The City of Rosan

[Kylia Quilor]

Small City

Population: 8,201 (5,102 Human, 1,194 Halfling, 561 Dwarf, 318 Elf, 301 Half-Elf, 251 Gnome, 102 Half-Orc, 372 Other)
Authority: Overlord - Lawful Good (Duke Chalstead - Male LG Half-Elf Aristocrat 3/Cavelier 2)
Base Value: 5,200 gp, Purchase Limit: 37,500 gp
Magical Items For Sale: 9 Minor, 8 Medium, 1 Major, Spellcasting: 6th
Corruption +2 Crime -2 Economy +3 Law +3 Lore +1 Society +2 Danger +5
Qualities: Broad-minded, Prosperous, Good Roads, Supportive

Notable NPCs: Mellia Markis (Female LG Human Fighter 4/Investigator 1) Captain of the Guard; Tiernan Goren (Male LG Halfling Cleric 11 of Iomedae) High Priest of Iomedae; Carina Laevo (Female NG Elf Cleric 7 of Shelyn) High Priestess of Shelyn; Virco Bella (Male LN Human Cleric of Abadar 😎 High Priest of Abadar; Red Victoria (Female NG Half-Elf Wizard 9) The Duke's Cousin and Court Wizard; Sannada Kindro (Female NE Dwarf Swashbuckler 7) Suspected Thieves' Guildmaster, Prominent Businesswoman, Master at Arms Doreld Vann (Male LN Human Fighter 6)

Rosan, the capital - but not the largest city - of the Duchy of Kardin is a prosperous, well-defended and broadly happy city. Under direct Ducal Authority, the city has no self-government, though the people of the city have long been able to petition the Duke for redress and the Dukes of Kardin have long made a habit of listening and acting on those petitions. With a centuries-long record of providing for the people and doing their best to ensure they have happy, healthy lives, the Dukes have worked with the city's temples to provide food and basic health needs to all the people of the city - it's walls are actually much smaller than the population suggests, as the population has grown substantially over the years thanks to this system - it hasn't quite caused full overcrowding, thanks to building various multi-level tenemant buildings, but the city is on the cusp of having a serious housing shortage and thus beggar problem well beyond the normal for its size, if something doesn't change soon.

Still, that said, life in Rosan is good. The Temple of Shelyn hosts a pretty good theater, the markets are bustling with goods from around the Kingdom, and though the breakdown of direct trade with Catrico thanks to the Wolf Brotherhood's predations casts a pall over the market and the city, things are still currently moving - trading with Catrico by way of ships out of Whestil is not as simple or cheap as moving directly overland to Catrico, but gets the job done, for the short term. But the situation is on everyone's lips, usually bitching about the King and the Grand Prince, and their stupid treaty and their stupid desires for war and how annoying it all is, especially now. When people get in their cups, they'll bitch more and more about it all too.

Crime is not very high in the city, but there's always some pickpocketing, the odd burglary, and the ever-persistent trade in duty-free alcohol - never enough to really hurt the Duke's finances, but enough to snub the nose in his laws regarding it. And of course, the even more notable trade in duty-free salt, thumbing its nose at the King of Vancia, the Duke's nominal overlord, who collects that fee. This trade the Duke nominally tries to stop, but unlike the trade in duty-free alcohol, he doesn't really bother with going after hard. He's no more fond of the King than most of his people, and the Salt Tax is hated by just about everyone for how onerous it can be. The Thieves Guild is really more of an open secret involved in smuggling salt and alcohol with a sideline in theft. Murder occasionally happens - people are people - but there is no major problem with it. Most are content to leave their problems to the Duke's Justice and the ruling of his appointed Judges, or that of the Temples of Iomedae or Abadar, appealing to the Duke on rare cases.

Rosan, in short, is a happy, mostly healthy and mostly safe city - it is not perfect, it has some problems on the horizon, but overall? Things seem to be going well