I'm play fast and loose with Ul'dah history here because I'm not as well-versed in it as I should be, but the city was founded by lalafell and prospered in the desert. In a medieval-ish timeframe/powerlevel/youknowwhatimean the most important things to survival are resources, and living in a desert isn't exactly going to pour crops and livestock and bounty on you. It's entirely possible that, by adopting Ul'dah as a trading and commerce hub, it would have flourished as a respite from the harsh environment -- for a fee, of course. While resources are tantamount to survival, ability to acquire those resources is the second-best thing, and in a world of trade goods and people traveling to and from, it's not unreasonable that those with the greatest wealth lived with the greatest luxury: The cleanest water, the freshest foods, on and on. Note that the phrase isn't "For Country and Coin" and it's obvious where the priorities lie.
Of course, I'm just speculating.
Of course, I'm just speculating.
![[Image: yEROfKO.png]](http://i.imgur.com/yEROfKO.png)
