OVERVIEW
Because of its airship docking tower, Sharn is also known as the gateway to Xen’drik. Built on the Central Plateau, Lyrandar Tower is one of the tallest structures in the city. It measures 2,000 feet in diameter at the bottom and 650 feet in diameter at the top.
The top floor of the tower houses the airship docking port—one of the busiest centers of activity in Sharn. The tower is the first sight that most visitors see upon arriving in the city, and it is often the only place visited by people here on business or just passing through.
Lyrandar Tower offers a wide array of services to the travelers who pass through it. Just about any product the city has to offer is also available here, though at prices ten to fifteen percent higher than elsewhere in the city.
But most travelers are willing to spend the extra money for the convenience of having everything they need so handy.
The actual docking port is on the top level of the tower. The levels just beneath it house guilds and organizations that offer a variety of services for hire. Wealthy individuals can book skycoaches, hire mercenary companies to protect their airships on particularly dangerous journeys, or retain bodyguards for travel aboard an airship as well as protection within the city.
On the middle levels, travelers can rent lodgings for any length of time. The available rooms range from large and extravagant to barely large enough for a bed. The hostels are owned by several dragonmarked houses, which compete to draw travelers to their establishments. Normally, all that differentiates one house’s inn from another is the service provided by its staff. Most of the tower’s upper-scale lounges are also located in this portion of the tower.
Virtually every form of entertainment is available in the tower’s lower levels. Visitors in search of a good time can visit the theater, socialize in any of several lively lounges, seek out an establishment that specializes in providing companionship, or win or lose a fortune in the games of chance offered at the casinos. Many people who live on the Central Plateau object to the types of businesses found here, but since the city’s ruling houses often have vested interests in the commerce conducted in the tower’s lower portions, such complaints rarely bring action.
DOCKING PORT
The airship docking port is a single room that occupies the entire top floor of Lyrandar Tower. The walls of this massive chamber are 30 feet high, and the domed ceiling rises to dizzying heights. Four lifts located in the center of the room allow easy access to the docking port from the levels below. Two massive, 20-foot-high doors pierce each of the four walls. Each door opens inward to reveal a balcony from which hangs a massive, fork-shaped dock.
The balcony doors are normally kept open, regardless of the weather. A permanent magical field keeps out the chill wind while allowing passengers to enter and exit their ships. The doors are closed only in the rare instances when the city is under attack.
Each balcony is equipped with a powerful light housed in a compact light station (lighthouse). Powered by a lead sphere bearing a permanent daylight spell, the light is backed by a concave mirror that reflects the light outward. The operator of each small light station scans the sky for approaching airships. When its dock is available, the station acknowledges a ship by maintaining the light on its sails for several seconds. Upon receiving this signal, the airship glides in beside the balcony from which the signal originated. After tying the ship into place, the attendants drop a ramp from its deck so that passengers can embark or disembark. The ship remains airborne at all times, even while docked. The ring of fire encircling the airship is safely beyond the reach of the dock, so it poses no hazard to people standing there, or to the structure itself. In addition, each balcony is equipped for skycoach docking. Skycoaches often approach the balconies when their drivers see approaching airships, then wait there for disembarking passengers who want a quick ride to another part of the city. Such convenience usually costs up to double the going rate for such services.
Although the tower has eight docking ports, no more than four are typically in use at any given time—two for arrivals and two for departures. The other ports are reserved for periods of heavy traffic or emergency dockings. Occasionally a damaged ship puts in here for repairs and has to stay for an extended period, blocking off the dock where it is moored at great expense to its owner. Ships owned by House Lyrandar, however, can stay in port indefinitely at no charge.
At any time, hundreds of shuffling people—most of them standing in long lines—are waiting to board the next airship. Along the north and south walls are two large areas filled with chairs. Together, these lounges provide seating for more than five hundred people. House Lyrandar provides refreshments, such as fruits and water, free of charge to the waiting travellers.
The safety of the airship passengers using this docking port is of paramount concern to House Lyrandar. No fewer than fifty guards patrol this room at all times. Two fighters wearing armor under their robes and a wizard wearing austere gray robes and goggles of detect magic are stationed at each airship gate. This group is charged with spotting any dangerous magic devices that embarking passengers are attempting to bring aboard the ship. Ranged and melee weapons of low and moderate strength are allowed on board with the passenger, provided that each such weapon is secured in its sheath with a peaceknot.
