Akesoli - the gateway to the West

On the western side of Lake Amsorak is Akesoli, only a few miles from the western border of Darokin and the trail to The Kingdom of Sind and the vast deserts of the Sind Waste.
This is what the gazetteer has to say about Akesoli:

Akesoli is the westernmost city in Darokin, and an important link to Glantri and points farther west and northwest. Akesoli is the smallest of the so-called "Six Cities" of Darokin, with a population of just over 17,000.
Located on the western shore of Lake Amsorak, Akesoli is, first and foremost, a major commerce center. All trade with the lands to the west of Darokin comes through Akesoli, so the city is dominated by piers, docks, and warehouses. There is also a large shipbuilding, refitting, and repair industry here because of the constant lake traffic between Akesoli and Akorros.

So Akesoli is a major trade hub, where the goods from the west come into Darokin before being loaded onto boats and shipped to Akorros and from there throughout Darokin and points east, north and south in the “known world”.
Goods ported in through Akesoli include spices – cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, saffron, nutmeg, mace and many more – along with salt from the salt mines in the north of the Kingdom and fruits which thrive in the heat – oranges, satsumas, pomegranates, persimmons, lemons, melons, passionfruit, the tart purple festrons and sweet green and red murials, plus various fiery variants of chilli pepper, both fresh and dried. Traders have made fortunes specialising in techniques for preserving these soft goods over the long distances travelling across the desert. There are also plenty of dried fruits, easier to transport, such as dates, prunes, dried apricots, dried papaya, dried mango, as well as exotic fragrances such as jasmine and neroli oil.
Goods ported out through Akesoli include dried fish from the plentiful stocks in Lake Amsorak, dried meat and hides from Akorros and the Streel Plain, and timber from the forests on the shores around the lake. Tea, coffee and tobacco from the plantations in the foothills of the Amsorak mountains and the Atruaghin plateau also come through Akesoli on their way both into Darokin and the rest of the known world and west across the Sind waste.
Akesoli is also a stopping off point for adventurers looking for spell components and magical item ingredients harvested from the dangerous monsters hiding deep in the wastes – there is always a ready market for these, particularly shipped through Darokin to the magic users in Glantri. If you want wyvern spines, gryphon teeth, giant scorpion poison, roc feathers or sphinx hair, Sind is the place to look. Similarly if you fancy a death dog, fire newt, guard drake egg or salamander, roaming the deserts may be a good place to look.
With all the trade in, our and through, Akesoli has large areas devoted to warehousing and storage, as well as open areas on the outskirts suitable for assembling and holding the wagons of caravans and beasts of burden arriving from the west or loading up ready to depart again. Extensive stabling caters for the animals used for pulling the wagons or carrying goods, and the air around these is filled with the sound of bullocks lowing, asses braying, camels grumbling, and the neighing of the hardy desert horses, along with the pungent odours so many beasts in close proximity brings.
The most efficient way of getting goods past the lake and into Darokin and the rest of the Known World is, of course, by boat across Lake Amsorak, and so the warehouse districts are next to extensive docks filled with lake-going boats being loaded and unloaded, and the corresponding boat-building and boat repair workshops that cater for them. Rope from Akesoli is particularly renowned.
There are also extensive hostelries, sleeping houses and dormitories for all the sailors, merchants and their porters and guards passing through, and for those adventurers looking for work or their lucky break. Those less well off take their chances in the campsites on the outskirts, either in tents or just rolling themselves up in their bedrolls. The lake provides a restraining influence on the temperature around the city, but within a few miles, the desert extremes kick in – extremely hot during the day, dropping precipitously at night so that blankets are a must.
Being so close to the desert, wild animal incursions are not infrequent, and the call of jackals or the cackle of hyaenas is a constant accompaniment through the night. Bandits also roam the nearby hills, watching for poorly guarded caravans or ill-advised travellers on whom to prey. As the gazetteer says

For these reasons, the City Guard is larger than in many other cities, and much more disciplined. Visitors should not take the guard lightly as they are efficient, bad-tempered, and have no sense of humor whatsoever. What's more, there are no "minor" laws in the eyes of the guard, so adventurers and travelers should be careful.