Sharn

Sharn is one of the largest cities in Cyril and is also called the City of Towers, City of Knives, Gateway to Perdition. The city is a massive vertical city with different levels for different wards. The lowest wards are inhabited by the lowest on the socio-economic totem pole, and the highest levels are inhabited by the elites of society. The city serves as the seat of the Alban Government, both the Monarchy and Parliament. If you need something, likely in Sharn somewhere you will find it.
Sharn stands above the Dagger River and its eastern tributary, the Hilt. It’s an important port for anyone dealing with the continent of Cyril or other continents. 
The city is primarily made up of these quarters:
Central Plateau
Dura
Menthis Plateau
Northedge
Tavick’s Landing
At the hub of each of these quarters is a cluster of enormous core towers. A web of bridges and platforms connects many of these vast spires, and smaller turrets sprout from the edges of the core towers. The district of Skyway floats above the highest towers, while the tunnels of the Cogs stretch out below the lower city.
In between those extremes, each of the quarters is divided into an upper ward, a middle ward, and a lower ward. Each ward is made up of a number of districts, so that the location of a place in Sharn can be expressed with a combination of a ward name and a district name.
Sharn is a vertical city, and elevation is an 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. 
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.

Getting Around

Sharn is an enormous city, and traveling on foot from one side of the city to the other can be time-consuming. Here are some travel-time guidelines: It takes at least 30 minutes to cross a ward.
If you’re traveling between wards, add 30 minutes for each ward you pass through.
Dura and Tavick’s Landing are especially large; double the time it takes to move through one of them.
For instance, traveling from Lower Menthis to Upper Central involves passing through three wards (taking a bridge from Lower Menthis to Lower Central, then ascending two levels) and can take 90 minutes or longer.
Not all the quarters are linked to one another by bridges. The connections that do exist include these:
1. Central Plateau has bridges that lead to Northedge and Menthis.
2. Dura is connected to Tavick’s Landing and Menthis.
3. Tavick’s Landing is connected to Dura, Menthis, and Northedge.
4. Menthis is connected to Tavick’s Landing, Dura, and Central.
5. Northedge is connected to Central and Tavick’s Landing.
Traveling from district to district involves the use of bridges and ramps, along with lifts, both mechanical and magical (vast floating disks that slowly ascend and descend along threads of mystical energy.) Magical lifts are mainly used to move cargo and can be up to 30 feet in diameter. Most lifts have rails but aren’t fully enclosed; if combatants fight on a lift, someone falling or being pushed off the edge is always a possibility.
For a speedier journey through the streets, House Orien manages a system of carriages for hire. Taking an Orien carriage cuts travel time in half and costs 2 cp per ward traveled.

Demographics

65% Human, 12% Halfling, 5%, Dwarf, 5% Half-Elf, 10% Goblin, 3% other. *Clockwork Automatons and Mannequins are not counted as persons and thus not included in this number.

Government

The City is run by the Lord Mayor of Sharn, Sir Edward Gray. The city also houses the Royal Government of Alba which is headed by King Edward VIII of the House Kingsgrave. In addition the Alban Parliament is seated in Sharn.

Infrastructure

Extensive Rail network through the wards of the city as well as the largest Sky Port in all of Cyril and second largest Port on the continent.

Guilds and Factions

Alban Imperial Government
Guild of Mages
Guild of Artificers
International Guild of Cog Workers
Adventurers Guild
Alban Church of the Prime Deities
The Sharn Inquisitor (Newspaper)
Alban Gendarme and Sharn Police Force
The Alban Investigator Society
Various Criminal Organizations

Geography

Overlooks the Dagger River

Founding Date

592 BF

Alternative Name(s)

City of Towers, City of Knives, Gateway to Perdition

Type

Metropolis

Population

12 Million

Inhabitant Demonym

Sharnese

Included Locations

• The Half-Pint Tavern

Related Reports (Primary)

• Session 1 Report