Athkatla
Capital in Amn · the City of Coin
Athkatla is the capital of Amn, a rich and ruthless port where merchant houses rule, the Shadow Thieves operate from the shadows and arcane magic needs a licence.
Coins clink on every counter, merchant palaces glitter beside crowded slums, and hooded wizards with licences watch everyone else whose spells might be unlicensed.
Athkatla at a glance
- Also known as
- the City of Coin
- Type & size
- Capital and great port city, About 122,000 (1479 DR)
- Allegiance & rule
- Allegiance: Amn
- Ruled by: Amn's ruling council of anonymous merchant princes (the Council of Six, later of Five), with the Shadow Thieves and the Cowled Wizards wielding great power
- People & culture
- Mostly humans, with halflings, dwarves and travellers from across the south; wealth-obsessed, ambitious and wary of arcane magic
- Key exports & trade
- Banking, trade and money-lending
- Goods shipped across the Sea of Swords
- Luxury goods of the merchant houses
Overview
Athkatla lies on the coast of Amn, south of the Sword Coast, with the Cloud Peaks to the north and the Small Teeth to the south. It is the heart of a realm where wealth means power, and its merchant houses trade with ports across the Sea of Swords and beyond.
Amn is ruled by a council of merchant princes (the Council of Six, later of Five) who keep their real names secret and are known only by their titles. In Athkatla, the use of arcane magic is controlled by the Cowled Wizards, who license and punish spellcasters.
The underworld
Athkatla is the home of the Shadow Thieves, one of the most powerful thieves' guilds of Faerûn, whose reach extends to Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate and beyond.
At the table
- A wizard in the party is arrested for casting a spell without a licence, and only a merchant house can buy their freedom, for a price.
On the map
Roads from Athkatla
- MurannBy sea · 156 mi
- CandlekeepBy sea · 250 mi
- BeregostBy sea · 320 mi
- Baldur's GateBy sea · 446 mi
- Caer WestphalBy sea · 602 mi
Regions nearby
- The Small TeethMountains · ~19 mi south
- The Cloud PeaksMountains · ~28 mi north
Nearby places
- MurannPort · ~105 mi
- CrimmorCity · ~118 mi
- NashkelTown · ~126 mi
- PurskulTown · ~170 mi
- CandlekeepFortress · ~219 mi
- BeregostTown · ~249 mi
Distances as the crow flies, measured on our map.