Good point anfa, though if you're expecting a crowd of npcs.... dont hold your breath, i recall reading something where the invasions of hydlaa and other cities from the stone laybiranths will all start at the bronze doors [btw, still can't find those doors! XP] And when a horde of grendol pop that door open and flood into the vally bellow... It would not be good to have a little outpost set up where you are selling spear heads.
Though yes I know what you mean, but it wouldn't be 'thriving' with life nessasarily... I'd imagin a blood stained grassland with spears and arrows stuck in the ground, and hundreds, no wait, thousands of corpses lay on the field of battle....
This is exactly that, a staging front, the front lines, the heat of battle... Bunker hill, harmeggedo, waterloo, normandy beach... If anything yeah I'd imaign seeing merchants like gork Idon who are bolder then most, but you wont find stands like harnquist realisticly.
