The Outlands and Sigil
The Outlands:
The Outlands is the plane between the Outer Planes. It is the plane of neutrality, incorporating a little of everything and keeping all aspects in a paradoxical balance — simultaneously concordant and in opposition. The plane has varied terrain, with prairies, mountains, and shallow rivers. The Outlands is circular, like a great disk. In fact, those who envision the Outer Planes as a wheel point to the Outlands as proof, calling it a microcosm of the planes. That argument might be circular, since the arrangement of the Outlands inspired the idea of the Great Wheel in the first place. Around the outside edge of the circle, evenly spaced, are the gate-towns: sixteen settlements, each built around a portal leading to one of the Outer Planes. Each town shares many of the characteristics of the plane where its gate leads. Planar emissaries often meet in these towns, so it isn’t unusual to see strange pairings, such as a celestial and a fiend arguing in a tavern while sharing a fine bottle of wine. Given the fact that you can ride a horse in the Outlands from a heaven to a hell, a planar-themed campaign can be set there without the need for planar travel. The Outlands is the closest the Outer Planes come to being like a world on the Material Plane. (Source: DMG D&D)
Inhabitants-
Although the Outlands had no known native species or races, members of all intelligent species could be found here meeting in dead magic zones, trading goods, or traveling between planes, often in service to the higher powers. All manner of demons, devils, spirit legions, einheriar, planetars, devas, rilmani and slaadi could be found here, for example. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Outlands) Sigil:
At the center of the Outlands, like the axle of a great wheel, is the Spire — a needle-shaped mountain that rises high into the sky. Above this mountain’s narrow peak floats the ring-shaped city of Sigil, its myriad structures built on the ring’s inner rim. Creatures standing on one of Sigil’s streets can see the city curve up over their heads and — most disconcerting of all — the far side of the city directly overhead. Called the City of Doors, this bustling planar metropolis holds countless portals to other planes and worlds. Sigil is a trader’s paradise. Goods, merchandise, and information come here from across the planes. The city sustains a brisk trade in information about the planes, particularly the command words or items required for the operation of particular portals. Portal keys of all kinds are bought and sold here. The merchant Occaty, who is a friend to the The Outlanders and Critical Coin works and lives in Sigil. The city is the domain of the inscrutable The Lady of Pain the mother of deties. (Source: DMG D&D) Trade-
Sigil was a prime destination for travellers as well as a centre of trade throughout the multiverse. Its merchants accepted the standard currency from anywhere on the planes. Most shops and stalls tended to concentrate on the Great Bazaar in the Market Ward, but there were numerous street markets throughout the city that operated part-time. Day markets traded mostly in food and housewares, whereas night markets offered a larger variety. The city did not produce any usable natural resources and had to import even the most basic items, such as food and raw materials. In order to survive, the city capitalized on its most important asset: its sheer amount of portals and the fact that it was one of the most frequent stops for planewalkers going anywhere in the multiverse. For that reason, the first priority in Sigil was to accommodate for its visitors' various tastes during their stay. There was an enormous assortment of inns and taverns that catered for just about anyone. Such places were usually highly specialized and each tended to evoke the atmosphere of a single location. With this large flux of travellers often looking to trade their wares, Sigil was famous for being the place where anything could be found for sale. Goods from several worlds in the Prime Material plane, such as bronzewood from Oerth or Fire Wine from Toril were available there, as well as exotic items from all other planes, so it was common for travellers to look for those goods in Sigil first, before venturing to their proper places of origin. The city also offered a vast array of services supporting traders, travellers, and residents alike. Many people offered their services as bodyguards, mercenaries, and bill collectors. Many wizards also set up shop in the city, taking advantage of the variety of items that passed through. Sigil was famous for its magic item production, as items created within the Cage were considerably more resistant to planar effects that weakened magic enchantments. However, prices were considerably high for such items, and their sellers often only kept small businesses that could be difficult to track down. Services-
Services offered in Sigil included:
Touts, unofficial city guides. It was highly recommended that planewalkers new to Sigil employed a guide, lest they be taken advantage of or mugged. Since there as no central agency or any regulation of the profession, such guides could be little better themselves, either serving to persuade a traveller to the side of their faction or simply robbing their "customer" once their backs were turned.
