Sharn

Sharn is a massive fantasy metropolis. The largest and most diverse city in all of Khorvaire , Sharn is anything but boring. It is a maze of towers that reach hundreds upon hundreds of feet into the air, with people, carrosse aérienes, Gargouilles and all manner of things milling about. Here you'll find a few maps to get you oriented, a district by district look at the city, as well as a few informative essays on the city. In each district it there is an overview of the district, the important figures and places within, and any other useful knowledge.

Welcome to the City of Sharn _ A welcome flier written by the Sharn Tourist Bureau
History of Sharn
Sharn Architecture
The Government of Sharn

Sharn as a Gateway to Xen'dik
Finding Someone in Sharn
Dining in Sharn
Maisons Marquées Du Dragon in Sharn

Sharn détective _ The local paper
Sharn Special Events

The Vertical City

Voie du Ciel _ Is magically suspended above the city on gigantic disks of force, like Tenser's Floating Disks taken to a fantastic extreme. These disks are among the many Objets Magiques and effects in the city that work only because of the presence of the Zone De Manifestations linked to Syranie. Not a cloud palace but an actual extension of the city, Voie du Ciel includes some of Sharn's finest inns and restaurants, exotic and upscale trades, and a number of mansions belonging to the very richest citizens.

Les Rouages _ Are the churning heart of the city, full of forges and foundries powered by steaming geysers, molten lava, and bound fire Élémentaires. Extending far below the foundations of Sharn's towers and built along the banks of the great chasms that divide the city, the Cogs incorporate elements of ancient ruins and natural caverns.

The Depths _ Is the generic name for everything that lies beneath the city's main plateau, excepting Flanc de Falaise and the Cogs far below. The upper levels give way to active and inactive sewers, some of which have their own inhabitants, as well as the mostly forgotten ruins of earlier settlements built long before the towers started to rise. Far below and accessed by well_maintained tunnels and shafts, the Cogs sit at the very base of Sharn and serve as an actively populated center of industry. In fact, the roots of modern Sharn's towers lie underground in some places, buried by the passing of centuries.

The towers and districts of Sharn are divided up 3 ways. First there are the major tower groups known as Arrondissements, such as the Plateau Central or Dura. An overview of that is in this %%**%%Overview Map%%**%% . These are divided vertically into Upper, Middle and Lower Divisions. Like in this %%**%%Vertical City Map%%**%%, with those being called Districts. Within those are the smaller districts.
So for example; Foire Commerciale district is in the Plateau Central du Milieu District of the Plateau Central Arrondissement and Porte de Malleon District is within the lower Dura district of the Dura Arrondissement. Voie du Ciel is another story, it floats above Sharn just in the clouds.
This all comes into play when trying to get around as it does take a little bit of local knowhow to get around, and get around quickly. Travel times around Sharn are here.

There has been a major settlement on the Hilt of the Fleuve de la Dague since before recorded history. The current metropolis, Sharn, has existed since the formation of the original Cinq Nations, about seven hundred years after Humains rose to prominence on the continent. For more than two millennia, the towers of Sharn have grown, rising thousands of feet into the sky. This vertical expansion has given the metropolis its title: The Cité des Tours.

See also: Districts, Districts, City of the Dead A riot of architectural styles and designs play through the city’s impressive skyline. From its deepest foundations to its highest spires, Sharn displays the history of the continent for all to see. Heavy, oppressive Gobelinoid architecture provides the base for much of the city, its stonework reaching back to a time when Humains did not exist on this continent. Atop this ancient foundation, the periods of Humain civilization stack one on top of the other as the city reaches for the clouds.

The Cité des Tours can be as impressive as it can be oppressive. The same skyscrapers of stone can make one person laugh with excitement and another weep from the size and weight and impossible heights. Whatever emotion the city inspires, the place remains a bustle of activity at all hours of the day and night. With a tremendous array of cultural, culinary, and commercial delights to sample, and its position as the gateway to Xen'drik, Sharn attracts visitors and adventurers from around the world. It is a hotbed of activity, known in equal measures for its wonders, its crime rate, its amazing amount of corruption, and its genuinely exciting atmosphere.

Sharn rises from the cliffs Belvédèreing the Hilt, a wide bay at the mouth of the Fleuve de la Dague. This inhospitable outcropping of rock allowed the city to grow in only one direction—up. The ports at the base of the cliffs load and unload cargo and passengers from seafaring vessels, raising and lowering goods and travelers alike on massive lifts operated by ropes and pulleys that travel through the neighborhood of Flanc de Falaise. This workingclass region is built into and upon the steep cliffs Belvédèreing the river and bay. At the top of the cliffs, the rock walls seamlessly blend into the earliest stonework laid in ancient times. Here, the city and its amazing towers really begin.

Sharn is situated within a “Zone De Manifestation” linked to the plane of Syranie, the Azure Sky. The Zone De Manifestation primarily enhances spells and Objets Magiques that permit levitation and actual flight. Outside the zone, most of these items either grow weaker or lose the ability to function altogether. Without the zone, the city’s great towers and spires would crumble, its transportation systems would collapse, and the neighborhood of Voie du Ciel would plummet to the ground.

Sky coaches slowly move from tower to tower, transporting people. Other ways to get around the city include walking (almost every tower can be reached by multiple bridges that connect the platforms and walkways at different levels), lifts that ride up and down and side to side along magical strands of light, and Mageproduit animals trained to carry passengers within the city’s limits.

There’s a popular saying on the elevated streets of Sharn: “If it can be bought, it can be bought here.” Magasins and trading stalls abound, usually gathered in trade districts, open_air markets (called “exchanges”), or merchant halls (called “tower markets,” often multileveled) found within many tower and building complexes.

