dragon and drive her out of Calimport;while she escapes the humans, Ylvera dies under thejaws of their bronze dragon ally, Cadasalmpar. TheCajaan dynasty refounds human rule of the empire.

    Cajaan rule stabilizes as its once-widespread family isreduced to its last male heir on the throne.

    Calimport falls with the death of Syl-Pasha ViolirCajaan IX, and beholders rule the ruined city ofCalimport and its vassal empire. Qyraaptir theBloodeye, a beholder-mage of frightening power,claims the Pashas Throne. Beholders now rule allmajor settlements throughout Calimshan and theLake of Steam.

    The Cajaan Vengeance (Fire): Outer sabbans ofCalimport; 5% of the population, 20% of city; pur-pose of smoking out beholders during siege of citypartially successful.

    Qyraaptir the Bloodeye and his beholder forces fall orflee before the Drakhon priests and their alliedhuman soldiers. Calimport is the first city freed of be-holder domination, and Calimshan is free of be-holder rulers within three years, thanks to the rule ofthe Drakhon pashas. The beholders retreat to theirstrongholds beneath the Alimir Mountains or alongthe Lake of Steam.

    The Alimir Peninsula erupts into war between Cal-imshans armies and the restored beholder nations.Qyraaptir the Bloodeye now commands all the hivessurface armies, not just one legion.

    Ali yn Enar el Samesaj, the future Great Vizar ofCalimport, is born on the last day of Alturiak.

    Ali el Samesaj saves the daughter of a Drakhon sul-tan from kidnapers, and he comes to the notice ofSyl-Pasha Adjam Drakhon, her grandfather. As a re-ward, he becomes a fixture in the sultans court andhis unofficial court wizard.

    Villaflames (Fire): Southwestern city, waterfront;40% of Calimports waterfront buildings, 30% ofpashas villas in western city; Tareq Sabban, AxhiimSabban, Khamals Khanduq, the Khamarkha Ashada,the Ytreis Garrison, and over a dozen villas.

    -1153 Ali el Samesaj saves the sultan from assassination byothers of his court, though the magical battle de-stroys much of Hapij Sabban. He rises to the title asthe Sultans Vizar and Druzir of the Seven Sages Dru-dach as a reward for his loyalty.

    c . -1150 After the Villaflames, the Drakhon dynasty takescontrol of the cleared areas and expands the PashasSabban while rebuilding sabbans and restructuringthe areas to best suit their political allies and theirown motivations. The massive stone docks and de-fenses that grace Armada Ward for centuries to comereplace the dock areas destroyed.

    Syl-Pasha Kamal el Drakhon commissions thebuilding of el Qysanallojal (Imperial Navy), and thisallows Calimshan to begin controlling the coastallands and waters of the Shining Sea. Originally builtto speed troop movements against the beholderarmies, the Qysanallojal swiftly expands Calimshanspolitical and trade influence.

    -1,130 The Battle of the Samesaj Gate: The eastern garrisonof Akkabbel (Modern: Ithal Pass) is the scene ofgreat victory for Calimshan, as the besieged forces ofAkkabbel gain reinforcements from Calimport via amagical gate. They break the siege and inflict greatlosses on the beholders. The gate remains intact afterthe battle, but only its caster (the vizar Ali el Same-saj) knows that it is keyed to the full moons lightmore than other magic. This great victory over thebeholder forces sees Samesaj raised to the title ofGrand Vizar at the right hand of Syl-Pasha Ruj elDrakhon.

    -1,095 The Grand Vizar Samesaj creates his final restingplace to the east of Calimports city walls: theKhamamart, the Tomb of Fire. Once its fiery marblewalls rise from the earth, Samesaj enters through onewall, never to be seen again.

    -1,080 End of the wars between Calimshan and the beholdernations of the Alimir Peninsula with the victory atMintar. The Pashas Throne at Calimport now rulesfrom the Sword Coast to Mintar. The increased tradeand influence sees Calimport nearly double in size (tonearly the size of modem Waterdeep).

