Overview
Svartrau lies in the middle of Vale Sangora, the city every road leads to.
Once rich and lively, it has suffered these past two years: the plague carried off many, while Brencis had others — mostly nobles — killed after his coup.
The new knyaz may have ended the plague, but troubles remain: by day, those crippled or orphaned by it crowd the cathedral steps in hope of a hot meal, while after dark they slink back into shadow while blood-addicted vrakhiri and assorted shady figures own the streets. For all the guards' efforts, Svartrau is far from safe.
Even so, it remains the valley's liveliest place, divided into four districts.
Wealthy merchants live in Silberstein, alongside the few nobles who knelt to Brencis fast enough to survive.
Altenmarkt, where merchants hawk their wares, is easily the city's busiest quarter.
The Middens stand nearly deserted — the plague struck hardest there, and now only beggars and dubious characters linger.
Then there is Neustadt, a small Jewish quarter whose community keeps to itself and avoids angering the knyaz; they grasp, more keenly than most, how fragile life has become.