Some shops jut from the sides of walls and bridges, ramshackle structures of wood hastily thrown together or built around a crack in the stone. Others occupy prime space set aside for such purposes and leased from tower landlords. The tower markets present the most elaborate market exchanges, where shops selling different wares sit side by side and one atop the other inside the open cavity of a tower or multistory blockhouse.

Beyond these more or less legitimate business ventures, Sharn boasts a thriving black market where everything from exotic fruits and animals to illegal spell components and stolen goods can be traded. Sharn’s authorities do their best to curtail this activity, if for no other reason than so proper taxes can be collected, but supply and demand make it next to impossible to really control. This leads to another popular saying: “If someone wants it, someone sells it in Sharn.”

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Université Morgrave, with its glass walls and rough_and_tumble approach to scholarly pursuits, was founded in Sharn and to this day maintains its main campus in the Cité des Tours. The institute of “learning, relic hunting, and grave robbing,” as it is called by the administrators of the more respected University of Wynarn, provides many opportunities for adventurers new to the craft and calling, and it isn’t hard to get a letter of marque from Morgrave to explore ancient sites. A particularly capable group might also receive sponsorship or patronage from the university.

The La Sureté enforces the Galifar Code of Justice throughout Sharn, but in practice, residents are more likely to encounter a law officer among the higher spires than in the lower bowels of the city. Constables conduct regular patrols along the higher bridges, platforms, and walkways, venturing lower only when necessity or prudence warrants. Watch towers can be found in every district, though there aren’t really enough constables to adequately serve and protect all of Sharn’s populace. The Watch, reluctantly, calls on agents of the King's Citadel (who maintain a presence in the city) when an incident appears to be more then they can handle. More often, however, the Watch turns to adventurers when it needs additional deputies for a short amount of time.

The criminal element thrives in Sharn. It’s all about location, location, location, and the city serves as a crossroads for both legitimate and illicit trade. Indeed, some crime lords run extensive and respected legitimate businesses as cover for their illegal activities. A few of these enjoy the privileges of a high standing in the community and even donate a portion of their wealth to various charities and charitable organizations. If the La Sureté knows about their double lives (and many believe that it must), it is content to pretend that the good they do outweighs the evil.

Other than one woefully inadequate attack from the sea that barely scratched the cliff walls rising from the bay, the La Dernière Guerre never reached Sharn — at least not in the sense of marching armies and occupation forces. The Cité des Tours did have to contend with spies, saboteurs, terrorists, and waves of refugees as the years of bloody conflict dragged on. Perhaps the worst event during those years occurred in 918 AR, when unknown saboteurs (no one ever claimed responsibility for the act) caused the Glass Tower to fall from the sky, killing thousands.

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See also: Districts, Districts

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Finding Someone In Sharn

A city as large as Sharn offers plenty of places to hide (see Hiding, page 21). Consequently, it also supports a sizable number of détectives who specialize in finding people who might prefer not to be found, or just people who don't know someone might be looking for them. There is no single district where détectives tend to set up shop; any given district can only support so many. Middle_class districts of a certain flavor are the most likely areas to find an détective — places such as Négligé in Centre Dura, Porte de la Mort in Palier du Milieu, and Tours de Gardes in Millieu de Menthis. The best détectives — particularly when it comes to finding what's Perdu — are those associated with the Finders' Guild of Maison Tharashk. Four Tharashk détectives with the lesser Marque de la Découverte head agencies in different parts of the city: Kurt Karr'Aashta's Investigations in Porte de la Mort, Information Acquisition in Négligé, Thuranne Velderan's Investigative Services in Tours de Gardes, and Globe Information Agency in Tours du Dragon. The Marqué par le Dragon heads of these agencies generally work only on the most important or difficult cases, but their staffs are among the best détectives in the business.

Do_it_yourself types who don't want to (or can't) pay an détective have other alternatives, ranging from amateur sleuthing to powerful magic. Gather Information might work to find a specific individual. However, it is usually only possible to learn the whereabouts of a person within a single district — asking around Hautes Tours trying to find someone hiding in Précaire is doomed to failure. If the person sought is located in the same district as the person seeking, a successful check against DC 20 to 30 (depending on how noticeable the character is, how carefully he is hiding, and similar factors) can at least narrow down the hiding person's location. Naturally, spells such as locate creature and know location are the most effective means of finding people.

An détective's rates vary from person to person. In general, they range from 10 sp to 20 sp per day, plus expenses. (This is comparable to the results of a Profession check.) For exceptionally difficult or dangerous cases, détectives usually increase their rates by as much as 100% and insist on receiving an advance for several days' work.

An détective who brings magical resources to bear in the course of a case charges typical rates for spellcasting:
Spell Minimum Cost*
Clairaudience/clairvoyance 60 gp
Discern location 1,200 gp
Locate creature 280 gp
Locate object 60 gp
Scrying 280 gp

*The minimum cost assumes the lowest caster level that allows casting the spell. Higher_level casters produce better results and charge correspondingly more.

Sharn Architecture

Sharn consists of a number of Commun elements that take on amazing proportions within the city’s dizzying heights. These features are described below.

