A gypsy city?

[Cheka Man]

What if a nomadic people based on gypsies somehow, in an easily defendable place, formed a city of their own?Others flocked to them...escaped slaves and the like, swelling the population. The problem is, I can't think of how it would be able to form without being destroyed by the other city states around it in an early stage. Any ideas? It certainly does not have to be a massive great thing, but it needs to have been able to survive.

[Pariah]

Maybe it has been destroyed, repeatedly.  Or not quite destroyed, per se, but the surrounding city-states have sent armies to destroy it, but every time they reach it the city is gone.  Seeing as they're gypsy people it's not impossible for them to pack up everything and move, and come back a couple months later to resettle.  Going with that idea, basically the entire 'population' of the city might actually still be transient, it's just an extremely prosperous caravan city.  Or option b, put the city in the middle of swamps that swallow invading armies whole.

[EchoMirage]

You also have to take into account that a gypsy is, per definition, a parasitic life-form. Where do they derive their sustenance from?

[valadaar]

1. Magical defenses that make it nearly impossible to find for non-gypsies. Illusions and the like perhaps.

2. Lands are too dangerous for large armies to traverse without taking losses too costly to be worth it. Small groups may traverse with reasonable luck, but masses of troops would find it rough going and difficult to live off the land.  Add hostile creatures the gypsies know how to avoid and it becomes unlikely for neighbors to waste resources attacking them, at least until the gypsies REALLY piss someone off.

[Scrasamax]

The city itself is transient. Rather than having walls and towers it is a series of roads and 'amenities'. The city takes advantage of certain defensible terrain features such as rough terrain, water ways and the like. Another factor is that being non-agrarian, they have no reason to hold on to any piece of land. They can fight if they need too, but they can also just pack up and leave. Insert traps and such.

Trailer Park city

[Pariah]

You also have to take into account that a gypsy is, per definition, a parasitic life-form. Where do they derive their sustenance from?

They eat the children they steal, of course. :p