CITY OF A HUNDRED GODS: Part 2/10... the remaining gates and the Ladders

The Sea of Tents, the Black River and Dusk Gate have previously been described, alongside their patron deities the Shit-Beetle, the Goddess of the Lime-Slake and more. Have a look at that post before coming back here:

https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/02/city-of-hundred-gods-part-110-city.html

Actually, read THIS post and come back here. The Bad Doctor shared this just as I was writing my slightly undercooked entry for the RPG Blog carnival, and I had to postpone reading it until I'd finished it, lest I gave up entirely. I'm glad I did: this is damn fine. Excellently selection of augmenting images, too:

https://wasitlikely.blogspot.com/2024/12/gods-of-stolen-world.html

Oh and then read THIS post, too, because Shuttered Room has come up with something very, very good for Secret Santicore: an ice age (past? present? future? it'll work as each of those) settlement, partly inspired by module B4. Another great example of minimalist worldbuilding:

https://shutteredroom.blogspot.com/2024/12/no-holidays-this-season-secret.html.

Sometimes it's hard not to feel like the ugly sister to Cinderella when stood beside such luminaries. I don't know if you ever get similar feelings but—assuming that you also have an RPG blog, which is likely—whenever I do I try to be thankful that I'm at least at the ball. 

Anyway, here's some more of my own gods, native to a sprawling Neolithic proto-city.

Ruins of Çatalhöyük—which could be the title of YOUR next adventure, couldn't it?

More Gods of the City Walls & Gates

11. Sister Moon

• Image/icon/idol:  a crescent or "rice-bowl" half-moon, curved edge horizontal. A serpent-haired gorgon.
• Followers: Very few outside the priesthood. Most citizens revere the moon as an avatar of the Yellow One or the Indigo Disc, with Sister Moon being associated solely with the city's southern gate, known as THE MOON GATE (see below).
• Priests: an ancient order of mostly non-masculine gendered priests, cloaked in silver spider silk (somewhat moth-eaten, ironically). They carry pearlescent, scythe-like blades fashioned from the shells of giant oysters from distant shores. Their temple sits atop the southern gate, which is operated and maintained independent of the Priests of Kaab.
• Notes: The belief that the moon is a gorgon is connected to the paralysing effects of sleepflower, which the priests use extensively. In addition to trading entrance to the city for this entheogen, they are always very curious to hear of the location of living gorgons/medusae, whom they regard as avatars of their goddess.
  
  

12. The Unblinking Eye

• Image/icon/idol:  a crimson eye with a white pupil, the inverse of this... or a white star
• Followers: the cult of Polaris has infiltrated many layers of society, but is most prevalent among the noble "warrior" houses.  A semi-secret sect of the solar priesthood loyal to the North Star also operates freely within the temple of the Sun. Most followers have had contact with Nightmare Fruit at some point in their life.
• Priests: The "true" priests of The Unblinking Eye of Polaris reside at the Temple of the North Star, atop the city's Star Gate. They wear crimson and white and pain the cyclopean emblem in the centre of their forehead. Though claiming to be an ancient cult, it is believed by scholars within the Temple of Literature that they were originally a heretical sect within the Priesthood of the Stargazer (see below). As has been alluded to, there is a semi-secret sect of Solar Priests actually loyal to the Cyclopean God of the North Star. They believe the Sun to be an avatar of The Unblinking Eye.
• Notes: The ultimate goal of the followers of The Unblinking Eye is to eliminate all other cults, unite the city under the authority of their god and begin the conquest of the Here & Now in its entirety. Other than conspiring to infiltrate the martial houses and Solar Priesthood, they also seek to recreate the wondrous[ly destructive]  technology they have witnessed in the Realm of Polaris while under the influence of Death Fruit. So far they have succeeded in binding spirits of the storm to the star-metal rods wielded by the priests guarding the star gate.

13.  Lucky Gecko

• Image/icon/idol: a gecko climbing a wall, a fly resting on the tip of its tongue 
• Followers: All denizens of the Ladders—the labyrinthine city slums housing its lower orders
• Priests: recruited from the poorest of the city, they wander the ladders trading extra ballots (the "currency" of the lower orders) for goods and services. True priests are marked with the tattoo of the gecko, and will need to record your own mark (see below) before ballots can be traded. Many false priests exists, though the reliability of their ballots is uncertain.  
• Notes: The ballot is the entry-level currency used by all denizens of the ladders: they are each issued a number of ballots in accordance with their lot once they have "marked" with a brand or tattoo at the temple of the gecko. This is essentially a number and corresponds to records held by the Temple of Bread and the Temple of Literature: denizens exchange ballots for bread or beer rations. Ballots are wooden sticks marked with coloured rings, each one is uniquely identifiable.
  
