Graywall
____~~~Middle City~~~____/Sharn, Districts Wards
First Impression: The people of Graywall are somber and serious, and outsiders receive a cold welcome. A visitor with a good ear notes the predominance of Karrn accents and spots Karrn features among the inhabitants of the district.
Social Class: Middle class
The culture of Karrnath existed long before the Last War, and in Sharn it found a home in the Graywall district. As Sharn grew and became an important center for trade and commerce in the kingdom of Galifar, and as Karrn merchants and crafters settled in the city, many made their home in Graywall. Today Graywall is a quiet, close-knit community.
The local families know each other well, and they dislike outsiders—with the notable exception of visitors from Karrnath, who receive a warm welcome and demands for the latest news from “the old country.”
In practice, the people of Graywall are unfriendly toward most outsiders, but Friendly toward anyone of Karrn descent. Due to prejudices and incidents that occurred during the Last War, anyone attached to the Sharn City Watch or the Guardians of the Gate receives a –10 penalty on any Diplomacy checks made in the region. In general, City Watch patrols avoid Graywall; the people maintain a small local militia that patrols the district and settles disputes.
For the most part, Graywall is a peaceful district. Most of the inhabitants are honest, hardworking people. However, the people of the district share something besides Karrn descent, something that sets them apart from the Karrn immigrants in Middle Menthis—most of the people of Graywall are devoted followers of the Blood of Vol. They keep their religion secret, sad to see the way in which it has been suppressed even in their homeland. But they continue to carry on the old traditions. And even if the people of Graywall won’t actively assist the Order of the Emerald Claw, they certainly do provide agents of the Claw with shelter and support.
Points of interest :
The Bloody Mug- The sign above the door of this inn displays a tilted clay mug, with what is presumably red wine trickling over the edge. This inn caters to visitors from Karrnath, and the people of the district often gather in the common room to share a tankard of Nightwood ale and listen to traveler’s tales, or engage in traditional Karrn chants and dances. A Karrn character receives a +1 circumstance bonus on all Gather Information and Knowledge (local) checks made in The Bloody Mug.
A comfortable tavern catering to Sharn's Karrnathi immigrants. Travelers from Karrnath always receive a warm welcome and a tankard of nightwood ale in extrange for stories from the old country.
Slogar's- This modest restaurant serves tradition Karrnathi Cuisine. The ambience is a bit gloomy, but the prices are reasonable, and the food is very filling.
The Slogars were one of the first families to settle in Graywall, and their restaurant has served the community for hundreds of years. The food isn’t fancy and the ambience is rather gloomy, but the prices are quite reasonable. If you like traditional Karrn peasant cuisine—which, truth be told, is usually an acquired taste—it’s hard to find better.
The House of Hazal- The largest estate in the district belongs to the Hazal family. The Hazals made their fortune investing in the smelting industry, and Hazal caravans still bring in ore from the family’s northern holdings on a regular basis. But while the Hazals have always been community leaders, they have also been religious leaders. Beyond a façade large enough to entertain guests and outsiders, the house of Hazal conceals Sharn’s only temple to the Blood of Vol. There are a number of secret passages throughout the district that lead to the temple, and every Zol the faithful come in shifts to give blood and hear the word of Vol. During the holiest days—such as the Tanarath, when the moon Aryth is eclipsed by Sypheros—almost all of the faithful gather at once.
The current master of the house and priest of the Blood is Lan Hazal. Lan’s wife died recently, and there is a great deal of interest in the community as to who might become the next Lady Hazal. Lan is a charismatic and wealthy man, and he is very careful to conceal his impressive mystical powers from the world at large. Unless there is no other alternative, he only performs magic in the depths of the temple. He takes the use of magic very seriously, and rarely uses spells even to help his parishioners. He believes that people should be able to solve their own problems, and while he offers spiritual advice and even financial assistance to other members of the community, he only uses magic for the most serious situations.
Lan is not an evil man, and he does not always approve of the actions of the Order of the Emerald Claw. However, he feels that it is not his place to question the undead champions of Vol. He has an astonishing gift for enchantment, and he spends much of his time producing magic items and weapons for Lady Tarra’az (see page 90). His other primary interest is extending his family library. Lan has invested a fortune to recover scrolls and texts from Xen’drik, seeking more information about the origin of the first vampires. He might hire a party to locate a tome on his behalf, or cross paths with a character who has accidentally acquired a book he needs; alternately, the party might need a rare book that can only be found in the Hazal library.
The house of Hazal also contains the stores of blood donated by the members of the church, which are used to sustain Lady Tarra’az and visiting vampires.
