Niloctus is home to 35,000 goblins and 5,000 hobgoblins on the eastern edge of the Hobgoblin Lands. The city has an ancient tradition of independence, being founded before recorded history and remaining unconquered for all that time. Prior to the Goblin War, Niloctus was the only large settlement in the region now known as the Hobgoblin Lands. As refugees streamed in from the wars the people of Niloctus became insular and protectionist, looking down on the goblins who had fled rather than die for their lands and their gods.
Religion was important to the goblinoids of Niloctus and it remains important now. They worship all the old gods of the Goblin Pantheon. To assist their worship, living avatars of each god are cared for within the city. A breeding population of each animal is kept so that the city will never lose one of their gods. This menagerie of animals is dubbed the Sacred Zoo. The citizens and visitors to the city are permitted to walk the grounds and interact with the different animals as appropriate. Sites are set up at each exhibit for offerings to the gods. The Sacred Zoo uses these offerings to fund the upkeep of the animals.
Niloctus is built in a old-growth forest filled with behemoth conifer trees outside of the Amapsau Marsh. The architects of the city built the larger buildings not around the trees, or even in the branches above. The main structures of Niloctus are built within the trees themselves. Goblins hollowed out the massive trunks and branches to create rooms and floors. Below the surface, the roots became tunnels between the different buildings. Outside of these large natural structures, the people of Niloctus have constructed their dwellings in the branches of the trees and on the ground using the plentiful lumber native to the region.
The Niloctus citizens grow a wide selection of natural foods and goods. Mushrooms and nuts are the staple crops for the city. The goblinoids hunt the local animal life for meat and they have domesticated a paddle of platypuses to provide eggs and milk. For a more luxurious treat, there is a hidden orchard within the swamp that grows silver colored apples. This orchard is a twin to the golden apple orchard at the Pillars of Hercules in the west. The location of the orchard is a closely guarded secret of Nilcotus to ensure their valuable treasure is not stolen by others.
The people of Niloctus are inward looking and view wealth and possessions gained through trade with the outside world as immoral. They trade out of necessity rather than desire. The main exports of Niloctus are darkwood, silver apples, and other exotic plants and animal products unique to the Amapsau Marsh. The main imports of the city are stone and metal objects that they are unable to reliably produce internally.
A pair of dually elected consuls rule Niloctus for concurrent five year terms. The goblins elect a consul from the hobgoblin population while the hobgoblins elect a consul from among the goblin population. The cross-race voting was implemented to encourage cooperation and mutual respect between the two races. The system seems to work well as there has been little civil strife in Niloctus for the last few centuries. The two current consuls are Consul Jibara the goblin and Consul Kanck-To-Krau the hobgoblin.
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