  Ballots can be traded but a history of ownership must be maintained: once a week, a draw is made by the higher ranking lotto-priests and prizes awarded to the bearers of random ballots. The prizes are not always good: in addition to meat, livestock and the services of indentured labourers are less enticing rewards such as corporal punishment, public humiliation and penal servitude. It is therefore absolutely essential that the final holder of a ballot is located, and the priests of the Lucky Gecko have the full support of the Solar Priesthood, the martial houses and the Protectors of the wall in achieving this. The entire social order of the city depends on it.      

14. The Night Watchman

• Image/icon/idol:  a dark cloaked figure carrying a burning torch
• Followers: Those whose lawful service to the city is performed at night and in proximity to the wall, especially the voluntary militia patrolling the ladders after dark. Mostly he's a secondary god to those already ordained as priests of Kaab (protectors, rather than builders), and the most impressive shrine sits atop the walls themselves.
• Priests: The Night watchman's priests maintain the large shrine atop the wall with the blessing of the priests of kaab. They wear black hooded cloaks and carry torches with a jadetite pommel at the base, which they wield as melee weapons in defence of those who need defending. 
• Notes: Atop the wall, The Night Watchman provides comfort to the protectors on long dark nights. Those priests of Kaab invariably receive a blessing at his shrine before their shift begins. Down in the ladders, priests of the Night Watchman are much more hands-on, a third force that doesn't always fully cooperate with the authorities. Conversely, while they operate as a vigilantes defending the innocent and those providing honourable service, they rarely interfere in the illegal operations of the various robber-clans.

15. The Stargazer

• Image/icon/idol:  A four-pointed star with a pair of eyes beneath.
• Followers: Almost entirely limited to priests at the Tower an observatory and temple that maintains astronomical records integral to the wider culture's functionality.
• Priests: all are highly skilled Priests of the Unblinking Eye. The Stargazer's rites are maintained because they are simply too complex to abandon and reinvent, so worship of this old god is reframed as veneration of a saint of Polaris. Nonetheless, Priests of the Stargazer differentiate themselves from the mainstream sect of Polaris through their indigo cloaks and elaborate headgear.
• Notes: Priests sleep during daylight hours and work through the night, compiling elaborate records of their observances through a triangular gap in the Tower's domed roof. These records are pored over and compared with previous records, and the data distributed to other temples within the city (most notably the Solar Temple and the Temple of Literature). Entrance to the Tower is forbidden, and is heavily guarded by scarlet-robed Priests of Polaris.

16. The God of the Cracks

• Image/icon/idol: a corruption of the Lucky Gecko. There is no outstretched tongue (and no little fly) and the lower half of the lizard is missing, stylized to resemble a gecko emerging from a crack.
• Followers: The God of the city's underclass, the unregistered still waiting for their status as lowly denizen to be confirmed. Refugees from far-off lands smuggled into the city. Sellers of counterfeit ballots. Beggars not loyal to the Beggar King. Worship of this small god is proscribed.
• Priests: the truly faithful began as profiteering people smugglers, footpads and thieves. Though they continue to provide illicit services, they do so in service of the vulnerable and weak, not so they might exploit them... though the lines can become blurred. Somewhere on their body the mark of the god of the cracks is branded: otherwise they appear like any other hardened enforcer of the ladders. 
• Notes: There is no temple or official shrine to the God of the Cracks but for the Crack in the Wall—the point in the city's perimeter that the Priests of Kaab have yet to reinforce. Obviously this is rarely in the same location (the Builders work vigilantly alongside the Priests of Sekyalmek to keep the ancient walls intact) and is very rarely an actual crack (tunnels or even ropes over the top work just as well), but here is where the hopes of the hopeless are brought into stark relief with the might of the city. Is the crack in the wall a glimmer of hope or a gateway into oblivion?  

