Port Nyanzaru is the only major settlement in Chult and serves as the primary entry point for adventurers traveling to the peninsula. The city functions as a vibrant bastion of civilization surrounded by hostile jungle, undead, and pirates.
Overview and Governance
Port Nyanzaru was under foreign control until nine years ago, when the Ytepka Society helped a consortium of Chultan traders seize independence. The city is now governed by seven merchant princes—the seven wealthiest individuals in Port Nyanzaru—who meet at Goldenthrone and hold equal votes on matters of state. Each merchant prince controls monopolies on specific goods and services.
The city is a bustling mercantile hub where enormous wealth flows through counting houses, attracting traders from across the Sword Coast. Beyond commerce, Port Nyanzaru is known for its weekly dinosaur races, grand bazaars, gladiatorial contests, and vibrant cultural life.
Character and Culture
Port Nyanzaru is a sensory explosion: buildings painted in bright blues, greens, oranges, and pinks; walls adorned with murals of giant reptiles and heroes; streets filled with flowers, vines, and tropical plants; and the constant presence of dinosaurs used as beasts of burden. Tabaxi minstrels perform on corners, and the air fills with unfamiliar spices, tropical fruit, and the sounds of clicking Chultan languages.
The population is predominantly Chultan (two-thirds), with the remainder being foreign profiteers, adventurers, and merchants. The city is divided by walls into distinct wards: the Merchants’ Ward, Harbor Ward, Market Ward, and outer slums (Old City, Malar’s Throat, Tiryki Anchorage). Wealthy residents live behind fortified walls on four steep hills, while roughly half the population lives exposed in the outer wards.
Key Features
Climate and Infrastructure: The tropical city experiences daily rain, making water management crucial. Every building has cisterns or barrels for catching rainwater, and public squares feature fountains or rain basins. Water-driven mechanical devices are common. Streets are paved with cobblestones and have deep rain gutters.
Markets: Three major markets drive commerce—the Grand Souk (luxury goods and imports), the Red Bazaar (daily necessities), and the Jewel Market (gems and rare items). All equipment from the Player’s Handbook can be purchased here, though heavy armor costs double or triple due to the climate.
Defenses: Stone walls protect the inner wards, topped with colorful awnings. When warning horns sound, outer ward residents flee inside until the all-clear. Guards are numerous, drawn primarily from Zhentarim mercenaries hired by the merchant princes.
Important Locations
- Goldenthrone (area 4): Opulent palace serving as the seat of government
- Grand Souk (area 6): The grandest of three markets, dealing in Chultan exports
- Executioner’s Run (area 2): A stone-lined pit where criminals face hungry beasts for entertainment
- Red Bazaar (area 18): Market for everyday goods; location of two inns (Thundering Lizard and Kaya’s House of Repose)
- Hall of Gold (area 21): Temple to Waukeen atop Mount Sibasa, with a golden roof visible for miles
- Harbor Ward: Includes the docks, Fort Nyanzaru, warehouses, and the harbormaster’s office (area 13)
Key NPCs
Syndra Silvane: The Harper agent who teleports characters to Port Nyanzaru stays with Wakanga O’tamu during the adventure, growing progressively weaker from the death curse.
Volothamp “Volo” Geddarm: The famous world traveler can be encountered anywhere in the city. He’s a font of information (not always accurate) but refuses to venture outside Port Nyanzaru.
Merchant Princes:
- Wakanga O’tamu: The only arcane spellcaster among the princes; deals in magic, lore, potions, and scrolls. Sympathetic to the Harpers and willing to help end the death curse. Possesses a wizard’s journal mentioning the shield guardian Vorn.
- Ekene-Afa: Former gladiator who sells weapons, shields, and traveling gear
- Ifan Talro’a: Greedy beast trader secretly in league with yuan-ti spies
- Jessamine: Deals in plants, poison, and sanctioned assassination; suffering from the death curse
- Jobal: Controls the guide monopoly; made his fortune under suspicious circumstances
- Kwayothé: Fire god worshiper who controls fruit, tej, oil, perfume, and insect repellent trade
- Zhanthi: Controls the jewelry trade through the Jewel Market
Factions
Multiple factions operate in Port Nyanzaru:
- Ytepka Society: Chultan organization that helped win independence; uses iron triceratops tokens as warnings
- Zhentarim: Provides most city guards and mercenaries; has infiltrated multiple operations
- Harpers: Maintain a network of spies; concerned about Artus Cimber and the Ring of Winter
- Lords’ Alliance: Representatives from Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and other cities compete for influence
- Emerald Enclave: Wilderness guides focused on protecting inhabitants from undead
- Order of the Gauntlet: Religious warriors maintaining camps upriver
- Red Wizards of Thay: Covertly searching for the Soulmonger
Services for Adventurers
Guides: Essential for jungle survival, guides can be hired through Jobal for 5 gp per day (negotiable down to 3-4 gp). Notable guides include Azaka Stormfang (weretiger), Eku (disguised couatl), River Mist and Flask of Wine (tabaxi siblings), and Salida (yuan-ti spy).
Special Goods: Canoes (50 gp), insect repellent (1 sp for incense, 1 gp for salve), rain catchers (1 gp), tej (Chultan honey wine), and yklwas (traditional Chultan spears).
Transportation: The Brazen Pegasus, a fast sloop captained by Ortimay Swift and Dark, offers sea travel for 10 gp per day for the whole party.
Threats and Challenges
Port Nyanzaru faces constant dangers: carnivorous jungle predators, undead horrors, pirates prowling the surrounding seas, and Aremag the dragon turtle guarding the bay’s mouth and demanding tribute from all ships.
The city serves as both sanctuary and launching point—a colorful, chaotic hub where adventurers gather supplies, hire guides, gather rumors, and prepare for the deadly expedition into Chult’s interior.