Talak
Controlled by Ishani Singh, a female red dragonborn, a member of the Bellahan, Talak is a city sitting somewhat inward of the border of Dopplefen and Karasi - not quite a border town, but not quite one of the inner cities. It has had troubles for quite some time, mostly concerning its wealth inequality, and with recent disasters the population has been sundered yet again.
Demographics
The people of Talak are poor - at least, most of them are. In the most recent census, 25% were deemed to be living at what would be considered the poverty line, with a further 30% in a squalid condition and 10% in absolutely wretched straits.
Of course, that still leaves 35% unaccounted for. 10% of the city have an aristocratic amount of wealth available to them, with a 5% cut of the populace sandwiched in between the 10% and 10% of the aristocrats and comfortable at a "wealthy" status.
Government
The government of Talak taxes any who enter the city 18% of their wealth.
This is particularly important as (though the citizens do not know this), the city is completely broke.
Industry & Trade
Talak has a well-established and protected trade routes with Shrikehollow.
However, beyond that, the trade for Talak is mostly relegated to within the city itself.
They are known for the gemstone mines outside of the city: hematite, blue quartz, jade, and alexandrite.
Districts
Armajhai
The district of Armajhai is closest to the mines, and is, to put it bluntly, a company town.
The families that live there are employed by the richest families and companies to extract the gems, and are provided housing. But the closest and most convenient supply stores are also run by their employers, and run on a credit system that (along with nickel and diming the tenants of the apartments for maintenance and fees for living there) keep the miners in debt and without a way to leave.
Crypts of Newgali
Built up by past generations of Talaki, the crypts are almost like a small city in and of themselves.
Long, twisting streets with roofs and windows to let in sunlight and fresh air while protecting the interred dead, whom are housed in rooms that have locked portcullises facing the hallways.
Most have name plaques for the family buried within, but the ones who are too poor to be buried whole are cremated and mixed in with the concrete used to make the ever increasingly sprawling district.
The Sink
With a rather eponymous name, the Sink is an area in the south eastern part of Talak that, a little over 50 years ago, had a sinkhole open up as mines underneath the city collapse inward and take down over 2,000 inhabitants with them. The area is a wasteland to this day and is considered extremely dangerous.
Synvar
A network of thieves and smugglers work to take from the rich and give to the poor.
I'm lying, of course - they steal from everyone to make sure that they themselves are enriched.
The laws of Synvar are simple, however: only take what you can afford to keep. That is, never steal from someone with a stronger arm or better company that you yourself keep.
It's common for children of the miners in Armajhai to start hanging around Synvar, seduced by the ideas of an easy life with coin to spare. It's only a matter of time before they join a thieves' guild or a smuggler's ring and find themselves as trapped as their parents.
Venerenta
The prettiest homes and most beautiful gardens populate Venerenta, a monument to the wealthiest gem barons this side of the Jalan Desert. The only thing that keeps the Talaki elite from becoming as fat and stupid as the Brillantan is the Karasan spirit of ingenuity and self-expression.
Architecture
The buildings of Talak are artfully built with concrete, mixed with pigments to create beautiful colors and set into metal frames bent into curvaceous, artful designs. It is sometimes commented that the buildings here are "stone stained glass," with large openings and windows to allow air flow. Most residents live in single story homes.
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