Factotums, the city's official guides. Regulated by their respective factions, they guided visitors through not only the city's mazes, but its convoluted politics as well.
Public transportation. Sigil had no horses, its transportation system consisted of sedan chairs, or litters that could hold up to two people each. The service did not extend to the entire city, as some dangerous areas were avoided by sedan chair pullers.
Couriers, hired to deliver messages around the city. It was a dangerous job, so the service was not entirely reliable.
Light boys, street urchins who offered escorting services via wands of continual light, since Sigil did not possess streetlights. They were familiar with many of the city's intricacies, so they could act as unofficial guides as well.
Notable Locations-
The Hall of Concordance was an embassy of law, dedicated to the signing and enforcement of contracts. The hall offered the possibility of having the kolyarut engrave a contract onto a sheet of gold that was installed on a marut's chest. The marut then became bound to ensure that the contract was fulfilled to the letter.
Imel's Happy Tongue, an inn and tavern known for its periodic menu specials that featured food from all the planes. The favorite item in its annual "Cheeses of the Planes" was the Torilian Death Cheese. The Prime Exotics shop specialized in selling small animals from the Prime Material plane, including rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs, and miniature giant space hamsters. The wards of Sigil-
Sigil was divided into six wards. Although the boundary between wards was not clearly marked on the city's streets or maps, it was usually easy to identify a ward based on the general upkeep and packing of the buildings, as well as the type of business conducted there. Counter-clockwise around the ring, the wards of Sigil were the following:
The Lady's Ward- The richest and most exclusive section of the city, home to the elites of society and of its government.
Market Ward- The main location for purchasing goods and services. It was famous for offering items from numerous planes and worlds.
Guildhall Ward- Usually counted as part of the Market Ward. Home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class.
Clerk's Ward- An affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.
Hive Ward- The slum and the ghetto, home to the poor, the rogues, and the unwanted dregs of the city.
Lower Ward- An industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and from the portals to the Lower Planes.
Inhabitants-
Sigil had a population of about 50,000 permanent residents, with a much higher number of temporary residents and visitors that resulted in as many as 250,000 people found in the city at any given time. The population included members of virtually every species found in the multiverse. Long-time Cagers and natives usually felt uncomfortable in open spaces or locations where they could see a sky and the horizon, as they were accustomed to the absence of those features in Sigil. The population of Sigil spoke in a characteristic slang known as the cant that often confused newcomers. They tended to hold inhabitants of the Material Plane in contempt, referring to them as "Clueless", "Outsiders", or, more politely, "primes". Despite their banter, Cagers―and planers in general―held a cautious respect for primes, since they acknowledged that a certain amount of power was necessary to reach Sigil from the Material Plane. Before the Faction War, Sigil was home to 15 extraplanar factions that struggled with one another for power and prestige but generally did not engage in open conflict. The Lady of Pain tolerated the existence of these factions, so long as they did not interfere with her or her nebulous goals. Several factions even served useful purposes, such as the Guvners, the Harmonium, and the Mercykillers, which served as the judges, jury, and executioners of Sigil, respectively. Following the Faction War, other organizations took over administrative roles in the city. An Advisory Council was formed by prominent citizens to keep the peace, often hiring adventurers to deal with threats. It was led by Rhys, former leader of the Transcendent Order. The role of jailers was assumed by a group known as the Sons of Mercy, founded by a former member of the Mercykillers. Trade was regulated by the Mutual Trade Association, formed by guild leaders and led by Shemeshka. The city did not have a lustrous vegetation, and its only park had been overrun with squatters. The only remaining plant life was razorvine, a rapidly growing plant that originated in the Lower planes and was considered a hazard. The darker alleys were crowded with rats and cranium rats, rot grubs grew on garbage heaps, and bats nested on higher places. The city's underground was inhabited by wererats. The city also had two native species of birds: pigeons with a grey-green coloration and large ravens with grey bodies and black heads and wings, known as executioner's ravens. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sigil)
