Help me flesh out a city! (Or, A Worldbuilding Diversion for Bored People)

[Galethorn]

So, I've had problems in past homebrew campaigns when I run city adventures; I never have enough time to really flesh out my cities, and it ends up feeling like the PCs are running around a town set from an old western; there's nothing behind any of the doors except the ones they're supposed to go through.

What I need are points of interest.

So, here's what I've got so far...

Setting Background
This is a lower magic setting, with humans (of various backgrounds) as the only PC race. The campaign is centered on the three kingdoms of the region known as Auriand; Arlaith, Boroth, and Laeriand respectively. These kingdoms are fairly sparse (there was a large plague about thirty years ago, and the climate is steadily getting colder), with lots of fairly recent ruins and bandits.

Here's a list of setting-related houserules/flavor changes...
- Barbarian is a culture rather than a class ('Barbarian' is now 'Berserker')
- Most priests are Experts or Aristocrats; Favored Soul replaces Cleric for the small minority of spellcasting holy/unholy types.
- Scout replaces ranger
- There are two 'main' religions; the Auran Pantheon (no relation to the air-elemental language), which has a variety of gods for Paladins and Favored Souls to choose from, and Druidism, which is the 'old' religion most prevalent in rural areas
- The standard unit of currency is the Silver Crown, which is numerically equivalent to GP in the RAW.

City Information
DAER AMATH, Population 65,000. Located in the southeast of the kingdom of Arlaith.

- The city is home to Prince Loras (younger brother of Queen Sarana), and he inhabits the city's main castle/palace complex; he, however, is not the ruler of the city

- The city is ruled by a council consisting of seven representatives
-- Prince Loras' appointed minister, (Some Guy)
-- The patriarch of House Amath
-- The patriarch of House Buras
-- The Lord Commander of the Order of the Sun (paladin order), Lord Ruran
-- The elected local Magister of the Arcane Brotherhood (wizard's guild), Lord Orias
-- The elected Grandmaster of the Daer Amath Trade Guild
-- The local Master of the Northern Shipping Guild

- The city is on the shore of Lake Amath, and is a hub of trade
-- The main exports are cider, ironwork, wool, and salted pork
-- The main imports are wine, ale, salted fish, and foreign luxury items (silk, spices, etc.)

- The major factions present are...

-- The City Council (in charge of the militia, and not closely tied to any illegal activities, but there are some 'bad' militiamen in league with the thieves' guild)

-- Prince Loras (concerned mostly with the managing of his outlying manors in the surrounding countryside, and the defense of the border with Laeriand to the south; largely unconnected to city affairs)

-- The two major noble houses, Amath and Buras. House Amath is involved mostly with the Arcane Brotherhood, while House Buras has ties to the Northern Shipping Guild.

-- The Arcane Brotherhood. A corrupt organization that mostly regulates the sale and use of magic; they tend to charge exorbitant amounts for licenses to non-members, but they admit new members fairly freely, assuming they can pay the large dues. Generally, the Arcane Brotherhood monitors the use of magic in the city with street agents, usually 1st-level wizards.

-- The Order of the Sun. A religious order of knights tasked with destroying dangerous monsters in the province, but increasingly involved with city politics, constantly trying to destroy the city's thieves' guild, and root out the various cults that spring up in the worse parts of town. Most members ('Men of Auros') are simply fighters, while the more elite members of the organization, ('Swords of Auros') are paladins, who are given the title of 'Sir.'

-- The two merchant guilds. The Daer Amath Trade Guild is the smaller of the two organizations, mostly concerned with local trade, focusing on the export of cider, while the Northern Shipping Guild is a multi-city organization that ruthlessly tries to control the market for transportation, sometimes even resorting to piracy when successful captains refuse to join the guild. The Northern Shipping Guild also has ties to the city's thieves' guild, the Black Hand.

-- The Black Hand. A fairly garden-variety thieves' guild. They do everything from mugging to prostitution to assassinations. They are at war with the Order of the Sun, and have friends in every other organization, some more active than others (e.g. most simply give information to the Black Hand).

So, I need taverns, inns, temples, market squares, and unusual buildings, as well as notable NPCs, notable relationships between people and organizations, and anything else that I might be able to throw at the PCs to make the city more interesting. As it stands, I'm using the old map of Suzail from FR I found on the web, and I've designated the main castle as the Prince's castle, and the large complex under it as the city's main administrative center (militia HQ, plus council chambers, the city archive, etc.). The noble houses' compounds can safely be assumed to be in the area between the castle and the city wall on the east side.

I don't have any specific needs in regards to naming (and if I don't like what something otherwise awesome is called, I can just rename it). All suggestions are welcome, as are any questions.

 

[Aholibamah]

It sounds like you've done a lot of work already, so kudos for that.

Reznor's Caravanserai

This is a large travellers' inn near one of the city gates. It has a substantial courtyard, stables, kitchens and rooms for merchants, waggoners, pack handlers, peddlers and pilgrims who are the largest part of the customer base. If it has a set of good points it is that it is generally clean, the staff are honest and the stabling facilities are competent (though superb service would require a little more cash). There is a constant air of business about the place during major market days, and an air of bustle during the rest of the year except when the weather is too bad for travelling.

