Amn, the Merchant's Domain

Known as the Merchant's Domain, Amn is a tremendously wealthy nation in western Faerun. At the pinnacle of its power, Amn held colonies as far away as Maztica until it was taken by the Spellplague. To this day several important trade routes from Calimshan to Baldur's Gate are controlled by the Amnians as well as colonial forts in the Moonshaes and Chult. Despite some loss of influence over recent decades, the Amnians remain a colonial power and continue to seek opportunities to expand their influence and secure additional lucrative trade routes. It's natural resources and wealth, combined with its mercantile traditions have positioned Amn to serve as the most important and influential trading center in all of Faerun.   It's population, nearing 3 million current citizens, is comprised of an overwhelming human majority with an identifiable halfing minority. Other races are known to pass through, or in some cases take residence, in it's cities. In Amn, your coin creates your opportunity, not your origins. Athkatla represents the center of Amn's population but Crimmor, its second largest city, is crucially positioned to serve as courier to the capital and, in the event of invasion, a strategic and heavily fortified military installation. Other, smaller settlements, of Keczulla, Esmeltaran, Eshpurta, and Imnescar make up the remaining notable centers of population in the state.   Geographically, Amn is a small state. The weather is pleasant year round. It does not suffer the torturous summers of Calimport nor the brutal chill of the lands north of Waterdeep. The Cloud Peaks, Snakewood, and Troll Mountains serve to frame Amn's land to the north while The Small Teeth and rivers off of Lake Esmel establish its southern border. In the east, Amn's influence stretches as far as the Shining Plains, Shilmista Forest, and the Snow Lake Mountains.   The capital city of Amn is Athkatla, better known by the moniker "the City of Coin." It is the oldest settlement in Amn and undeniably its most prosperous metropolis. Nearly every aspect of life for a citizen revolves around money and commerce. The concept of affluence is so intertwined in its way of life that rumors abound in foreign lands that its streets are paved with gold. Millennia have been spent to create its current commercial structure, etched so deeply in the very fabric of its people that the concept of bartering is as comfortable as breathing.