and recent articles I've read on architecting a fantasy RPG world, I've been thinking about what a city, a large city, in a dangerous area would look like.
Obviously there would be stout walls, and the city would, if successful, quickly run out of space. Medieval cities tended to be very crowded, as transportation was difficult. When possible, they often built up, though that was difficult at best. This city would be more advanced in terms of architecting taller buildings--you would have the forerunners of modern apartment buildings.
things would have vertical axes, not just horizontal ones. You saw this in medieval cities as well, but they rarely went over two stories. I'm thinking a medieval Taris.
Being a guardsman might be a big thing--or it might be one of those things where it's mandatory to serve a certain amount of time in the wall guard when you come of age. Or perhaps each citizen is required to give a certain amount of service.
You'd have brave (or desperate) souls who would fetch up along the outside of the wall, hoping to be protected by the wall guards, but desperately vulnerable (depending on what the threat was).
if a small community thrived there, perhaps a wall extension would be built to encompass them.
So some questions arise: what would the threat be? And what makes this city so important, this location so vital, that people would live there despite the inherent dangers and limitations?
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