Hattush

A traveller arrives outside the gates of Hattush

Hattush is the capital city of the Hattusan Kingdom. It lies within the mountainous province of the Great Escarpment. More specifically, it sits at an important crossroads for the province's few known passes, making it a very important city for tradesman and travellers looking to pass through the area. Hattush is a major participant in multiple mineral-based trades such as the stone, copper and, most importantly, bronze trades.

The city is currently experiencing the height of its size and influence, as is the rest of Hattusa. Its walls are large and decorated with impressive rock reliefs and intricate carvings. The interior of the city, to, is known for its statues and monuments dedicated to the various beasts of the Dead Sands (such as lions of sphinxes) as well as rulers of times past.

## **Characteristics**

### **Geography**

Hattush is located at an important crossroads for the few passes through the Great Escarpment. It is the relative centre of the Hattusan Kingdom, but sits on the more southern half of the province. Though it sits at the crossroads, there is only one main road in and out of the city - a fact largely influenced by terrain than actual choice.

From the city, one has the option to travel west to the savannahs and plains of the Red Land or east to the desert areas of the Dead Sands. Alternatively, one could travel north further into the mountains, where the temple of Bull's Peak is located as well as various small mining and quarrying villages.

### **Demographics**

Like most Carrion King cities, Hattush is a very diverse place. Many people from various races, backgrounds, and walks of life can be found here. As is typical, Hattush has notable populations of Humans, Gnolls, and Carrionites but also has a sizeable number of Dwarf citizens. This is likely due to the mountainous locale as well as the common practice of stone carving and metalworking, both popular artistic fields for Dwarfs.

### **Economy**

Like the rest of the Hattusan Kingdom, the city of Hattush is reliant on quarrying and mining for much of its local economy. Luckily, though, Hattush is built around rich mineral and ore deposits. Local operations include the extraction of sandstone, quartz, copper, and tin. The mining of copper and tin are particularly important for the city as they are the two primary components used to make bronze, a vital metal for most Carrion Kingdoms. As a result, Hattush is also a major trade city for the bronze industry, a fact that has made wider Hattusa quite influential.

### **Culture**

Hattush is perhaps best known for its contribution to art. The city walls are decorated with intricate rock reliefs and carvings and the interior is full of statues and monuments to desert beasts and stories of old. Bronze working is also a major artistic venture for the artisans of Hattush.

Outside of the arts, Hattush is also known for its traditional festivals. Hattusa is one of the few remaining Carrion Kingdoms that allow public worship of the old Carrionite faith. As a result, many festivals and events revolve around these traditional practices. The largest and most famous of these is the Festival of the Bull, a seven-day festival dedicated to Apis, the bull god of fertility and prosperity. During this festival a sacred bull is paraded through the city before being taken to the temple at Bull's Peak. Traditionally, it is said that any who smells the breath of the bull will be granted the gift of foresight.

## **Layout**

### **Notable Locations**

* **Bloomery Metalworks -** primarily made of a large series of furnaces and bellows, this vast metalworking plant is believed to be one of the oldest metalworks in the Dead Sands. Though modern blast furnaces have largely superseded the traditional bloomery furnace, the workers here still swear by it and continue to use them to this day.

## **Writer's Notes**

* Hattush is inspired by the Hittite capital city Hattusa.
* The Bloomery Metalworks comes from the Hittites unique relationship with ironworking. Though they were a bronze age civilisation, they are known to be one of the first civilisations to smelt iron, creating tools and weapons from it just before the collapse of their empire.