First Impression: The people of Graywall are somber and serious, and outsiders receive a cold welcome. A visitor with a good ear notes the predominance of Karrn accents and spots Karrn features among the inhabitants of the district.
Social Class: Middle class
The culture of Karrnath existed long before the Last War, and in Sharn it found a home in the Graywall district. As Sharn grew and became an important center for trade and commerce in the kingdom of Galifar, and as Karrn merchants and crafters settled in the city, many made their home in Graywall. Today Graywall is a quiet, close-knit community.
The local families know each other well, and they dislike outsiders—with the notable exception of visitors from Karrnath, who receive a warm welcome and demands for the latest news from “the old country.”
In practice, the people of Graywall are unfriendly toward most outsiders, but Friendly toward anyone of Karrn descent. Due to prejudices and incidents that occurred during the Last War, anyone attached to the Sharn City Watch or the Guardians of the Gate receives a –10 penalty on any Diplomacy checks made in the region. In general, City Watch patrols avoid Graywall; the people maintain a small local militia that patrols the district and settles disputes.
For the most part, Graywall is a peaceful district. Most of the inhabitants are honest, hardworking people. However, the people of the district share something besides Karrn descent, something that sets them apart from the Karrn immigrants in Middle Menthis—most of the people of Graywall are devoted followers of the Blood of Vol. They keep their religion secret, sad to see the way in which it has been suppressed even in their homeland. But they continue to carry on the old traditions. And even if the people of Graywall won’t actively assist the Order of the Emerald Claw, they certainly do provide agents of the Claw with shelter and support.
Points of interest :
The Bloody Mug- The sign above the door of this inn displays a tilted clay mug, with what is presumably red wine trickling over the edge. This inn caters to visitors from Karrnath, and the people of the district often gather in the common room to share a tankard of Nightwood ale and listen to traveler’s tales, or engage in traditional Karrn chants and dances. A Karrn character receives a +1 circumstance bonus on all Gather Information and Knowledge (local) checks made in The Bloody Mug.
A comfortable tavern catering to Sharn's Karrnathi immigrants. Travelers from Karrnath always receive a warm welcome and a tankard of nightwood ale in extrange for stories from the old country.
Slogar's- This modest restaurant serves tradition Karrnathi Cuisine. The ambience is a bit gloomy, but the prices are reasonable, and the food is very filling.
The Slogars were one of the first families to settle in Graywall, and their restaurant has served the community for hundreds of years. The food isn’t fancy and the ambience is rather gloomy, but the prices are quite reasonable. If you like traditional Karrn peasant cuisine—which, truth be told, is usually an acquired taste—it’s hard to find better.
The House of Hazal- The largest estate in the district belongs to the Hazal family. The Hazals made their fortune investing in the smelting industry, and Hazal caravans still bring in ore from the family’s northern holdings on a regular basis. But while the Hazals have always been community leaders, they have also been religious leaders. Beyond a façade large enough to entertain guests and outsiders, the house of Hazal conceals Sharn’s only temple to the Blood of Vol. There are a number of secret passages throughout the district that lead to the temple, and every Zol the faithful come in shifts to give blood and hear the word of Vol. During the holiest days—such as the Tanarath, when the moon Aryth is eclipsed by Sypheros—almost all of the faithful gather at once.
The current master of the house and priest of the Blood is Lan Hazal. Lan’s wife died recently, and there is a great deal of interest in the community as to who might become the next Lady Hazal. Lan is a charismatic and wealthy man, and he is very careful to conceal his impressive mystical powers from the world at large. Unless there is no other alternative, he only performs magic in the depths of the temple. He takes the use of magic very seriously, and rarely uses spells even to help his parishioners. He believes that people should be able to solve their own problems, and while he offers spiritual advice and even financial assistance to other members of the community, he only uses magic for the most serious situations.
Lan is not an evil man, and he does not always approve of the actions of the Order of the Emerald Claw. However, he feels that it is not his place to question the undead champions of Vol. He has an astonishing gift for enchantment, and he spends much of his time producing magic items and weapons for Lady Tarra’az (see page 90). His other primary interest is extending his family library. Lan has invested a fortune to recover scrolls and texts from Xen’drik, seeking more information about the origin of the first vampires. He might hire a party to locate a tome on his behalf, or cross paths with a character who has accidentally acquired a book he needs; alternately, the party might need a rare book that can only be found in the Hazal library.
The house of Hazal also contains the stores of blood donated by the members of the church, which are used to sustain Lady Tarra’az and visiting vampires.
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