Encounters at the Moon Gate, Day

The Moon Gate sits at the southernmost point of the city walls. By day it is open, allowing free ingress and egress to travellers from the south. 1d6 priests of Sister Moon stay at ground level, keeping an eye on comings and goings. 2d4 further priests are stationed atop, willing to close the gates using their ancient mechanisms should they see fit. 

1. Black robed priest of Faharra, piling a sled with rubbish, some of which might be valuable.
2. 1d8 hungry children begging for food.
3. 2d4-1 children of Lumlaho- pig-herd of varying age and plumpness.
4. 1d3 hungry elders, begging for food.
5. 2d6 warriors of the Berserker cult, leading a group of 2d8 sullen prisoners to their fate
6. Four silent blue-skinned men of the far south carrying a sedan chair. Inside sits a sleepy tiger
7. Trading party of 2d6 Brute-Folk, clothed in the guise of city aristocrats. 
8. Teenager offering being kept from entering, claims to have sleepflower resin to exchange for passage.
9. A priest of the Lucky Gecko, proselytising the wisdom of the ballot
10. Pack of 1d12 hungry dogs, looking for new friends.
11. A single giant rat eating a dead dog.
12. 1d12 pariahs carrying sacks of dried sleepflower heads. They won't say where they got it.
13. Pickpocket looking to rob the pariahs.
14. Old woman exchanging moonstone charms (crudely carved with a gorgon's face) for bread or meat. 
15. Woman with young family seeking shelter with The Burning Lady (Sea of Tents)
16. A huge sauropod hauling a colossal block of granite, otherwise unaccompanied.
17. 2d8 feral cats marching in formation towards the city gates.
18. 2d10 golden robed Solar Priests, returning from a mission to one of the satellite cities
19. 1d6 Priests of Kaab arguing with 1d6 more Priests of Sister Moon over the masonry at the junction of the city walls and gates 
20. Roll twice more and link the encounters together.

By night, the Moon Gate is closed. 2 priests of Sister Moon stay guard at ground level.1d6 further priests are stationed atop: only they have the power to open the gates using their ancient mechanisms. Travellers congregate below begging to be let in. 

Encounters at the Moon Gate, Night

1. Black robed priest of Faharra,on a murder mission.
2. Pack of 1d12 hungry dogs, looking for new "friends".
3. 1d8 Protectors of Kaab, searching for a fugitive
4. 1d6 acolytes of Sekyalmek, flesh bleached by lime.
5. 1d3 juvenile lions in search of weak prey
6. 1d6 refugees sat around a fire, refused entry to the city. With them is a "priest" of the God of the Cracks, quietly explaining a complicated plan to get them all inside.
7. The "god" Gehelem, disguised as (1d6) 1. small child 2-4. old woman 5-6. hungry dog
8. Robber or footpad stalking the party.
9. 2d8 refugees waiting patiently around a small fire. They believe the party to be priests of the god of the Cracks
10. The gates open to allow a trading party (2d4 humans with clubs) and their 1d4 large elephants to embark on their mission to the Outer cities
11. 1d12 priests of the Night Watchman returning to the Moon Gate
12. White-faced followers of Gehelem holding a silent vigil.
13. 1d8 Brute-Folk in animal skins, camping beside a fire. They wait for the gates to open in the morning.
14. Woman with young family seeking shelter with The Burning Lady.
15. Fox-spirit, disguised as a southern princess and her armed escort. All are illusory
16. An ogre. roll a die: evens its belly is full but its spirit empty, odds the reverse is true.
17. A Moon Spirit (1d6: 1-2 owl, 3-4 giant moth, 5-6 spectral gorgon), unable to pass wards on the city gates.
18. A manifestation of the Indigo Disc (Spirit of the Beyond), unable to enter (needs to pass through the star gate).
19. 1d4 warriors, worse for wear, carrying the head of a gorgon
20. Roll twice more and link the encounters together.

Encounters at the Star Gate, Day

The Star Gate is the final destination of the Great North Road, a trail reinforced by crushed aggregates that extends into the Northern Wastes as far as The Mountains of the Old Ones. The Black River enters the city here but boat traffic is diverted around a canal running the northeastern perimeter of the wall to the River Gate. All entrance to the Star Gate is on foot, regardless of status.

The gate is manned by the grim, red-robed priests of the Unblinking Eye. Six barefoot priests carry thrusting spears and shields while a seventh priest carries a starmetal rod and wears a plumed helmet. All remain at ground level: the gates are always opened and shut from the ground. The Temple of Polaris, atop the battlements, is unconcerned with the comings-and-goings below. 

