Tarmalune The largest of the Windrise Ports , Tarmalune was a huge , cosmopolitan port city located in the southeastern shores of Returned Abeir , considered by its inhabitants to be the rival of Faerûn ian Waterdeep in wealth , tolerant outlook , entrepreneurial spirit , the ambition of its residents , and the sheer number of constantly unfolding opportunities that presented to the inhabitants of the city . The city bustled with activity and its streets were crowded day and night with merchants , traders , adventurers , nobles and commoners alike . History . Tarmalune was originally named Tarmhaven , and like the other Windrise Ports , was part of the domains of the Dawn Titan Achazar . Eventually , however , Achazar fell into a deep sleep and the slaves declared themselves free . Dragon s shunned Tarmhaven out of fear of Achazar , who sleep in the form of giant pillar of fire amid the city , allowing Tarmhaven to grow in wealth and influence across Abeir . In time the city became known as Tarmalune Great Port , and later just as Tarmalune . In 1479 DR , Tarralune merchants arrived in Neverwinter in hopes to arrange permanent trade routes between Returned Abeir and Faerûn , and to outmaneuver their rivals from Lylorn , who arrived in Luskan with similar goals . Government . Tarmalune was ruled by the twenty members of the Council of Tarmalune , an assembly of traders of many races and both genders , although human males were predominant among its ranks . The head of the Council was known as the Lord Speaker . In 1479 DR , the Lord Speaker was Hamminas Dorn . Defenses . The city had no standing army but the Vigilant order acted as the city watch . If needed , the Vigilant hired adventurers or mercenaries to supplement their own forces . Law and order . Tarmalune had a lot of lenient and limited laws that were limited in reach . City clerks avoided to bring matters before the Council when they truly believed ignorance of the law played a part in an incident , and the Vigilant guided themselves by a " let Tarralune be Tarralune " philosophy rather than trying to control citizens through enforcement . As such , the Vigilant only arrested people when they caught them actually committing a crime . In the rare occasions when a criminal was caught , or when a conflict was brought to the law to be resolved , the Vigilant brought the involved individuals to the " Court of the Council " . Only four members of the Council were needed to judge any legal dispute , but however many councilors were present in the Court , three - quarters of them had to agree on a verdict or the accused party could go free of charges . The Council disliked having to make such judgments , however , so usually city clerks or even individual Vigilant tried to solve problems by talking with the involved individuals whenever possible . No lawyers worked in Tarmalune , but professional orators hired themselves to speak on behalf of people who could not defend themselves . Members of the Council allowed such orators because they were fun and also made those sessions go faster . It was forbidden for the city or the councilors to hire such services , however , and opposing parties rarely hired orators to argue against each other . No set penalties existed for any crime , and usually many crimes where settled by paying fines , or by seizing goods if the accused individual refused to or was unable to pay . Major crimes , however , warranted imprisonment , exile , and even maiming . In such instances , all sentences were made public knowledge and recorded in the city records . Tarralune laws forbid visiting ships to dock in the harbor for more than two nights at a time , and untying the ship to try to avoid to pay the fees for using the docks earned the offender to pay a triple fee as a fine . Cargo Taxes . Tarmalune authorities did not taxed shop sales or goods carried by land , but they did taxed unloaded ship cargo . Black - uniformed city inspectors known as " ravens " were in charge to record any unloaded goods in the docks and issue the orders for merchants to pay the respective taxes . Harming or hampering an inspector earned imprisonment , seizure of all goods and city properties , and exile from Tarmalune ; also , if an inspector resulted injured , an identical injury was inflicted to the injurer . Trade and business . As of 1479 DR , Tarmalune was the prominent and most successful merchant hub of the Windrise Ports . The city shops hold just anything , and as the old Abeiran saying goes " One can buy anything in Tarmalune " . Tarralune merchants imported anything that promised to be a quick selling , or copied ( or at least tried to copy ) any popular goods they cannot import . Those copied goods were called " glims " in local speech . A popular tendency among investors of the last decades of the 15 century DR was to " sponsor " or " partner in " with merchants and shop owners , creating small communal business . The word " company " was unknown in Tarmalune . The equivalent terms were " tarneld " , a private shop in which investors had little control over the business operations ; and " skoun " ( pronounced " SKOON " ) , full partnerships between shop owners and their investors . Skoons were the most popular of the two business modalities in 1479 DR . Darren . Darren , or gambling clubs , were important everyday meeting places were wealthy Tarralune and visiting traders met to gossip , flirt , make new business contacts , and invest