    Calimshans armies slowly eradicate all remainingbeholder influence (beholder rulers or beholder cult-controlled cities) on the Arnaden surface lands(around the Lake of Steam) over the next twelvedecades.

    15

  • c.-1,050

    -990

    c.-870

    -790

    -741

    With great advances in shipbuilding technology, theImperial Navy of Calimshan rules the Shining Seaand the Lake of Steam. Infrequent, tentative tradebegins with Chult and the Tashalar.

    Intermittent plagues over the next century ravage thepopulations of Schamedar and Calimport. The firstplague, which strikes this year, kills nearly half ofCalimports slaves and forces the syl-pasha and his fam-ily to remain trapped in their palace for nearly two yearsuntil the disease subsides. The warlords and sorcerers ofJhaamdaths Twelve Cities of Swords are suspected ofcreating the plagues, but nothing is ever proven.

    After some decades of increased travel and coloniza-tion, Calimshan opens full, regular trade with Chultand the Tashalar.

    The Night Wars begin between the drow and manysurface powers of southern Faerûn. The primary mili-tary foe of the drow is Calimshan.

    Tulan el Akada yi Calimport creates the aranea, a ly-canthropic arachnid race with the ability to disguisethemselves as drow or giant spiders. Tulans magicalcontrols make the aranea the most effective soldiersin the war against the drow.

    -736 Tulan el Akadas 40 most loyal aranea remain inCalimport and take up residence in hidden bywaysbeneath the city and among caverns in the upper re-gions of the Underdark (former scouting posts ofShanatar). They begin fortifying the defenses ofCalimport against the drow and making a home forthemselves in the dark areas where few sadimminwish to tread.

    -733 Tulan el Akada releases over 100 aranea into the For-est of Mir both to propagate and to fight the drowthat had taken up residence therein.

    -697 Year of Furious GiantsThe drow erupt from beneath the cities of Calimport,Manshaka, and Almraiven, establishing footholds inthe cities as well as the outlying wilderness areas thatthey hold for several decades.

    -691 Year of Stolen FireAttacks by the drow in Calimport destroy theCalephs Palace with all the ruling family within it,bringing the Vihad dynasty to a close. The qayadin(general) of the sadimmin takes control as Syl-PashaAkim el Ehjoliq.

    16

  • Calimshan begins colonizing the coast of the Lake ofSteam beyond the Alimir peninsula. These originalplans were to colonize the area as conquerors, butmany are settled as places for refugees fleeing Calim-shan proper and the irregular but terrifying NightWars. -530

    -676 Year of Frenzied TempestsThe Temples Plague (Plague): Calimport, Alm-raiven, Tashalar cities; fluid in lungs and fever, spreadby touch (priests unwittingly spread it, giving it itsname); 7% (5%).

    -664 Year of Turning TidesThe Enslaving of Keltar: The drow nearly destroythis town over the course of a 37-hour battle, giventheir magical superiority and a globe of darkness thatthey use to surround the city. Calimports army ar-rives after the drow conquer the city and haveshipped more than 50% of the surviving populationinto the Underdark as slaves. While the Calishitesfree the town and force the drow back to the Under-dark, over 3,000 Keltams are never seen again.

    -446

    -375

    -649 Year of Falling CopperThe army surrounds Calimport as wizards and priestsset it magically aflame, the light and fires driving thedrow that claimed more than 25% of the city ontothe waiting spears of the sadimmin or deeper beneaththe city. Once again, the syl-pasha is forced to de-stroy his capital to save his empire.

    Large parts of the city are purposefully destroyed tobury the drow temples and partially subterranean vil-las, but some remain relatively intact though buried.Those same wizards who burned the city help rebuildit and seal off all areas between Calimport and theUnderdark with stone and new buildings. Despitetheir diligence, the drow reopen those passageswithin a decade and reestablish their hold onCalimport Below, now nicely protected by the cityoverhead.