1. 1d6 Red-robed Priests of Polaris and their 2d4 servants carrying wooden crates of Nightmare Fruit
2. 1d4 hungry children OR a hungry elder begging for food
3. Pack of 1d12 hungry dogs, looking for new friend.
4. Priests of The God of Mixed Fortunes, discussing canal business
5. 1d6 Priests of Kaab debating with 1d6 more Priests of Sekyalmek over the proper procedure to repair a crack in the wall. 
6. 2d6 warriors of the Berserker cult, returning from an expedition in the Northern Wastes. They carry beautiful clubs inlaid with copper banding.
7. 1d8 silent grey-skinned men and women of the far north, bringing a live (but bound) creature as tribute to the Golden One (1d6): 1-2 cave bear, 3-4 mastodon, 5- an ogre 6- a Titan child
8. Trading party of 2d6 Brute-Folk, clothed in animal skins. 
9. Teenager carrying a sack full of nightmare fruit .
10. 1d4 priests of the God of the Cracks heading towards the Sea of Tents
11. 1d4 maimed or wounded adult beggars
12. 1d4 giant rats eating a dead dog.
13. 1d12 pariahs, tired and hungry. One is on their way to becoming a ghoul.
14. 1d4 child pickpockets looking to rob the party.
15. A wise-one/de-frocked priest of Polaris warning of the evil intentions of the Unblinking Eye.. 
16. 1d4 Solar Priests chatting amicably with 1d4 Priests of Polaris.
17. A narrow boat bearing a mighty chieftain from a northern polity. The chieftain's entourage argue with the Priests of Polaris about being diverted to the River Gate via the canal.
18. 1d8 white-furred apes armed with stone clubs accompanying an enormous ice bear on a diplomatic mission.
19. 2d4 Brute folk escorting a 10' figure to the gates. The figure is an ogre concealed by a mammoth skin: it is here to advocate on behalf of the Brute-Folk, who cannot speak the tongue of humans. There is a 50% chance the ogre's intentions aren't genuine and its real aim is to cause as much carnage within the city as possible. There is a further 50% chance that the Brute-Folk are in on the plot.
20. Roll twice more and link the encounters together.

Encounters at the Star Gate, Night

By night there are double the number of priest on guard (12 spearmen, 2 starmetal rod wielders) split either side of the 15' high bronze-cladded doors. The gates are for those leaving the city only: there is no circumstance under which the gates are opened willingly. They are barricaded from the inside. 

1. 2d4 Night Watchmen venturing into the Sea of Tents to protect the innocent
2. Pack of 1d12 hungry giant rats.
3. 1d8 Protectors of Kaab, searching for a fugitive
4. 1d6 acolytes of The Stargazer, camping out to appreciate the night sky in its entirety.
5. 1d3 juvenile lions in search of weak prey
6. 1d6 refugees sat around a fire, refused entry to the city. With them is a "priest" of the God of the Cracks, quietly explaining a complicated plan to get them all inside.
7. The "god" Gehelem, disguised as (1d6) 1. small child 2-4. old woman 5-6. giant rat
8. 1d8 footpads stalking the party. Will claim to be priests of the god of the Cracks.
9. 2d8 refugees waiting patiently around a small fire. They believe the party to be priests of the god of the Cracks
10. A trading party (2d4 humans with clubs) and their 2d4 aurochs requesting entrance and being refused by the increasingly irate priests on sentry duty.
11. 1d12 priests of the Stargazer arguing about an astronomical event (meteor shower, lunar eclipse etc.)
12. White-faced followers of Gehelem holding a silent vigil.
13. 1d6 abandoned tents encircling a crude shrine to an ugly northern forest spirit.
14. 1d6 crimson-robed priestesses. They serve the Burning Lady and are tending to their congregation in the sea of tents, but might be mistaken for servants of Polaris.
15. Fox-spirit, disguised as a northern sorcerer and his armed escort. All are illusory.
16. 1d8 Brute-Folk sharing their fire with 1d8 white-furred apes.
17. A Malevolent Spirit  waiting for someone specific to emerge from the Star Gate.
18. A manifestation of the Indigo Disc (Spirit of the Beyond), unable to enter (needs to pass through the star gate).
19. The Lord of the Dead himself, coming to the city to collect a life personally. It transpires that the Star Gate opens for him.
20. Roll twice more and link the encounters together.

