Sharn
Sharn is the largest city in Khorvaire, with a permanent population of approximately 210,000 people. Humans make up about a third of that number, and dwarves are a sixth of it; the rest is a blend of every race found across Khorvaire. Halflings, elves, and gnomes have a significant presence in the city, but even kalashtar and changelings have communities in Sharn. Beyond the permanent population, tens of thousands of people pass through Sharn every day. Refugees from the war still find their way to Sharn, along with tourists, spies, merchants, and people hoping to find their fortune in the grandest city in Eberron.
Sharn stands above the Dagger River. It’s an important port for anyone dealing with Aerenal, Xen’drik, or Sarlona. Mountains line the shores of the Dagger, and Sharn can’t spread out… so instead it’s grown ever upward. Sharn is broken into five “quarters”: Central Plateau, Dura, Menthis Plateau, Northedge, and Tavick’s Landing. Each of these quarters is a hub of massive core towers. A web of bridges and platforms connects these vast spires, and a host of 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. Sharn is a vertical city, and height is a simple 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 include Lower Dura, Upper Central, and Middle Menthis. This distinction gives a general sense of the tone of a ward.
Upper wards are home to the wealthy and powerful. Here you’ll find the finest goods and the most expensive services. The typical quality of meals and inns is wealthy or aristocratic, and rough adventurers may be treated with suspicion. Violence is rare; the City Watch is active in these areas, and if they’re corrupt, they’re at least taking
bribes from people richer than you.
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. Services range from modest to comfortable, with a few wealthy-grade options tucked away. The City Watch has a presence, but not as strong as in the upper districts.
Lower wards house the hard-working laborers, but they’re also home to the destitute and the desperate… refugees who’ve lost everything in the war, orphans and urchins who never had anything to begin with. Modest services can be found, but overall the lower districts are squalid and poor; a visitor in fine clothes might attract unwanted attention. The City Watch pays little attention to the lower districts, making them a haven for criminals and gangs.
This is a broad stereotype that doesn’t apply to all wards. Dura is a particularly poor quarter, and Upper Dura is effectively a middle ward; meanwhile, Central is a center of wealth and power, and Lower Central is also effectively a middle ward. Each ward is further subdivided into districts, neighborhoods defined by an economic role, a specific community, or both. Lower Northedge includes the districts of Stoneyard, Longstairs, and North Market. Lower Dura includes seven distinct districts.
The five quarters of Sharn make up the bulk of the city, but here are additional regions that you may wish to explore during your time in Sharn.
Skyway
There are a number of floating towers orbiting the upper wards of Sharn, but these are dwarfed by Skyway, an entire district that floats above and between Central Plateau and Menthis Plateau. Built on an island of solidified clouds, Skyway holds the estates of the wealthiest people in Khorvaire—nobles whose feet need never touch the ground. Skyway contains a host of aristocratic boutiques and restaurants, along with astonishing mansions. Chief among these is Tain Manor, home to most powerful family in Sharn. Celyria ir’Tain is the queen of high society. She holds a ball at the manor each month, and the guest list at the Tain Gala defines the social order in the city. If you need to mingle with celebrities, find a way to wrangle an invitation to the Tain Gala. And if you’re looking to pull off a heist on some of the richest people in Eberron, Skyway is the place to start.
Cliffside
This small ward contains the docks of Sharn. Cargo is hoisted up to the city with magical cranes, and people take levitating lifts. All traffic into Sharn passes through the district of Precarious in Lower Dura, and Cliffside has much in common with Lower Dura. It’s rough and poor, filled with sailors and dockworkers. On the other hand, some people swear that Cliffside has the finest taverns in Sharn.
The Depths
Sharn was built on the foundations of an older city, which was itself built atop goblin ruins. This old city was destroyed by dark magic — the elemental powers of the infamous Halas Tarkanan and his consort, the Lady of the Plague. It’s said that vile powers still linger in these ruins, and for this reason King Galifar I had all passages to this undercity sealed with gates of metal and magic. These portals remain sealed today, and it’s illegal to tamper with them. But it’s generally assumed that there may be many treasures hidden in the ruins of Old Sharn, along with untold secrets of the past.
The Cogs
The Cogs lie deep below Sharn, below the sewers and even beyond the Depths. Incorporating natural tunnels and ancient goblin ruins. Streams of Fernian lava flow beneath Sharn, and over the centuries House Cannith has helped Breland establish vast foundries that tap this mystic resource. Ashblack and Blackbones are industrial districts, largely inhabited by warforged laborers and miserable workers of other races. It’s said that House Cannith maintains a massive forgehold in the depths, and that this is where Baron Merrix d’Cannith conducts his arcane experiments. In addition, The Red Hammer is Sharn’s only tavern catering specifically to warforged. Beyond Ashblack and Blackbones lies Khyber’s Gate, a maze of tunnels and tenements carved into the stone. The Sharn Watch has no presence in Khyber’s Gate, and the closest thing to an authority is the criminal organization known as Daask. Many of the inhabitants of the Gate are goblins and immigrants from Droaam, but it’s also home to fugitives and other desperate people. You can find mad cultists, undead, and even demons, along with a handful of hermits and visionaries seeking to escape the city above. Shamukaar is the most successful tavern in Khyber’s Gate. This bar is a safe haven for all within it, regardless of species or politics; once you make it through the door, you can breathe easy.
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