Reznor himself is a harried man who is accompanied sometimes by a little halfling (insert other small being here) who is his clerk and who acts as his memory, piping up now and then with things he meant to do or names he ought to know. Reznor's main gift is for hiring staff and the diplomacy with which he manages to keep strangers from drawing knives on one another.

The bad points about the caravanserai are a rather bland diet--in order to avoid offending any particular faith or race Reznor's chief cook makes sure that the diet is one that can offend no one, which generally means roast mutton or chicken, rice, bread, butter, mead and goat's milk.

Travellers in the region know it is one of the best places for large groups to find a decent set of rooms without much notice, or stable space for larger beasts or large teams, so it is known to be neutral ground even for rival merchant houses and the like--those who break the unofficial truce are likely to find half the common room turning on them.

The Caravanserai rarely has regular entertainment, but Reznor has a reasonably good facility for knowing if a professed bard or entertainer is worth putting before the clientele--and is willing to stand them a place near the hearth in the common room and a bowl of mutton stew if they can only sing or perform for their supper and bed.

 

[Reynard]

The Beggar Queen

In any city the size of Daer Amath, especially one that is a hib of trade, there will be many beggars. They infest the bazaars and are often camped outside inns, taverns and shops with their cups out. In Daer Amath, however, many of these beggars are under the sway of the Beggar Queen, and ancient witch that resides deep in the most fecund neighborhood of the city.

Hers is not an organizations so much as a cult to a living goddess. A blind crone, the Beggar Queen cannot stand the light of day or the presence of beauty, so she hides in a decaying, abandoned house and sends her followers out into the city to collect coppers and, more importantly, information. Most of her followers are destitute people, men, women and children who turned to begging to survive and fell under her sway after encountering one of her Queen's Guards -- thieves and worse fanatically loyal to the Beggar Queen and charged with managing beggars in a given neighborhood. The meager wealth and vast information the beggars acquire is funnelled through the Guard to the Queen, who rewards the Guard with ample food and some coin, who in turn reward the beggars with just enough sustenance to keep them alive.

Such detritus are beggars that few take notice of them, even as they are stepped over. So it is that the beggars glean small bits of information here and there that the Queen -- whose body has failed her but whose mind is voprpal sharp -- pieces together to get a more complete picture of the state of affairs in Daer Amath than anyone else. Those who desire to know the real working of the merchant guilds, the thieves, the nobility must go to the Beggar Queen, who charges a high price for what she knows. She speaks to them from behind a curtain of rotting silk, with her most trusted Guards on hand to deal with any treachery or refusal to pay.

One of the Queen's comandments is to never steal: she has no desire to start a war with the Black Hands or other thieves guilds, and in fact often provides them with information at a discount. In return, the thugs of the thieves' guilds leave her beggars alone. Many of the Queen's Guard are former guild members who were enchanted by the Queen who, despite her physical shortcomings, is supremely charming.

Adventure Hooks:

1) The Beggar Queen is finally succumbing to her years and she is seeking an heir to take her place. A charismatic, intelligent PC catches her interest and is invited into the underground world of secrets that is the Queen's domain. Refusal is considered betrayal and the Queen will use every resource at her disposal, every piece of information gleaned and every favor owed to hunt down and kill the "traitor".

2) A royal secret, one that could pave the way to usurpation, falls into the Queen's "hands" and the Prince's vizier, in hopes of protecting his master, hires the PCs to silence the Beggar Queen before she can reveal it to the Prince's enemies. They must find her hidden lair and bypass her most skilled Guards to kill her -- but once there, she reveals the secret to them so that they too are now targets, and then makes a "counter offer".

3) The Queen is more than she seems, and ancient creature from the world that was before men rose. A fey spirit of uncountable age, she has always been, and always will be. Her charm is more than a silver tongue -- actual magical power, a siren song that can bend the most powerful will to her own. She trades not just in secrets, but in souls, even if for a short time: if one wants a boon from her, they need only indenture themselves to her for 7 years, living on the street as one of her charmed drones, begging for coppers while collecting secrets. She can grant any wish, even the revification of the dead. Does a PC or valued NPC have so strong a desire they are willing to sell their free will for 7 years to get it?

 

[Galethorn]

Both of those are great!

I think I'm going to have the Beggar Queen and her organization as the counterpart to the Black Hand (who are going to steal the evil artifact that the PCs are bringing to the Order of the Sun); she'll have eyes and ears in the unsavory places that no Sword of Auros would go without the intent to split skulls and Smite Evil.

Reznor's Caravanserai seems like a good place to have the PCs head for a good old investigation. Reznor's assistant is going to just be, I'm gonna say, his wife's much younger cousin, a boy of about twelve (there aren't any humanoids that live within human society in the setting).

This has been a great start; I hope to see more of this kind of stuff!