    -374

    -620 Year of Noble SoulsAfter more than 60 years of negotiations, Calim-shans syl-pasha strikes some confidential trade agree-ments with the Matron Mother of Guallidurth, theclosest drow city, in exchange for the withdrawal ofher forces from beneath Calimport and the otherCalishite cities. The withdrawal takes another 90years, as not all forces answer to the Matron Motherof Guallidurth, and a House rebellion within thatcity also adds fuel to the Night Wars.

    -373

    Year of Hasty MessengersThe Spider Plagues (Plague): All cities; sores filledwith spiders eggs appearing on people, victims con-sumed by hatching spiders; 32% (41%).

    Year of Meager MeansThe Night Wars draw to a close, and the drow neveragain gain more than a remote toehold in the surfacelands. In all, more than 75,000 humans and other be-ings are captured and enslaved by the drow duringthese conflicts. More than 150,000 others die fight-ing the dark elves, though nearly as many drow andduergar die during the wars as well.

    Year of Treasured MomentsCalimshans dominance of the Lake of Steam andthe Shining Sea comes to an end with the near totaldestruction of the Calishite Armada in Calimportsharbor. The resulting fires destroy over 70% of thecity once winds carry sparks and flames to thewooden domes of many buildings.

    Year of Clutching DuskThe Empire Plague strikes the southern ShiningCoast this year, ravaging Calimshan and the Lake ofSteam colonies. Calimshans influence begins tocrumble with the loss of some Lake of Steamcolonies. The plague hits Calimport hard, killingnearly a third of the people, including many mem-bers of the ruling family.

    The Axash dynasty ends due to the plague, andthose who survive cannot stop the rise of Syl-PashaAkkab el Evyrtaan, cousin to the now-dead Khalid elAxash. The first order of the new syl-pasha is to putCalimport to the torch to minimize the threat of theplague. The fires, for the first time in centuries, refuseto bum and thus the new syl-pasha is forced to aban-don the city for the next five years.

    Year of ShatteringWith the city all but abandoned due to the plaguethey framed on Jhaamdath, priests of Talona attemptto conquer Calimport and plunder its riches to builda temple to their goddess of poisons. Many of thosewho remain in Calimport are rogues, escaped slaves,and necromancers. For a time, the capital becomesthe Rogues City.

    Year of Whispering StonesThe Basilica of Night, Shars impressive seat of powerin Calimport, remains one of the few places in thecity that is not fully controlled by Talona. Skirmishesaround the temple in the Joadhruz Sabban (now the

    17

  • -370 Year of Rent Armor

    -339

    -288

    -255

    c.-250

    -230

    -227

    Bakkal Sabban) grow more and more violent. InEleint of this year, the Basilica finally falls to Talonasforces, but Shars priests collapse the temple upontheir foes. The bulk of the temples wealth and reli-quaries are moved to their new home within an an-cient temple in the undercity, and it will soon becalled the Temple of Old Night.

    The Empire Plague finally ends early this year. By theend of Hammer, Syl-Pasha Akkab el Evyrtaan reentersCalimport and initiates a bloodbath that destroys allthose who remain in the city as traitors or plague carri-ers. Many folk, including the clergy of Talona thatruled the city, survive by fleeing into the undercity.

    Year of Sundered WebsThe Fall of Netheril is felt even in Calimport, as the tem-porary sundering of magic causes the collapse of a numberof minarets and palaces whose only supports were those ofmagic. Two entire sabbans fall and walls dissolve in thefew moments when magic does not exist for Toril, andmore than 7,000 people die in the destruction.

    Year of Eight LightningsSyl-Pasha Orun yn Ymal el Evyrtaan accedes inde-pendence to the lands of Tethyr and its people.

    Year of Furious WavesJhaamdath falls.

    Calimshan, under Syl-Pasha Faud yn Orun el Evyr-taan, reclaims some small areas and towns among theArnaden lands of the Lake of Steam, now thatJhaamdaths control on these lands has fallen alongwith its primary cities.

    Year of LossCalimshan reconquers Ithmong and Myratma. Ableworkers (more than a third of the population) ofboth of these towns are enslaved and brought toCalimport to work on the new Pashas Palace. The1,480 warriors among the 5,500 new slaves are allsentenced to the new Djen Arena, where many ofthem fight to the death against monsters and eachother for the amusement of the masses.

