Party arriving in Dar Qat in Xen'drik next session

[blargney the second]

My players are arriving at the Inspired city of Dar Qat in Xen'drik next session, and I'd love to have some ideas to flesh the settlement out.

Here are a couple of established starting points:
1) The Inspired of Dar Qat are a rogue faction of impatient, aggressive quori that caused the Mourning. The city itself was built on the site of an ancient Mourning, and the ovoid monolith hanbalani alta has mostly healed the land for a mile around itself. They intend to cause more Mournings in Khorvaire in preparation for an invasion.

2) The party is going there to discover the quori plans. I don't have much information on Dar Qat, so I'm having a deuce of a time figuring out what they're up against.

3) There are a fair number of mind-controlled Cloudreaver pirates being put to use in the colony. Many of them were used as fodder in the invasion of Farshore, but a few are still around. (This is a heavily modified Savage Tide campaign.)

I'm looking for plot ideas as much as colourful window dressing and interesting NPCs. Heck, I don't even have a map of the joint.
-blarg

 

[blargney the second]

We're playing on Tuesday evening, so any input at all would be appreciated.
-blarg

 

[megamania]

Have PCs learn that currently there is a new mourning zone being created in "x" location. This can lead to a grand chase across the seas and land to find and stop the event from occuring.

Dar Qat Small City Pop. 6430
City is built from crystal. South of the city is one of oviod monument constructs they build to reconnect the dimensions. It is a biggie. 800+ ft tall.

City acts as a link between Xen'drik and Sarlona

Mostly "human" also many Dromites and 1/2 Giants live here. Generally xenophobic of outsiders.

Lord Ralastar is the leader of the city. He is an inspired. 1 of roughly only 12 within the city.

As for colorful ideas.....

nearly 2am I am running dry.

 

[Wik]

First thing that popped into my head: The settlement is at the bottom of a cliff, and there is a magical device/macguffin at the top. There is a psionically-powered crystal elevator with two seperate lifts that connect these two points. Of course, there will be a fight here - with the possibility of falling to a painful death. And there will be leaping between the lifts, as they accelerate at different paces.

The baddies are not actually "bad guys", but rather a religious sect that wish to "liberate" the minds of Eberron - this mourland will help "enlighten" all the oppressed minds of mortals. Naturally, the baddies will be kings, but hey - it's in everyone's best interest, right?