Hollow City

The gem of zone 8. The home of the well of souls. The home of the fabled hollow warriors.
Lost in the throes of the first Sundering, the Hollow City has been populated only by monsters and mice for over a millenia. Until now.

Demographics

Beta wave hollow warriors now make up the bulk of the city's population, outnumbering the alpha wave hollows by more than double, though greater numbers of citizens from other zones are making inroads.
Orcish clans have been aggressively sending recruiters. Human and tevani adventurers are being drawn practically in droves to discover the city's lost secrets. There's a small but significant number of elves scouting for potential assassins. The ambient weather makes life miserable for the few representative tecoile.

Government

Anarchy.
Hollow City has no centralized form of government. Nevertheless, it is finding its own rhythms in the chaos. The hollows have developed several factions of their own, as well as hosting representatives from the other zones, and are slowly establishing themselves as independent actors in the political arena. A guild comprised of a portion of the early alpha wave hollows allied with the paladins are helping to maintain the balance of a semblance of law and order.

Defences

Thankfully the city has yet to need to defend itself against incursion, because the enclosing walls and their accompanying towers are in shambles. The city's best defense is the hollows themselves.

Industry & Trade

There have been quite a number of industrious merchants setting up shop in the Hollow City, running the gamut from genuinely entrepreneurial to shady as heck looking to scam naive Hollows, because many of them are shockingly soft targets.
Merchants have begun shipping all kinds of dead stock to Hollow City, because it’s gotten around that hollows will buy, eat, or wear just about anything without much regard for price, taste, or, well, taste. Hollows have been known to eat raw potatoes and unskinned, raw onions like apples.

Infrastructure

The city is rife with rebuilding. Hollows are nothing if not innovative.
One of the first larger projects to be completed was restoring the ancient sewer and water systems to functionality. Where the original structures couldn't be used or salvaged, makeshift rigs were installed.

Districts

City center. The center of Hollow City is punctuated by the long strip of the Forum, bracketed on either end by the Labyrinth and the Arcadia. The Forum is a thriving gathering spot for multiple activities, including quest trading, buying and selling wares, lore sharing, and arguing.

Cottonville. The squares surrounding the temple are a haven for new hollows who haven't found their place in the world. Their proximity to the paladins reduces the risk of running into cotton farmers.

Pipedown. The reconstructed water system has crisscrossed this section of the city with so many rigged aqueducts that it was dubbed "pipetown," but it quickly morphed into "Pipedown." Be prepared to dodge drips.
{more tbd}

Guilds and Factions

Alpha guild are the hollows' defacto leaders, being among the earliest and most experienced inhabitants of Hollow City, but Woe seems to be making overtures toward making a power play.
Paladins, though politically neutral, have been a stabilizing presence in the city and have helped smooth the hollows' integration into the larger world.

History

Scholars disagree over the true origins of Hollow City. Like its original (and resurgent) citizens, the truth is shrouded by time and legend. One fact, however, cannot be denied: Hollow City was founded because of its proximity to the Well of Souls, the birthplace of the hollow warriors, and it fell to ruin because of the Well's (presumed) destruction.

Points of interest

The Well of Souls
The Standing Stones
The Labyrinth
The Forum
The Arcadia

Tourism

Surprisingly, the city has already drawn a small number of curious tourists, largely scholarly. The city and its denizens have just emerged from the fogs of antiquity, after all.

Architecture

Since most of the structures in the city were constructed from natively mined stone, many have survived with minimal damage. The red clay tile roofs are the most likely victims of time.
Buildings that have been reclaimed for habitation are likely to sport rough repairs, featuring inexpertly hewn planks recycled from clearing invasive trees.

Alternative Name(s)

City of the Seven Towers, City of the Well of Souls

Type

Citadel

Location under

Zone Eight

Included Locations

• Stealer of Cheese
• The Arcadia
• Well of Souls

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Skin Trials