Welcome To The Free City
A place where anyone at all can re-make themselves.
Nestled into its own private demi-plane somewhere between the Material and Hell, The Free City lies, lit only by the light of its own braisers, and the soft, Etherial glow of the
The Oathneedle . People of all races, classes, alignments, and planar hierarchy survive on the power of their own wit, will, and their desire to be free of the strictures of the societies and the laws of the places where they once lived. Here, all your old oaths are broken, your obligations erased, replaced only by your oath to the city itself when you become a
Free Citizen .
Though you may be safe from your old homeland, you are not safe in the city itself. Gangs, Cults, and other organizations rule over every part of the city; Those places they don't rule are simply too dangerous for anyone at all to take control, such as the
The Glass Forest, or the
The Edge, a place where life is so desperate few dare stay there for long, save a daring
Scavenger or two. Very few people are able to live unaligned; among those most successful at it are the
Pact Makers, people who have been granted the power of the Oathneedle to make and enforce contracts called
Free pact through magical means.
Wherever you live, light and heat are your biggest priority. Far enough from the Oathneedle the plane is so dark even the sharpest eyes cannot see through it. Batteries, Wood, Lamp oil,
Brightworms, candles; all are hugely more valuable here than in the planes outside. Sentient creatures that can make their own light and heat are highly sought after as guards, staff, or even just status symbols. Those who cannot defend themselves will quickly find that they are under someone else's power. If you cannot make light or heat on your own, you are subject to the whims of
Couriers; those few in the Free City who have found a way to travel between the planes and reliably find their way back. Though it has been studied by those who know the way of these things, there is a strict limit to how much material can pass into and out of the demi-plane at any one time; Huge trade caravans are impossible, and even the most skilled Couriers can only bring a few hundred pounds of material through with them.
You might live in the wealthy neighbourhood of the
The Hub, the home of the Master Pact Makers, and the location of the city's only hospital
The Holy Cross Memorial Hospital. You might find yourself further afield, in
The Boneyards, safe, but subject to the whims of its competing cults. The more enterprising among you might end up in the sprawling markets of
Shambletown, or bravely scavenging out at
The Edge
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