Strea-Tarl
Population: 366,000
Major Products: Agriculture, Mining, Fishing, Ship Building, trade, exotic drinks, slaving.
Armed Forces: 12,000 well-trained and paid soldiers, with a draft system in time of need.
City Guard- Bladesmen
Patrols of 10 Scale Mail w/shields AC 5 HP 7-10 Long Sword, Light X-bow; THAC0 19 3/2
People's Police (for bribe roll on friendly column, and halve bribe amount.)
Groups of 2-4 Black Leather AC 8 HP 6-8 Mace, Net; THAC0 20 1 att.
Description: Strea-Tarl, contained by a 35 foot wall, has many districts to offer. Customs vary from ward to ward, as does the clientele.
The Bazaar boasts only a couple of permanent buildings, mostly being occupied by peddlers wagons, carnival like tents filled with entertainment, small specialty booths, fortune telling tents, food stands, and what not. These booths and tents are taken down every evening and at night the Bazaar takes on more of a spooky atmosphere.
In stark contrast the Learned Ward shows a drastic change in scenery. Here is where the intellectuals of the city make their living. Sages, certain guilds, the Great Library, private schools and more expensive shops exist here. Weapons are rarely displayed here, and the area is excellently patrolled. Nearby, Religious Aisle contains all of Strea-Tarls religious temples and churches. Holding a few shops, mostly people will see priests looking for converts, or theologians in deep discussion. The North Ward is where the upper class and the Nobility of the city live. More expensive shops, as well as nicer taverns are located here. In the Trades Ward, one can find most any business in the books. Many taverns, varying in quality and style, can be found here. Many guilds, apartment houses, and a few warehouses occupy this area. This area is the most trafficked throughout the day.
The Slavers Block is adjacent to the Trades Ward. Many different people buy and sell slaves here. Nobles, commoners, gladiator trainers, sailors, and even certain religions purchase the demihumans here. The auctioning of a big, strong slave can be as exiting as the exiling of a criminal.The Arena Ward is sandwiched between the two previous wards. Not only, is there the huge Gladiatorial Stadium, but there are smaller warehouses and taverns, each holding gladiator fights and games, where the small time fighters strive to gain fame or infamy as they hope to hear the crowd cheer them in the Gladiatorial Stadium. South of the Trades Ward is the South Ward. This houses most of the middle class and the commoners of Strea-Tarl. There are a few businesses, inns, and even a small park.
Indulgence Way is filled with gambling houses, brothels, cheap taverns, sleazy pawn shops, and a few abandoned buildings, though not always empty. While tame during the day, its night life is wild, raucous, and at times quite dangerous. The Dock Ward is made up mostly of docks, warehouses, fishermen and sailors from distant places. Here, if one is not a fisherman or sailor, they often get the feeling of not being welcome and not belonging. The stares they receive and the smell of rotted fish tend to keep others away from this ward. The Inner Slums are occupied by those who are down on their luck, recently widowed, or just plain unlucky. Those here tend to barely scratch out a living. Hazy Square is where the worst criminals lurk. A labyrinth of foul-smelling, dark alleys winding between old, decaying buildings, the streets and alleyways are littered with rubble, and often are overhung by upper levels, leaving the streets in almost perpetual shadows. Along with the Dock Ward, this is the oldest part of the city. The Outer Slums is on the outside of the city. These are truly the crippled, diseased, and insane.