The towers of Sharn range in height from about 100 feet to nearly a mile tall, but their basic construction resembles that of a traditional castle or other stone building. Extensive magic goes into their construction, from the spells used to lift blocks of stone to such enormous heights to the magic that strengthens and supports the towers, allowing them to stand despite all probability. Even with such magic in place, the towers are generally broad at the bottom and narrow at the top, many of them peaking in elegant spires or domes, while others are crowned with fl at platforms that hold parks, pools, or small estates.
The streets of the ancient city have been swallowed up as towers were built updistrict and lower walls thickened, to the point that now the towers tend to merge at ground level into a solid maze of walls, jumbled together with no discernable pattern.
Most towers are roughly 800 to 2,500 feet in diameter at the bottom, narrowing to about 200 to 600 feet in diameter at the top. Some have narrower spires extending farther updistrict. Every tower is built of magically reinforced stone, with hardness 16 and AC 3. Climbing a tower wall requires a DC 22 Climb check. A typical Lower_ City exterior wall is 15 feet thick, with 2,340 hp per 10_foot section. In the Middle_City, exterior walls are 10 feet thick, with 1,440 hp per 10_foot section. In the Upper_City, exterior walls are only 5 feet thick, with 900 hp per 10_foot section. Interior walls also consist of stone construction. Some serve important structural functions and are as thick as exterior walls, but most are only 1 foot thick, with 90 hp per 10_foot section.
In general, a tower has one story per 10–12 feet of height. Ceilings tend to be lower (and stories packed more closely together) at lower levels and higher toward the top levels, but there are certainly exceptions (warehouse towers, for example, usually have high ceilings).
Stories might also be sub divided: a popular residential design features an open central plaza, 20 feet or more
in height, surrounded by two_story homes built as if hanging off the wall of the tower. A minor variation on this design has even higher ceilings and three_story units surrounding the plaza, with the bottom story of each unit housing a business. Most towers are studded with balconies, riddled with windows, and connected to neighboring towers with bridges.

Balconies range from simple ledges with protective railings where a homeowner can step outside to enjoy the sunset, to large platforms where skycars can land to discharge passengers. Most towers have at least one balcony per story; many towers have many more balconies, at least at certain levels. Since flying is so prevalent in the city, any balcony is a potential entry point to a tower. Balconies opening into businesses or residences can be secured by some
means, ranging from a simple door or portcullis to magical means such as a wall of force or an alarm spell. A great number of balconies, particularly the larger ones, open into public space.

Streets run through the towers of Sharn, allowing horses, mules, and wagons to travel in a fairly normal fashion within the city. Unlike the streets of a typical city, most of these streets are broad thoroughfares rather than twisting alleyways, either suspended high above the ground, arcing around towers, or constructed through the center of a tower or other building. As described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, these streets are 25 feet wide with 5_foot_wide
walkways on either side.
Because the streets of Sharn are almost entirely indoors, most are artificially lit with Lanterne Éternelles or everburning torches. In general, the upper levels have the best lighting, while torches in the Cogs are spaced so far apart as to leave large spaces of darkness.

Most bridges connect the streets running through the towers, allowing wagons and pedestrians to cross from one spire to the next. As such, they are generally as wide as the streets. Low walls along the edges of a bridge prevent people from falling accidentally. Major bridges can be as wide as 50 feet across, and actually have structures built along the edges, crowding the roadway down to a width of 10 feet or so. Such bridges are popular sites for street fairs and open markets. A great number of narrower bridges span the gulfs between towers as well, not designed for carrying wagons but for facilitating pedestrian traffic. These bridges are five to ten feet wide and almost always have low walls or railings.

One of the most important uses of magic in Sharn is in the creation of magic lifts to facilitate vertical travel between the levels of towers. Particularly at lower levels, ramps wind around the inside or outside of large towers to get wagons from level to level, but at higher levels special levitation devices carry passengers and even cargo up and down within the towers.

Falling from potentially deadly heights presents a constant danger in the Cité des Tours. Whether a character is bull_rushed over the side of a bridge, knocked from a aéroluge, or thrown off a balcony, the sudden stop far below can have deadly consequences. Fortunately, Sharn has precautions in place to reduce the number of deaths that result from falls. The city offers a Standard redistrict of 25 gp to a spellcaster who casts feather fall on a falling person. The redistrict is large enough, and the risk of falling real enough, that spellcasters who can cast feather fall almost always keep one prepared on a daily basis. Watch patrols usually carry a wand of feather fall, but few members have sufficient ranks in Use Magic Device to activate it.
Bridges in the Upper_City and Middle_City are also districted with permanent feather fall effects to protect those using them from falling bodies and other large objects. Such districts are triggered automatically when an object approaches within 30 feet of the top or sides of a bridge. This is effectively a magic trap that resets automatically and immediately.
A popular magic item among those that can afford one, a feather fall talisman is a single_use item containing a feather fall spell. The trick to using this item is timing. Because it works only once and lasts for a single round, it must be activated within 60 feet of the ground in order to protect its wearer from falling damage. Since falls in Sharn can involve heights of a mile or more, this is not always easy to accomplish.
A DC 10 Wisdom check can be used to determine if a character successfully times activation.

WATC H YOU R STEP! As befits the City of Towers, Sharn i s also a city of bridges and balconies. These thoroughfares and outcroppings can be extremely narrow or comfortably wide. Although most of them are bounded by walls or railings, there's always a chance that during your time in Sharn, you or someone you know will go over the edge. So, how do residents cope with this risk? Those who can afford it usually carry a feather token as insurance. No token? Don't panic! Because of the maze of bridges and spans connecting the towers, there's an excellent chance that you won't fall more than a hundred feet before impacting on a lower bridge. Though this alone might seem like small comfort, it's also true that the major bridges in the upper and middle wards are enchanted with feather fall effects that trigger automatically, keeping you from crushing an innocent passerby in your descent. Many different outcomes could follow a lengthy fall. The Falling in Sharn table presents a few possibilities.