    Year of Rangers LostCalimport increases in population and area to itslargest size ever, its true citizens numbering morethan 75,000. For the next eight centuries, Calimportremains the largest and most frequented port onFaetins shores.

    Year of Shambling ShadowsDarrom Ithal of Clan Ithal leads the allied clans ofTethyr to victory against Calimshan at Ithmong.

    -212 Year of High ThronesBattle of the Purple Marches: This battle gainsTethyrs independence with Calimshans defeat.

    -200 Year of StonerisingSyl-Pasha Kalil el Evyrtaan dies from thousands ofviper bites, a magical trap laid by some of his closestadvisors. Vizar Asraf el Majizar rules over the start ofthe Fifth Age of Calimshan, and Calimport becomesa more organized city with structured trade andskilled-workers guilds.

    -188 Year of Wrongful MartyrsDespite a good heart and a business sense that nearlydoubled the trade coming to Calimshan (and thusincreasing the citys size and population), Syl-PashaMalik yn Asraf el Majizar dies under assassins knivesin the Great Khanduq on the third day of this year.

    The Throne Wars: These conflicts begin more thantwo years of war that ranges from trade wars to mili-tary campaigns against cities. Fourteen differentCalephs claim the throne of Calimport (and symboli-tally Calimshan) by years end, none of whom holdthe post for more than 62 days.

    The Throne Fires (Fire): Two-thirds of southern andall of eastern Calimport; 43% of population and 61%of city (actually seven different series of fires betweenAlturiak and Eleint set by rivals fighting for throne).

    -187 Year of Gilded BurialsTwenty-eight more rulers claim the Calephs Thronein Calimport. By Midwinter, all true unity among thecities of Calimshan has shattered. All areas of theonce-great empire stand individually, many claimingto be the true heart of the empire and hoping to grabmore land and control for themselves.

    The Throne Wars end with the rise to power of theonce-meek wizard vizar Tasyn el Tarshaj yi Man-shaka. The Tarshaj dynasty-four brothers and theirfamilies, of whom Tasyn was the eldersimultane-ously conquer the cities of Manshaka, Memnon,Calimport, and Almraiven, thus unifying the PashasLands for the first time in nearly two years. Syl-PashaTasyns first chores are to rebuild the capital and re-conquer the rest of Calimshan.

    -182 Year of Sleeping GiantsCalimshan, in its attempts to reconquer its old terri-tories around the Lake of Steam and the Shaar, dis

    18

  • -170

    -167

    -166

    -161

    -150

    -135

    cover that the old threat of the beholders has risenagain. Beholders and their cultists control the major-ity of territory east of Ankhapur and are now pushingtheir forces west (or immediately up and out of theAlimir Mountains) in retaliation against the Cal-ishite invasions.

    -110

    - 9 4

    Year of Many EyesCalimshan allies with Tethyr and Iltkazar to fightthe risen beholder powers of the Arnaden, whichhave pushed back Calishite aggressors and are nowadvancing up into eastern Tethyr. The Eye TyrantWars begin.

    - 8 8

    Almraiven falls to beholders within the first threemonths of the year, and Suldolphor follows byGreengrass. Though a longer struggle, the beholderscontrol the Spider Swamp and the southern Forest ofMir by the end of Kythorn. This prevents muchtransfer of troops from western Calimshan save di-rectly into beholder-controlled strongholds. -78

    Year of Sudden KinshipThe Storming of the Qatarn Hills: In the first five daysof Uktar, King Silvam of Tethyr and Qayadin Revaodel Simaal lead the Fourth Army to victory over ninebeholders and thrice their armys own forces.

    The beholders occupy Volothamp and Schamedar-77

    by years end, though their entrenchment withineastern Calimshan overextends their reach, and thebeholders lose control of Ankhapur, one of theirlargest surface strongholds. -75

    Year of Seven Loves LostThe Eye Tyrant Wars end, though alliances remainamong the human powers to pursue renegade be-holders for the next few years among all their lands.

