Gallard

Gallard was the westernmost of the Border Kingdoms settlements that guarded the Shaar trails.

Description
Gallard was a crowded place of winding cobbled streets and gravel alleys. Its timbered houses were narrow, steep-roofed, and crowded. It was home to many skilled craftworkers including locksmiths, bootmakers, leatherworkers, and smallsmiths. One of the busiest and most prosperous places in all the "Borders", but also one of the most grasping and grubby, Gallard was full of close-guarded wealth. The settlement earned the general dislike of other Borderers for being too unfriendly and self-important in their dealings.

No grand palaces, manors, or civic buildings were found in Gallard. Business was conducted in shops or at Galardian "firesword houses", establishments named for the skewers of meat constantly cooking in the hearths situated in the centers of their dining chambers.

Government
The closest thing Gallard had to a ruling body was the Galardian Council of Bodyguards and Trustyblades. The council was led by Ulgarth Hithtor, a grizzled old warrior who ran the Risen Dragon Finest Fireswords. This organization licensed every town resident who regularly bore a weapon outside in the streets. They kept the peace in Gallard and enforced its laws by sending out street patrols of Watchful Helms, senior council members who anticipated traps well and laughed at attempted bribes with scornful amusement. Mercenary companies weren't allowed to operate in Gallard, while other council laws include: ""No sale of tainted or deceitful goods, no sale or possession of poison, no extortion, no attacking rivals or their goods or premises, no theft, and no murder.""