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Suzail (pronounced: /sˈzeɪlsoo-ZALE[4]) was the capital of Cormyr and the seat of power. It was named after Suzara Obarskyr, the mother of the first king.[5] It was originally the farm of Ondeth Obarskyr, the father of the first king.[6] Suzail was a large port city on the shores of lake Dragonmere.[7] The capital had a direct link to Waterdeep via the Waterdeep portal.[8]

The brightest gem in Cormyr's crown.
— Olaurae, sage of Myth Drannor c. 855 DR

Government[]

Suzail was the capital of Cormyr and the home of the ruling Obarskyr family. King Foril Obarskyr delegated much of the day-to-day tasks of running Cormyr to his Lord Magister Edwin Morahan who was responsible for keeping the peace, maintaining city services and collecting taxes. The Lord Magister was assisted by a herald who handled the paperwork necessary to run the city.[2]

Military[]

The landward side of Suzail was protected by an 80 ft. (24 Meter) wall. The city was further protected by the Citadel of the Purple Dragons as well as three gates which were essentially castles themselves.[2]

Two thousand Purple Dragons were garrisoned in the city and over one hundred War Wizards resided within the walls. After the Spellplague, most of the Imperial Navy was relocated to Suzail's harbor.[2]

Economy[]

HighGuildsSuzail

Merchants of the High Guilds of Suzail

Suzail was one of two Cormyrean ports and a huge variety of trade goods flowed through the city. Suzail primarily exported copper bars and grain and imported luxury goods such as spices, silk, and citrus fruit. Trade was dominated by merchant families and trading companies such as the Seven Suns Trading Coster, Trueshield Trading Priakos and the Glanend and Skatterhawk families.[2]

The city had a large number of trade guilds who took pride in their craftsmanship. The city was known for producing musical instruments, cloth, garments and swords, and armor. As of 1479 DR, the shipbuilding business, which had moved to Marsember, was beginning to make a comeback.[2]

Animal pelts from the Thunder Peaks and the Storm Horns did very good business in Suzail as of 1368 DR.[9]

Religion[]

Suzail boasted two large temples, one of Tymora and one dedicated to Oghma. In addition to the temples, there were shrines dedicated to the exarch of joy Lliira, the beastlord Malar, the god of war Tempus and the exarch of bards Milil.[2]

History[]

Peace? Idyllic summer days of sun, bright hope, and plenty? It's a pity, but most folk can find those only in their memories—never in the passing days as they live them. Myself, I'm generally too busy even to store away memories.
— Aglasz Jhavildar, Sage of Suzail, Lyres, Harps, and Horns: Sixty Years at Court, in Suzail and Elsewhere[10]

Suzail began as a farmstead in 6 DR when Ondeth Obarskyr and his immediate family settled there.[11] Others soon joined the new settlement and by 16 DR the population had grown to 350, having become a port a year earlier with the construction of the first dock.[12]

Between 376 DR and 432 DR, Suzail was affected by a plague brought from the merchants of Marsember, and many people died, despite the efforts of the priests. Once the priests had almost exhausted their healing spells, they reserved them for their own use and were consequently slaughtered by the peoples of Suzail. Only priests of Talona survived, but they merely further spread the plague.[13]

Around 429 DR, Suzail was sold to Magrath the Minotaur, a pirate lord, for 500 sacks of gold, by Melineth Turcassan, father-in-law to King Duar Obarskyr, who was away fighting orcs at the time. The city's treasury was plundered and Magrath assumed its rule.[14] Magrath was later defeated by King Duar and the city returned to normal.[15]

In 1018 DR, much of Suzail was set ablaze by three red dragons. The docks and the lower wards were worst affected because of their wooden construction.[16] The garrison of the city were able to defeat all three dragons,[17] but Thauglor soon arrived, demolishing part of Castle Obarskyr and setting it on fire.[18] In all, half of Suzail was destroyed in the attack and a third of its population was wiped out, in addition to extensive damage to the castle.[19]

Places of Interest[]