~

Gods of The Ladders

We venture into the interior of the city, known colloquially as the Ladders for both the high incidence of ladders to access the irregularly stacked mudbrick housing, but also for the tiny lanes intersecting the two parallel orbital avenues like the rungs of a ladder.

Henceforth, each entry is tied specifically to a "ward", a neighbourhood of varying size that connects to others to form a district. I'm about halfway through a navigation post, which I think could serve as an original template for tackling the perennial "how do I run urban adventures" "problem" which seems to arise intermittently.

Each district has 1d20 night-and-day encounters, with multiple references to the more specific ward tables (with each ward being thematically linked to one of the 100 Gods).

Encounters in the Ladders, Day

Two crowded "orbital" footways paved with clay tiles encircle the ladders: the labyrinthine network of lanes and alleyways connecting these two great streets. While the orbitals are broad (up to 50' in places) the ladders themselves are formed by a seemingly haphazard placement of mudstone houses, up to 4 storeys in height, bridged by timber and bamboo scaffolding and other "temporary" structures. Waste water drains directly into the ground or from the surfaces into the canals and at some points, the Black River itself. Fires are common, as are outbreaks of deadly disease.

But make no mistake: while The Lord of the Dead stalks these streets with impunity, this riot of noise, colour and smell is very much alive. In many respects it is a distillation of human life in the Here & Now: all its beauty and ugliness, its profundity and mundanity, rendered sacred and profane. It can be overwhelming.  

1. 1d4 Black robed priests of Faharra, either dragging a sled containing 1d4 human corpses or exchanging ballots for dung cakes.
2. 1d8 hungry children or 1d4 hungry elders begging for food.
3. Priest of the Lucky Gecko, exchanging goods and services for additional ballots and vice versa.
4. Priests of The God of the Cracks, distributing counterfeit ballots/selling quickleaf/looking for additional muscle on their next job.
5. Vendor willing to barter (illegally) for their goods if party do not have ballots. Roll 1d6 for goods; 1 Bread, 2 Dried meat or fish, 3 Rope and fabric, 4-5 Tools (no weapons) 6 Beer/wine
6. Shrine to a random god (roll 1d100)
7. A flock of 1d100 pigeons or herd of 1d4 auroch/ 1d4 elephants/ 2d20 lizard-chickens
8. Swindler looking to dupe the party.
9. A procession, roll 1d6: 1-2 funerary, 3-4 The Beggar Prince (see below), 5 Random deity (roll 1d100), 6 Procession rats led by their king (see below)
10. Pack of 1d6 hungry dogs, looking for new friends.
11. An unexpected obstruction: a lane becomes a cul-de-sac that wasn't one before, or a building has collapsed and filled the street with rubble.
12. Funeral/Wedding Party at a small house, spilling out onto the street
13. Call the Priests of Ulthulha! This woman is having a baby!
14. Prostrate human over which passers-by are stepping, roll 1d6: 1-2 the person is recently dead, 3-4 they're holding on for dear life, 5-6 they're a sleeping ghoul  
15. FIRE! A building is ablaze, 1d6 people are trapped inside
16. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
17. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
18. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
19. Roll 2 encounters specific to the ward and connect.
20. Roll once here and once on the ward encounters, linking the encounters together.

Additionally, most of the dwellings operate as "open houses" by day, providing a specialist service in exchange for ballots. PCs may need to be careful if they are not yet documented denizens, as the odds of being able to obtain the service for barter or (worse) counterfeit ballots are 50/50. The exception to this is the Guest Hearths (see The Stranger, below), where they are likely to be directed if the locals do not favour them.

1. A kitchen serving soup or stew in wooden bowls 
2. A kitchen roasting rodents/giant locusts/lizard chickens
3. Unordained barber-priest offering haircuts and tooth extraction. Amputations are an uptown job. 
4. Apothecary. 10% of products work as advertised..
5. Laundry: clothes handwashed in wood ash, water and secret ingredients!
6. "Fresh" fruit and vegetables (for better results, go to the market) OR eggs, roll 1d6: 1-2 chicken, 3 duck, 4 quail, 5 turkey 6 lizard-chicken  
7. Heated baths and or steam rooms
8. Beer or wine, served in-house in small cups or bring your own vessel and carry out. The drink is invariably very strong
9. Ritual make-up, body-paint, piercing or tattooing
10. Tea House: served in small cups or will fill patrons' vessels for carry-out. Much safer than drinking from the canal.
11. Shrine to the local patron deity
12. Recreational smoking den, roll 1d6: 1-2 Quickleaf, 3-4 Sleepflower 5-6 some weird, foreign herb of high potency

Like "shops" cluster together along lanes, if the party require something else they need to move on the next lane.