FALLI N G I N S H A R N d8 Result You fall hundreds offeet before striking the ground at the base of the towers. 2 You fall 3d6 x 10 feet before striking a bridge. A major bridge in an upper or a middle ward will have a feather fall enchantment; otherwise, it's going to be a hard landing. 3 You fall 2d4 x 10 feet and land in a passing aérobus, possibly injuring a passenger. 4 You fall 4d4 x 5 feet and strike an outcropping, flag­ pole, or projecting statue. If you survive, you're still precariously perched on the edge of a tower or bridge. 5 You fal l past a hippogriff-make a successful DC 1 5 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to catch its leg! 6 A gargoyle or giant owl catches you-then threatens to drop you if it doesn't get a reward. 7 You can fly! Actually, a nearby wizard or artificer casts featherfall to save you, but for a moment it felt l i ke you can fly. And now the spellcaster wants payment. 8 You strike a small air elemental that was d rawn to the city. Doing this cushions your fall, but now you're on top of an air elemental.

Sharn As A Gateway To Xen'Dik

Many adventurers come to Sharn solely to get someplace else, using the city as a launching point for an expedition to the ancient ruins and trackless jungles of Xen'drik. Université Morgrave and the Fondation du Routard both send teams to Xen'drik on a regular basis, and Sharn hosts a thriving antiquities market that provides demand for items recovered from Xen'drik by both official and amateur expeditions.

The Flanc de Falaise district is a good place to find ship captains experienced in the passage to Xen'drik, who have contacts with the sahuagin of Les dents de Shargon and can secure safe passage through those straits. The journey from Sharn to Cap_Tempête is about 1,500 miles and takes a little over a month by sailing ship. The usual cost of passage is about 300 gp. It is sometimes possible to hire an Frégate Élémentaire for the journey, which takes only three or four days but costs 3,000 gp. A Maison Lyrandar sailing ship (without Élémentaire power) can make the trip in 11 days and costs about 1,500 gp. Aéronefs do not normally make the trip from Sharn to Xen'drik.

Cap_Tempête, a rough_and_tumble frontier community where Géants often trade in the marketplace, is an essential stopover for most expeditions before proceeding farther into the wilds of Xen'drik.

If a group of adventurers manages to secure employment on an expedition to Xen'drik, they can expect the following terms:

The organizer of the expedition secures letters of marque for the characters.

The organizer usually arranges for transportation to Xen'drik, though this is not always true.

The organizer provides rations and mundane equipment, usually consisting of anything in the “Adventuring Gear” category of goods from Table 7_8 in the Player's Handbook.

The organizer has the right to claim any treasures that the adventurers recover on their expedition, presumably for research purposes or for display in the Dezina Museum. The adventurers may keep or sell any items the organizer does not claim, and the organizer typically offers a guarantee of a minimum amount of gold.

Sometimes an expedition organizer accompanies the characters on the expedition, while other organizers prefer to remain in the relative safety of Sharn. When the organizer accompanies the expedition, it is assumed that the adventurers give highest priority to protecting the organizer's life.

As the gateway to Xen'drik, Sharn has a number of residents who sell their services to adventurers and prospectors planning expeditions to that mysterious continent. As with investigators, Maison Tharashk dominates this field, making use of their magical Marque Du Dragon abilities (know direction and find the path) as well as their extensive, if more mundane, skills and experiences. The House's grand hall in Tours du Dragon is its most prominent public face, but better deals and sometimes better guides can be found in their enclave in la_falaise (in Haute Dura).

Sometimes visitors to Sharn need guides within the city itself. City guides are easy to find: they usually cluster around arriving Orléans Train Fulgurant coaches, Aéronefs, and river vessels, hoping to solicit business from newly arrived visitors. These guides — often very young individuals — are inexpensive and tend to highlight the great tourist attractions of the city, which is sufficient for many visitors' purposes.

City guides of a different caliber can be found in Tours des Ambassadeurs. Most of the escort services in this district emphasize companions who are knowledgeable about the city and its attractions as well as being enjoyable company in other ways.

AFTERMATH OF WAR Far from the front lines, Sharn never fell under siege during the Last War. Regardless, the war's impacts affected the city's citizens and continue to even today. PHYSICAL DAMAGE Although Sharn was never subjected to a sustained assault, it didn't avoid damage. On many occasions, commandos and saboteurs launched significant attacks inside Sharn. The most infamous of these was the Aundairian attack that brought down the floating Glass Tower, devastating the district now known as Fallen. In any of the lower or middle wards, you might encounter evidence of the conflict in the form of a shattered bridge, a building collapsed by an arcane explosion, or an area some say is haunted because of the large number of people killed there during the war. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCARS There are places in the city that house people who suffered because of the actions of other nations. For example, many of the residents of Dura hold all Aundairians responsible for the destruction of Fallen. In another district, folk could hate the Karrns for an undead attack that occurred during the war, and a different group

could blame Thrane for the siege of Vathirond. These kinds of sentiments can shape the feelings of an entire district, but in the city as a whole there are far more people who have personal burdens to carry than those who feel resentment toward particular nations. For instance, on an individual level, most members of the Sharn Watch might not care about a gnoll being seen in a neighborhood, but a guard who fought on the Droaam front during the war might be out for revenge. Warforged are sometimes also the targets of this sort of prejudice; a person whose friends were killed by warforged soldiers might resent all such creatures. SHORTAGE S Because the ink is barely dry on the Treaty of Thronehold and relationships between the signatories are still being normalized, Sharn doesn't currently benefit from a lot of commerce with other nations. Problems could arise from a short supply of any imported goods, whether this manifests as inflated prices, the need for rationing, or certain items being simply unavailable. The factors of supply and demand also play into smuggling and the black market; some desirable goods might be available only through the Boromar Clan.

