This scroll records compiled data on over 90 cities of the Realms, combining magical, mercantile, military, and social statistics into a sortable ledger.
📜 About This Scroll
This dataset unifies canonical Forgotten Realms sourcebook data with carefully interpolated metrics
based on known trade routes, political weight, magical infrastructure, and published population figures (primarily pre-1372 DR).
📘 Metric Explanations
- Population: Based on canon or scale-matched cities; towns below 10k noted where possible.
- Ships/day: Extrapolated from harbor prominence, sea access, and canon notes (Waterdeep ~40/day anchor).
- Wagons/day: Based on trade road density and economic role; Waterdeep ~220/day anchor.
- Bank Assets (gp): Sum of known wealth in treasuries, vaults, temples, and guild banks; scaled from canon anchors (e.g. Waterdeep ≈ 45 M gp).
- Export Index: 0–100 scale of trade diversity and outbound volume. Waterdeep, Calimport, Athkatla top this list.
- Mage Index: Arcane influence on economy. 12 = low; 28 = active; 40+ = mage-dominant (e.g., Halruaa, Silverymoon).
- Military Index: Defensive capability, standing armies, and fortress value. 12 = watchmen; 40+ = hardened stronghold.
- Threat Index: Local volatility: monsters, politics, tyranny, criminal syndicates. 12 = stable; 45+ = Skullport/Zhentil-tier.
- Trade Hub: Interregional connectivity, based on sea/road/magical links. 100 = Waterdeep.
- Literacy %: Estimated reading/writing ability based on temples, schools, magical culture, or elite presence.
- Why Loaded: Lore justification for a city’s wealth, drawn from sourcebooks or extrapolated with historical logic.
- Key Players: Factions, families, guilds, or institutions who control the city’s wealth or steer its economy.
🛠 Methodology
Canon anchors come from Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3E), Volo’s Guides, Lords of Darkness,
City of Splendors, and FR Atlas. Where data is missing, we used proportionate interpolation based on trade prominence,
population class, and geographic position. Every number is traceable and justifiable, though many are estimates for comparative gameplay or campaign use.
You are encouraged to override numbers for your campaign. This is a launch pad, not a lawbook.