Encounters in the Ladders, Night

By night the ladders are all-together more frightening place. Most dwellings pull down wooden shutters or draw heavy fabric curtains and huddle around the embers of their fires, though the shrines, smoking dens and beerhouses remain open for "business". There are fewer people on the streets, but those who are out are more likely to engage the party.

1. 1d4 Black robed priests of Faharra, on a murder mission.
2. 1d8 hooded Night Watchman, defending the innocent OR 1d8 Protectors of Kaab, searching for a fugitive.
3. 1d4 ghouls looking for someone to drag back to their lair OR 1d4 therianthropic Priests of the Rat King
4. 1d4 Priests of The God of the Cracks, leading 2d8 refugees to a safehouse in a random ward.
5. Scary looking giant bat, 50% chance its an aggressive bloodsucker, otherwise harmless fruitbat.
6. Shrine to a random god (roll 1d100) OR smoking den OR winehouse
7. A flock of 1d100 bats or 1d4 auroch/ 1d4 elephants sleeping in the middle of the street
8. 1d6 footpads armed with blackjacks (light bludgeoning weapon)
9. A group of 1d6 men, drinking and gambling, armed with clubs
10. Pack of 1d12 hungry dogs, looking for new "friends".
11. An unexpected obstruction: a lane becomes a cul-de-sac that wasn't one before, or a building has collapsed and filled the street with rubble.
12. Remnants of a funeral/wedding party at a small house, spilling out onto the street
13. Call the Priests of Ulthulha! This woman is having a baby!
14. A human corpse being feasted on by 1d6 giant rats  
15. FIRE! A building is ablaze, 3d6 people are trapped inside
16. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
17. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
18. Roll for an encounter specific to the ward.
19. Roll 2 encounters specific to the ward and connect.
20. Roll once here and once on the ward encounters, linking the encounters together.

17. King Rat (The Sump)

• Image/icon/idol: a ferocious rat with an enormous belly.
• Followers: Only those willing to survive at any cost, be they hardened hoodlums and footpads not aligned to the God of the Cracks or the most compromised of the city's downtrodden. Higher up in the city, followers of The Beautiful One with an understanding of larger truths also say prayers to this living god.
• Priests: the lowliest of thieves with the greatest survival instincts are ordained by the Rat King personally: one special bite and they are gifted the dubious prize of therianthropy. Some of these priests actually began life as giant rats, obtaining the power to masquerade as humans for short stretches of time. Between them they act as the fixers and enforcers of King Rat's extensive criminal empire.
• Notes: King Rat is very much a Living God. A powerful animal spirit in command of an army of giant rats, therianthropic priests, and loosely allied beggars and thieves of low moral character, King Rat's secret ambition is recognition from powers within the city itself. He wishes to sit at the same table as the High Priests and the heads of the martial houses. While this is never likely to happen, many denizens of the Ladders have witnessed his impromptu parades and take this as a sign of tacit endorsement by the Golden One.

The sump is the nearest thing the ladders have to a sewer. Diligent priests of Faharra  do their best to keep the canals free of the waste that fills the streets and bring it here to cure process. Impromptu shacks and shelters have sprung up here, out of sight of the authorities and within the dominion of King Rat.

The Sump, specific encounters by day

1. 1d8 refugees building a shelter out of scavenged materials
2. Priest of Faharra shovelling dung into baskets tethered to an aurochs 
3. 1d4 footpads paying tribute to King Rat. They carry sacks full of valuables.
4. A swarm of rats feeding on a spilled breadbasket.
5. 1d6 Rat Priests, looking for support in a caper.
6. The Rat King on parade, accompanied by 1d4 Rat Priest therianthropes
7. The Rat King on parade, accompanied by 1d6 giant rats
8. The Rat King's mobile court

