The Sprawl

The Sprawl is the most populated and densely pact ward in Skyhome. The streets are crowded, dirty, and constantly shadowed by the tall apartment complexes built up around them. On particularly rainy days, when the sun is hidden behind dense and dark clouds, the shadows of the streets are so extreme that it can disorient one's sense of time. The streets in the district amount to little more than dank alleyways, which are either populated by vagrants, or considered the territory of the various gangs that call this area home.
There are no wealthy people in the Sprawl, only the worse of and the significantly more worse off. Those with at least a bit of means live higher up, towards the tops of the apartment buildings, or even in small houses built on their rooftops, where the tenants can actually enjoy some natural light during the day. Poorer residents live towards the bottom of the buildings, where they rarely get any kind of light save for the occasional ray making its way between the gaps of the structures. Destitute individuals live on the street, often in small tent communities that pop up in small open spaces between buildings, or in less traveled alleyways.
The streets of the Sprawl are extremely dangerous, and few dare to venture out alone into them, particularly at night. The Cloud Guard only patrols the major streets in and out of the district, so wide swaths of the ward go completely unmonitored by the authorities. People primarily move around the Sprawl not via the streets, but by traveling between building to building. The buildings of the Sprawl are generally interconnected, either by enclosed bridges, tunnels, or just by virtue of being built directly next to each other. A true resident of the Sprawl could easily navigate this intricate 3D maze and get anywhere in the district within a matter of hours. Even then, there are some buildings in this maze of a district that residents know to avoid like the plague, as they are owned and occupied by various unsavory characters and gangsters.
There are several dozen gangs contend for the right to rule the streets. Their territories are fluid boundaries, ever changing, only truly trackable by someone immersed in gangland politics. Each gang operates for their own reason, has their own recruitment policies, and their own code of conduct. Some gangs amount to little more than groups of rowdy teenagers looking to make a few bucks, to religious zealots who seek to purge all non-Skyborn from the island, to career criminals who run Spice (a highly addictive drug that has only been illegal on the island for the last decade) by using wizardly magic to confound authorities. There is no way to create a comprehensive list of every gang in the area, as new ones are constantly forming and old ones disbanding, here are a few regular groups you might encounter in the Sprawl:

• The Lantern Boys. A protection and extortion gang made up entirely of children and teenagers.
• The Deadly Dolls. Sex workers who offer both their services and protection for those who pay their reasonable rates.
• The Sons of the Red Sky. A group of religious fundamentalist's who despise any non-air attuned non-Skyborn. Worship a strange avatar of the The Air Titan called "the Purest One".
• The Wizards of Spice. A gang of Spice runners who serve a mad necromancer and terrorize the Sprawl. The code phrase to ask if you want to know if you're talking to a seller is "Do you spice?".

The people of the Sprawl, particularly the young-folk, share many stories of strange happenings, bizarre phenomena, and dark spirits. The most oft told of these tales are those concerning the creature known as Red Eyes (and is also commonly known as Tall John, Master Dry Tongue, and the Coughing Man). The being is described as a tall, lanky figure, cast in perpetual shadow, with two glowing red eyes that cut through the darkness. Little is known about the creature's motives, but some say that it's a deal-maker, and grants wishes to those willing to pay its infernal cost. Most believe the Red Eyes is an urban legend, but every few months, a corpse is found tucked away in some dark alleyway, so terribly burned that it crumbles away to ashes at the slightest touch.

Industry & Trade

Businesses in the Sprawl, such as restaurants, shops, and service providers, do not have street-facing locations like they do in other parts of the city. Instead, shops are located inside buildings, often on the first floor, or even occasionally within an apartment. Shop owners prefer this because its safer, they get more reliable foot traffic, and they are very rarely not within a floor or two of their own home. Among these businesses, those living or visiting the Sprawl can find a number of general good stores, potion shops, and even a few weapon venders.

