Starkov

A patchwork of small rice farms stretches from the city's mighty stone walls to the rocky rises of the foothills. Peasants pulling carts mingle with messengers, soldiers, priests and a host of others on the worn cobblestone road into Starkov. The city's gates have stood open so long weeds and wood rot are setting in around the bottoms of the timbers. Guards lazily wave people through into the riot of clashing store signs and merchants' shouts within.
Starkov is the Lake Province's capitol and largest city. It sits at the nexus of two major trade routes, bringing wealth and goods from far and wide.
Fierce fighting and fires during the Spring holidays has left parts of the Plazas and Market Gate districts destroyed and uninhabitable. Among the losses were the Capitol Legion's administrative office, Vizier Morl's workshop, and dozens of homes.
The common people are shaken by recent events, but grimly get on with their lives. Refugees from countryside hamlets and farms trickle in on carts and on foot. There aren't enough places for the displaced to sleep, and makeshift shelters are cropping up in alleys.
Market Gate
The city's biggest gate only closes in an emergency. Carts and wagons roll through it at all hours. The district that has built up around it is an ever-shifting maze of temporary stalls selling anything imaginable, where goods change daily with each caravan that comes or goes.
The Mythic Mystic (magic shop)
Proprietor Vira Birdsong retired from adventuring half a century ago with a dragon's hoard and a desire for a comfortable life. She opened the Mystic to keep busy. Her selection is often slim, but she always has at least a few magic potions and a titharforged weapon or two in stock.
The Scales Lodgings and Alehouse
One of the first businesses visitors will notice inside the gate is this massive three-story establishment. Its first floor is a tavern that never closes. Its second floor is mostly open space (a flophouse for poorer travelers), but has a few private meeting rooms. The top floor is entirely private inn rooms. The Scales does brisk business catering to the needs of traders, and you can always find a moneychanger or a messenger for hire.


North Gates
These gates bring traffic from the rest of the province and from across the great plains to the west. The sparse dwellings outside this gate are a tight-knit community of orcs and orc-kin. They are mostly farmers, but many young Northgaters find work as guards and mercenaries.
The Flat Axe Pub
This is the rowdiest drinking establishment in the city. Brawlers from around the province come here specifically to get into bar fights, because pit fighting agents often both drink and recruit here.
West Gate
The West Gate guards the road to Southam and the provinces to the southwest. Most of those who live outside the gate are farmers with plots in the rice paddies on this side of the city.
South Gates
Other gates on the southern side of the city tend to be much smaller and quieter than the Market Gate. Most of the traffic through these consists of local farmers and artisans who deliver their wares to established businesses in the Plazas. The vast sprawl outside these gates is a hodgepodge of artists and artisans' shops and the homes of those displaced from other parts of the province.
The Plazas
The majority of the city is broken up into village-like neighborhoods spreading out radially from small plazas. Each one only has one shop of any given kind, but complimentary businesses often cluster together. Thus, a tavern might set up next to a grocery and a brewery. Each plaza has its own distinct flavor.
The Market Street Shelter
To serve the needs of those displaced within the city, a huge temple has cleared out its worship spaces and converted them into temporary accommodations. It has a total of two hundred and thirty beds and can feed twice that many people from its expanded kitchen. It is funded by donations, with any shortfalls covered by the Viceroyalty.

The Pits
The "pits" are a collection of loosely-affiliated fighting venues, from basements with crude rings to "brawl and beer" clubs. Each pit has its own rules and culture.


Edge of Madness
Almost no one refers to this district as the "Docks" anymore. The dangers posed by Thostyr Lake drove off the fishermen and longshoremen first, then eventually everyone but the most desperately poor. Between street gangs and lake-warped monsters lurking in alleys, this the harshest place to live in the whole province.
The massive Starkov Library lies within the Edge. Scholars and wise elders across the province lament that the largest collection of information on this side of the continent has been left to dereliction and decay.



LEGACY INFORMATION

Life on the Edge (regional trait)
Those who live in the Edge of Madness often trade bits of magical and monster lore as currency. It's as valuable as gold when avoiding the creatures and strange phenomena in the district. They gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Dungeoneering, Spellcraft and Stealth checks. These skills are always class skills for them.

Plaza Schooled (regional trait)
The Plazas are relatively insulated from the horrors and the trials of the outside world, letting their residents focus on pursuits other than survival. Choose two Craft, Knowledge, Profession or Perform skills. These skills gain a +1 trait bonus and are always class skills for you. In addition, your trained mind gives you a +1 bonus on Will saves.