The estate was surrounded by a fifteen-foot wall that enclosed a meandering series of gardens and courtyards. On the far eastern side of the grounds, a row of hedges towered over the boundary of a sprawling garden as if to conceal what was hidden beyond. On the other side of the hedges were several practice fields, two rows of barracks, and stables. Rezkin knew from the maps that this area also contained an armory, smithy, and healers’ quarters, but he could not see them from where he stood now. The original towers and battlements of the old fort no longer stood, having been destroyed during the Conquering, and all of the additions since were primarily decorative for the intent of showing off the wealth and success of the city.

Beyond the walls of the estate, the city appeared lopsided and disjointed to Rezkin’s critical eye. The western end of the city was limited in its ability to expand by the river, so the buildings closest to the docks were built one upon the other with no space in between. The warehouses and merchant halls looked sturdy enough, but some of the residences leaned precariously. The layout made little sense where a few roads came to an abrupt end when, seemingly in desperation for space, people decided to simply build more structures across the road. Rezkin mentally grunted at the city planners’ carelessness. The current layout impeded the efficient flow of goods and services, isolated key structures from infrastructure support, such as the fire brigade, and created niches that acted as havens for gangs and thieves’ guilds.

The eastern side of the city, having no landforms limiting expansion, sprawled quite a way into the countryside with large mansions and minor estates surrounded by wooded paths and carefully sculpted gardens. The area between the eastern and western districts was where the average commoners, craftsmen, merchants, service providers, and anyone else with enough money to get out of the dockside slums lived and worked. The non-craftsmen and women who were lucky enough to find employment in a lord’s household would live here as well.

In line with the northern and southern gates of the city was a wide boulevard that held the shops, stalls, taverns, and inns. While this certainly made trade and travel for visitors easier, Rezkin thought it was a strategically bad idea to provide this kind direct route for enemies to access the main estate. But, since the city’s planning was not up to him, he decided to push the concerns to the back of his mind.