Qakkah

"Even though i regularly visit this city, i am still in awe everytime it appears on the horizon. Qakkah truly is a magnificent place." - Yasumoto Amida, Uchijanian explorer and trader

Demographics

Qakkah holds citizens of all shapes and sizes - Tiefling dockworkers haul expensive cargo into the city, a kobold city guard chases a thief through the market, Tabaxi minstrels play their exotic instruments on street corners.
Due to Qakkah's disposition as a trading hub, people from all over the world find themselves in the crowded streets of the metropolis. Next to the "common" races such as humans and elves, one can just as easily find tritons, kenku and goliaths roaming the streets. In the city, all races are seen and treated as equal and people are always judged as individuals.

Government

The city of Qakkah is ruled by a council that was installed by the then-reigning Sultan about 130 years ago. The council, which also rules over the rest of the country, regularly addresses the public about their most recent decisions.
The laws of the council are acted out and protected by the Bronzeblades, the official city guard that has been protecting Qakkah for many centuries.

Defences

Qakkah's biggest defence is its' people - valiant Bronzeblades, excellent fighters that protect the city and its citizens from harm; the Elephant Knights stationed in the Palace; the citizens that would defend their home with all it takes. The people of Qakkah love their city and will do everything to protect it from invading forces. Many powerful mages, swordsmen and adventurers call the city their home and will gladly offer their power to drive out people with sinister intent.

Infrastructure

Qakkah is a huge coastal metropolis that lies at the tip of a large headland. It was built in layers that are located on a set of massive, stair-like cliffs. The layers serve as districts that each have a distinct look and feel, and each serve a certain purpose.

• The Garden of the Sea:The First Layer, also called the “Garden of the Sea” is situated at the base of the cliffs and consists of Qakkahs massive harbour and a gigantic, sprawling market. Here, ships from all over the world come to bring news, wares and people from distant lands. It is by far Ocryas biggest trading hub, with over 1000 Ships arriving and leaving every day. The market of Qakkah is famous for having everything that one might wish for, if one just looks hard enough. It consists of many stationary businesses, but also an unbelievable number of tents and wandering merchants. Everyone who has something to sell can set up shop here, if they find an empty spot.

• The Garden of the Flame:The Second Layer, also called the “Garden of the Flame”, is situated on the first plateau. It serves as the primary living quarters for Qakkahs large population. It consists mostly of residential areas, with the only businesses being a large number of Inns, Taverns and Restaurants. This area is the place to go if you’re searching for a place to sleep or for new friends. Most of Qakkahs population are a very warm and welcoming folk and are quite easy to make friends with.

• The Garden of the Mind:The Third Layer, also called the “Garden of the Mind”, is situated on the second plateau. While it is the smallest district, it still carries an important reputation: It is the working district of Qakkah. Here, unusually large factories and research facilities are located, which employ most of Qakkahs population. This is the place to go if one needs to make money or wants to contribute to society. The factories always need strong and hardy people to manage the machinery, and the research and magical facilities are welcoming to everyone whose intellect could help to further their research.

• The Garden of the Sky:The Fourth Layer, also called the “Garden of the Sky”, is situated on the highest plateau. It is the ruling district, mostly consisting of the massive “Palace of Clouds”. It also houses the Vault of Etrye, a massive underground system of chambers and hallways that house the sultans amalgamation of various treasures. This district is rarely visited by Qakkahs regular population, except for the soldiers, who are trained in a certain part of the palace. The sultan of Etrye and his council reside and rule from here and regularly hold audiences, where citizens can voice their needs or concerns.

In addition to the four layers, there is also a small island near the south-eastern side of the city that consists of the skull of Ymzotl, a nature god that died there in an ancient war. A small settlement consisting of about 30 houses is built onto the skull. Despite it having its own government, it is seen as a part of Qakkah's first layer, the Garden of the Sea.

Guilds and Factions

Qakkah is home to many different factions and guilds. These are some of the most important ones:

• The Bronzeblades:The Bronzeblades are the main city guards that keep watch over the streets and markets of Qakkah - their ranks count thousands of valiant men and women of many different races and backgrounds that protect the citizens of the city. They get their name from the ceremonial bronze sword that is worn by every Bronzeblade.

• The Sons of Myrkul:The Sons of Myrkul are a large group of religious fanatics worshipping a god of death that are disguised as a commoners’ church. Despite the regular member not necessarily being evil, there is a small group of cultists that actually worship Orcus, the Demon Lord of Undeath. In the ranks of the cult, there are even a few secretive worshippers of Vecna, the Undying King.

• The Abbey of Waukeen:The Abbey of Waukeen is a religious organization dedicated to Waukeen, the goddess of trade. They own a massive Lighthouse, also known as the Traders’ Lantern, that guides ships safely into the port. Most traders and fishermen in the city count themselves as members of this church.

• The House of TradeThe House of Trade is a recently established traders’ guild that has its headquarters in a small tower near the port. Their honest and forthcoming behavior is, however, merely a facade that hides a large slave ring lead by some of the most wealthy people in the city. Recently, the Bronzeblades have started to notice that there is something off about the guild, but they haven’t got enough hard evidence to support any further action.

• The Daggers of Qakkah:The continent-branching Daggers Thieve's Guild has, despite their efforts, only recently managed to establish a small presence in the city. This is due to the valiant Bronzeguards that have quenched many attempts by the Daggers to establish themselves in the city. After learning from their many attempts however, the Daggers have since managed to slowly work themselves into the criminal underworld of Qakkah, disguised as honest merchants and traders. They have even infiltrated the city council with the help of a Doppelganger that silently replaced one of the members.

History

Before Qakkah was founded, another settlement that has since been long forgotten stood in its place, guarding the land bridge that once connected the continents of Ocrya and Edria. When the nature god Ymzotl died in a violent explosion during a massive war however, the land bridge was shattered and the previous settlement buried under endless amounts of rubble. The calamity left only a face of steep, sharp cliffs that descended into the ocean in a stair-like fashion.
Many centuries later, a group of settlers found the place and decided to build a small harbour settlement at the base of the cliffs. Because of its' great position, word spread quickly among the different continents and Qakkah began to experience massive growth, soon being declared its' own kingdom. The first Sultan came from Edria and began to elevate the city onto the other cliff layers with the help of a group of powerful mages. Soon thereafter, the Palace of Clouds was built and the city kept prospering.
When Etrye declared itself as an official country after the Splitting of the Council of Medora, it was clear that Qakkah would serve as the newly founded country's capital. Since then, Qakkah has continued to grow steadily, constantly shifting and expanding to accomodate the new citizens.

Architecture

Most buildings in Qakkah are built out of a mixture of sandstone, wood and metal. The sandstone serves as the basis of the building, while the wood is used as support and decoration and the metal is used to build the typical half-domed roofs that are an important mark of Qakkahian buildings.

Geography

Qakkah is built on a set of massive, layered cliffs that descend into the southern ocean. A river originating from a nearby mountain flows down the different layers, finally flowing into the sea itself. The river is Qakkah's main source of drinking water and is also used by many factories in the Garden of the Mind.
The climate is warm, with mild winters and hot summers and the area in and around the city is home to many different plants.

Natural Resources

The only natural resource that is regularly harvested in Qakkah is sea life. Many edible fish species and mollusks can be found in the ocean near Qakkah and many fishers set out on their boats every day to harvest and subsequently sell them.

Type

Metropolis

Population

~276'340

Inhabitant Demonym

Qakkahian

Owning Organization

Etrye