Suldolphor

Suldolphor, which was also called Suldolphor the Golden or simply the Golden City, was a metropolis found in far eastern Calimshan.

Location

Suldolphor lay along the western banks of the strait called Talagath's Gauntlet, in between the Lake of Steam and the Shining Sea, making it the easternmost city in Calimshan.

Description

The city was made from stone and featured impressive towers and spires. Suldolphor was organized into 39 separate sabbans, or subdivisions, and 108 drudachs, or smaller subdivisions. Each individual sabban was enclosed by walls accessed by various gates, but this did little to affect the governing of the city as a whole.

A tri of gates—the Mists Gate facing the Lake of Steam, Golden Gate facing Calimshan, and Spice Gate facing south—provided access to the city from land.

Culture

Though its citizens paid taxes to Calimshan, Suldolphor's close geographical proximity to the Arnaden left many inhabitants secretly viewing their city as an independent city-state. Within the cities surrounding the Lake of Steam, Suldolphor was rivaled in size, wealth and status only by Ankhapur. Natives of the Golden City were eccentric with expensive tastes and enjoyed all of the latest fashions and other indulgences. A lucrative class of moneylenders, called redeems or redcoins, rose to support the expensive lifestyle of Suldolphor's inhabitants. In addition to a vigilant cadre of bodyguards, a redeem was protected by a double-death contract to ensure their safety. Any outstanding debt carried by any of a deceased redeem's clients was legally obligated to pay double what they owed to the redeem's estate.

The Foremost was the most esteemed fashion-setting individual within the city. The holder of this prestigious title changed often as rivals enjoyed one-upping each other.

The Golden City was ruled by an Olanger, or Heartflame of Suldolphor, who was an ancient priestess of Waukeen named Daeranatha Dorluu. She had ruled Suldolphor for over a century by the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR.

Inhabitants

An estimated 158,500 people lived within the city in 1367 DR, with another 46,500 populating the nearby farms, ranches, and other nearby settlements. Additionally, another 38,000 would swell the city during the height of trade season. The vast majority of Suldolphor's inhabitants were human.

Trade

Suldolphor was famed for its intricate carvings from bone, wood, and stone. The city's crafsmen also made decorative handles for a variety of items and artistic blown glass pieces were another popular export. However, coin was by far Suldolphor's largest export and the city's moneylenders reached far from their home to provide their services, backing a large number of new businesses.

Defenses

The city's main line of defense, the Swords of Suldolphor, consisted of a militia number 16,000 soldiers. The olanger's elite guard, called the Flame Guard, consisted of another 2,000 highly-trained soldiers. The Flame Guard paid and oversaw the Swords of Suldolphor.

The Golden City protected their interests at sea along Talagath's Gauntlet with their navy, the Golden Sails, which consisted of a dozen sleek cutters in Year of the Shield, 1367 DR.

Notable Locations

Suldolphor was brimming with 750 taverns, 436 fest halls, and 287 members-only clubs. Some of the most popular establishments are listed below.

• Bright Shield Inn, an inn that welcomed foreigners and those who lived by the sword.
• Griffonpost House Inn, a clean and popular inn with sound-proofed walls.
• Shaldizar Inn, an expensive, yet popular place to be seen.
• Mist-kissed House, a series of six joined homes that valued their customers' privacy.
• Maskalaera's Couch, a raucous fest hall that made so much noise that the owner bought all of the neighboring buildings in the neighborhood to cease the noise complaints.
• Selmer's Mark, probably the most affordable tavern in all of Suldolphor.

History

The Golden City fell to a vicious Beholder attack as part of the Eye Tyrant Wars in Greengrass of Year of Many Eyes, −170 DR.