Big town roughly halfway between the eastern and western kingdoms. Huge trade center. The Market is where wagonloads of goods are auctioned to the highest bidder or bought and sold in lucrative trade deals. The Shops are where normal people buy stuff. The permanent population is around 8,000 people (including surrounding farms and outskirts), but it swells to as much as 25,000 at the height of the trade season. Highly service-oriented.
Very mixed, cosmopolitan - home to the largest population of city goblins in the world. They typically fill menial and day labor jobs and aren’t entirely trusted, but they try hard to avoid being sent back to their frigid homeland. Many of the nomadic tribes come here to trade, because it’s easier than getting to the coasts and they can buy and sell the stuff they need.
The Broken Axle Inn is 800 years old, and the original cart that founded the town is built into the ceiling of the main common room. There are three smaller common areas and four private dining rooms that can be rented, their beer is considered top-notch, and they have 40 bedrooms sized from halfling to goliath. Prices are what the market will bear, many smaller inns have better deals but this is considered the best place to meet people and make deals.
Home to two excellent universities – The House of Lore, which grew out of the library that was the original House of Lore, and the Magic School – unlike the lofty elven wizards' towers of the eastern kingdoms, the Magic School trains over a thousand students every day and has no admission standards other than a demonstration of magical ability. Despite its unorthodox structure, it has turned out some of the most powerful magic-users in the world.
Districts
House of Lore - Bard college and library - more nonmagical knowledge.
Taverns: The Welcoming Fool, The Trickster and Staff
Inns:
Magic School - A big, public magic school, funded by alumni. Entrance exam is demonstration of magical ability (casting cantrip, etc), passing a test of arcana, or a giant donation. Mostly that last one doesn’t happen because people who can afford giant donations go to exclusive private magic schools in the various kingdoms.
Taverns: The Thirsty Wizard ($), Sage’s Cellar ($$$)
Inns: Hellhound’s Head ($$), Blue Fang ($$$). The innkeeper is a short female elf named Ilmindis. She blames dragons for every misfortune.
Hunkerdown - home to all the specialty/magic shops, stranger neighborhoods, and weird magical towers. Lots of inns catering to researchers, they tend to have quiet private rooms and compete on amenities that promote restfulness and concentration
Shops:
Helman’s Tinctures and Tonics - Alchemy. Helman is usually an elf, but might be a zombie or a Tortle at various times.
The Unicorn’s Horn - Weaponsmith run by Wulfa the female Earth Genasi, dark brown skin, straight brown hair, and hazel-green eyes. She doesn’t like small talk and always makes fair deals. The shop is very tidy.
Arnkag’s Arcana - General, run by Arnkag, an elderly female Orc who extends a small discount to druids. The shop is somewhat dusty but in good repair and lit with dozens of faceted globes of Continual Light.
The Peacock’s Tail - General, but specializing in cloaks and jewelry. The walls are decorated with wooden carvings and the back room is curtained off with a beaded curtain. Run by Nunna the Enchantress, a female elf who used to be an adventurer.
Oleg’s Oddities - General, will buy nearly anything magical. Cramped, filled with sickly-looking plants, dusty tomes, and objects of all descriptions. A collection of hand-drawn adventurers’ maps hang on the walls. The shopkeeper is
Orin’s Armory - armor, run by the dwarf Young Orinson, at least 300 years old, who inherited it from his father and likes to seal deals with a mug of dwarven pale ale.
Olabil’s Extraordinary Quill - Scribe/Scrolls, Its neighbors include the grand home of Phosinom the Enchanter and a large public garden. The shop is a two-story building with crystal windows in all colors of the rainbow and tall elf-wrought wooden shelves. It is protected by a golem of hewn stone. The shopkeeper is an old male silver dragonborn named Olabil. He wears a collection of protective charms and talismans.
Wondrous Wands - Wands. The floor is tiled in elaborate mosaics, and a small dragon skull hangs over the hearth. The shopkeeper is a stout female halfling named Perla and her assistant, a Takan (buffalo person) named Hanska.
Need stuff enchanted? See Phosinom the Enchanter, a male halfling with gray hair and light gray eyes. He dresses in steel-blue robes and wears a simple silver headband.
Lamp Ward - all the stuff catering to visitors. Caravan square is where entire lots are auctioned - mostly caravans that were meant to go coast-to-coast but can’t make it for whatever reason. The original Broken Axle Inn takes up the entire western block. Sometimes local lots or caravans that have Broken Axle as their destination, but usually they get better prices through the trade houses.
Northside - the nicer residential area, some small shops/artisans
Tallclock - government and paperwork here, as well as a large number of supply shops. The residential areas mostly house government officials and there are a large number of houses that are temporarily rented to traveling dignitaries. Named after the clock tower that the town hall is built around.
Southside - the poorer but not destitute residential area. Occasional chickens, not too many cows.
Old Town - the warehouse district/slums. Poor, crowded housing (relatively - nothing is super dense here). Lots of rental units that cater to those who’ve lost everything. Drugs, prostitution, and schemes galore.
Brightford - the elven enclave. Lots of elvish architecture, trees and gardens. Slightly standoffish.
Grove Village - the housing/shops that support the agricultural area/farms that ring the outskirts of the town.
Greenway - mostly pastures, gardens, farms, etc, some houses
Inns/Shops
The Cracked Chalice
The Blade of Lightning
The Crossed Hammers
The Wyvern’s Nest
The Hydra’s Heads
The Goblin’s Goblet
The Green Robe
The Everfull Mug
The Dragon’s Lair - a very nice and expensive inn with a small bar/restaurant attached.
The Dancing Shrew - more of a nightclub, with dancing, music, and other entertainment, also rents rooms by the hour or for the night.
Hamlin’s Hall - a huge and cheap inn, ranging from 2cp for a spot on the floor to 3 sp for an unshared bed in a shared bunk room. Ale is bad and cheap, food is pottage.
The Welcoming Wolf - run by anthros for anthros, although all are welcome if they behave themselves. The innkeeper is Barefang the Wolfkin; his husband Berman the Bearman is the Barman. They have eight adopted children, although six of them are off on their own now and only Talia the sheep and Albek the salamander are left at home.