| District |
Description |
Location |
| Skyway |
Skyway is a district that floats above Central Plateau and Menthis, built atop an island of solidified clouds. The richest people in Sharn live here. |
Above the city |
| Cliffside |
Boats bring cargo and passengers to the dock at Cliffside, on the edge of the Dagger River.
From there, enormous lifts carry people up to Precarious. This dangerous district contains an assortment of taverns, shabby inns, and warehouses. |
Banks of the Dagger River |
| Ashblack |
The first foundries of Sharn were built here. The district is devoted to industry, and the environment here is sweltering and claustrophobic. |
The Cogs |
| Blackbones |
Blackbones is newer than Ashblack, and it shows. The district's corridors are wider and better lit. The foundries are well maintained, and the district has a few thriving businesses. Most of the warforged that reside in Sharn work in Blackbones. |
The Cogs |
ABOVE AND BELOW
The five main quarters of Sharn make up the bulk of the city. But a few additional districts lie above and below the metropolis proper, including wondrous sites and
dangerous places that most folk prefer to avoid.
SKYWAY
A number of floating towers drift above the upper wards of Sharn, but these are dwarfed by Skyway, an entire district suspended above and between Central Plateau
and Menthis Plateau. Built on an island of solidified cloud, Skyway holds the mansions of the wealthiest people in Khorvaire-nobles whose feet never touch the
ground. It's a realm of wonders, filled with the finest examples of luxury and extravagance that gold can buy and magic can produce. For instance, Cloudpool Park is formed from sculpted cloudstuff, with window panels of ice that provide a view of the city below.
Skyway is home to lavish estates. Prior to the Last War, noble families from across the Five Nations maintained mansions here. Though some of these places remain in the hands of their original owners, others were seized by the crown during the Last War and sold to wealthy citizens of Breland. The resulting influx of residents has brought more diversity to the district, with dragonmarked heirs and even wealthy criminals living alongside the nobility.
The grandest estate in Skyway is Tain Manor, home of the ir'Tain family and the monthly Tain Gala.This district offers the highest-priced services in the city. The Dragon's Hoard is a Ghallanda resort, where travelers can enjoy the utmost in luxury if they can afford
the most expensive amenities. The Celestial Vista and the Cloud Dragon are wondrous restaurants. The Azure Gateway is a new hotel and restaurant that has
replaced a Ghallanda establishment. The owner has remained anonymous, and this touch of mystery has piqued interest in the place.
If you're interested in mingling with nobles or celebrities, or if you want to pull off a heist that targets the richest people in Sharn, Skyway is the place to do that.
No bridges or lifts connect Skyway to the rest of the city, so the usual way to reach the floating district is by taking a skycoach or hiring a flying mount.
CLIFFSIDE
Cliffside encompasses the docks and waterfront of Sharn, running along the edge of the Dagger River and up the cliff above it. Massive lifts levitate goods up to the skydocks in the district of Precarious. The area's rough and poor, filled with sailors and dockworkers. Many of these boisterous folk love the life in Cliffside; as a common saying goes, "Better a tankard of ale in Cliffsidethan a barrel of Central wine."
Plenty of legitimate services can be found here-ships need supplies and repairs, goods need to be stored, captains need to hire crew, and sailors need a dry bed to sleep in once in a while-but other businesses meet different kinds of demands. These services include bordellos, taverns, gaming dens, and shadier entertainments for sailors to spend their off duty hours and wages on.
Even though the Sharn Watch has a token presence here, Cliffside remains one of the most crime-ridden districts in the city. This situation is exacerbated by the presence of sahuagin, who sell their services as guides to help ships traveling to Xen'drik. In fact, the sahuagin rarely initiate violence, but there have been clashes between them and aggressive, drunken sailors.
THE COGS
The Cogs lie deep beneath Sharn, below the sewers and Old Sharn. Streams of Fernian lava flow through this area, and over the centuries, House Cannith has helped Breland establish vast foundries that tap this mystic resource.
Ashblack and Blackbones are industrial districts, largely inhabited by warforged laborers and miserable workers of other races. It is said that House Cannith maintains a forgehold in the Ashblack district, and that this is where Baron Merrix d'Cannith conducts his experiments.
The Sharn Watch maintains a presence in the Cogs, and overseers from House Cannith are stationed here to keep things in order. Beyond these industrial districts
lies the deeper tunnels of Khyber's Gate, a tenement district.
Blackbones has a number of remarkable locations. For example, the Pool of Onatar's Tears is sacred to the Sovereign of the Forge. The current caretaker is a warforged priest named Smith, who believes that Onatar has plans for the warforged, and that the warforged and creatures of flesh are meant to live together.Most of the citizens of Sharn have never been to the Cogs. The area does house the bulk of the city's warforged population, and if you're looking for a particular warforged, it's the best place to start.
Industrial espionage and labor struggles can add drama to adventures in the great foundries, not to mention the possibility of artificers with secret forges hidden in the Cogs.
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