The Southgate District

Southgate is the first part of the city most travelers will see when they arrive in Karis , thanks to its location near the gate in the South Wall. As a result, it functions as one of the primary merchant hubs. Many of the city’s inns and traveller services are therefore located in this area, as are the majority of the markets and vendors. First-time visitors to Karis often describe entering Southgate as a sudden assault on the senses. As one of the busiest districts in the largest city on The Tranquil Coast, Southgate offers a rich panoply of sights, sounds, and smells that visitors from more remote areas have likely never experienced. Pack animals crowd the cobblestone streets carrying food and other goods from the surrounding countryside, contributing to the neighborhood's overall barnyard smell. If the smell of unwashed horses and cow manure gets too much for you, you can make your way to Crannock's Square, where spice merchants from Assana Deiag ply their wares, and the air is thick cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a dozen other less-known spices mixed together. As a port city, Karis has visitors and residents from all parts of Amerak and beyond. Villagers with little experience beyond the common tongue can hear ironmongers explaining the quality of their craftsmanship in Dwarven, apothecaries extolling the virtues of coral root in High Elvish, and Halfling cloth merchants haggling over the price of Vancian wool. You'll also hear no small amount of Orcish from the Orcs who work variously as body guards and laborers, something which can be particularly unnerving to anyone who's ever witnessed the aftermath of an Orc raid.

Demographics

Most of the city's merchants live and work in this area.

Infrastructure

The enormous South Wall, Karis's only landwall, dominates the entire district. The wall has only one gate, through which all travelers must pass.

Architecture

Unlike the clean marble buildings of The Presidium District or the large open boulevards of The Heights, Southgate is a crowded commercial district in which most of the buildings are constructed of wood, wattle and daub. Because Southgate is the first part of the city seen by overland travelers, having a space to sell your wares in the district is highly prized by Karis's merchants. This has led to significant overcrowding in the district and a tendency to use cheap and quick building techniques over more robust ones.