REFUGEES AND VICTIMS Cyran refugees have filled the district of High Walls in Lower Tavick's Landing beyond capacity, and Sharn is also home to a significant number of refugees from elsewhere in Breland-people whose homes and villages were destroyed during the war, and who have come to Sharn in search of new lives. The city also has its share of other people harmed during the war, soldiers and civilians with severe physical or psychological injuries. All these folk are most likely to be found in the lower wards. They aren't just poor; they're suffering-and they might seek vengeance against those they blame for their pain.

GUIDE TO THE C ITY WHEN YOU LIVE ON THE INSIDE LOW, YOU NEVER SEE the sun. People hear “towers, ” they think of graceful little spires, the sort of thing you see poking up in the corner of your lord's keep. We 've got those, and lots of 'em. But the foundation of the city is the core towers. The walls of these towers are so thickyou could fit your lord's castle in one. You've got your outside districts where you get the open air, built on the bridges and platforms that connect the core towers together. You 've got the little turrets, built on the core tower walls and the bridges between. You 've got the folk in the middle, who live and work in the walls themselves. And then you 've got those of us on the inside, our districts entirely contained in the hollow well of a great tower. Whenyou look up in Callestan,you see twinkling lights, to be sure. But those aren't stars, and that isn't the sky. You 're looking up through a mile of bridges and platforms crossing the well, looking up at the districts above you. You live up high, you can touch the sky. In the middle you can still see the sun. Down on the inside low, all we have is gloom and the constant drip, water and worse descending from the city above us. -A street urchin describing Sharn Sharn is the most cosmopolitan city on the continent. Describing all the activities and offerings in the city could fill an entire book. Here's a summary of what you need to know to appreciate the city to the fullest.

LI FESTYLE A N D STA N DA R D S OF LIVI N G I n Sharn, a s i n any l a rge com m u nity, d i fferent segments of the population occupy different places in the economic spectrum. The terms that D&D uses to quantify lifestyle expenses-wretched, squalid, poor, modest, comfortable, wealthy, and aristocratic (see “ Expenses” i n chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook)-are also used in this chapter as an indicator of what it costs for someone to live in a given area, a n d also of the costs of goods and services there. For i nstance, a restaurant that i s said to serve food of comfortable qual ity is one where a patron who lives a comfortable lifestyle (or better) can afford a nyth ing on the menu.

E DUCATION AND RE SEARC H Morgrave University, though not the most respectable institution of higher learning in Khorvaire, has an extensive library that boasts definitive collections of lore in certain fields, particularly arcana, dungeoneering, geography, and history. Characters seeking knowledge in any of these fields or others ought to be able to find resources in the library to aid their search. The university is an excellent source of sages who hire their services out on a short- or long-term basis. Even those who profess to be sages but have no connection to the university tend to cluster around Morgrave, with their homes and businesses almost all located in the University, Den'iyas, and Ivy Towers districts of Upper Menthis. Another important site for certain kinds of research is the City Archive, in the Highest Towers district of Upper Central. The archive contains exhaustive historical documents of Sharn; birth, death, and marriage records; and copies of legal documents such as identification papers and letters of marque issued in the city. Access to these records, however, is more restricted than to the contents of the Morgrave library. Those who want to further their research through some hands-on experience might find undiscovered lore in the lowest regions of Sharn, where sewers and tunnels snake through ancient ruins. Similarly, the crypts of the City of the Dead might hold some relevant historical information.

CITY GOVERNMENT Sharn has many people in positions of power: beadles, ministers, bailiffs, and all manner of minor functionaries and officials. But ultimate power rests in the hands of the City Council. That body has seventeen members: one for each ward in the city, plus representatives from Skyway and the Cogs. Each ward has its own process for selecting a Conseiller, and there are no legal restrictions on who can govern; if you build up a strong base of support in a ward, you could hold the position yourself! The members of the City Council are quite diverse. Some are crooked, others are idealists, and one of them appears to be an owl. All of them are well known in their home wards, and any of them could have use for a team of adventurers. The Sharn Conseillers table describes a few of the city leaders you might bump into in Upper Central or at the Tain Gala. If your character has the noble background, you might already know one of them.

