There is no law in the Javaash beyond sheer strength. Prudent merchants have armed guards to protect themselves and their gold. The poor refugees must find what safety they can in ragged bands under the thumb of a few bully-boys. If an important traveler has been way laid, or too many merchants complain, the Prince will sometimes send his soldiers on a sweep through the Javaash. This happens perhaps once a year, and for a few weeks the area has a kind of fragile order.
The Javaash serves as a kind of shadow market where the few things that are illegal within the walls can be bought and sold freely. The area is at its busiest at night when the city gates are closed and travelers must wait in the Javaash until dawn. A special class of go-betweens called Javaashkri form the link between the city inside and the city outside the walls. Javaashkri know how to find things in the Javaash, know how to do business there, and know how to move items through the gates without attracting attention.
Nectar¼s gates themselves are huge, and their bronze covering is elaborately decorated. Each entrance has an inner and outer gate. The gates are guarded by a squad of eight soldiers armed with swords and muskets. Towers flanking the gates bear cannon. At night, men patrol the walls. A customs inspector examines all freight entering the city for contraband. Since what is contraband largely depends on how well the inspector is bribed, nearly everything gets in eventually.