Hupperdook

Hupperdook was an industrial town in the Dwendalian Empire that was largely populated by gnomes.

City Description
Hupperdook was a city of industry, where the majority of the Dwendalian war machines were forged and constructed. There was a large metallic archway that rose into a pointed entrance. In the metal were various rivets carved in, "HUPPER," "DOOK".

The city was built into the side of a mountain at the eastern terminus of the Silberquel Ridge. The city was organized into a lower tier and an upper tier. At the base of the mountain above the lower tier, there were two winding switchback roads, a very steep staircase, and an elevator that ascended up to the second level.

The Lower Tier
In the Lower Tier were a hundred or more dark workshops and towers that billowed smoke from chimneys and stacks. Oversized cannons and mobile siege towers were placed in the open spaces between these towers. The colors were fairly drab: browns, greys, and dark graphite metals. On the ground there was a faint layer of soot from the constant smoke.

The lower tier consisted almost entirely of industrial areas, and was divided into the northern "Iron Lot" and the southern "Assembly Yard".

Iron Lot
The Iron Lot was where war machines were developed and designed. There were large towers with large wheels that were affixed to them that were grinding. There were platforms rising up and down that were lifting building materials onto the higher levels. There were larger-wheeled platforms that had three or four bolt-throwers on it, 30 feet tall large siege towers, a giant battering ram, and a 15 feet cannon.

The Omni-Smelter is a spiderweb-like formation of a dozen or so foundry warehouses that are connected by a series of hallways, allowing extraction of metals from ore on a massive scale. Imported ingots are also melted down so they can be utilized by the Assembly Yard. Rissa says the foreman of the Omni-Smelter is "a bit of a tool".

Built into the far northern side of the mountain's base is the Armavault: a solid iron door (25-30 feet tall and 60 feet wide) jammed into the mountain. It is very well-protected, with the Mighty Nein observing at least two dozen Crownsguard stationed at the base of the door. Most of the city's funds are stored inside the Armavault, as well as war machines specifically set aside to defend the city in case of attack.

Some of Hupperdook's factories use the natural volcanic activity in the Underbellows as a consistent heat source, maintaining some of their forges and furnaces beneath the city. Rissa admits that it smells "downright awful".

The Firemark Facility is a plain-looking building made of cheap metals, where the city's engineers and the Dwendalian military continue to develop the experimental gunpowder technologies and weapons.

The Gearhold Prison is towards the southern end of the Iron Lot. Similar to the Armavault, its entrance is also a solid iron door built into the mountain base, but smaller (only 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide).

Assembly Yard
The Assembly Yard was where all the war machines were built. There was a roped section that was just pock-marked craters and scarred ground, what was some sort of a testing ground for whatever they had been working on over the numerous decades. The ground here was fairly barren and there wasn’t a lot of grass. But it was a pretty harsh scrub land with small bushes. Some of the bushes had a very unique-looking white bud flower in them.

On the other side of the testing ground were dozens of dark metallic warehouses and buildings that were connected by hallways. There were small compounds that were focused on whatever their specific businesses are in these designated, delegated areas.

The Upper Tier
The Upper Tier was about a hundred feet above the base level and was held up by a massive outcropping of leveled rocks. Along the ridge of the mountain shelf on this level lay hundreds of buildings and arches, occasionally dappled with an autumn-colored tree. Behind the city mass, there was a shimmering waterfall that cascaded from out of the center of the mountain, about 1000 feet up, that glimmered like silver-white light. The upper tier was known as the "Idlework Shelf".

Idlework Shelf
The Idlework Shelf was a lively district and the center of Hupperdook culture. Most of the city's taverns, inns, and merchants could be found here. There were open pavilions that were decorated for an event or a festival. Within the center the Silver Falls could be found.


 * The Blushing Tankard, was the most prominent and lively establishment in the Idlework Shelf. It was owned by Ireena Clawmop.
 * Firecrackers vendor: A thin, young gnomish man sold ten sparklers and ten poppers for five silver.
 * Flower vendor: A middle ages portly looking gnome sold flower strings for five copper pieces.
 * Bent Binders, a book store that was closed in the evening.
 * The Shusters Butcher, a small building that was boarded up.

Silver Falls The Silver Falls was a massive waterfall cascading a thousand feet from the top of the mountain, into a large lake, where columns of steam were rising up. Beside the waterfall there was a steam engine-type mechanism built into the surrounding rock that they used to fuel the furnaces and elements of the technology within this city. Around the waterfall were numerous thin, tall and metallic, three to four story towers hat have balconies and little windows. Inside lived and slept most of the city's residents and their families lived.

Society
During the day the pavilions in the town were empty and there was nobody just taking a walk, but they were rushing from one place to another or shouting commands.

Steam whistles and oranges and red fireworks would go off signaling the end of the workday. And the streets suddenly come to life as people began to rush out of buildings, taking off their work clothes and rushing off to home to unwind. Typically, citizens party until they pass out, wake up, take a couple Fuse (the local "hair-of-the-dog"), and then go back to work, and the whole process repeats.

Demographics
The majority of the city's citizens and workers were gnomes, with the occasional dwarves and some humans and half-elves. Both male and female gnomes could be seen working in Hupperdook's factories and foundries.

Upon getting closer to the city, the Mighty Nein were able to validate some of Beau's story: Hupperdook was very clearly a city of industry, with wood-smoke and coal-smoke rising from various towers and smokestacks. Jester was immediately disappointed that the city was nothing like she had imagined.

By the time the party arrived, the city was already in the middle of full-blown war production - constructing bolt throwers, battering rams, cannons, and other siege weapons for the Righteous Brand to utilize in the ongoing war against Xhorhas.

Trivia

 * Jester noticed the town's name on the map purchased from Lochward General. She immediately wanted to go there.