S H A R N CO U N C I LO R S d12 Conseiller Sorik Sensos (human) represents M iddle Central. An elder statesman and a brillant orator, he is rumored to be i nvolved in a web of bribery and graft. 2 Sava Kharisa (human) is the outspoken cou ncilor from Lower Central. Si nce taking her seat, she has fo ught to i m p rove cond itions for the lower classes of Sharn, and she has made many enem ies on the cou n · cil and beyond . 3 Thurik Davandi (gnome) represents Upper M enthi s . 4 He is known to have ties to Zilargo and the Boromar Clan, a n d reportedly loves intrigues a n d blackmail. Savia Potellas (hu man) h a s her hand in the entertai n m e n t i n d u stry o f Lower M enthis. She hopes t o red uce the influence of organ ized crime in her d i strict, but it's a dangerous game. 5 Maza Thadian (elf) represents U pper N orthedge. A venerable elf a n d owner of one of the fi nest restaurants i n Sharn, she fights to maintain trad ition but defi nitely puts the needs of the wealthy ahead of the poor. 6 Shassa Tarr (shifter), from Lower N orthedge, represents the i nterests of the merchants and sh ifters of her ward. S h e is a c u n n ing d iplomat a n d devoted to her constituents. 7 Bestan du Tonn (halfl ing) has represented U pper Tavick's Landing for thirty years, and largely views h i s ward as a separate city with i n t h e city. H e has a reputation for stirri ng up confl ict and setting the other cou ncilors against one another. 8 Kilk (changeli ng) represents the merchants of Lower Tavick's Lan d i ng. Whispered rumors suggest that the changelin has ties to the mysterious Tyrants. Some i nsist that Kilk is actually a n i dentity shared by a group of changelins. 9 H ruitt (owl) is a giant owl who can assume h u m a n fo r m . A former aerial racer, he's a clever negotiator who fights for the good of the Bazaar and M id d i e D u ra, often opposing the Boromar Clan a n d i t s a l l ies. 10 llyra Boromar (halfl i n g) is the cou ncilor for Lower D u ra , but it's com mon knowledge that her true al legiance i s to her fa m i ly and its cri m i na l empire. The cu rrent ongoing conflict with Daask has weakened her fa m i ly and her position. 1 1 Evix du Marasha (human) represents Skyway. Lady M arasha owns the Celestial Vista restaurant, along with several other val u ab l e businesses. She's a n eloq uent speaker who su pports many radical positions, including abolishing the monarchy after the death of King Boranel and recognizing Sharn as a n i ndependent provi nce. 1 2 Nolan Toranak (dwarf), t h e Conseiller for t h e Cogs, is largely seen as a tool of the ind ustrial ists who own the foundries there. Mem bers of his fa mily were kil led by warforged d u ri n g the Last War, and Tora nak harbors a bitter grudge aga i n st House C a n n ith a n d the warforged. H e has tried to have warforged reclassified as property, and seeks to s u ppress warforged activists in the Cogs.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES Every major religion has outposts in Sharn. A number of sacred sites draw pilgrims to the city from across Breland and Khorvaire. Priests don't usually sell their services; temples are places for worship and spiritual guidance. The Sovereign Host is the dominant religion of Breland, represented by shrines and small temples throughout the city. The Pavilion of the Host in Middle Central is the heart of the faith, and most priests of the Host live in one of the Pavilion's nine towers. Pilgrims often come to visit one of three particular sites. The Korranath in Upper Central features Khorvaire's largest temple of Kol Korran. The Great Hall of Aureon in Upper Menthis draws scholars and worshipers alike. The Pool of Onatar's Tears in the Blackbones district of the Cogs is said to impart a blessing to any smith who bathes their hands in its waters. The Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame, Sharn's largest temple to the Silver Flame, is located in Upper Central. Archierophant Ythana Morr is frequently accused of corruption and nepotism, but there are smaller places of worship around the city devoted to the true principles of the faith. The hermit Gaia watches over the City of the Dead from Warden Tower. Coldflame Keep in Middle Northedge was once a mighty garrison; its glory has faded, but Flamebearer Mazin Tana still strives to protect his community. The priestess Faela maintains a small shrine in the shadows of Fallen, doing what she can to help the wretched people of that forsaken district. Finally, the Shrine of Fathen the Martyr is a sacred site in North Market, often visited by templars passing through the city. Even some lesser known religions are represented in Sharn. The Graystone district in Middle Tavick's Landing is a haven for followers of the Blood of Vol. The Gates of Passage in Upper Northedge is a temple of the Undying Court. The Overlook district of Upper Dura holds the Shrine of il-Yannah, dedicated to the Path of Light.

WARD S OF SHARN Sharn i s a vertical city, and elevation i s a n indicator of status and wealth. Each quarter is roughly divided into three levels, and the combination of quarter and level defines a ward. Thus, wards have names such as Lower Dura, Upper Central, and Middle Menthis. Upper wards are the domain of the rich and powerful. Here you'll find the finest goods and the most expensive services. Only those who maintain a wealthy or aristocratic lifestyle can easily afford the prices for meals and lodging, and adventurers who maintain a squalid or wretched lifestyle might be treated with disdain (suffering disadvantage on Charisma checks). Violence is rare in any of the upper wards, and the Sharn Watch actively patrols these areas. Although the guards here might be corrupt just as in a middle or lower ward, they're already being well paid by powerful nobles and criminal organizations, and they work efficiently in the service of these forces. Middle wards are home to the middle classes. Here you'll find bustling markets and taverns, along with a wide range of entertainment and housing. Most goods and services are affordable by those of a modest or comfortable lifestyle, with a few higher-priced options tucked away. The Sharn Watch has a presence, but not as strong as in the upper wards. Lower wards house the hard-working laborers, along with the destitute and the desperate, including refugees who lost everything in the war and orphans who never had anything to begin with. Services priced for a modest lifestyle can be found, but overall the lower wards are home to those who have no better than a poor lifestyle; a visitor who displays signs of a wealthy or aristocratic lifestyle might attract unwanted attention. The watch pays little attention to the lower districts, making them a haven for criminals and gangs. These are stereotypes that don't apply to all wards. Dura is a particularly poor quarter, meaning that Upper Dura is effectively a middle ward in economic terms; similarly, because Central Plateau is a hub of wealth and power, Lower Central is effectively a middle ward. Each ward is further subdivided into districts, which are neighborhoods defined by an economic role, a separate culture, or both. For example, Lower Northedge includes the districts of Stoneyard, Longstairs, and North Market. It's generally true that the combination of a district's ward and quarter will give you a broad idea of what to expect there. A district in Upper Central will typically be well kept and swarming with guards, while a district in Lower Dura will be squalid and dangerous.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITIE S Under the laws of Sharn, crime takes many forms. Any sort of theft is illegal, including “malicious theft of identity” -the use of shapeshifting abilities or illusion magic to impersonate someone with the intent to cause harm. Assault, murder, and fraud will all land you in hot water. Other activities walk the edge of legality. Gambling and prostitution are legal in Sharn, but these industries are heavily taxed and regulated. Likewise, smuggled goods include illegal merchandise such as drugs and mystical explosives, but also heavily taxed goods, such as the drug known as dreamlily (described in chapter 4). Although crime occurs throughout Sharn, it is most apparent in Lower Dura and the Cogs. The Sharn Watch has a minimal presence in these wards, which are the easiest places to sell stolen goods or to hire an assassin. Of course, they're also good places to get robbed or caught up in a street brawl. Sharn is home to a large number of minor gangs and independent criminals. Even so, most criminal activities in the city come under the purview of one of four criminal organizations: the Boromar Clan, Daask, House Tarkanan, and the Tyrants. Even independents usually have an arrangement with one of these power groups. If your character has the criminal background, work with the DM to determine which of these organizations you're connected to (the DM has more information about these groups in chapter 4).

