Sharn

Sharn is the largest city in Khorvaire, with a population of half a million 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 all 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 the city, along with tourists, spies, merchants, and folk hoping to find their fortune in the grandest city in Eberron. Sharn stands above the Dagger River and its eastern tributary, the Hilt. 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 has grown ever upward. The city is primarily made up of these quarters:

Central Plateau
Dura
Menthis Plateau
Northedge
Tavick’s Landing
Skyway
The Cogs
Cliffside

At the hub of each of these quarters is a cluster of enormous core towers. A web of bridges and platforms connects many of these vast spires, and 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. In between those extremes, each of the quarters is divided into an upper ward, a middle ward, and a lower ward. Each ward is made up of a number of districts, so that the location of a place in Sharn can be expressed with a combination of a ward name and a district name. More information about each of the wards and the districts in them appears later in this chapter. Aftermath of War Far from the front lines, Sharn never fell under siege during the Last War. Regardless, the war’s impacts affected the city’s citizens and continue to even today. Physical Damage Although Sharn was never subjected to a sustained assault, it didn’t avoid damage. On many occasions, commandos and saboteurs launched significant attacks inside Sharn. The most infamous of these was the Aundairian attack that brought down the floating Glass Tower, devastating the district now known as Fallen. In any of the lower or middle wards, you might encounter evidence of the conflict in the form of a shattered bridge, a building collapsed by an arcane explosion, or an area some say is haunted because of the large number of people killed there during the war. Psychological Scars There are places in the city that house people who suffered because of the actions of other nations. For example, many of the residents of Dura hold all Aundairians responsible for the destruction of Fallen. In another district, folk could hate the Karrns for an undead attack that occurred during the war, and a different group could blame Thrane for the siege of Vathirond. These kinds of sentiments can shape the feelings of an entire district, but in the city as a whole there are far more people who have personal burdens to carry than those who feel resentment toward particular nations. For instance, on an individual level, most members of the Sharn Watch might not care about a gnoll being seen in a neighborhood, but a guard who fought on the Droaam front during the war might be out for revenge. Warforged are sometimes also the targets of this sort of prejudice; a person whose friends were killed by warforged soldiers might resent all such creatures. Shortages Because the ink is barely dry on the Treaty of Thronehold and relationships between the signatories are still being normalized, Sharn doesn’t currently benefit from a lot of commerce with other nations. Problems could arise from a short supply of any imported goods, whether this manifests as inflated prices, the need for rationing, or certain items being simply unavailable. The factors of supply and demand also play into smuggling and the black market; some desirable goods might be available only through the Boromar Clan. Refugees and Victims Cyran refugees have filled the district of High Walls in Lower Tavick’s Landing beyond capacity, and Sharn is also home to a significant number of refugees from elsewhere in Breland—people whose homes and villages were destroyed during the war, and who have come to Sharn in search of new lives. The city also has its share of other people harmed during the war, soldiers and civilians with severe physical or psychological injuries. All these folk are most likely to be found in the lower wards. They aren’t just poor; they’re suffering—and they might seek vengeance against those they blame for their pain. Getting Around Sharn is an enormous city, and traveling on foot from one side of the city to the other can be time-consuming. Here are some travel-time guidelines: It takes at least 30 minutes to cross a ward. If you’re traveling between wards, add 30 minutes for each ward you pass through. Dura and Tavick’s Landing are especially large; double the time it takes to move through one of them. For instance, traveling from Lower Menthis to Upper Central involves passing through three wards (taking a bridge from Lower Menthis to Lower Central, then ascending two levels) and can take 90 minutes or longer. Not all the quarters are linked to one another by bridges. The connections that do exist include these:

Central Plateau has bridges that lead to Northedge and Menthis.
Dura is connected to Tavick’s Landing and Menthis.
Tavick’s Landing is connected to Dura, Menthis, and Northedge.
Menthis is connected to Tavick’s Landing, Dura, and Central.
Northedge is connected to Central and Tavick’s Landing.

Traveling from district to district involves the use of bridges and ramps, along with magic lifts—vast floating disks that slowly ascend and descend along threads of mystical energy. Lifts are mainly used to move cargo and can be up to 30 feet in diameter. Most lifts have rails but aren’t fully enclosed; if combatants fight on a lift, someone falling or being pushed off the edge is always a possibility. For a speedier journey through the streets, House Orien manages a system of carriages for hire. Taking an Orien carriage cuts travel time in half and costs 2 cp per ward traveled. Flight is, of course, the fastest way to get around in Sharn, cutting travel time down to one-sixth of the walking pace (5 minutes per ward). It’s also more expensive, at 2 sp per ward. The most common form of aerial transport is the skycoach, but many flying mounts, including hippogriffs, griffons, pteranodons, and giant owls, can be found for hire around the city.