    Year of the Emerald MageThe alliances of Calimshan, Tethyr, and Iltkazar dis-solve by this year,

    - 6 4

    Year of RecompenseSyl-Pasha Kamus yn Tasyn el Tarshaj of Calimportgrants Tethyr the region known as Ankaram, thelands west of the Forest of Mir and north of the RiverMemnon. While many in Tethyr believe this a re-ward for their aid in the Eye Tyrant Wars, it is a polit-ical move to depower Calishite nobles amassingpower against el Tarshaj.

    -52

    - 1 6

    Year of Old BeginningsThe Shaking Plague (Plague): Memnon, Teshburl,Calimport; lower temperature, convulsions; 19% (3 1%).

    Year of Shadowed GlancesAkkabar el Shoon is born in Myratma to a Calishitesabbalad father and his favored jhasina, and all threereturn home to Memnon.

    Year of Many BatsThe 16-year-old Akkabar el Shoon arrives in Tethyrand becomes a pupil of the Vizera Princess Rhyndaon his reputation as a prodigy in Art.

    Year of Hostile HailsAkkabar el Shoon leaves the tutelage of PrincessRhynda of Tethyr and begins his movement amongCalishite society and business, selling his powerfulmagical abilities to the highest bidders. Within fouryears, Akkabar is a near-permanent fixture withinCalimport society and his political savvy is only out-matched by his magic.

    Year of the GleamingAkkabar el Shoon marries Munaa yr Shunnari elTarshaj, the fifth daughter of Syl-Pasha Kadar onMidsummer. As a wedding gift, Akkabar becomesthe Syl-Vizar (and ruler) of Memnon.

    Year of Flaming StonesBy Midwinter, the deaths of nearly all members of elTarshaj places Syl-Pasha Akkabar el Shoon on theCalephs Throne, as he had planned.

    Year of Leather ShieldsThe regent Princess and Vizera Rhynda arranges amarriage between Syl-Pasha Akkabar Shoonsdaughter and her own son, the future King NishanII to ensure the stability of both realms despiteobjecting nobles on both sides.

    Year of Gleaming FrostKing Nishan II ascends to Tethyrs throne and mar-ries Arhymeria yr Una el Shoon.

    Year of the Choking SporesThe Flower Plague (Plague): Keltar, Calimport, Alm-raiven; seed buds of new flowering plants explode incloud of spores that induce vomiting and rashes, thenfever, and finally death, spread by trade for the rarescarlet flowers; 2% (7%).

    Year of the Poisoned PensThe Plague of Scholars (Plague): All cities acrosssouthern Faerûn, as far north as Baldurs Gate;lethargy and heavy sleep leads to coma and death,some unknown agency poisoned vast amounts of ink

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  • and quills used by scribes, scholars, and business folk;20% (11%).

    even though it is no longer his capital, Syl-PashaAkkabar Shoon establishes a tightly controlled pup-pet dynasty on the Calephs Throne.

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    Year of Scarlet ScourgesTethyrian royals slain by pirates. Syl-Pasha Shoonsecretly congratulates himself on arranging the coup,though his attempts to link the murders with the ris-ing mercantile power of the Rundeen fall.

    Year of FeudsAmahl Shoon, younger brother of the late QueenArhymeria, arrives within a month of Ithalyrs fall.Calishite forces and advisors set him up as the reluc-tant king in the newly renamed city of Zazesspur.

    Year of RuinsKing Amahl I is poisoned and succeeded by hisnephew, King Amahl II, all at the direction of Syl-Pasha Akkabar Shoon, his great-grandfather.

    Year of Gruesome StreamsAfter 18 months of war, Ithmong is destroyed andClan Ithal nearly wiped out by royal forces. KingAmahl II of Tethyr swears fealty to Syl-Pasha Shoonon Greengrass upon his victory, and this is the truestart of the Shoon Imperium with Akkabars ruleover both Calimshan and Tethyr.

    Year of Shattered RelicsIthmongs ruins are plundered for the building of agreat capital to the south, near the former city of Il-takar and the port town of Agis (Modem:Shoonach). Former Clan Ithal supporters are en-slaved and haul stone ten miles south to the new cityfor the next 10 years.