CRIMES AND PUNISHME NTS Officers of the watch can levy fines on the spot when they catch culprits, which is the typical way that minor crimes are dealt with. For a serious offense, the perpe­ trator is taken to a garrison and held until a trial can be arranged. A criminal who is considered to be a serious flight risk will be taken to the most secure facility in Sharn-the King's Citadel headquarters. Typically, a prisoner's case comes to the attention of a local magistrate within ld4 days. The magistrate reviews the facts of the case and asks the victim to confirm or deny their role in the crime while under the influence of a zone of truth spell. The magistrate will then propose a punishment to the accused; if the offer is refused, the case goes to trial. Punishment for convicted criminals varies, but long­ term imprisonment is quite rare. Prisoners who deemed to be too dangerous to be allowed to roam free are more likely to be executed than imprisoned. Typically, a long prison sentence is used only for criminals who can't be allowed to go free, but whose deaths would have nega­ tive diplomatic repercussions. Fines are the typical form of punishment. The amount of a fine is generally based on the nature of the crime, but a magistrate has the right to increase a fine to en­ sure that it is an effective punishment. For example, a fine of 10 gp is crippling to a commoner but can be inconsequential to an adventurer or a member of the Aurum, and in such cases it will be increased. Also, the court can confiscate possessions in lieu of receiving payments in gold; you might not care about having to pay a fine of 100 gp, but having your grandfather's magic sword confiscated instead might sting. If a criminal can't afford to pay a fine, the sentence might be changed to hard labor-or, in the case of adventurers, performing special services on behalf of the city or the Crown. Other kinds of punishment include branding (gener­ ally in a visible location, warning others of your criminal actions), exile, or several magical measures: an ongoing curse, a period of induced blindness, and so on. A repeat offender might be declared an outlaw, which status is often indicated by a brand. An outlaw is stripped of the protection of the law, and anyone can take any action against them without fear of legal retribution.

SHARN HEIGHTS Sharn heights are intersections of bridges and platforms in Sharn that make the perfect place for a meeting, theft, or assassination. The crisscrossing paths of Sharn heights allow criminals to come and go in different directions, looking like normal passersby as they trade information, cut purses, or throw people to their dooms. SHARN H EIGHTS FEATURES Map 4.1 1 shows a typical Sharn location that contains intersections of bridges and platforms. Each bridge is 20 feet higher (on average) than the one immediately below it. The bridges are connected to businesses and residences. The residences are usually locked, while most shops lock up at night. The taverns and gambling dens are open for business all day and well into the night. One of the bridges connects to a aérobus parking station, which houses several of those vehicles. Other bridges lead to an elevator, garden overlooks, and staircases that take pedestrians farther up and down into the city.

Over the course of ten thousand years, the city by the Fleuve de la Dague has risen and fallen time and again. The many scars of history can be seen everywhere— each representing a score of dangers to threaten the present_day inhabitants.

Thousands of years before Humains came to Khorvaire, the land belonged to the hobGobelins. One of the greatest cities of the Empire Dhakaani was the hobGobelin metropolis of Ja’shaarat (“Bright Blade”), nestled by the edge of the Fleuve de la Dague. The early Dhakaani architects carved their city into the stone instead of raising towers above the ground, and the halls of Ja’shaarat extended beneath the surface of the land. The Gobelin miners pushed into Khyber, discovering a vast Lac de Feu that burned with a supernatural heat. Les Lames and armor of the greatest Guerre Dhakaani Daelkirriors were forged here, and tempered in khaar draguus, the blood of the dragon.
Later, they raised great monolithic buildings that covered each of the plateaus and would later serve as the foundation for the Cité des Tours. When the alignment of the planes brought the daelkyr and their armies of horrors to Eberron, the Empire Dhakaani fell before them, and Ja’shaarat was devastated. The empire never recovered from the conflict and the great city was never restored. The Gobelin tribes that hid in the ruins renamed their home Duur’shaarat, “Blade of Sorrows.”

In time, the Humains of Sarlona began to explore across the ocean. A wave of Humains followed the famed explorer Lhazaar to Khorvaire’s eastern shores. The Humains didn’t stop there, however. They pushed inland and explored the northern and southern coasts seeking land to settle and kingdoms to erect. As a result, Malleon le Ravageur discovered the inlet of the Fleuve de la Dague twenty_five years after Lhazaar’s historic undertaking. Malleon enslaved the Gobelins and built a fortress within the ruins on the bluff above the river. Malleon, a superstitious man, hoped to make peace with whatever spirits remained in the ruins. He sealed off the deeper levels of the Gobelin_made mountain_monoliths that had been home to the majority of the hobGobelins, and he named the city Shaarat, deriving the name from the stories told by his Gobelin slaves.
Over the next six hundred years, Shaarat grew into a powerful and wealthy city. Breggor, first ruler of the nation that would eventually bear the name of Breland, demanded that Shaarat bow to his authority. Malleon’s descendants refused. A long siege followed, ending when Breggor ordered his wizards to rain destruction on Shaarat.

