Rásk was a mandatory stopping point along the Camel Road beginning at Tûl Póac. The people of the city were open and friendly, lived for trade, and enjoyed conversing with travellers from other lands. Since it lay on the major trade route into the lands of Sîrayn, Rásk supported a multitude of commercial interests and administered the tariffs apportioned to imports.
History[]
The city had been founded in T.A. 342 on the remains of old Rask and Was the stopping point where the Camel Road intersected the Sîresha River. Members of the Póa tribe from Tûl Póac to the north resettled these lands and established a thriving trading community . Over the years, nomadic people, traders from the other cities, and foreigners helped to mold the outpost into a bustling city.
Economy[]
Rásk was the major north-south, east-west terminus for trade; merchants and caravan masters had to stop in this city and pay their taxes and trade tariffs. It was one of the safest cities in all of Sîrayn. Thievery and misconduct of any sort were repaid with the harshest of fines and punishments. It was said that a merchant needed not fear to leave his wares unlocked at night.
Attractions[]
In comparison to the other Sîranian cities, Rásk was small. Only two to three thousand permanent inhabitants resided within its walls. The rest of the population (bringing it up to approximately 7500 inhabitants) was purely seasonal and transitory. Numerous bazaars and markets comprised the major points of interest within Rásk, although the peculiarities of its architectural composition drew a few tourists. (The post-and-lintel systems typical of Greater Harad were carried to an extreme: most streets were lined with covered, colonaded arcades, and nearly every residence possessed a colonaded central courtyard.) The soul of the city was trade and could be felt throughout its streets, alleys, plazas, and arcades. Many speculated that the coffers of the Tarb of Tûl Îsra were filled mainly by the taxes collected in Rásk.