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I decided to make a history for the character I created in 5e. My DM tells me that we are 150 years after the Spell Plague so around 1535 DR.

I want to somewhat follow the history of the areas.

My character is human and not from the Sword Coast area.

I was looking for a capital city mostly populated or ruled by humans (any suggestions here would be nice).

Areas I took a look at was Cimbar. If anyone has any information about Cimbar or other cities around it, this would be great.

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    \$\begingroup\$ What class is your character? Certain locations provide good backgrounds for particular classes, like Rashemi berserkers, etc. \$\endgroup\$ – ZwiQ Oct 12 '17 at 22:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ @zqiQ hes, a fighter, Eldritch Knight, also his background is far traveler which is why hes in the sword coast \$\endgroup\$ – Sandy Oct 12 '17 at 23:05
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    \$\begingroup\$ I've closed this as it's too unfocused for us to handle properly. It looks like a discussion starter that would be more appropriate on a forum, such as one of these in the forum list we've curated. We do best when we can provide specific single best answers to questions, but this is seeking arbitrary stuff about places, Cimbar, history, and lore, without any single specific question for us to answer directly. \$\endgroup\$ – doppelgreener Oct 13 '17 at 22:39
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If you happen to get a hold of the 3e FR Campaign Setting, it is an excellent book for what you are asking for. 320 pages long, small font, information packed. The Second Sundering effectively put FR to very much the same state as it existed during 3e (people have died/retired/moved on, but the cities, states and communities are very similar).

As you asked about Cimbar in particular, FRCS describes it as a metropolis with over 100k population, the traditional capital of Chessenta. It is said to have a large fleet in the inner sea, and boasts participation in philosophy, arts, and music. Chessenta is populated mostly by humans (82%); and its peoples are described to be living their lives to the fullest, feasting and fighting often. Rulers are mostly retired warriors. They practice slavery, and slaves are kept illiterate except those in Cimbar. The middle class controls the economy.

You can also benefit from the FR wiki. See the Cimbar entry.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ That book seems interesting, I never really played DnD until like a month ago but read a lot of the books. I always thought 3e was well before the spellplague stuff \$\endgroup\$ – Sandy Oct 12 '17 at 22:24
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Sandy: Yes, a lot of people disliked the Spellplague, including people like R.A. Salvatore or Ed Greenwood. \$\endgroup\$ – ZwiQ Oct 12 '17 at 22:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ZwiQ I'm interested in knowing more about why those two disliked the Spellplague. Is their dislike of it documented enough that I could get an answer if I asked about their opinions in a separate question? \$\endgroup\$ – Thunderforge Oct 12 '17 at 22:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Thunderforge: Yes, this is well documented. I can try to dig you R.A. Salvatore's opinions on this. \$\endgroup\$ – ZwiQ Oct 12 '17 at 22:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ZwiQ Thanks, here's my question: rpg.stackexchange.com/q/108252/7373 \$\endgroup\$ – Thunderforge Oct 12 '17 at 22:44
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Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep are good choices if you don't want to spend anything; they've been used so much that you can turn up plenty of lore with web searches.

The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, although perhaps inferior to other references in some ways, is your most contemporary choice. As of this writing, it's the only book of its kind written for 5e, describing a post-Spellplague Forgotten Realms.

Bear in mind that it, and any other published materials, are contemporary to roughly the year 1490. Your DM has (perhaps intentionally) set you several decades beyond any official published material. Between that, and DM prerogative to tweak the world as appropriate, be sure to check in with them!

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