Breggor wanted the city on the Fleuve de la Dague for his own, and he didn’t allow the place to remain ruined for long. Within a decade of the siege of Shaarat, Breggor renamed the city Sharn. For the next eight hundred years, the towers began to rise and the city flourished along with the Cinq Nations. It was during this time that the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon began to grow and prosper. Between the pure marks, the mixed marks, and the frequently appearing aberrant marks, the more powerful houses saw a threat to their growing wealth and economic power. The houses began to argue, and soon strong and angry words led to full_scale battle. War had come to the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon.
La Guerre des Marques, a terrible and bloody conflict, changed the face of Khorvaire, firmly establishing the Marqué par le Dragon families that hold power to this day. The pure families and their allies outnumbered those possessing aberrant and mixed Marques du Dragon, but the aberrant marks held considerable destructivepower. At first it was a simple purge, as the aberrants were hunted down one by one. But in the third year of this inquisition, Lord Halas Tarkanan gathered his aberrant kindred. Tarkanan, a brillant tactician, used his military skills and the power of the Marque Aberrante du Dragon to turn the tide of battle. Tarkanan and his queen seized control of Sharn, turning it into a bastion for the aberrant marks.
In the end, Tarkanan simply didn’t have the numbers to overcome his enemies. The battle continued for another four years, but Tarkanan and his forces were slowly beaten back to Sharn. As Maison Bombardier, Maison Garda, and the armies of pre_ Brelandeclosed in, Tarkanan and the Lady of the Plague called upon the full power of their Marque Aberrante du Dragon and released horrific magical forces.
Terrible quakes caused parts of the city to collapse, and rivers of lava flowed up from the fiery lake deep below. Those who escaped the flames were devoured by swarms of vermin or stricken down by deadly plagues. La Guerre des Marques was over—but Sharn had suffered greatly and was abandoned. For over five hundred years, superstitious folk shunned the ruined city, muttering about the curses of the aberrant lords. Despite the superstitions, the location had considerable strategic and economic value.
When Galifar I took control of the Cinq Nations, he sent a force to rebuild the ruined city. Maison Bombardier played a critical role in the reconstruction, and to this day Maison Bombardier remains one of the most influential forces in Sharn. Nain engineers were brought in from the Bastions de la Nation, and a few of the Brelon nobles invested a great deal of gold in the city. Chief among these was the ir’Tain family. The ir’Tains are known as the slumlords of Sharn, and over the centuries the family has made a fortune from its many tenement properties. Today, the ir’Tains are one of the most powerful noble families in Breland; Lord Hass ir’Tain is an influential member of the BrelandeParliament, and his mother Celyria is the unquestioned leader of high society in Sharn. Other powerful families and merchants flocked to the new city, and Sharn prospered and grew.
When work began, only a few towers remained standing above the ancient Gobelin foundations and Humain ruins. It was believed that the curse of the Lady of the Plague still lingered in the darkness, and the remnants of the old cities were quickly sealed away. In time they were forgotten, Perdu in L'Ombres of the new towers that stretched toward the sky. Occasionally treasure_hunters venture down into the haunted levels that lie between the Lower_City and the Cogs, but the vast majority of the citizens know little or nothing of the ruins that lie in the Depths.
Today, Sharn stands as a center for trade, diplomacy, and intrigue, a city with an important role to play in the future of Khorvaire. When dealing with Sharn, remember that the city has an ancient and rich history, and that as you descend you are effectively traveling through time. The lowest levels of the oldest towers are over ten thousand years old, and the buildings within them have gone through many changes. What is now an apartment complex might once have been a cathedral. A tavern might have been a hobGobelin armory. This sense of history and change can add a great deal of color to an otherwise simple location.

The city now known as Sharn was built upon a foundation that dates back thousands of years before Humains ever settled Khorvaire. During that time, the hobGobelin Dhakaani Empire's greatest city was carved into the jagged cliffs that Sharn now towers over. This city was called Ja'Shaarat. This metropolis didn't rise toward the skies, like Sharn does. Instead, the architects of the Dhakaani built a vast number of Chambres and tunnels into and under the ground. As the city grew in size, the Dhakaani eventually would build great monolithic buildings on the plateaus above the Fleuve de la Dague that would later serve as the foundations for Sharn. When the Daelkyr invaded Eberron, the city was devastated, and the hobGobelins never had a chance to restore it to its greater glory.

Thousands of years later when Humain settlers from Sarlona began to explore Khorvaire, the Fleuve de la Dague was stumbled upon. The river led Malleon le Ravageur and his explorers to the site where Ja'Shaarat once stood. There he enslaved what Gobelins still resided in the ruins and erected a fortress within the ruins. He sealed off the lower wards of the ancient hobGobelin city and named the city Shaarat, as a result of stories told by the Gobelins he enslaved. For 600 years, Shaarat prospered and grew into a powerful metropolis once again. Breggor Firstking, the first ruler of what would become Breland, eventually conquered Shaarat and renamed it Sharn.

Over the course of the next 800 years, Sharn's towers began to rise and the city developed into something resembling Sharn today. Around this time, the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon began to prosper and this helped cultivate Sharn into economic power. But the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon also brought with them La Guerre des Marques. The leader of those who bore the aberrant Marque Du Dragon, Tarkanan, took control of Sharn and turned it into a home for all who wore the destructive marks.

Tarkanan couldn't hold the city for long, but in the end he used his terrible powers to destroy much of the city. For the next 500 years, the city was looked down upon and the city remained in ruins. Then, when Galifar I took control of the Cinq Nations he rebuilt Sharn. The metropolis felt the blessings of Galifar and would eventually develop into the center for trade, diplomacy, and intrigue that it is today.