The Outlands is the plane between the Outer Planes. It is the plane of neutrality, incorporating a little of everything and keeping all aspects in a paradoxical balance — simultaneously concordant and in opposition. The plane has varied terrain, with prairies, mountains, and shallow rivers. The Outlands is circular, like a great disk. In fact, those who envision the Outer Planes as a wheel point to the Outlands as proof, calling it a microcosm of the planes. That argument might be circular, since the arrangement of the Outlands inspired the idea of the Great Wheel in the first place. Around the outside edge of the circle, evenly spaced, are the gate-towns: sixteen settlements, each built around a portal leading to one of the Outer Planes. Each town shares many of the characteristics of the plane where its gate leads. Planar emissaries often meet in these towns, so it isn’t unusual to see strange pairings, such as a celestial and a fiend arguing in a tavern while sharing a fine bottle of wine. Given the fact that you can ride a horse in the Outlands from a heaven to a hell, a planar-themed campaign can be set there without the need for planar travel. The Outlands is the closest the Outer Planes come to being like a world on the Material Plane. (Source: DMG D&D)
Inhabitants-
Although the Outlands had no known native species or races, members of all intelligent species could be found here meeting in dead magic zones, trading goods, or traveling between planes, often in service to the higher powers. All manner of demons, devils, spirit legions, einheriar, planetars, devas, rilmani and slaadi could be found here, for example. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Outlands) Sigil:
At the center of the Outlands, like the axle of a great wheel, is the Spire — a needle-shaped mountain that rises high into the sky. Above this mountain’s narrow peak floats the ring-shaped city of Sigil, its myriad structures built on the ring’s inner rim. Creatures standing on one of Sigil’s streets can see the city curve up over their heads and — most disconcerting of all — the far side of the city directly overhead. Called the City of Doors, this bustling planar metropolis holds countless portals to other planes and worlds. Sigil is a trader’s paradise. Goods, merchandise, and information come here from across the planes. The city sustains a brisk trade in information about the planes, particularly the command words or items required for the operation of particular portals. Portal keys of all kinds are bought and sold here. The merchant Occaty, who is a friend to the The Outlanders and Critical Coin works and lives in Sigil. The city is the domain of the inscrutable The Lady of Pain the mother of deties. (Source: DMG D&D) Trade-
Sigil was a prime destination for travellers as well as a centre of trade throughout the multiverse. Its merchants accepted the standard currency from anywhere on the planes. Most shops and stalls tended to concentrate on the Great Bazaar in the Market Ward, but there were numerous street markets throughout the city that operated part-time. Day markets traded mostly in food and housewares, whereas night markets offered a larger variety. The city did not produce any usable natural resources and had to import even the most basic items, such as food and raw materials. In order to survive, the city capitalized on its most important asset: its sheer amount of portals and the fact that it was one of the most frequent stops for planewalkers going anywhere in the multiverse. For that reason, the first priority in Sigil was to accommodate for its visitors' various tastes during their stay. There was an enormous assortment of inns and taverns that catered for just about anyone. Such places were usually highly specialized and each tended to evoke the atmosphere of a single location. With this large flux of travellers often looking to trade their wares, Sigil was famous for being the place where anything could be found for sale. Goods from several worlds in the Prime Material plane, such as bronzewood from Oerth or Fire Wine from Toril were available there, as well as exotic items from all other planes, so it was common for travellers to look for those goods in Sigil first, before venturing to their proper places of origin. The city also offered a vast array of services supporting traders, travellers, and residents alike. Many people offered their services as bodyguards, mercenaries, and bill collectors. Many wizards also set up shop in the city, taking advantage of the variety of items that passed through. Sigil was famous for its magic item production, as items created within the Cage were considerably more resistant to planar effects that weakened magic enchantments. However, prices were considerably high for such items, and their sellers often only kept small businesses that could be difficult to track down. Services-
Services offered in Sigil included:
Touts, unofficial city guides. It was highly recommended that planewalkers new to Sigil employed a guide, lest they be taken advantage of or mugged. Since there as no central agency or any regulation of the profession, such guides could be little better themselves, either serving to persuade a traveller to the side of their faction or simply robbing their "customer" once their backs were turned.
