Freehold
The Cavern
Freehold occupies a fairly central location in the Darklake, a cavern up to 1000' height above water and (allegedly) 500' below; 10's of miles across. The ceiling is spotted with glowing mushrooms/lichen, looking remarkably similar to stars. The cavern is large enough to have weather, and boy does it. Warm, muggy, and damp. The higher elevations are cooler and have lower humidity, but it's still warm enough that the air condenses on the ceiling and drips down giving everything a tropical feeling.
Uptown
From the lower levels you can dimly see lights sprinkled amongst the stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. Weaving between them are narrow stone walkways which seem impossibly suspended (or at least impossibly constructed). This is quite obviously the "wealthy" section of town, with different families claiming different stalagmites, or sections of the larger ones. Lifts / Elevators lead down to the Middle district
Midtown
From above, the middle district looks like a bustling city amongst the columns, crisscrossed with empty canals that provide spectacular views of the lower portions of the cave, without getting close enough to smell them. Mostly the domain of merchants and sernior guild-members, Midtown is roughly the middle-class section of town. From below Midtown looks like a mass of steel and concrete with lights peeking through the gaps.
The Bazaar
Centrally located in the city is a market area on the Midtown level, locally referred to as The Bazaar. The area is owned and controlled by the largest merchant families and guilds, with smaller businesses being force to operate in less convenient locations. Pretty much anything you want can be found somewhere in the Bazaar, including Overland commodities. Fresh/perishable overland food is extremely expensive, if it can even be found - the vast majority is preserved/dried/pickled/etc.
The Keel
Everything below Midtown is referred to as the Keel. In includes everything from the poorest of the slums (Bloodwater) to the port/warehouse work-class areas. Many smaller independent shops are located in the Keel, and most of the fishermen and hunters that frequent the town live here.
The Lighthouse
A limestone column lit at intervals with both glowing fungus and rings of magical light, the Lighthouse is located just past the edge of the city, towards the larger expanse of the lake. Housed within is the Library, as well as the Librarians who keep and maintain it, known as the Lightkeepers
Serpent Spire
A column of twisty and scaled-looking rock (Serpentite) stretching from top to bottom in the cave. It looks less like a lime deposit and more like a greenish stone snake that was revealed when everything else eroded away around it. It's in the center of the city and houses the government as well as the ruler, both abstractly referred to as the "Scales of Justice".
Bloodwater
The slums of town are named for the red brackish water it's floating on, or possibly for the violence that stems from desperation. Built out of floating barges anchored around stalagmites and to each other, this section of town is obviously gifted with sulfur springs under the lake, just judging from the smell. The smell and the undrinkable nature of the water are why nobody with any other options lives here.
The Darklake has a very minor current that drifts towards Bloodwater. In general, anything that floats in the lake will eventually end up in Bloodwater, which is another reason the poorest of the poor congregate here.
"Blood is thicker than water" is a fairly common saying that originated in Bloodwater. It refers to the unpleasant things in life being more persistent and less ephemeral. Not to mention harder to cleanup.