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Grimbold's Bear Baiting Pit

A centre of animal blood sports in the city. The crowds are raucous and cruel and the betting is fierce. As a centre of gambling it is of course under the constant eye of the Blackhand who control the gambling here. Grimbold is a middle ranking member of the guild and is not above fixing matches by slipping drugs into the animals' food. Complaints about fixed matches are dealt with by Grimbold's staff of very large enforcers.

Although Bear (and other creatures) Baiting is legal Grimbold and the Guild also use the pit as a front for the more sinister human blood sports. These matches take place without a regular schedule: news of them is spread by word of mouth among the "in" crowd. Occasionally Grimbold will test out a regular at the bear baiting matches and decide whether or not they might want to join the crowd.

The matches are usually death matches, with competitors ranging from professional gladiators to wanna-be's to unlucky victims who have fallen foul of the Blackhand. In fact quite a few squealers and double-crossers have ended their days begging for mercy on the arena floor. Human/Animal matches are also big crowd pleasers.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Inn - The Shattered Shield

Located near the caravanserai is the Shattered Shield, an inn popular with mercenaries and soldiers of all stripes. Caravan guards who want to get away from "damn penny pinching merchants" rub shoulders with off-duty city militia and unemployed mercenaries. Despite the heavily armed clientel (or perhaps because of them!) this is a very peaceful tavern. Brawls rarely break out here and whenthey do they are quickly broken up by the regulars.

It is known as a good place to find a sell-sword and many folk come here for the business opportunities.

The inn-keeper is a retired soldier by the name of Arj. His old shield, shattered by an ogre's club, hangs behind the bar. The same blow shattered that his shield shattered his arm. The break was so bad that his arm could not heal properly and it both noticeably shorter and weaker than his other arm. But Arj is a cheerful and honest soul and very popular with his clients.

Rumours have it that Arj has a safe in which he keeps money belonging to the soldiers who need a safe place to store it. If so only his closest firends and compatriots know about it, and they aren't talking.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Prince Loras' Hunting Lodge

This is a large building, with three floors and two wings located about a day's ride from the city. It has a large stable and a kennel. This is where Prince Loras comes to relax and escape the pressures of day to day life. He has regular hunting parties. He and his friends enjoy a day's hunting in the nearby forest before returning for an evening or brandy and cards.

It is also where the Prince conducts his many affairs. He is young, moderately handsome and unmarried and thus a magnet for many young noble, and not so noble, women who hope to benefit from his attentions. Loras is a sociable chap and likes to combine these affairs with his hunting parties. Many of his friends bring their own paramours. The Prince jokingly refers to his 'Hunting and riding parties.'

Many of the locals are scandalised by this behaviour and rumours have gotten back to teh Lord Commander of the Sun. He is horrofied by the stories of ungodly orgies and is determined to find out if they are true or not. He just needs someone who is willing to risk the Prince's wrath, not to mention the wrath of his hunting dogs, and snoop around the Lodge.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

The Great Temple of the Sun

This magnificent structure looms over the city. It is built from coloured marble brought from distant lands. The strata of pale pink, orange and yellow marble make the structure look like the very dawn itself. The building is centred around one great nave, with a pair of towers at the western end and the great, bronze sheafed doors and facade at the front, opening onto the great Cathedral Square in the east.

Markets are held in Cathedral Square every day, with local farmers bringing their produce and setting up cart stalls. Every week, on Sun Day, after Holy Service the market takes on a carnival atmosphere. Jugglers, mummers, singers and actors entertain the crowd and long ale tables are set up by some of the local taverns, by allowance of a special lisence. To keep drunkeness and unruly behaviour to a minimum the cathedral verger can, and will, take away this privelege from any tavern who's customers get out of control. The current Lord Commander hates the thought of drinking on Sun Day but the tradition is a long standing one and he lacks an excuse to ban it. The current verger, Origen, is an old man, fond of a tipple and very down to earth. He quietly works to ensure no such excuse is found.

Edit: to correct some spelling/grammar. I make no promise I got it all.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

OK, I know you've said that the city imports salted fish, but it's on a lake and catching fish seems more logical to me. So with that in mind...

The Fish Markets
Stinking and noisy the fish markets are the centre of a thriving industry. They take place every morning on a square (Fish Market Square) just off the main docks. Fish wives hawking their wares must compete with the noise of gulls squabbling over the fish guts that cover the ground. Shoppers must tread warily, the cobble stones are slippery with the stuff and flapping gulls can easily get caught under foot.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

The Green Mounds

During the plague the death toll was so high and so few were left to bury the dead that the poor were just thrown in to mass graves outside the city. These low mounds are green and fertile, covered with blooms in the spring. But no-one walks on them and only a fool would pick a flower taht grows there.

There's a tale of one such fool. Drunk, he let himself be dared into plucking a daisy from the mounds at night. His friends watched from a safe distance. The drunk went to the top of the first mound and called out that he saw the perfect daisy. He walked over the mound and out of sight. The friends claim to have heard the voice of a little girl say 'You wouldn't take a daisy from a girl without giving her a penny, would you?' They heard no sound of their friend and, when they finally got up the nerve to investigate they could find no sign of him. All they could see, growing from the base of the mound below them, was one perfect daisy.