Port Nyanzaru
Port Nyanzaru hugs the coastline at the south end of the Bay of Chult. No other city exists in Chult, along the coast or anywhere else, except in ruins or overrun by monstrous creatures. Until recently, Port Nyanzaru was under the firm control of Amn, a foreign nation. Eleven years ago, Amn was forced to relinquish the city to a wealthy and powerful consortium of Chultan traders backed by the Ytepka Society (pronounced yeh-TEP-kah), or risk a bloody conflict that probably would have ended with the city winning its independence anyway. Seven Chultan traders have since grown into influential merchant princes, enticing folk from up and down the Sword Coast with their exotic wares.
Government
By 1479 DR, Amn controlled all mercantile activities in the city, and people unaffiliated with a trading company were forced to live in shantytowns outside the walls.
Sometime in the late 1480s or early 1490s DR, the city won its independence from Amn due to the influence of a consortium of Chultan traders backed by the Ytepka Society. With help from the Society, the traders then rose to the title of merchant princes and ruled the city in a council where each had equal vote. Goldenthrone was the seat of governance for the merchant princes.
By the late 1480s or early 1490s DR, the seven merchant princes of Port Nyanzaru were:
- Ekene-Afa
- Ifan Talro'a
- Jessamine
- Jobal
- Kwayothé
- Wakanga O'tamu
- Zhanthi
Defences
Enemies surround Port Nyanzaru on all sides. The jungle teems with ferocious reptiles and murderous undead, pirates prowl the surrounding sea, and the mouth of the bay is home to a greedy dragon turtle.
The port was protected by a high stone wall and designed with defense as a priority, due to the many pirates in the waters of the Shining Sea.
Industry & Trade
Port Nyanzaru is a bastion of civilization and commerce in a savage land. The amount of business that unfolds here and the cash that moves through its counting houses would make any merchant of Baldur’s Gate or Waterdeep jealous. It’s also a colorful, musical, aroma-filled, vibrant city in its own right. Other than trade, the biggest attractions are the weekly dinosaur races through the streets. Locals and visitors alike wager princely sums on the races’ outcomes. The city also boasts grand bazaars, glorious mansions and temples, circuses, and gladiatorial contests.
Architecture
The ground floors of most buildings are made of stucco-covered stone and have tiny windows to keep out the heat at street level. The upper floors have bamboo or thatch walls with enormous windows to let in the breeze, under broad thatched or tiled eaves. All buildings are richly decorated with paint, ivy, and vivid flowers. Some are painted in symmetrical, geometric patterns of straight lines and sharp angles, while others portray animals, monsters, landscapes, and heroes in a stylized manner unique to Chult. Where space permits, buildings traditionally include a walled yard or garden.
Natural Resources
All the city’s water comes from rain, so every building has a cistern or wooden barrels to catch water running off the roof. Every public square is built around a fountain or rain basin. With so much water running downhill, Chultans also make excellent use of water-driven mechanical gadgets. Many buildings have water wheels built into their cisterns. Rainwater running through spouts or channels turns the wheel, which pumps water into pools, turns millstones, powers bellows or lathes or saws, or accomplishes any other labor-saving or amusing task Chultan engineers can dream up.
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