One sees the city's walls as one approaches, but there is no understanding them from a distance. It's only as one gets close, and they loom higher, and higher, and higher, that one appreciates the majesty of Suzail. I passed through gates the size of castles to enter this magnificent city. Its port is filled with ships from across the Sea of Fallen Stars, carrying goods from lands I only knew from legends. The docks overflow with fruit, spices, silks and animal pelts. You will not see a finer market, if you have the golden lions to spend.
— Excerpt from The Approachable East[20]

Landmarks[]

  • Castle Obarskyr, the castle of the King of Cormyr.
  • Citadel of the Purple Dragons, headquarters of the Purple Dragons where 2,000 knights were garrisoned.
  • The Lockup, an imposing building that resembled a giant stone square and served as Suzail's prison.[2]
  • The Promenade, a long, semi-circular street that divided the Royal Palace area from the rest of the city.[2]

Clubs, Inns, and Taverns[]

Shops[]

Residences[]

  • Wyvernspur House

Temples[]

  • House of Oghma, the temple dedicated to the Lord of Knowledge that served as a school and academy, training teachers, scholars, and scribes.[30]
  • The Silent Room, the temple of Oghma that was formerly dedicated to Deneir. It was home of the Oghmanyte Church in Exile.[2]
  • Towers of Good Fortune, the local temple of Tymora.[2]
  • Two unnamed shrines to Lliira and Tyr.[31]

Rumors & Legends[]

In the early 1360s DR, there was a rumor in circulation that the Red Wizards of Thay wanted to open a public teleport gate between the cities of Suzail and Waterdeep, but the project was shut down by a merchants' guild of one of the two cities.[32]

Appendix[]

See Also[]

  • Suzale, the colloquial name for "Purple Dragon ale" and a pun on the name of the city.[33]

Map[]

Appearances[]

Adventures
Four from Cormyr
Novels
Azure BondsCormyr: A NovelThe Ring of Winter
Video Games
Referenced only
Forgotten Realms: Unlimited AdventuresBaldur's Gate III

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Ed Greenwood (August 1992). “The Everwinking Eye: Words To The Wise”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #74 (TSR, Inc.), p. 14–15.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 Eric Menge (January 2012). “Backdrop: Suzail”. Dungeon #198 (Wizards of the Coast) (198).. Archived from the original on 2015-11-02. Retrieved on 2017-07-07.
  3. Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  4. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 81. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
  5. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 126. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  6. Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 113. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  7. Eric Haddock (1994). Cormyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 1-56076-818-5.
  8. Erin M. Evans (December 2012). Lesser Evils. (Wizards of the Coast), loc. 688. ISBN 978-0-7869-6136-8.
  9. James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (September 1994). “The Thunder Peaks and the Storm Horns”. In Karen S. Boomgarden ed. Elminster's Ecologies (TSR, Inc), p. 12. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
  10. Ed Greenwood (June 2000). “The New Adventures of Volo: Quotations of the Realms”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #272 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 95.
  11. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 90. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  12. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 127. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  13. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 240. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  14. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 240–241. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  15. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 251. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  16. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 321. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  17. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 322. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  18. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 323–324. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  19. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 325. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  20. Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
  21. James Lowder (November 1992). The Ring of Winter. (TSR, Inc), chap. 1, p. 13. ISBN 978-1560763307.
  22. James Lowder (January 1991). Crusade. (TSR, Inc), chap. 5. ISBN 0-8803-8908-7.
  23. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 220. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
  25. Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
  26. Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
  28. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (April 1998). Cormyr: A Novel. (TSR, Inc.), p. 223. ISBN 0-7869-0710-X.
  29. Ed Greenwood (2013-04-25). The Stench Carts. Forging the Realms. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved on 2013-05-08.
  30. James Lowder (November 1992). The Ring of Winter. (TSR, Inc), chap. 1, p. 14. ISBN 978-1560763307.
  31. Jeff Grubb, Kate Novak (October 1988). Azure Bonds. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 2, p. 18. ISBN 0-88038-612-6.
  32. MicroMagic (1993). Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures. Strategic Simulations, Inc.
  33. Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc), p. 128. ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.
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