History

The Sprawl started out as grass and marshlands two hundred years ago, which eventually transitioned into a series of closely packed together cottages. Once the population of Skyhome began to spike, the cottages were bought, demolished, and replaced with the first of the tenement buildings. The original owners of the first tenement building, The Joanis Building, made a deal with the residence, promising them homes within the building when it as finished. Within a month, those original residents were all dead, slaughtered for reasons that are lost to time. The incident set a bloody precedent for this district of the city, one that has carried through to the modern day.

Architecture

The tenement buildings of the Sprawl are built closely packed together and tall. Made form imported brick and mortar from dozens of different islands, the stonework is a drab collage of the Skies. The rooftops are uneven, but generally stand roughly 9 stories tall (roughly 38.5 meters), with the occasional tower breaking the skyline.

"This place is so depressing. It's filthy, the people are distant, and I haven't seen the sun in three days."
"Hey! Watch it, I grew up here!"
"Does that make anything I just said untrue?"
"Ah, uh... no, not really."

Sprawl Encounters:
For every hour spent in the Sprawl outside of a building, roll 1d10 and consult the following table.

1d8	Encounters
1	4d6 commoner (Monster Manual) children of assorted races file out of an alley, rushing past the party. 1d4 of the children attempt to make Dexterity (Slight of Hand) checks to steal one item from a random party member's inventory or 1d4 Slivers of random rarity. The children have 1 hit point each and flee at the first sign of violence.
2	A torch lights up without any visible cause. Players can make a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check to look for any possible source. On a success, they see a faint red disappear around the nearest corner, and smell the faintest hint of wood ash and ozone. Investigating further reveals nothing.
3	A Illusionist (Volo's Guide to Monsters) from the Wizards of Spice emerges form the shadows and offers the party a good deal on some Spice. The dealer has 4 hits, each worth 25 Rarity 2 Slivers (Air or Water). At the first sign of hostile intent, 2d6 bandits (Monster Manual) emerge from a nearby alley way to assist the wizard. If the Illusionist is killed, the remaining bandits flee.
4	No encounter.
5	A small purse is found on the ground, containing 4 rarity 3 Slivers. This encounter can only happen once per game session. If rerolled on die, treat it as if you rolled "No encounter."
6	A merchant was forced to drive his Land Rider through the Sprawl, carrying his goods from one side of the city to the other. As he was traveling through the district his vehicle broke down. He flags the party down and offers to pay them 10 rarity 2 Slivers (Air or Water) if they transport him and his goods to a safer district. His goods can be safely transported with a group average DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check, or his Land Rider can be repaired with a DC 15 Intelligence check using Tinkers Tools. Alternatively, the group can opt to rob the merchant for his goods and any Slivers he might have on his person. The merchant uses the statistics of a noble (Monster Manual), but isn't wearing armour and only has a dagger. In total, he has an assortment of basic trade goods (worth 25 rarity 2 SL), 5 kg of sweetgrass (enough to make 50 basic potions of healing, worth roughly 125 rarity 2 SL), and one uncommon magic item (10-50 rarity 1 SL). If the merchant survives, he will report the robbery to the Cloud Guard and warrants will be issued for the players arrest. This encounter can only happen once per campaign. If rerolled on die, treat it as if you rolled "No encounter."
7	A smoke mephit (Monster Manual) pops out the shadows, uses its cinder breath action, and then attempts to snatch the Sliver pouch of one creature blinded by the breath attack. If the mephit beat the party's highest Passive Perception (should they not be actively making Perception checks) with its Dexterity (Stealth) check, it gains a surprise round. Once it has the pouch, it flies away, disappearing into the darkness, and making another Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide from the party.
8	Two drunk bandits (Monster Manual) engage in a fist fight in the middle of the road. A group of 2d6 commoners (Monster Manual) stand in a loose circle around the two, taking bets. When one of the bandits hits half health, they take out a dagger. This encounter can only happen once per session. If rerolled on die, treat it as if you rolled "No encounter."