Needles

Dominating an island to the southeast of the Holy Empire, Needles is an independent city-state, though it still benefits greatly from Imperial proximity. The Empire patrols the waters near it, and the city pays a fee for this service, though the land-based military answers solely to the city’s rulers and would fiercely resist any effort to conquer it. The city gets its name from the clustered arrangement of towers built haphazardly throughout, made so thick in the city center that passage between them is impossible and citizens must traverse bridges. Though the city’s large goblinoid population includes hobgoblins and bugbears, most of these are still goblins, and many districts in the city are built for smaller races. Halflings, kobolds, and gnomes all have neighborhoods here accordingly, and these three races share a degree of amusement concerning the larger races and their insistence in showing up in these somewhat exclusive neighborhoods all the same.
Only the Heart District has towers so crowded as to blot out the streets; as one leaves the center, the towers thin and decrease in height somewhat. The island overall has little farmland, though the goblins maintain extensive underground fungal warrens, and supplement this with kelp and seafood.

Cuisine

Outsiders joke that goblins use lots of spices to cover the taste of perpetually rancid meat, but the tradition stems more from the bland nature of the fungus and kelp they often subsist on. Wasabi and horseradish are common additions, as are hot peppers and other spices when they can be procured. What little agriculture takes place above ground tends to produce rice and soybeans; meat that isn’t fish is rare here, as is fruit. Coconuts in particular are cherished, and there are lots of holiday dishes that use these.
Districts

Heart

- The central district is also the least accessible. Street access is impossible, and the bridges running between towers are often privately owned, making transit tricky for people who alienate the city’s residents. Flight is common for those who can (or can afford it), particularly when it comes to the palace and council chambers. These sit in a great ring around a spindle in the center of the city, and can only be accessed by flying; the means by which it does so mystifies sages, since it appears to be magnetic and resists any efforts at disruption by anti-magic attacks. Goblin ingenuity and engineering keeps this effect functioning, and has made the palace one of the wonders of the world.
Notable locations include Cocoon, an inn and restaurant for wealthy patrons of small stature: Pot and Pony, a tavern run by hobgoblins that have one of the only stables in this part of the city, and Summit, a restaurant in the spire supporting the palace, with astonishing views of the city and excellent goblin cuisine.

Sluice District

- Keeping the city clean is a herculean effort, and due to its size and nature most of the water runoff is filthy. A circle of druids dwell within the city and dedicate considerable resources to purifying the one river running out of Needles. Upstream from the magical filtering point, foundries and workshops take advantage of the water to power massive engines and smithing, and if goblin engineering had a capital, this district would be it. Schools of magical technology are abundant here, and technology alongside magical research creates potent objects and weaponry. It’s well known that the Empire has received the schemata for all of its war machines and flying vessels from this city, and though Needles lacks the resources or space to make a full blown assembly line, the custom craft and war machines built here are the envy of pilots around the world. Grezzit College is by far the most prestigious school, and its campus dominates two sizeable towers; competition with sister colleges among the gnomes and vedalken is usually friendly but still fierce.

Sun District

- On the southeastern side of the city, towers open up at the tops and on the sides into broad verandas. Fruit orchards and small gardens are tucked away here, providing some luxury for those who can afford it, and offering a pleasant side of the bustling city to visit. (It’s no accident that Summit’s biggest windows face this section.) With markets and housing aplenty, Sun District has become the de facto residential district for most of the city, with the wealthiest living higher up but still close to the Heart. Most of the city’s gnome and halfling populations live here in their own little neighborhoods; though they’ve integrated well with the rest of the city, they still maintain their own culture. Two of the most notable features here are Zenith Park, a beautiful public space maintained by the city’s druids, and Seven Candles Theater, an establishment more upscale than its lower tower surroundings would suggest but still quite popular among all classes of citizen.

Shield District

- The city boasts only a modest navy, with its resources more easily spent on skyships (though these are necessarily in low quantity). Their defenses and army are formidable however, combining the very best engineering with hobgoblin discipline and tactics. Batteries of weaponry line the walls and combine magic, technology,and brute efficiency to ensure that no weakness exists to be easily exploited. The Shield District houses and trains soldiers and war engineers alike, and by happenstance is the area of the city most accommodating to people of Medium size, as many of the soldiers are hobgoblins or humans. The nature of the district precludes a lot of tourism, but several taverns and inns around the edges cater to soldiers and visitors alike. The Nine of Swords Tavern is the most famous of these, and despite the grim atmosphere, the drinks are strong and the food hot.

Undercity

- Goblins have a reputation for reckless engineering, but the Undercity stands as a dramatic rebuke to this. Where the spires above are haphazard at points, the tunnels and supports of Undercity are meticulously planned and built to not only keep the city up but also to provide a location for the great fungal gardens that help provide food for the city as well as breaking down much of its refuse. Mostly goblins live here, making many of the tunnels and buildings scaled for smaller folk, but the legendary Night Market remains not only accessible but accommodating to bigger creatures and offers a variety of goods fresh from the underground

Demographics

Goblin (assorted) 60%

Government

For a thousand years, Needles has been ruled by a pair of queens, one goblin and the other of any other race (often hobgoblin or bugbear, but not always). Royal lineages exist in all permanent races of the city, and the Century Council (so named for the one hundred representatives from throughout the city who sit upon it) select the non-goblin queen. Both queens must agree with a decision to implement it, though one must lead the army in times of war, deferring home authority to the remaining monarch. The goblin queen has descended in an unbroken line from the original goblin matriarch who ascended to the throne; every goblin born in the city claims some relationship to this ancient ruler, and they’re likely correct. The queen is much beloved as a result, and viewed as a cousin by city goblins, though this is partially due to the politics around the queen’s ascension; the rules are byzantine, but the council still selects the goblin queen from a pool of eligible goblins, maintaining her pedigree but also ensuring that no monarch with conspicuous madness takes charge of the city. Assassinations following a coronation are quite common.

Defences

Shield Quarter, and walls bristling with weapons from energy cannons to ballistae.

Industry & Trade

The chief export of the city is ideas and designs. Goblin schemata for war machines, skyships, sea vessels, horseless chariots, golems, and even toys all find a wide market, as do custom craft.

Guilds and Factions

The Ashen Circle is band of druids and nature clerics who tend to the city’s fungal gardens and maintain the magics which filter the river. Most of the druids are of the Circle of Spores, and because of the city’s needs and local custom, druids often handle funeral preparations. Most deceased are ‘planted’ in the city’s fungal gardens (wealthier citizens opt for the fruit gardens and typically have a nicer plaque honoring their sacrifice). Those who anticipate accidents or early deaths from some other kind of cause may opt to not have their body dismembered and interred in order to facilitate resurrection, and will file paperwork with the Ashen Circle accordingly. Because of their ubiquitous presence in city life, the Ashen Circle serves as the default religious institution for most citizens, and oversees worship of popular gods in the city as well as births, marriages, etc.

Architecture

Narrow towers dominate most of the city, using each other as support (in addition to strong bridges). Most towers are functional but dull; goblin sensibilities put function before form most of the time, so except for those towers commissioned by other races, most buildings in the city are rather plain. The tunnels underneath are meticulously organized but similarly drab.

Geography

The city sits on an island with only fifty square miles of land. Kelp is plentiful and few storms bother the island.

Alternative Name(s)

City of Towers, The Goblin City

Type

Metropolis

Population

180,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Needlers