Thema: 4E FR - Amn

[Zechi]

In dem neuen Produkt-Preview Artikel gibt es den Auszug über Amn aus dem kommenden FRCG:

Amn

Amn is a nation under the golden thumb of a few obscenely rich and corrupt merchant houses. With the wealth these oligarchs command, Amnian fleets dominate Faerûn’s southern coasts. Amn’s rulers have declared arcane magic to be illegal, except in the hands of spellcasters licensed by the High Houses. All others are denied the opportunity to level the magical playing field. Rebellion simmers constantly among numerous disaffected and disenfranchised, many of whom are halflings.

Amn Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful skill check.

History DC 20: Amn’s colonies across the Trackless Sea vanished in the Spellplague, but Amnian merchant companies (backed by highly prized charters obtained from the ruling Council) still control profitable areas of Chult, the Mhair Archipelago, and the Moonshaes.

Streetwise DC 15: Nobody really likes Amn. Amnian merchants organized into various “companies” have strong-armed and intimidated people for thousands of miles around. The nation revels in plundering the wealth of a dozen other countries. Still, it is a human land, and individual Amnians aren’t really all that bad. It’s only the rich ones you have to watch out for.

Amn’s rivalry with Waterdeep is particularly fierce, although it’s more competition between certain merchant houses than national fervor. The monstrous realm of Muranndin to the south is a constant headache to Amnian trade.

Tethyr regards Amn’s voraciousness with no small concern, despite declaring its friendship with the nation. Such a “friend” is not likely to be of much help when trouble strikes, unless well paid for the effort.

Settlements and Features

Amn is heavily settled, especially along its great rivers and around Lakes Esmel and Weng. Inns and taverns cater to traffic along the Trade Way, lining the road for the length of its passage through the country.

Athkatla
Capital City; Population 122,000
Anything goes in Athkatla. What is considered illegal, immoral, or despicable in other places passes without comment in this so-called city of sin if the price is right. Lewdness, slavery, and even less savory acts such as murder occur here, as in any large city. But in Athkatla, the law permits almost anything. The only illegality is speaking or acting against a merchant house. In all other cases, the response to an offense is a fee, whose size depends on the degree of inconvenience to the other party. Once the fee is paid (often in advance), the act is not considered criminal -- only not paying is seen as unlawful behavior. Gold flows freely in Athkatla. As one of the busiest ports in all Faerûn, almost any good or service can be had here. Ships from places near and far dock in the city, transporting exotic vegetables, slaves, jewelry, strange relics, pirate booty, and more. Athkatla’s marketplace might even overshadow Waterdeep’s. Above the bay is Goldspires, a temple to Waukeen nearly as large as a small town.

Popular shops include Tiny Deaths (poisons), the Museum of Inquisition (torture equipment), Madroon’s Curios (a little of this, a little of that), Lowmarket (slaves), Faded Ages (memory tailoring), Odd Candy (sweets . . . ?), and I Change (body modification).

Crimmor
Caravan City; Population 40,000
The “caravan capital of Amn” is a fortified mustering point for practically all trade heading northward by land. Shadow Thieves (see the “Powers of Amn” sidebar) openly headquarter in Crimmor because it is the one city where they do not practice their trade. Indeed, they ruthlessly stamp out any freelance thieves.

Crimmor bristles with inns, taverns, and festhalls serving the numerous caravanners and adventurers who pass this way.

Powers of Amn

Amn’s Council of Five includes the Meisarch, Tessarch, Namarch, Iltarch, and Pommarch. Although these positions were once anonymously held, they now openly belong to the houses Selemchant (from Athkatla, sponsors of the Cowled Wizards), Dannihyr (from Eshpurta, secret masters of the Shadow Thieves), Alibakkar (from Athkatla), Ophal (from Crimmor), and Nashivaar (from Esmeltaran, strongly allied with the Church of Cyric), respectively.

Each of the High Houses (whose leaders make up the council) sponsors a number of smaller client houses. The mercantile cabals constantly feud, each wanting a bigger piece of the pie and working to insinuate their members into good positions. In theory, a highly successful independent house could claim a spot on the council and make it a Council of Six as it once was. Right now, about the only thing the leaders of Amn agree on is that there’s no reason to cut the take six ways.

Other important groups include the following.

The Cowled Wizards: This cabal of the only “legal” arcanists in Amn is under the control of House Selemchant. The Cowled Wizards serve as the Meisarch’s spies, troubleshooters, and assassins. Most are little more than mercenaries.

The Shadow Thieves: This widespread syndicate has largely succeeded in driving all other Amnian thieves’ guilds out of business.

Church of Cyric: Cyric’s faith is powerful in Amn, since it espouses as virtues ambition, self-reliance, and the principle of “buyer beware.” The church is not seen as particularly murderous or antisocial by most Amnians. Those initiated into the deeper circles of the faith know otherwise. Merchants who don’t want to suffer mysterious monster attacks against their caravans and ships pay off the Black Sun. Many wish to arrange such things for their rivals and willingly participate in every sort of degradation and initiation demanded by the Prince of Lies. The Cyricists are working to elevate the Pommarch to the position of council leader.

