Bywater (Torrune)

Bywater is a long, narrow riverfront neighborhood running along the north edge of Torrune's High City, in the strip of land between the city walls and the banks of the Helvander. Because of these constraints, it is no more than a few blocks wide at any point, but it stretches for over a half a mile from east to west. Most of Bywater is devoted to handling river-trade and boat traffic; the riverfront itself is completely lined with docks and piers, with rows of tall, multi-storied warehouses rising immediately behind them. Bywater handles less cargo than the Low City's sprawling waterfront district, but this is only because it is smaller; it is no less crowded and bustling for that.
The Market Gate in the High City walls opens out directly into Bywater, providing the main connection between the waterfront and the walled city proper. West of that, the Griffin's Gate and the abutment of the Fortress Bridge loom over the neighborhood. Flights of broad stairs ascend the embankment on both sides of the abutment, so that traffic from the waterfront level can easily move up onto the bridge's south end to either cross over into the Low City or pass through the Griffin's Gate into the High City.