Community Worldbuilding Project [Ishka: Urban and Urbane]

[Fable Wright]

@Owrtho:
yes, I agree that the activities would not be necessarily evil, but the practices of the aberrations are generally frowned upon by the other races, but since these activities are legal in the district is why the black market shifted there. Also, by tunnels going everywhere, I mean Everywhere. The regulars at the black market generally a) don't want to be seen in there regular excursions there, so they hire the powerful casters there (like fleshwarpers) to make permanent portals that can easily be accessed going to Deepmire (known commonly as the undercity). The more people caught on to the idea, the more portals were made, enhancing the natural system of caverns around the city. The more intelligent aberrations picked up on the marketing opportunity, paying part of the steep toll to the founder of the portal (who gets free access, as well).
@Silverscale:
A large part of the tolls are paid as bribes to keep the operatives from the eyes from telling anything or investigating the use of portals. The bribes mentioned would be able to convince a dragon to retire. Over double the hoard of a standard great wyrm. The portals are extremely valued and have a high stream of customers because the eyes don't investigate. That is how the people slip around undetected; the eyes would need a higher bribe than that to disclose information on a single portal user; no one is usually willing to part with that kind of money. Because of the high toll, only rich people and assassins (and rich assassins) use the portals. That kind of crowd generally generates enough money to keep eyes away from the operations, as well as make the portal founder rich.
@BLiZme.2:
good ideas. That's all I have to say.
@Leaf-Eater:
the huge, sprawling place you mention would be the center of the district, as there are humanoids and all types of aberrations (who have as much prejudice against each other as the humanoids have against them) mix. Although they managed to get along fairly well (killing rates down to one a week!), they still are very racist, and the only thing keeping the undercity together is the fact that they all need to trade to survive. An illithid would ideally consume 52 brains a year, and an entire community could never have the the number of brains they need unless they interacted (relatively) peacefully with the humanoid inhabitants to get their supply of requisite brains. Also, for the low LA aberration:
Herald of the Deepmasters (modifies an existing racial template):
Type changes to aberration
+2 int, +2 strength, -4 wisdom: The cave-touched are shrewd, as the aberrations they serve, but have a mindset unlike either humanoids or aberrations, but as they need to communicate with both, they keep their charisma, despite being at odds with the both sides. The experience drives them somewhat mad.
In addition, cave-touched do not suffer disadvantages from grafts (e.g., no more -4 penalty on will checks when wearing an illithid graft), as they have a bit of genetics from all of the inhabitants, but they have some parts of said heritage showing, which gives them a -2 penalty (can be changed) on disguise checks.
+2 on Will saves: the cave-touched are constantly around a mire of entities that would have their minds (I'm looking at you, neogi) if given half a chance, so they constantly have trained their minds to resist outside influence. However, this has caused them to be constantly shifty and mistrusting, causing a -2 penalty on diplomacy checks.
Locate portal: cave-touched instinctively know where the nearest portal to the undercity is. However, they have a -2 penalty on urban survival checks because they constantly find themselves drawn to the portals.

It is a modification to an existing race because a) cave-touched are needed in every part of the city, and b) I can't think of a low-level aberration power that is unique enough for a low-LA aberration.