Passengers embarking on one of House Lyrandar’s ships must undergo strict security checks. Any magic items that the wizards on the inspection teams cannot identify or that they deem overly dangerous are confiscated and placed in one of the ship’s locked cargo holds, then returned to their owners upon reaching the destination.
A few airships owned by other houses do not employ such stringent safeguards, but their passenger lists are normally much more exclusive.
THE UPPER LEVELS
Companies and organizations that cater to wealthy travelers occupy the upper levels of Lyrandar Tower, providing the kind of premium services that the well-to-do expect. Often such travelers seek mercenaries trained in aerial combat to ensure that they have proper protection while traveling. Agencies that rent skycoaches for long-term use share the upper levels with those that contract personal bodyguards and other professionals.
The following guilds and organizations maintain a presence on the upper levels of Lyrandar Tower.
THE HALL OF STEEL AND CLOUDS
Owned and operated by House Deneith, this business hires out mercenaries who specialize in air combat. Its headquarters, known as the Hall of Steel and Clouds, is located two levels beneath the docking port. Fifty fighters and ten wizards, most of whom have skymage levels, are employed here to provide services for travellers.
Under normal circumstances, a group of ten 5th-level mercenaries can be hired with as little as one day’s notice. All the mercenaries in such a group are equipped with at least one magic item (such as winged boots) that grants the power of flight.
The walls in the Hall of Steel and Clouds are painted blood crimson, and its rooms and hallways are decorated with statues of armoured soldiers—some of which are winged. Paintings depicting weapons, airships, and armed battles hang on the walls. But creature comforts, such as plush chairs and couches, are notably missing from most of the complex. Such fripperies can be found only in the reception area, where Captain Larinard, the leader of the company, greets clients and conducts negotiations.
Hiring a mercenary band for a single voyage typically costs about 2,000 gp. Though the price is high, many travelers who pass through dangerous skies consider this amount a pittance when it comes to ensuring their safety. A mercenary team can also be hired here for a more extensive outing lasting weeks or even months, though the price increases accordingly. In general, the base price of 2,000 gp buys the services of a team for two weeks (one week in each direction). Each week or part thereof beyond that limit costs an additional 500 gp.
The mercenaries who belong to this organization may also be hired out individually as bodyguards. Important individuals who pass through the city are often targets for assassination, so additional protection is considered a wise move. The going rate for a single bodyguard is 200 gp for the first week and an additional 150 gp per week or part thereof after that. The fighters employed by the Hall of Steel and Clouds typically live here, all sharing one large room filled with bunks. The wizards are required to check in on a daily basis for their assignments, but most of them maintain their own quarters in the middle levels of the tower.
Also located within the Hall of Steel and Clouds is a massive gym where the organization’s mercenaries train against one another. Since their aerial fighting techniques are just as important as routine combat maneuvers, three 30-foot-by-30-foot rooms have been equipped with specially created magic devices that create major image effects. Each device recognizes the commands of the ranking officer in the organization and creates scenarios that provide the full experience of a dangerous situation aboard an airship. The officer who created the scenario often uses a scroll or other magic item to become invisible so that he can observe the drills and debrief the mercenaries under his command after the scenario has played out.
THE SILVERSTREAK SKYCOACH RENTAL COMPANY
Serra Narim, a classy, red-haired woman in her midthirties, started this company five years ago and still heads it today. The Silverstreak has risen to prominence by putting several dragonmarked houses that previously operated from Lyrandar Tower out of business.
Because Serra is not dragonmarked, numerous people from the noble houses of Sharn resent her and her company. But even though she has made her share of professional enemies, no one has yet resorted to assassination—probably because she is betrothed to Telleth of the dragonmarked House Kundarak, a man who wields some influence in the city.
The Silverstreak Skycoach Rental Company operates a fleet of twenty skycoaches, five to ten of which are rented out to single parties for extended periods of time. The rest hover near the skyways and balconies in search of people who need transportation to other areas within the city. An adventuring party can rent a skycoach for 150 gp per day, and the coach and driver are at the renter’s beck and call until dismissed. The agreement stipulates that if services are needed for more than 24 hours, the driver must return to Lyrandar Tower at least once per day to switch out with another driver.
OTHER LOCATIONS
Other prominent locations within the upper levels of Lyrandar Tower include the following.
