Civil War in the Kingdom of Cormyr

Late at night, within the Royal Palace of Suzail, the capital of the Kingdom of Cormyr, Regent Alusair was still awake. Wearing a nightgown, she reclined on her bed and read through the latest intelligence that spies had just delivered.

As the largest city in the entire country, Suzail, like all regions that had joined the Trade Alliance, had experienced a population boom in an extremely short period of time. It now had a permanent population of a full hundred thousand.

Countless young and able-bodied workers from nearby villages flocked here in search of opportunities. They dreamed of making a fortune someday and becoming respected nobles or wealthy merchants.

After all, the Kingdom of Cormyr was simply too close to the Sword Coast Empire. They were separated only by an inland sea called Dragon Lake, surrounded by land on three sides. Only Westgate in the far east guarded the entrance leading to the Fallenstar Sea, so trade naturally flourished.

Ships of all sizes sailed freely across these waters, which had neither pirates nor particularly violent waves.

Some vessels were so small that they had only a single mast for a sail and still required men to row them. Round and plump, they looked like oversized bathtubs.

They continuously transported agricultural goods abundant in the Cormyr countryside—grain, livestock, alcohol, fruits, and vegetables—along with exquisite carved crafts, coal, and timber, to the port cities across the water for sale.

Then they purchased all sorts of fine clothing, erotic goods, magic items, bizarre potions, assembly-line weapons and equipment, spices, and various luxury goods from the Sword Coast Empire, bringing them back to Cormyr and even the Vale for sale.

Although profits were usually not particularly high because of the short distance.

The risks were so low that they could practically be ignored.

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