NOTE TO THE OM: MAKING THE REALMS YOURS
The information in this chapter is intentionally nonspecific
with respect to threats, monsters, and statistics. While
you can use these details to flavor your descriptions of the
towns and cities your players might visit, you should in no
way consider these pieces of narration definitive. They're
meant to provide touchstones, not to constrain your play-
ers to a narrow conception of the world.
You might decide to change some of the details, either
to surprise your players or to account for events that have
transpired since they obtained the information herein.
You're encouraged to take what's presented here and make
it, and the Forgotten Realms, your own.more rambunctious offspring to unleash some of their
destructive tendencies without harming the family's rep-
utation in proper society. As a result of being a member
of the Lords' Alliance, Amphail is the equal of such
great cities as Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate in matters
that concern the other powers of the region, despite its
clear inferiority in size and strength.
Amphail's sovereignty means that, although patrols
from the Waterdeep City Guard sometimes ride north to
check on matters in Amphail, the only true authority in
the town is the will of the noble families that control it.
The primary business of Amphail is horse ranching, and
the town is a fine place to find replacement mounts, and
all manner of tack, bridle, feed, and other goods neces-
sary to keep up one's horse. Most farms have farriers, or
at least hands that can swiftly shoe a horse, and spare
shoes all but litter the town.
Visitors to Amphail often get a polite admonishment
to "mind the high born" or "ware silver saddles" from
the locals, but those who ignore such warnings should
expect no help if they get into trouble with the nobility.
Amphailans are by their nature suspicious of and quiet
around folk who openly display wealth or status, having
learned early in their lives that nobles are folk who
like to throw their weight around, to the detriment of
anyone nearby without enough coin or a grand enough
title to stand up to them. I find that these common folk
are ideal sources of information about the very people
they distrust.
For their part, the young nobles that litter the town
seem to make mischief mainly because they can. The
feuds and rivalries that would generate only carefully
worded insults in the city can escalate into brawls
when these miscreants are far from the watchful eyes
of their parents. Duels have long been prohibited by
mutual agreement, due to the blood feuds they pro-
voked in the past, but hands often drift to sword hilts
when heated words are exchanged. Nearly every other
sort of noble indiscretion is foisted on the residents of
Amphail. Those who suffer property damage or worse
at the nobles' hands are forced to forgive the offense
in exchange for the application of coin or a promise
made in the transgressor's name (suggesting that the
youngster's relatives will handle any obligations). Some
businesses survive entirely by bringing the comforts of
Waterdeep to Amphail, creating gathering places where
young nobles can feel at home.
The three greatest families with significant inter-
ests in Amphail are Houses Amcathra, Ilzimmer, and
CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH
Roaringhorn; and most coin and business eventually
passes through the hands one of those houses or its
intermediaries. When Amphail joined the Lords' Alli-
ance, these three houses were the loudest and most
influential voices, and now control the rulership of
the town, with the controlling family changing each
Shieldmeet. The current Lord Warder is Dauner Ilzim-
mer, who speaks for the town to the Lords' Alliance.
House Amcathra has yet to choose its successor for
next Shieldmeet. Houses Jhansczil and Tarm have
smaller breeding concerns in the area, and House
Eagleshields has holdings near Amphail that it uses to
continue its long tradition of caring for unhealthy ani-
mals from nearby farms, and offers fine tack and other
gear for sale.
Among the common folk, the Oglyntyr family has the
largest and oldest cattle and horse farm in Amphail,
and supplies some of the finest Amphail grays (loyal,
intelligent steeds favored as personal mounts) to nobles
and travelers in the region. A new family, not noble
but possessing much wealth, has purchased the old
Baldasker ranch. We suspect that the Hemzar family,
who were unknown in either Amphail or Waterdeep
before the purchase, like most of the mysterious matters
in Amphail, may have the secret backing of one noble
house or another.
My contacts say the Oglyntyrs have petitioned the
Ilzimmers to help crush this upstart business, a move
that they are considering. I visited the Hemzar ranch,
and I'd consider such a move inadvisable. A large family
of Tashlutar descent, they seemed capable and confident
of their position, despite my warning. I wasn't allowed
the opportunity to explore the property fully, but I
did note signs that the Hemzars are prepared to rear
and train far more dangerous beasts than horses and
cattle. I was then tempted to warn the Oglyntyrs, but
that family can be as odious as the worst nobles. These
things tend to sort themselves out.
The noble families ofWaterdeep who send their chil-
dren to Amphail, or allow them to go there, hope that
their sons and daughters will learn some lessons about
life while away from Waterdeep. If they are going to
cause damage or hurt feelings in the process, at least
they will do so far away from the watchful eyes of the
other nobility of the city. To the young nobles, there is
no one in Amphail of any real consequence who might
be permanently harmed by any improprieties. They also
believe there is no one of note nearby to hear these hot-
headed youngsters issue their boasts and proclaim their
schemes-I have tnore than once learned of a threat
simply by listening to children of different houses brag
to one another about matters that were meant only for
the family.
Aside from the excesses of its nobles, Amphail is a
peaceful town, with the threat of full-scale retaliation
from both Waterdeep and the Lords' Alliance casting
a long, dark shadow over any plans to disturb matters
there. The nobles of Waterdeep have heavy purses,
and are willing to spend as much coin as necessary
to protect their favored playground-and to punish
anyone that might disrupt their control over it. The
only thing the nobles don't seem to be able to spend