While most of the Sunset Plateau salamanders live on top of the mountain they have a few small settlements dotted around the foothills. These settlements are important for sending resources up the mountain which are scarce up there around the active lava flows of the volcano but they also supply some variety for food as otherwise they would only have fire beetles and giant scorpions to eat, so having some fresh fish or fern spider makes a welcome change. More importantly the bluestalk, sand potatoes, rock carrots, sourleaf, and fireapples are also sent up to be used in brewing their alcohol while some of it as kept as a food source for the village. Despite being very territorial the salamanders will sometimes allow a few outsiders into the village to trade, these are typically humans but occasionally kobolds or the Lipane come to trade. The sourleaf is a favorite of the Lipane while the humans seem to have a fondness for fireapples, the Dakkara especially so, while the cityfolk will trade for sandpotatoes and the bluestalk which is often used in alchemy. Sometimes the humans will also ask for a few salamander scales as it is a very rare alchemy ingredient and even a single scale can be worth a small fortune. The salamanders themselves will often just trade for beer, wine or strong spirits and quality chain/scale mail which they tend to fashion into clothing.

There does not seem to be any planning to how a village is planned, salamanders will just build wherever there's a suitable area for a certain structure, the only important thing is that there is a central bonfire with sitting stones and a storage cave nearby as those are the only important buildings aside from the temple or shrine. After sunset the villagers gather around the bonfire, resting on the sitting stones which still retain the sun's warmth. It's not that the salamanders are particularly cold at night but the warmth is just comforting and pleasant to them. A few trusted outsiders may be invited to sit with them and share their stories of the outside world with the village, and perhaps they might get offered the local brew made from the sand potatoes which the salamanders call Holl'ka, or fire water in the human tongue. They'll rarely sell some of it to traders who will sell it to the rich merchants and nobles to add to their collection of exotic goods. It is advised for any visitors to not accept any food that isn't fish considering the staple food is fernspider which is not palatable for most races, and even poisonous for some.

The third most important building is the longhome where the villagers gather during the day to recive their daily tasks, but is also the place where the hatchery is where the young and new hatchlings are watched over and schooled. Like any task this rotates so every villager has some time in the hatchery (this way parents get to see their young on a regular basis and be involved in their upbringing), the only exception would be the local blacksmith if they have one, their only job is to make tools and weapons as the only specialized job in the village. if there is a stream or lake nearby there is fishing to be done, though it's not a favorite it is an additional food source. The main staple are the giant fernspiders that reside in many forests, but there is also the occasional deer or even a behemoth that the salamanders will hunt, typically with most of the village. The younger salamanders who are close to adulthood often get another important task of clearing the ground of flammable materials, not that a wildfire itself is a danger as salamanders are fireproof but more for the crops and it's an inconveniance to have to rebuild the village. Among these are pine needles and pinecones which have some use in crafting, the pine needles are turned into fabric while the pinecones can be used for kindling, or harvested for resins and seeds to regrow trees if there's been a wildfire (also the seeds make for a nice seasoning when roasted).

The temple or shrine is the most imporant building in the villages as this is where they worship their god Holl'vur, it is also the only building that is decorated with paintings of flames, and the bonfire on the spire is always kept burning brightly like the central bonfire. The ground floor is open on all sides with it's archways, an altar kiln is located right under the spire and this is where offerigns are made to Holl'vur and ceremonies are performed there as well. there is an upper landing as well which is a place for mourning their lost ones, but is unknown what is up here as not much can be seen from the ground floor other than some brasiers between alcoves. It is also unknown what salamanders even do with their dead, there dosn't seem to be anythign resembling a cemetary and burning the body seems impossible due to their fire resistance, but certainly fire is involved somehow considering the importance of fire to salamanders. Perhaps some day we'll learn more...

On thing of note about all the buildings, their doorways all seem to face the sunrise as do most of the windows. This seems to be some religeous practice as they see the sun as the eye of Holl'vur, so the sunrise seems to be rather important to them. More proof that studies appear to be incorrect about the salamanders, as they seem to possess more knowledge and culture than given credit for. If only we could see how they live up there on the mountain, what secrets are there to discover? Alas no outsiders are allowed beyond the village for now so we'll have to learn what we can here...

Art/Salamanders by me  Chakat_Blackwater