T18: The Great Burn

A decade ago a great fire consumed this portion or the Old City, causing great loss of life, especially among children and the elderly. Rumors claimed it was set by agents of the Beggars' Guild as an attack against the Thieves' Guild. Proof was never found, but the beggars suffered horrible retribution for many months afterward.

The scar of the fire remains, perhaps left by the guildmaster as a reminder to thieves of the perfidy of their Old City neighbors. This is now a haven of dogs, cats, rats, and crows. A few hermits pick their way through the refuse, but none spend the night here.

Rumors abound claiming that the bum site is haunted by the ghosts of those killed in the fire. Other tales tell of the treasure vault of a master thief, lying somewhere in the wreckage but guarded by the vengeful spirit of the thief and his three great hounds.

---

T18: Old Burn Block. In 571 cy, a war between the Union of Beggars and the Guild of Thieves ended with the near destruction of the former and the burning of many buildings in the heart of the Old City. The beggars were blamed for the destruction and suffered horrible retribution for years after. Estimates are that 60 to 100 people died in the fire, which killed many children and elderly residents who were unable to escape. The ruins remained for years and were known as the Great Burn. The fire is probably the worst disaster in the city’s last century.

In S85 cy, with the city being flooded with refugees and a second great fire having consumed more of the Old City south of the Great Burn (a result of the horrifying spell combat between Rary the Traitor and Otiluke of the Circle of Eight, which killed about 50 people), the Directing Oligarchy moved to have the entire burned area rebuilt, using funds from a special Fire Tax levied on merchants beginning that year until 590 cy. This produced a massive boom in the construction guilds that, together with a general rise in merchant traffic after the Great Northern Crusade, led to the breakup of several of the larger guilds into smaller, tighter, and more efficient businesses.

Old Burn Block, the area between Rats Road and Black Lane, is now a rather colorful spot in the otherwise trashy and dismal Old City. Many new buildings have sprung up to fill in spaces between old ones that survived both fires, so this end of the city looks much more crowded than before. Occasionally someone (usually while digging a cellar) will find a small hoard of coins or gems left buried by others before the fires, so treasure-hunting is a preoccupation with some residents.

DM's Notes: One drawback that is generally noted about Old Burn Block is that the spirits of some who died during the fires are apparently active to a small degree, causing minor frights and dropping, moving, or hurling objects. Several phantoms, poltergeists, haunts, and the like have been reported here, but none have done serious harm so far, and most have been removed by clerics, Still, there is a good chance that some restless dead are here in spiritual form, and they might have important business left unfinished in the mortal world (and a character might be the one to finish this business).