The Carrithel Market

This expansive community of shops and other businesses is the most admired, visited, and guarded location in Carrithel. In a land of strange and desperate creatures governed only by natural selection, the Carrithel Market is a place of unnatural peace, and of a rare and precious reputation. It has room for any visitor, and a truce of nonviolence is enforced by a menagerie of monsters and shadowfolk, some of the strongest on the plane. It can still be a dangerous place, and there are several covert and parasitic underworlds in play, but the unequaled wares, services, and artisans make it worth the risk for daring travelers.

Demographics

Beyond description.

Government

Originally the market was governed through might, with its most powerful defenders resolving conflicts by their own judgment. It soon became obvious that the threats to the Carrithel Market were no longer the outside invaders, but internal corruption, even some factions of organized crime. Slowly a more egalitarian court emerged, featuring a variety of thoughtful characters elected by various communities within the market; peacekeepers are required to bring disputes to this court. The market is small enough to be managed by a couple dozen representatives, but it won't stay that way for long.
The court was founded in 624, but some of the old and powerful despots are still active in the Carrithel Market. Some of them long for their old power, and have taken a more underhanded form of control through loyal agents. Others have adapted to new roles, protecting the market and its governors, or founding shops of their own. A few of them still advise the inexperienced members of the court, and a few more have toyed with betrayal. The Carrithel Market seems to be headed in a tense but optimistic direction.

Defences

Though it seems like the market is right out in the open, it's guarded by mutable terrain, and from the outside it can be remarkably hard to find. It's built in an ancient nook blooming with shadows which distort angles and distances, so that it's extremely rare to run into the market by accident, and it's infeasible to mount a siege on it. Flying isn't an option either: the buildings and campfires can't be seen through the shadows, unless the flyer is directly above them.
The market also has a huge band of defenders, including the behir Muginte. Its citizens, even its customers, are dedicated to keeping the market safe and functional. The location is surrounded by dozens of well-hidden scouts who guide new visitors to the market.

Type

Village

Population

2,200