Page 131 - Wayfinders Guide to Eberron
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Sharn stands above the Dagger River. It’s an
THE SHAPE OF SHARN important port for anyone dealing with Aerenal,
Xen’drik, or Sarlona. Mountains line the shores
When you live on the inside low, you never see the
of the Dagger, and Sharn can’t spread out… so
sun. People hear ‘towers’, they think of graceful instead it’s grown ever upward.
little spires, the sort of thing you see poking up in ;PIZV Q[ JZWSMV QV\W Å^M ¹Y]IZ\MZ[º" +MV\ZIT
the corner of your lord’s keep. We’ve got those, and Plateau, Dura, Menthis Plateau, Northedge, and
lots of ‘em. But the foundation of the city is the <I^QKS¼[ 4IVLQVO -IKP WN \PM[M Y]IZ\MZ[ Q[ I P]J
core towers. The walls of these towers are so thick, of massive core towers. A web of bridges and
platforms connects these vast spires, and a host
aW] KW]TL Å\ aW]Z TWZL¼[ MV\QZM KI[\TM QV WVM
of smaller turrets sprout from the edges of the
You’ve got your outside districts where you get the core towers. The district of Skyway ÆWI\[ IJW^M
open air, built on the bridges and platforms that the highest towers, while the tunnels of the Cogs
connect the core towers together. You’ve got the stretch out below the lower city.
Sharn is a vertical city, and height is a simple
little turrets, built on the core tower walls and the
QVLQKI\WZ WN [\I\][ IVL _MIT\P -IKP Y]IZ\MZ
bridges between. You’ve got the folk in the middle,
is roughly divided into three levels, and the
who live and work in the walls themselves. And KWUJQVI\QWV WN Y]IZ\MZ IVL TM^MT LMÅVM[ I
then you’ve got those of us on the inside, our ward. Thus, wards include Lower Dura, Upper
districts entirely contained in the hollow well of Central, and Middle Menthis. This distinction
a great tower. You look up in Callestan, you see gives a general sense of the tone of a ward.
• Upper wards are home to the wealthy
twinkling lights, to be sure. But those aren’t stars,
IVL XW_MZN]T 0MZM aW]¼TT ÅVL \PM ÅVM[\
and that isn’t the sky. You’re looking up through
goods and the most expensive services. The
a mile of bridges and platforms crossing the well, \aXQKIT Y]ITQ\a WN UMIT[ IVL QVV[ Q[ _MIT\Pa
looking up at the districts above you. or aristocratic, and rough adventurers may
be treated with suspicion. Violence is rare;
You live up high, you can touch the sky. In the
the City Watch is active in these areas, and
middle you can still see the sun. Down on the
if they’re corrupt, they’re at least taking
inside low, all we have is gloom and the constant bribes from people richer than you.
LZQX _I\MZ IVL _WZ[M ÆW_QVO NZWU LW_V NZWU \PM
• Middle wards are home to the middle
streets above us. KTI[[M[ 0MZM aW]¼TT ÅVL J][\TQVO UIZSM\[
Sharn is the largest city in Khorvaire, with a and taverns, along with a wide range of
permanent population of approximately 210,000 entertainment and housing. Services range
people. Humans make up about a third of that from modest to comfortable, with a few
number, and dwarves are a sixth of it; the rest wealthy-grade options tucked away. The
is a blend of every race found across Khorvaire. City Watch has a presence, but not as
0ITÆQVO[ MT^M[ IVL OVWUM[ PI^M I [QOVQÅKIV\ strong as in the upper districts.
presence in the city, but even kalashtar and • Lower wards house the hard-working
changelings have communities in Sharn. Beyond laborers, but they’re also home to the
the permanent population, tens of thousands of destitute and the desperate… refugees
people pass through Sharn every day. Refugees who’ve lost everything in the war, orphans
NZWU \PM _IZ [\QTT ÅVL \PMQZ _Ia \W ;PIZV ITWVO and urchins who never had anything to
with tourists, spies, merchants, and people begin with. Modest services can be found,
PWXQVO \W ÅVL \PMQZ NWZ\]VM QV \PM OZIVLM[\ KQ\a QV J]\ W^MZITT \PM TW_MZ LQ[\ZQK\[ IZM [Y]ITQL
Eberron. IVL XWWZ# I ^Q[Q\WZ QV ÅVM KTW\PM[ UQOP\
attract unwanted attention. The City
CHAPTER 6 | THE SHAPE OF SHARN 131