Factotums, the city's official guides. Regulated by their respective factions, they guided visitors through not only the city's mazes, but its convoluted politics as well.
Public transportation. Sigil had no horses, its transportation system consisted of sedan chairs, or litters that could hold up to two people each. The service did not extend to the entire city, as some dangerous areas were avoided by sedan chair pullers.
Couriers, hired to deliver messages around the city. It was a dangerous job, so the service was not entirely reliable.
Light boys, street urchins who offered escorting services via wands of continual light, since Sigil did not possess streetlights. They were familiar with many of the city's intricacies, so they could act as unofficial guides as well.
Notable Locations-
The Hall of Concordance was an embassy of law, dedicated to the signing and enforcement of contracts. The hall offered the possibility of having the kolyarut engrave a contract onto a sheet of gold that was installed on a marut's chest. The marut then became bound to ensure that the contract was fulfilled to the letter.
Imel's Happy Tongue, an inn and tavern known for its periodic menu specials that featured food from all the planes. The favorite item in its annual "Cheeses of the Planes" was the Torilian Death Cheese. The Prime Exotics shop specialized in selling small animals from the Prime Material plane, including rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs, and miniature giant space hamsters. The wards of Sigil-
Sigil was divided into six wards. Although the boundary between wards was not clearly marked on the city's streets or maps, it was usually easy to identify a ward based on the general upkeep and packing of the buildings, as well as the type of business conducted there. Counter-clockwise around the ring, the wards of Sigil were the following:
The Lady's Ward- The richest and most exclusive section of the city, home to the elites of society and of its government.
Market Ward- The main location for purchasing goods and services. It was famous for offering items from numerous planes and worlds.
Guildhall Ward- Usually counted as part of the Market Ward. Home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class.
Clerk's Ward- An affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.
Hive Ward- The slum and the ghetto, home to the poor, the rogues, and the unwanted dregs of the city.
Lower Ward- An industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and from the portals to the Lower Planes.
Inhabitants-
Sigil had a population of about 50,000 permanent residents, with a much higher number of temporary residents and visitors that resulted in as many as 250,000 people found in the city at any given time. The population included members of virtually every species found in the multiverse. Long-time Cagers and natives usually felt uncomfortable in open spaces or locations where they could see a sky and the horizon, as they were accustomed to the absence of those features in Sigil. The population of Sigil spoke in a characteristic slang known as the cant that often confused newcomers. They tended to hold inhabitants of the Material Plane in contempt, referring to them as "Clueless", "Outsiders", or, more politely, "primes". Despite their banter, Cagers―and planers in general―held a cautious respect for primes, since they acknowledged that a certain amount of power was necessary to reach Sigil from the Material Plane. Before the Faction War, Sigil was home to 15 extraplanar factions that struggled with one another for power and prestige but generally did not engage in open conflict. The Lady of Pain tolerated the existence of these factions, so long as they did not interfere with her or her nebulous goals. Several factions even served useful purposes, such as the Guvners, the Harmonium, and the Mercykillers, which served as the judges, jury, and executioners of Sigil, respectively. Following the Faction War, other organizations took over administrative roles in the city. An Advisory Council was formed by prominent citizens to keep the peace, often hiring adventurers to deal with threats. It was led by Rhys, former leader of the Transcendent Order. The role of jailers was assumed by a group known as the Sons of Mercy, founded by a former member of the Mercykillers. Trade was regulated by the Mutual Trade Association, formed by guild leaders and led by Shemeshka. The city did not have a lustrous vegetation, and its only park had been overrun with squatters. The only remaining plant life was razorvine, a rapidly growing plant that originated in the Lower planes and was considered a hazard. The darker alleys were crowded with rats and cranium rats, rot grubs grew on garbage heaps, and bats nested on higher places. The city's underground was inhabited by wererats. The city also had two native species of birds: pigeons with a grey-green coloration and large ravens with grey bodies and black heads and wings, known as executioner's ravens. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sigil)
Alternative Name(s)
Plane of Neutrality, City of Doors
Type
Dimensional plane
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
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