The Emerald Cabal: This secret society of unlawful spellcasters opposes the whole crooked Amnian system. The cabal occasionally arranges “unfortunate events” for merchant lords who become excessively destructive.

Plots and Adventure Sites

The Cloud Peaks: These mountains mark the northern border of Amn. Despite being home to white dragons and other dangerous creatures, they are mined for iron, precious metal, and gems. A pair of steep crags known as the Fangs guards the Trade Way leading to the Sword Coast lands. Giants are sometimes seen scaling the crags as part of some ceremony or game. The Cloud Peaks are also home to the Mountain of Skulls, a temple dedicated to Cyric.

Lake Esmel: This dark blue lake plummets to unknown depths in its central, southern, and eastern portions. Hot mineral springs flow in the western shallows. Rumors speak of a great wyrm lairing there -- some stories describe it as red, others copper.

The Wailing Dwarf: An enormous vertical slab of rock 4,000 feet high in the western portion of the Troll Mountains is carved to resemble a dwarf. Named because of the noise of the wind blowing through its hollow eyes, ears, and mouth, it marks the site of an abandoned dwarven city. In more recent times, the underground ruin was controlled by an unusually clever tribe of trolls. A newer, more vicious force has taken over the site, however, slaughtering the trolls. During the last decade, no creature entering the Wailing Dwarf has returned to tell what new monstrosity hides in the fallen city.

Behind the facade of the Wailing Dwarf, the shackled bodies of maimed, regenerating trolls are strapped across walls and ceilings. This terrible spectacle is a warning posted by several guardian nagas that the trolls disturbed after pushing too far into the ruin, a clear message to intelligent creatures to retreat from the complex immediately lest they face a similar fate. The nagas, sentinels imbued with an unquenchable desire to protect their secrets, remain potent obstacles to any other creature seeking to find treasure or knowledge in the old dwarven city.

Muranndin

South of Amn lies the monster kingdom of Muranndin, comprising the city of Murann, the Small Teeth, and portions of the northern Wealdath and eastern Dragon’s Head peninsula. This realm isolates the independent duchy of Velen from the rest of Faerûn and exacts tolls on all traffic along the Trade Way. Marauders from Muranndin roam all nearby lands.

Slavery is common here. The monstrous conquerors of the city enslaved thousands of Amnians back in the 1370s, and many of the descendants of those unfortunates still serve the ogres, orcs, and bandits of the area. A human in Muranndin can easily fight his way out of slavery -- if he’s willing to show the orcs and ogres he’s as mean, nasty, and tough as they are.

Orc and ogre chieftains (as well as black-hearted human bandit lords) maintain scattered strongholds and keeps here. Although all are theoretically subject to the dictates of the kingdom’s leader, the Great Mur, infighting and feuds are common.

[Sword of Cyric]

Jawohl, so muss das sein! Ein Hoch auf die Kirche von Cyric!  :grin:

Und ich habe mir schon Sorgen gemacht das wir nach der Einkerkerung Cyric's an Einfluss verlieren  

[ElMorte]

Was ist denn mit der Ogermagi-Armee? Hats die zerissen?

[Zechi]

Was ist denn mit der Ogermagi-Armee? Hats die zerissen?

Nein, steht im letzten Absatz, die haben ein eigenes Reich.

Gruß Zechi

[Fabius Maximus]

Da haben sie doch glatt die Cowled Wizards von Untergrundbewegung zu offizieller Magiergilde á la Baldur's Gate II umgeändert. Retcon much?

[1of3]

Wieso Retcon? Es geht hier doch um die Situation 100 Jahre nach dem 3.x-Stand.

[ElMorte]

Was ist denn mit der Ogermagi-Armee? Hats die zerissen?

Nein, steht im letzten Absatz, die haben ein eigenes Reich.

Gruß Zechi

Den hab ich gesehen. Sicher das die das sein sollen? Immerhin hatten die ja auch einen Namen.

Und da ich diesen nicht gelesen habe, habe ich gefragt.

Aber warscheinlich hats sie zerissen und der Rest ist in das geschriebene aufgegangen.

[Zechi]

Was ist denn mit der Ogermagi-Armee? Hats die zerissen?

Nein, steht im letzten Absatz, die haben ein eigenes Reich.

Gruß Zechi

Den hab ich gesehen. Sicher das die das sein sollen? Immerhin hatten die ja auch einen Namen.

Und da ich diesen nicht gelesen habe, habe ich gefragt.

Aber warscheinlich hats sie zerissen und der Rest ist in das geschriebene aufgegangen.

Klar sind die das, ist doch genau die Stadt die sie damals erobert haben, darauf wird doch sogar im Text Bezug genommen mit Datum (1370 DR).

Gruß Zechi

[Fabius Maximus]

Wieso Retcon? Es geht hier doch um die Situation 100 Jahre nach dem 3.x-Stand.

Stimmt. Allerdings ist das ziemlich ungeschickt formuliert. Sie hätten die Veränderung ruhig erwähnen können. So wie es im Artikel formuliert ist, denkt man, das war schon immer so. Deshalb Retcon.