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Sharn is the most populous city in all of Khorvaire. The city literally towers atop a cliff above the mouth of the Dagger River in southern Breland. Sharn is known as the City of Towers, for its impressive skyline of tall towers, but has also been called many other names, including the City of Knives, the City of Lost Souls, the City of a Thousand Eyes, the Gateway to Xen'drik, and the Gateway to Perdition.[1]

History[]

Sharn

Sharn's coat of arms.

The city now known as Sharn was built upon a foundation that dates back thousands of years before humans ever settled Khorvaire. During that time, the goblinoid Dhakaani Empire's greatest city was carved into the jagged cliffs that Sharn now towers over. This city was called Ja'Shaarat. This metropolis didn't rise toward the skies, like Sharn does. Instead, the architects of the Dhakaani built a vast number of chambers and tunnels into and under the ground. As the city grew in size, the Dhakaani eventually built great monolithic buildings on the plateaus above the Dagger River that would later serve as the foundations for Sharn. When the daelkyr invaded Eberron, the city was devastated, and the goblins never had a chance to restore it to its greater glory.[5]

Thousands of years later, when human settlers from Sarlona began to explore Khorvaire, they stumbled upon the Dagger River. The river led Malleon the Reaver and his explorers to the site where Ja'Shaarat once stood. There, he enslaved what goblins still resided in the ruins and erected a fortress. He sealed off the lower wards of the ancient goblinoid city and named the city Shaarat, as a result of stories told by the goblins he enslaved. For 600 years, Shaarat prospered and grew into a powerful metropolis once again. Breggor Firstking, the first ruler of what would become Breland, eventually conquered Shaarat and renamed it Sharn.[5]

Over the course of the next 800 years, Sharn's towers began to rise and the city developed into something resembling Sharn today. Around this time, the dragonmarked houses began to prosper and this helped cultivate Sharn into an economic power. But the dragonmarked houses also brought with them War of the Mark. The leader of those who bore the aberrant dragonmark, Halas Tarkanan, took control of Sharn and turned it into a home for all who wore the destructive marks.[5]

Tarkanan couldn't hold the city for long, but in the end he used his terrible powers to destroy much of the city. For the next 500 years, the city was looked down upon and the city remained in ruins. Then, when Galifar I took control of the Five Nations he rebuilt Sharn. The metropolis felt the blessings of Galifar and eventually developed into the center for trade, diplomacy, and intrigue that it is today.[5]

Geography[]

Sharn looms atop the cliffs overlooking the Hilt, a bay at the mouth of the Dagger River in southern Breland. The city sits upon the foundation of an ancient goblinoid city. Below that, a rumored lake of molten lava rests, but its presence can be felt only in the lowest parts of Sharn, the Cogs.[6]

The inhospitable outcropping that Sharn sits on allows the city to grow only in vertical height. This might have been a problem for other cities, but Sharn happens to be located within a manifest zone linked to the plane of Syrania, the Azure Sky. The manifest zone enhances magic that creates flight and levitation. This allows Sharn to have towers that rise nearly 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) in height, transportational flight, and even a section of the city that floats above the highest towers on clouds.[7][8]

Description[]

Sharn Upper Wards

The districts of Sharn's upper wards.

Sharn Middle Wards

The districts of Sharn's middle wards.

Sharn Lower Wards

The districts of Sharn's lower wards.

Sharn is a vertical city. It is divided up into five distinct plateaus: Central Plateau, Menthis Plateau, Northedge, Dura, and Tavick's Landing, as well as the Cliffside district built into the sides of the cliff near the Dagger River. While each plateau divides the city into districts, the city is also stratified vertically and divided into several sections. The lowest wards of the city are called the Cogs, and if one were to walk to the heights of Sharn they would pass through the Depths, the Lower City, Middle City, Upper City, and then finally they would need to find some method of travel to the highest section of Sharn, which is Skyway. Generally, the higher one is in Sharn, the wealthier the citizens are. Each section of the city is further divided into smaller districts.[6][9]

Central Plateau
A largely upper and middle class district in the middle of the city, Central is the center of government where the city government and embassies from other nations are located. It is also home to some of Sharn's finest businesses, banks, and wealthiest citizens.[6]
Menthis Plateau
The trendiest of Sharn's plateaus, Menthis is an entertainment hub and popular tourist destination. It is also home to Sharn's Morgrave University on the upper level.[6]
Northedge Plateau
Northedge is a relatively quiet, largely residential plateau.[6]
Dura
Dura is the largest and poorest plateau, with only the Cogs being worse off. A mixture of residential and business districts, it is also home to the widest variety of peoples.[6]
Cliffside
Cliffside is built into the side of the cliffs along the Dagger and Hilt Rivers. Its businesses all catered to either shipping or adventuring interests.[6]
Tavick's Landing
Tavick's Landing, located at the eastern edge of the city, is defined by being the terminus for the lightning rail.[6]
Skyway
Skyway is but a single district, not connected to any plateau but rather suspended by magic above the rest of the city (a magic that only worked because of the manifest zone). Skyway is the home of the most fantastically wealthy and prestigious residents, as well as businesses that attended to them.[6]
The Depths
"The Depths" is the generic name for the regions below the main plateau, excepting the Cogs and Cliffside. Largely a system of sewers and ruins.[6]
The Cogs
The churning industrial heart of Sharn, located below the Depths along the chasms that divided Sharn's plateaus.[6]

Culture[]

Sharn street view

Street view of Sharn.

With several hundred thousand people inhabiting Sharn, it's no surprise that the city is one of the most culturally diverse cities in Khorvaire. From the lush red carpets of Upper City theaters to the dank taverns in the lower slums, Sharn's cultural offerings cater to the needs of the wealthy and to the very poor. Many districts are inhabited by particular races and offer many of the culinary and commercial offerings from nations abroad. Although Sharn may not have as much political or economic clout as Wroat, the capital of Breland, it is indeed one of the most important cities in the country for its wide array of cultural offerings.[8][10]

Festivals & Diversions[]

Holy days
Secular festivals
Sporting events

Government[]

Although the Lord Mayor appears to have the most power in the Sharn government, in actuality it's the City Council who appoints the Lord Mayor. The City Council also commands the Sharn Watch. The City Council is made up of a councilor from each ward in the city (although Cliffside is merged into Dura, and one councilor represents both Ashblack and Blackbones), to a total of seventeen councilors. The City Council establishes laws, determines how to use resources (taxes), and also appoints high officers of the city. While the City Council holds the true power, the Lord Mayor does represent considerable influence in Sharn by being in direct contact with the Brelish crown.[11][12]

Appendix[]

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Further Reading[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 7. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  3. Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 151. ISBN 0786966890.
  4. Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 107–112. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 28–30. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9–11. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  7. Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9, 168. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 146–147. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
  9. Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 151. ISBN 0786966890.
  10. James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 52–54. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
  11. Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 107–108. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
  12. Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 156. ISBN 0786966890.

Gallery[]

Connections[]

Cities of Breland
Ardev · Argonth · Baran's Keep · Black Pit · Brey Crossing · Castle Arakhain · Cragwar · Drum Keep · First Tower
Flint Keep · Fort Tansend · Galethspyre · Glyphstone Keep · Hatheril · Kennrun · Lurching Tower · Mistmarsh · Moonwatch
New Cyre · Nowhere · Orcbone · Ringbriar · Shadowlock Keep · Sharn · Shavalant · Shining Valley · Starilaskur · Sterngate
Sword Keep · Torch Keep · Vathirond · Woodhelm · Wroat · Xandrar · Zilspar
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