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Seldom will an alert traveler encounter a city by surprise. The locations of all cities in the Tablelands are well known, and they all lie along the course of well-traveled roads. In addition, most cities are surrounded by a wide swath of cultivated land, as well as service roads for moving wagons, water, and slaves about without injuring crops. Further, there is a constant stream of travel within several miles of the gates. In short, not even a blind man could approach a city without realizing it.
Of course, it is always possible for a wanderer to crest a hill and discover to his surprise that a city lies in the valley below. Even in this case, he will not be lost for long. Any passing caravan driver will tell him where he is - though the wanderer may have to suffer a few bemused remarks for having to ask such a foolish question.
In the Tyr region, there are seven cities:
Tyr, Urik, Gulg, Balic, Raam, Nibenay, and Draj. The name and location of each is well known, and all a traveler must do reach any one of them is set foot onto the proper road and start walking. In most cases, entry into a city is simple. Unless the traveler is carrying banned goods (be especially careful about anything that could be used as a magical component), the gate guards simply record the traveler s name and reason for visiting a city, collect a tariff (and/or bribe) for any cargo the traveler is carrying, and then let him enter. Each city's unique atmosphere and flavor is detailed below.
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