The Sump, specific encounters by night

1. 1d8 refugees huddles around a fire
2. 1d6 glaucon, crawling out of the sewer-pools, holding King rat responsible for the shit in their water.
3. 1d4 footpads collecting tribute to King Rat.
4. A swarm of rats scurrying through the lanes.
5. 1d6 Rat Priests carrying out a dubious caper.
6. 2d12 giant rats
7. A spirit of the dead, lamenting the loss of their body to the cess-pits
8. The Rat King on parade, accompanied by 1d6 giant rats & 1d4 Rat Priests

18. The Stranger (The Guest Hearths)

• Image/icon/idol:  an old man or woman in a wide-brimmed orconical hat
• Followers: All who have any contact with foreigners in their day-to-day lives, especially those around the Guest Hearths. Travellers on the  open road pray to the Stranger for luck… and for the hope of being well-received at their destination.
• Priests: Itinerant and solitary story-tellers called by The Stranger after a life on the open road. They pledge to live by the generosity of strangers alone, collecting and sharing stories as they travel between cities.
• Notes: Worship of the Stranger parallels the universal belief that an unfamiliar traveller may well be an angel or a god in disguise. Priests of the Stranger enjoy additional hospitality from foreign trading parties, who adopt them to assure they are well received in the City of Gods. 
  

The Guest Hearths are a whole district of dwellings dedicated to the accommodation of foreign travellers. Usually this means the servants (and animals) of foreign dignitaries or trading parties from the minor satellite settlements. 

This is the only area of the city where informal barter is permitted: officially there are no "Markets" in the City of Gods, instead the priesthood(s) manage a complex system of tribute and redistribution operates, albeit one propped up by a healthy black market. Since foreigners do not have the "mark" confirming receipt of ballots, they are unable to participate in the internal economy, so are permitted only to trade with one another while they remain within the city walls. 

Anyone is permitted to sleep within the dwellings so long as they are able to find a space to lay their blanket and build a fire.

The Guest Hearths, specific encounters by day

1. 3d4 silent grey-skinned men and women of the far north armed with flint axes. They are agitated and anxious to leave.
2. 3d6 Brute-Folk wandering the streets with big smiles on their faces.
3. 2d4 blue-skinned southerners and their elephant, laden with desert rue and sleepflower
4. 3d6 maroon-skinned men and women of the eastern Humtala tribe,7 feet in height, accompanied by a single aged auroch. They are downcast.
5. 2d6 copper-skinned western men and women, unarmed, but all adorned in the golden robes of the Solar Priesthood. They are drunk. 
6. 2d6 hunter gatherers roasting pig. It's one of Lumlaho's children.
7. 1d6 youths carrying baskets of bread, fruit and live game to the nearest guest hearth.
8. 2d6 reptilian humanoids carrying an enclosed litter. They wield metallic scythes.

The Guest Hearths, specific encounters by night

1. A high energy feast of one of the human groups above (roll 1d6 on day encounters), complete with music, dancing, drinking and stories.
2. 1d6 youths carrying baskets of bread, fruit and live game to the nearest guest hearth..
3. 1d6 youths carrying flagons of beer and wine to one of the guest hearths.
4. Late night trading party of one of the human groups (roll 1d6 on day encounters), unable to locate a vacant hearth.
5. 1d8 refugees, looking to attach themselves to one of the larger trading parties.
6. A raucous party of 3 of the human groups listed above ( (roll 1d6 on day encounters), getting a little too boisterous.
7. 2d6 reptilian humanoids sat in a circle, issuing a continuous low frequency drone as they meditate together.
8. A solitary ogre sleeps snoring, belly and spirits full. Beside it a Priest of the Stranger sits awake in silent contemplation.  

19. The Beggar-Prince (The Silver Lanes)

• Image/icon/idol:  a serpentine dragon with the head of a seahorse
• Followers: The beggars and orphans of the ladders.
• Priests: there are none, officially. Children performing the masque of the Beggar Prince are unusually prone to becoming his avatar, however (see below).
• Notes: The Beggar-Prince began life as the myth of an orphaned child transformed into a glorious dragon in death. This draconic Prince of Beggars dances through the ironically named Silver Lanes (and other parts of the ladders, see above) enchanting all those that meet him into parting with their wares. Children seek to emulate him by crafting puppets and costumes.

