Puka Killa

Located in the southernmost of the Three Sisters, Puka Killa is the only city with all three subraces of dwarves in large numbers. Set in the mountains, the entrance palace is somewhat small for a metropolis, but the vast majority of the city is ensconced in stone, bolstered by the powerful magics flowing through the area. Nearby terrace farms produce most of the massive amounts of food required for the city and house a large stout halfling community. A few skyship hangars are discreetly carved into the side of one mountain, and a small but very capable skyship production facility is housed in the city as well. Most skyship traffic is redirected to a halfling village near the palace, though traders must schlep their wares half a mile up the mountain to gain entrance.
Most trade passes through the Zodiac Chamber, a massive underground courtyard with twelve portals. These are the only portals in the city, but long practice has made the dwarves very capable directors of traffic, and the room itself is closely but discreetly guarded. The gates are named after light and dark constellations in the southern sky, and though ‘zodiac’ is an inaccurate translation, the palace itself is an astronomical observatory and the only place in the world where duergar may study the stars.
Barbarians (Battleragers) are abundant here, as are rangers (Gloom Stalkers). Evocation and transmutation are common choices for wizards here. The city is divided into districts who send representatives to a senate, who advise the king and create laws. Though the palace is nestled between two mountains, the city itself fills the two mountains and goes down right into the Underdark. Puka Killa is the only reliable and safe place for Underdark to surface trade in the world.

Districts

Crowns - The topmost levels of the mountains tend to house hill dwarves, and are also the levels most likely to receive visitors and commercial traffic. Some mountain dwarves and duergar live here as well, but typically only those interested in conducting business with outsiders; halflings live on the step farms outside. (This is the default district.) Heart - Home mostly to mountain dwarves, the middle of the mountain sees most of the city’s industry, with forges working tirelessly with the aid of molten lava, and cunning chimneys built to release smoke and heat while allowing rainwater to penetrate the mountain. Root - Home to most of the city’s duergar and an entryway into the Underdark, Root has few amenities for surface dwellers, though it does cater to the Underdark traffic that passes through the city. Terraces - Stout halflings maintain the elaborate step farms on the outskirts of the mountain, cheerfully producing most of the food for the city in exchange for dwarven goods and the protection of the formidable military. The skyports are technically part of the Terraces, and quite a bit of trade occurs here.

Places of Interest

Zodiac Chamber - This bustling entryway is three acres of open space in the heart of a mountain, cunningly built and supported with ample light. The twelve gates are Amaru (Snake), Atoq (Fox, dark), Hatun Chakana (Big Cross), Michiq (Shepherd, dark), Thunawa (Batan grinder), Lluthu (Partridge, dark), Qollqa (Warehouse), Hanp’atu (Toad, dark), Kukamama (Coca Mother), Ukhumari (Bear, dark), Urkuchillay (Silver Llama), Kuntur (Condor, dark). Dark constellation gates lead to destinations off world. Nearly all traffic is ushered down one of six passages to markets and entertainment below, but stalls offering refreshment operate here. Powerful wizards and barbarians stand ready to defend the city against any threats that come through the gates.
The Cacao Pot - Though dwarves have imported fine foods from around the world, cacao beans are a point of regional pride, and the Cacao Pot specializes in variations of this frothy beverage. The dwarven family who runs this establishment all use prestidigitation to augment the drinks, making their service unique yet traditional at the same time. Local cuisine is made especially well here also, as is chicha, a corn beer favored by local dwarves.
The Palace - Also an observatory, this site remains the single duergar surface building. Though their cousins aided with the architecture and maintenance, duergar fascination with the stars has lead to them becoming prolific astrologers, founding a wizard academy in the same spot. Smaller than the primary academy in the city, the observatory nonetheless turns out talented diviners, and contains a legendary library on the stars and their study.
The Spider Den - Down in the bowels of the city sits a drow establishment with a reputation for edgy entertainment. Catering mostly to surface dwellers who want a taste of the Underdark, the Spider Den is dimly lit and constantly filled with drow music and, of course, spiders. Underdark food and drink are served here and to the proprietor’s credit are decent fare. Most drow visiting the city head to quieter and more authentic establishments, however.
Unique Goods and Services Cacao - Exported to other parts of the world, cacao grows locally and was perfected here; traditional recipes are frothy and generally less sweet than some are used to, though often spiced. Cacao is an important beverage in the city. Potatoes - Originating in the mountains around this city, this staple too has proven to be popular in other parts of the world, but the sheer variety and amount of recipes here is staggering. Purple potatoes are typically reserved for aristocracy. Llama - The only draft animal native to the area remains far and away the most common. Herded for meat and fiber, llamas are a staple of both the halfling society outside and the dwarves within. Games - Life within the mountain or on its slopes isn’t conducive to sports, and the dwarves usually work physically intensive jobs anyway. Games are the more popular pastime, whether cards or board games; Komikan is popular here, as are chess and Go. Theater and music especially round out entertainment here; dwarven architecture has produced incredible acoustics, and some concerts have set whole neighborhoods thrumming.

Accommodations

Wretched - There’s no harsh climate inside the mountain, but little forage either. Squalid - Various chicha and food stalls, the Mushroom Patch (Terraces), Stone Room Inn Poor - Ten Torches Theater, Einkil’s Chicha and Food, the Dirty Llama Tavern and Inn (Terraces), Blackheart Tavern (Roots), Stroke of Luck Inn Modest - The Red Dragon Tavern (Terraces), The Spider Den (Roots), Gryffon’s Roost Restaurasnt and Inn, Maegan’s Lodge Comfortable - Moradin’s Choir Hall, The Cacao Pot, Devil’s Barbecue (Heart), Dark Constellation Tavern and Inn (Terraces), World’s End (inn, Roots) Wealthy - Celestial Opera House, Corn Maiden Restaurant, House of Glanhig (restaurant), the Silver Llama Restaurant (Terraces), Shadows and Silk (tavern and inn, Roots), the Milky Way Inn, the Observatory (inn, Terraces) Aristocratic - Gaia’s Heart Symphony (Heart), the Violet Wyrm Restaurant, Regal Lodges Inn

Demographics

Hill Dwarf 30%, Mountain Dwarf 25%, Duergar 20%, Stout Halfling 20%, others ~5%

Government

Constitutional Monarchy with Representative Senate

Defences

The farms are designed to be inaccessible from below, and the lone footpath up the mountain discourages armies or ground vehicles. Magical and non-magical missile weapons guard the peaks and prevent easy air assaults; the city has the most to fear from Underdark incursions, though these must also contend with dwarven designed traps and defenses.

Industry & Trade

In addition to combining three dwarven traditions to create metal items of unprecedented quality, the city does a brisk trade with Underdark denizens, offering them surface goods and letting people on the surface get Underdark fare.

Infrastructure

Dwarven cunning has produced extremely well engineered plumbing throughout the city, and it relies on no magic to function. Additionally, the terrace farms are regarded as marvelous feats of engineering, as these too can function without magic (though the halflings often use a little to augment their farming).

Assets

Cocoa, metals, precious stones, Underdark goods

Geography

The city is built into two mountains side by side, with the entrance and primary surface structures built on a saddle between the two.

Natural Resources

Cocoa, metals, corn, wood, llamas

Alternative Name(s)

The Red City

Type

Metropolis

Population

230,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Killans