in various ventures brought in by " tarn - traders . " Those establishments shifted constantly in popularity , with the least desirable disappearing for a time and then reopening with new names and sponsors ( named " varth darren " ; " varth " was a term for " hot new " in Tarralune speech ) . The few darren popular for more than a decade were Vaerungo ' s and Lothtar ' s Hearth . Tarn - traders . Tarn - traders were independent sponsors , brokers , and hucksters , usually former merchants who had retired from their business or had sold their tarnelds , and had enough resources and contacts to successfully arrange mercantile deals for third parties ( " Tarn " was a Tarralune old term for " rising wealth " ) . Society . Tarmalune was in a constant state of change . As such , each new month brought changes in fashion , ways of making things or doing business , and new faces rose to the center of attention in society , or even seized real power among investors and traders . Despite being free of draconic influence , Tarmalune wasn ' t a kind city for escaped slaves . Not only did slaves own nothing , and thus were unable to live in a city were money was so important like it was in Tarmalune , but also Tarralune feared that dragons eventually would believe that Tarmalune had become a haven for escaped slaves and decided that the city had to be destroyed . Social classes . Tarmalune didn ' t had any formal nobles . Old and wealthy families had political power and were called " highcloaks " or " old wealth " by commoners . However , in a city were money was so important , newly risen rich families ( called " new coins " ) had the same influence as well . Customs . Commoners lived in rented apartments , as only the wealthy were allowed to own properties in Tarmalune . Rent contracts were renewed annually , usually in midsummer , unless a person lost wealth or prestige , being forced to get a less expensive home . As of 1479 DR , the number of citizens in Tarmalune was increasing as such rate that public houses were becoming scarcer and more expensive . Pets were forbidden for commoners , but wealthy Tarralune could had pets , usually exotic animals . However , even the humblest Tarralune keep a few caged chickens for fresh eggs , or to eat them if needed . Because to their way of living , it was unusual for Tarralune to prepare their own food . Usually most of the citizens , and people visiting the city , dined in the street from " simmer wagons " , wagons that were positioned across the city and sell all kinds of food and drink . A few Tarralune preferred to eat on bake shops , taverns , inns or darren . The wealthy Tarralune , on the other hand , were able to employ cooks and enjoy homemade food . The highborn Tarralune also employed permanent maids and " hands " ( servants who performed multiple task , such as taking care of animals , provide personal protection , or do menial work ) . Servants working for people of lower status only did it as part - time jobs . Culture . Religion . Religion was uncommon in Tarmalune , like in the rest of the Windrise Ports , and the following of minor cults dedicated to the Dawn Titans or to dragons , as well as general superstition , were more universal than worshiping the gods , that were a novelty introduced in Laerakond since the Blue Breath of Change . Among the major cults of Tarmalune was the Seekers of Scales , a cult that worshiped dragons in general . However , thanks to their cosmopolitan nature and their trade with Faerûn , the cities of the Windrise Ports were more open to the concepts of religion and the gods than other places of Laerakond . Although there was no preferred religion among Tarralune , the most influential religions established in the Windrise Ports were the faiths of Bahamut , Sune , Tempus , Tiamat , Umberlee , Valkur , Vergadain , and Waukeen . Layout . Tarmalune was once described as " jaws about to close around as much sea as they could swallow , " because the form the city had if viewed from the sky . The streets of Tarmalune were broad enough to turn a cart without any problems . There were no sidewalks , and rather than having a central sewage to shed water to side gutters , streets sloped down from flanking buildings to a slimy open drainage running down the center of the street . Thanks to abundant suckertails , however , Tarmalune was a clean city free of garbage and bad odors . Most city houses were narrow , high - peaked stone buildings four stories tall , bristling with dormers as the spontaneous fires caused by the Raging Flame had resulted in laws banning roofs made of inflammable materials . Businesses typically were re - purposed houses , with a shop in the cellar , another at street level , and rooms for rent on the upper floors . Most dwellings had their own small rear stables . Being a city that changed with the seasons , however , Tarmalune had a few different buildings , from special shops and grand mansions to small stone towers akin to citadels , and architecturally strange experiments . Aside from the Raging Flame , Tarmalune major landmarks were the two fountains , Fairwynd Plume and Duthsummer Plume , located in open squares north and south of the harbor , respectively . Organizations . Alongside the Vigilant , other prominent orders existed on Tarmalune . Trivia . A popular fashion among Tarralune in 1479 DR was to wear scale mail made with actual dragonborn scales , willingly donated by their former owners .