The Noble Wyvern
This exclusive restaurant provides the highest quality food in all of Sharn, served by the city’s finest chefs. Normally, only the nobility, the dragonmarked, and the city’s wealthiest merchants visit this establishment, since the food costs 100 gp per plate.
Fantasy Unlimited
For a fee of 150 gp an hour, patrons of this new establishment can live out any fantasy in an illusionary environment. Each guest describes her fantasy to a magic item, which then generates an hour-long fantasy based on her comments. Some wish to see long-lost loved ones, others wish to experience exotic landscapes, and still others simply want to live like royalty for an hour. Requests of a more carnal nature are also allowed, and this aspect of the business has made it a popular attraction.
THE MIDDLE LEVELS
People who fly into Sharn often require a place to stay while taking in the sights or conducting business, so the tower’s middle levels have been largely given over to temporary lodgings for travelers. House Lyrandar prefers not to manage these businesses, so this space is rented out to some of the other merchants and dragonmarked houses. These levels also contain some of the quieter, more relaxing lounges in Sharn.
Specific establishments operating in the tower’s middle levels include the following.
THE TEN TIER INN
The Ten Tier Inn, one of the most hospitable hostels in Sharn, occupies ten levels in the central portion of Lyrandar Tower. This famous inn truly does offer something for everyone. Rooms range from utilitarian chambers that a traveler on a budget can easily afford to the utterly opulent suites favored by visiting royalty.
The top level of the inn consists of four enormous rooms that are often called mansions. The rooms on the levels beneath become progressively smaller and less luxurious. Those on the bottom level are extraordinarily cheap but borderline uncomfortable. The typical room in the Ten Tier Inn is 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. The most sought-after rooms are those farthest from the center because they have windows that look out over the city, and sometimes even balconies that allow guests to hail a skycoach directly from their rooms. The inn has had a problem with jumpers in the past, so every balcony is equipped with a feather fall trap. The rooms closer to the center of the tower are slightly smaller and have no windows, but they cost about 10% less to rent than those on the perimeter.
With the exception of the luxurious rooms on the ninth floor and the suites on the tenth floor, the rooms in the Ten Tier Inn have identical decor. Tan tiles cover the floor, except for a soft, off-white carpet on which the queen-sized bed rests. A chest of drawers and two nightstands round out the furnishings, and a selection of periodicals produced within the city is placed on the chest daily. The rooms on the two upper floors have unique furnishings that include king-sized beds.
In addition to sleeping chambers, the inn has two ballrooms, which can be rented at a rate of 100 gp per night. A catering service is also available for an additional 20 gp. Musicians from throughout the city are sometimes paid to perform at special events presented here. Typically, these rooms are rented on a weekly basis and booked up to three months in advance.
The room behind the counter houses a walk-in safe to hold valuables (such as magic items, coins, gems, or other small objects) that guests do not wish to carry with them. The lock on the vault can be opened with a special code known only to the inn’s management. The cost for use of the safe is 5 gp per item up to 1 cubic foot in volume.
Although House Cannith owns the Ten Tier Inn, its manager is a former adventurer named Edram Malthus, who was once known for his excursions into the Mournlands. Edram is a powerfully built man, now in his middle years. He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and has short-cropped brown hair and sideburns that run almost to his chin. When not balancing the books, Edram greets visitors and inspects the rooms. On the
rare occasions when he speaks to guests about his travels to the Mournlands, he gets a distant look in his eyes, and his demeanor changes. Some suspect that he was somehow fundamentally scarred by that alien landscape but doesn’t want to show it.
THE HIDEAWAY
This establishment can best be described as a high-class watering hole. The Hideaway makes most of its money from travelers staying in the tower, but the city’s residents frequent it as well. It has a convenient location—on the same floor as a skybridge and only about 100 feet from it—and is a favorite destination for those wishing to get away from their usual routines.
The Hideaway’s entire floor is covered with a thick, gray rug. The dark-stained wooden tables are sturdy yet elegant and built to seat either three or eight. The chairs have high backs and cushioned seats upholstered with a cream-colored fabric.
Many regulars consider imbibing alcohol to be the best entertainment available here, but the customers enjoy socializing as well. Because people are encouraged to mingle, boasting about adventures, genealogy, or businesses is common. Embellishment of the truth also occurs frequently, and many of the rumors floating around Sharn get their starts here. Occasionally patrons engage in drinking games or other activities that lead to later embarrassment.
