World of Samardan: Suknat, City of Markets...

Greetings, All:

Welcome to my nineteenth post in this year's A to Z Challenge series, which describes 26 different locations in the World of Samardan campaign setting, one for each letter of the alphabet. Today, S is for Suknat, City of Markets.

(Hex) Suknat, City of Markets

Population: 11,000 (65% Human, 20% Rakrani, 10% Sarrani, 5% Other). Ruler: Raganuba Bamaloba Semaminan (in name only; the Council of Guilds is the true power of Suknat). Resources: Grains, Market.

Ambiance: The streets of Suknat are a loud and chaotic place, with numerous markets and bazaars selling a wide range of goods. In a city of merchants and markets, haggling has become an artform, and it is considered impolite not to participate in the back-and-forth banter. Guilds are ubiquitous throughout Suknat, and their tensions and rivalries influence almost all aspects of Suknatan life.

History: Suknat was originally a small marketplace that sprang up to serve a "heavy" agrarian locale. Early on, the markets of the township attracted many craftsmen, and as a result, Suknat has since grown into a renowned trade city. Almost a century ago, the merchants and the nobility fell into a civil war. The nobility officially won in the end, but not without making sufficient concessions that the true seat of political power lies in the wealth represented by the "advisory" Council of Guilds.

Encounters: Servants, slaves, craftsmen and merchants are all frequently encountered on the streets of Suknat. Like the Raganuba Bamaloba Semamanin, the city guard are tax-hungry and corrupt, leaving many guilds to protect their own members and clientele. Common hazards and encounters include con artists, unscrupulous merchants and corrupt city guards.

Treasure: Despite the heavy taxation imposed by the Raganuba Bamaloba Semamanin, her spending habits have resulted in nearly empty coffers for the City of Markets. However, the most affluent guilds have sizable treasuries, as recipients of the Raganuba's largesse. Suknat is widely known for the quality of its beers and ales, given the close proximity of agrarian lands.

Adventure Hooks: Adventure hooks for this site could include the following:

• Bano Tamasumaran, a mercenary captain, is seeking men-at-arms to protect a caravan travelling from Suknat to Valdren. The last three caravans have been attacked, so Bano is not taking any chances.
• Doganu Reko Kudisamur, an elder noble of Suknat, needs "acquisition specialists" to recover his family blade, which had been lost in the civil war. The noble has recently learned that it lies within the treasury of the Bladmadan Guild, who creates swords and other edged weapons.
• Drako Sanakusan, a merchant from Valdren, is hiring mercenaries to locate a missing member of his retinue. The merchant fears that his aide may have been ambushed to be sold into slavery in one of Suknat's slave auctions.
• Kaso Hurakan, a local guildmaster, seeks a party to secretly negotiate with the city guard for the release of his son from jail, before the Raganuba learns of the incident and uses it against him to leverage more money from his guild.
• Sema Bladakan, a vintner of Garsol clandestinely seeks accomplished thieves to steal the secrets to the preparation of Sorataves, a highly prized golden ale only manufactured in Suknat.

Standard Disclaimer: As I have not yet decided where to set this particular location on the map as yet, I've left a placeholder to remind me to come back to this in the future. Later on, I'll replace (Hex) with the actual hex location, when I put all of this together into a single document.

Enjoy,
Flynn