As has been noted, the name is ironic: The Silver Lanes are among the most deprived parts of the city. Even the Rat King can’t be bothered with it then! This makes it an ideal place for the most vulnerable to hide, though it is shy of many resources. Dwellings her provide the same services as the rest of the Laddes (above): though the quality is poor no one has any qualms about bartering or other forms of trade.

The Silver Lanes, specific encounters by day

1. Tiny child, alone and crying. The orphan’s  plan is to gain the party’s trust before stealing their valuables.
2. 1d6 small orphaned children setting up an elaborate ruse in order to to rob or pick pockets.
3. 1d6 youths practising acrobatics/setting off fireworks
4. 1d6 children gathering materials for their Beggar-puppet/costume
5. 1d6 children begging for money with their beautiful but crudely made dragon puppet.
6. 1d6 children and 1d6 teenagers rehearsing “The Dance of the Beggar Prince”

The Silver Lanes, specific encounters by night

1. 2d6 small orphaned children armed with slings demanding food and valuables. Willing to fight but morale is low.
2. 1d6 youths in fox masks chase a small child dressed as a monkey.
3. 2d4 youths beat drums and march the streets, entirely focused on their task.
4. 2d6 youths in colourful costumes perform an acrobatic display accompanied by 1d6 drummers. 1d6 smaller children mill about requesting alms and picking pockets.
5. Dance of the Beggar Prince: as above, but also present are 1d6 youths operating an elaborate costume/puppet of the beggar prince. All performers possess an uncanny level of focus and commitment to the dance.
6. Advent of the Beggar Prince: as above, but the Beggar Prince himself has materialised, transforming the children operating the puppet into an avatar of the dragon-god. It dances through the crowds, silently requesting an “donation”, blasting acrid smoke (1d4 instant damage) at those who refuse. All witnessing must save vs dawn/spells or donate their most precious item to the Prince. Alternatively, those who fail the save can donate a less valuable item in return for a blast of acrid smoke, as above.

20. One Hundred Thousand Tiny Gods (The Ever-Hearth)

• Image/icon/idol:  a tiny altar beside the hearth of every single home in the city, at which daily offerings of flowers, fresh fruit
• Followers: all must revere the spirit of the hearth, but it is a task carried out most diligently by its most senior cook or housekeeper. The titular “head of the house” might have greater interest in maintaining the ancestral shrine
• Priests: none. Each “god” has a congregation of a single household. However, in that section of the ladders known as the ever-hearth, keepers of the embers can advise how to keep a house god happy,
• Notes: the practice of house-ghost worship acts as a thread between the beliefs and cosmology of the nomadic peoples and the religious practices of the settled folk. It is a suggestion (to curious outsiders) that the “gods” of this city might have more in common with the spirits than might otherwise be assumed.

The ever-hearth is fire pit within a shrine, open on all sides but protected by a pitched roof of wooden shingles. It is maintained by elders, and regular donations of dung cakes by priests of faharra. Around this unique feature settlement is less dense, dwellings rarely stand taller than a storey and residents work hard to maintain clean streets. There is an air of solemn piety, in spite of the absence of any major shrines. Indeed, any shrines encountered here are built to honour the older spirits of Dawn, Dusk and Death.

The Ever-Hearth, specific encounters by day

1. Elderly vendor exchanging the following items for ballots only 1-2 torches 3-4 obsidian charms 5-6 dried Dawn mushroom.
2. 1d6 elders from a far-off foraging culture, unsure how they got here but happy to be with friends.
3. 1d6 cats, one of which is the cat spirit, Bast.
4. A wise one reaching the end of their life. Would like to impart their knowledge of an ancient ritual before they pass.
5. An old witch selling crudely made spirit houses (willing to barter). Can also explain how they work.
6. A man with 1d6 tiny songbirds in wooden cages. In exchange for a ballot, he releases one. It can carry a simple prayer to a higher being, or a feeling of comfort to a distant loved one.

The Ever-Hearth, specific encounters by ni

1. 1d3 leopards, unsure how they ended up here.
2. A moon-spirit in the guise of an owl.
3. 1d6 Priests of the Night Watchman buying torches from an elderly vendor.
4. An old person shivering in the street, dead in 1d6 turns unless they find warmth.
5. A lone fox spirit.
6. Spirit of the Dead staring at a shrine intended to honour them or eating votive offerings.

~

Links

https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/02/2-curse-templates-doom-of-sleep-flower.html
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/10/monster-generation-inspired-by.html
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/08/statting-god-death.html