DnD: The Merchants Quarters

Along a span of the river Gar that runs almost straight north-south there lies, on the eastern side, the section of Leoden known as the Merchants Quarters.  It is believed by some, though there is no documentation to prove it, that the Merchants Quarters is the oldest section of town, though some insist The Docks, positioned on the opposite bank, hold this title.  The Merchants Quarters do not, strictly speaking, count only merchants as their residents.  The Merchants Quarters is merely the richest part of town, where all the wealthiest inhabitants live.  This includes, of course, merchants, but also a couple of magicians, some of the elite members of certain guilds, as well as the temples of various magical disciplines. 
Every estate or mansion within the Merchants Quarters also requires a large supports staff.  As there is no official law jurisdiction within Leoden, any of great wealth must look to their own resources for their protection.  Thus, the Merchants Quarters is home to numerous large compounds, some with walled gardens, some built from nothing but stone, some with access only achievable by way of drawbridge or ladder.  Each of these compounds (except for the temples) employs numerous guards and servants, to protect and provide for the needs of the merchants of live within.  Whenever the merchants (and others) leave their abodes, they often travel in litters, surrounded by large processions to announce their passage—and act as a buffer against undesirables.  However, it is surmised that some merchants actually will leave in the disguise of their own servants, either as members of their own retinue (who knows who's actually within that litter, anyway?) or as individuals out on errands, so as to travel about the city unmolested.