    Akkabar the Younger, eldest grandson of the syl-pasha and elder brother of Amahl I and Arhymeria,dies in a tavern brawl in Memnon that is later re-vealed to be a revenge assassination by vengefulTethyrian clansmen. As the father of King Amahl IIof Tethyr and the proclaimed heir of Syl-PashaShoon, his death brings much suffering to Tethyr.

    Year of the Clutched EmeraldThe syl-pasha establishes gates between various sitesin Calimport and his new imperial capital rising atShoonach.

    Year of Glittering GloryKing Amahl II of Tethyr dies and is succeeded by hisonly son, King Amahl III. The syl-pasha moves hiscourt and much of Calimshans power to Shoonach.As Calimport remains the primary port for his empire

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    Year of Shadowed BladesThe syl-pasha dies under mysterious circumstanceswhile enchanting magical items in his chambers deepbeneath the Imperial Mount of Shoonach.

    King Amahl III succeeds his great-great-grand-father as ruler of Calimshan and Tethyr. After estab-lishing another puppet regime on Tethyrs throne,Amahl III crowns himself Qysar (emperor) AmahlShoon III of the Shoon Imperium.

    Unlike under the syl-pasha, Calimport suffered muchloss of status and money, as many vizars and pashasmoved to Shoonach, where they might better curryfavor from the qysar. While little changed among thedockside sabbans and the caravan trade supporters, therest of Calimport was all too sparsely populated as thecenter of Calishite society became Shoonach.

    Year of Proud FlameThe Alley Plague (Plague): Calimport (whole city),Almraiven, and Manshaka (docks); pox and inabilityof blood to clot; spread by air and presence of corpsesrotting in streets of Upper Calimport; 17% (2 1%).

    Year of the Barbed WindQysar Amahl Shoon III dies and is succeeded byQysar Shoon I.

    Year of the Branded MageQysar Shoon I decrees the establishment of the Wiz-ards Consortiums of all the cities of his realm, towhich attendance is mandatory for all wizards. Thosewho resist are slain, and soon Shoon I knows ofnearly every mage within his domain, which allowshim better control over such forces.

    Year of Clinging DeathQysar Shoon I dies and is succeeded by his third son,Qysar Shoon II.

    The Fog Fever (Plague): All Shoon cities (Tethyrand Calimshan), esp. Calimport, Memnon, andMyratma; clinging night fogs lead to raging feversand delusions if breathed in; those who die of thisfever exhale their last breaths as identical fog; 11%(Shoon Imperium) (31%)

    Year of the FledglingsQysar Shoon II dies and is succeeded by his firstgrandnephew, Qysar Shoon III. Hazamir el Aktorral,Syl-Pasha of Calimshan, is made riqysar (regent

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  • 123 Year of the Icy AxeWith the death of el Aktorral this year, all govern-mental control of Calimshan and the Imperiummoves to Shoonach until the fall of the Imperium.Calimport becomes merely the largest port, and itsnorthern quarters become more and more deserted.During the next centuries, the walls around theport sabbans rise higher than ever to defendagainst intruders as more rogues take resi-dence in the nearly empty upper city

    Calimport Below also becomes larger andmore populous during the Imperium, asneglect sees the collapse of many buildingsand the rise in monstrous populationsdown below is a direct result of fewer gar-risons in the Old City (as upperCalimport becomes known for 300 years).

    200 Year of Leaping FlamesThe Rogue Fires (Fire): All of northernand western Calimport (Firewalls shieldthe docks from fires set by opposing roguefactions to gain control of upper city); 60%population of Upper Calimport; temples ofBane, Talona, and Mystra, numerous villas.

    229 Year of the Black FlameThe Ashes Plague (Plague): Keltar, Volothamp,Manshaka; ash-gray skin tone, blindness, seizures(most died of bleeding or were slain to reducespreading, a tactic which failed); 9% (0.2% ofCalimports natives-all travelers who contractedthe plague outside the city).

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