Margade

Margade City is the main city of the Appanage of Mar. A city of some 6,200 households (around 27,000 population), it nearly rivals the royal capital of Shuganak in population and wealth, owing to its position on the western terminus of foreign trade routes passing through the East Lake.

Location and Terrain
Situated to the east of Raumar Hill, just below Raumar Palace, it lies on a plain between the Palace and the East Lake. Its terrain is thus mostly low-lying; while its position along the lake makes it quite defensible, its defence still depends crucially on Raumar Palace and its fortifications. Anyone controlling the fortress can easily rain death upon the city.

The city is conventionally divided into two parts, north and south, with the dividing line being the Meridian Canal which runs out from the lake. The south is far more prosperous, where the merchants, guild leaders and masters, and their organisations are based. The north, however, is where the people are, densely populated with workers and city folk.

Description and Economy
The city's economy depends heavily on a few key industries - stoneworking, using stone from the northern quarries; silk cultivation in the mulberry plantations along the East Lake; and the maritime industry, which is needed to carry the trade on the East Lake.

The East Lake is the source of the River Fisewa, which flows far into the east and is an important trade route for barbarian goods, as well as among the barbarians themselves. Sitting astride its western terminus, Margade is very well-placed to reap the profits of this trade - though it also gives the appanage, and the kingdom at large, an often unwelcome risk of entanglement in the violent and frustrating politics of barbarians and civilised peoples to their east.

Related Articles

 * Cooperatives of Margade
 * Convocation of Merchants
 * Council of Merchants