Marsember

Marsember is a metropolis and the busiest port in Cormyr, situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Starwater River.

Demographics

Dwarves, elves, half-elves, halflings, humans

Government

All mages entering the city had to register with the Crown's Representative (King's Lord of Marsember) before sundown. Buildings had to be constructed from stone and covered with stucco that had to be replaced whenever deemed necessary by a local inspector. Cedar or slate had to be used for roofing.

Defences

The Warden of the Port is responsible for the twelve ships (with around 2,200 crew) from the Imperial Navy that are stationed in Marsember. These ships regularly patrol the Neck, the area of the Dragonmere known for piracy. About 250 new naval crew are recruited each year, using old galleons. There are 3000 Purple Dragons garrisoned here, who are required to learn how to swim, and wear only leather armor with metal helmets to prevent accidental drownings. They patrol the city on skiffs and also acted as customs agents. Every few years the soldiers in Marsember were rotated to cut down on corruption.

Industry & Trade

The main trade in Marsember was spices (giving it the alternate name "City of Spices") and the local merchant companies traveled great distances to acquire these substances. The trade fell off in the years up to 1370 DR. The fish trade was large, with fish being caught in the Lake of Dragons. The port was a builder of ships. Mustard produced in the uplands of Cormyr was exported in Marsember. Furniture with curved edges and coiled legs, the Marsembian style, and perfumes, were produced here.

Infrastructure

The sandy islands on which Marsember was built were all connected with bridges, but transport via skiff was common, and they served as status symbols.

As most citizens want their own water access to trade without paying the docking fees that reimburse the Crown for the costs of constant stone-hauling and canal dredging, the islands on which much of old Marsember stands are crisscrossed by a webwork of narrow, winding canals. These local sewers can only be politely described as "unpleasant." Their stench is incredible during hot, dry summers, and the heat of unseen things rotting in the depths keeps their steaming waters clear of ice even in the coldest winters.

Volo, Volo's Guide to Cormyr{/i}

Crypts and cellars in Marsember were damp at all times and flooded regularly. For this reason, burials were conducted upland, where the ground was both elevated and dry. However, this form of burial was limited to those who possessed the funds necessary to pay for the construction of crypts and mausoleums resistant to desecration, robbery and those wishing to bury their own dead inside without permission.
Those who could not afford inland burials had the option of utilizing dead barge cremations. A service provided by Marsemban city officials, dead barge cremations involved amassing corpses on a flat-bottomed boat that was set on fire after first being towed out onto the Dragonmere.

Guilds and Factions

The Thunderswords and Illance houses both have large, palatial homes enclosed in their own fortresslike walls here, but the Thunderswords are said to have purchased theirs--once the seat of the extinct Aurubaen noble house--to win themselves a private dock as an investment. By contrast, the Illance family has deep roots in Marsember and owns many properties through a complicated web of small companies bearing the names of others.

History

Marsember was originally founded on the Marsember Marsh by smugglers and pirates. Its expansion was attributable to the ease with which goods could be transported north up the Starwater River, which made it an excellent site for a port. In 6 DR, it was little more than a marshy port settlement. By 26 DR, there were rumours that Marsember was hit by a plague or a sea monster, causing more trade to head to nearby Suzail. By 376 DR, Marsember had been abandoned twice. It lay in ruins at this time and was used regularly by pirates, but hired adventurers periodically cleared them out.
Some time between 376 DR and 432 DR, merchants from Marsember spread a plague to the rest of Cormyr, infecting many in Suzail.
Beginning during the reign of King Palaghard II, Marsember has paid for quarry rubble from mines near Tyrluk to be dumped on the seaward side of the sandy islands of which much of the city is comprised, to prevent them being swept into the sea.
The city has had problems for many years with doppelgangers, members of the Dragon Cult, illithids, Sembians and the Zhentarim.
In 1188 DR Marsember was a nominally independent city-state and was sought by Sembia. A Sembian acquisition was favoured by Marsemban merchants, but not by the nobility in the city, because its independence made it a good place to conduct affairs away from the scrutiny of the Cormyrean population. The Sembians withdrew their attempt to seize Marsember after an assassination attempt on King Pryntaler Obarskyr failed.

Maps

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  Marsember

Alternative Name(s)

City of Spices

Type

Metropolis

Population

38,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Marsembian or Marsemban

Location under

Cormyr

Owner/Ruler

Bledryn Scoril

Owning Organization

House Obarskyr

Characters in Location

• Bledryn Scoril