Music and dancing are available for those who seek greater diversions than their comrades can provide. Sizable bands play here twice a week and during holidays, as well as on certain special occasions. When musicians are present, the tables that normally fill the front room are moved to the side to provide space for dancing.
ISAN’S EXTRINSIC EMPORIUM
This popular novelty shop is the culmination of Isan Chashy’s lifetime of travel, during which he saw every country in Khorvaire, traveled to Xen’drik several times, and even once came within a few yards of the shores of Argonnessen. Though Isan is no longer in any physical condition to travel the rest of the world, his shop brings the world to him.
Visitors to this popular novelty shop are greeted with the sights of Xen’drik. In the window are 1-inchtall replicas of Xen’drik’s pyramids and tiny pieces of colored glass touted as dragonshards. Exotic plants from the mysterious continent grow in pots throughout the shop, and in the back stands a statue of a giant wearing a light, flowing robe tied with a rope at the waist.
But Isan deals in more than just novelties—he also sells a wide variety of magic items. An artificer of great talent, he created many of the items for sale here. The rest he traded for, found, or purchased.
Isan displays the nonmagical goods on the shelves and keeps the magic items locked away in what appear to be glass cases.
The auras of the magic items in his cases range from faint to moderate. He does have a few more powerful items in his shop, but he keeps those in the back room. Customers are allowed to touch the magic items, but only under the supervision of Isan himself or one of his three daughters, who help him run the shop.
Isan Chashy is an older man with a ring of wispy white hairs that seem to fly in a hundred different directions at once surrounding his mostly bald head. A former adventurer himself, he is always happy to hear tales of PC expeditions.
OTHER LOCATIONS
Some of the other prominent locations within the central levels of Lyrandar Tower are detailed below.
The Royal Brelish
This dining establishment specializes in dishes made with beef. Its owners and chefs pride themselves itself on providing the tenderest, most flavorful beef in Sharn. At the Royal Brelish, patrons can expect the finest steak, ribs, prime rib, and roasts in the city.
The High Abode
Temporary housing is available in this three-level inn. Unlike the Ten Tier Inn, all the rooms here are priced as cheaply as possible. The lodgings are far from opulent, but the price for a night’s stay is half that of the hostel’s more successful competitor.
THE LOWER LEVELS
People typically visit the lower levels of Lyrandar Tower for entertainment of a mature nature. Gambling halls, cheaply priced rooms that can be rented by the hour, taverns, and businesses where companionship can be purchased are common here.
The lower levels of the tower also connect to the cogs. Adventurers frequently travel down to those depths to explore the ruins of the ancient civilization upon which modern Sharn was built and to challenge the numerous monsters that live there.
THE LUCKY DRAGONSHARD CARDHOUSE
Visitors to the lower levels of Lyrandar Tower can choose from several locations for gambling. Most such establishments offer a wide array of card games, as well as other games of chance, such as the roulette wheel and dice. The Lucky Dragonshard Cardhouse offers all of these games, plus a few more exotic events upon which people can wager money.
The cardhouse occupies the central portion of a floor one-tenth of the way from the cogs to the roof. The tower is nearly half a mile in diameter here, and the cardhouse occupies approximately one-third of the level. The décor is exotic, and several of the rooms in the Lucky Dragonshard are actually designed to simulate the other continents of Eberron. One room, designed in a Xen’drik motif, has a mural of a vast jungle covering its walls, with a massive pyramid rising above the forest canopy. Another room is festooned with lifelike statues of mighty orc warriors, and the murals on its walls reflect a Darguun theme.
Despite its exotic décor, the primary reason that people visit the Lucky Dragonshard Cardhouse is to gamble. Many of the widely traveled gamblers who frequent this establishment maintain that every card game in existence can be played here somewhere. In truth, however, patrons can wager their hard-earned money on almost any game of chance.
In one room, several tiers of seats surround a central platform with a padded floor. On weekends, fights of various kinds take place in this chamber. On one weekend two monks might be pitted against each other, and on the next, two longsword-wielding fighters, or perhaps two individuals with wildly different fighting styles. These matches are not battles to the death—they end at first blood, although a few fatal accidents have occurred.
Another chamber houses a small theater with several rows of seats facing the stage. While plays can certainly be performed here, the room is most often used for illusionist exhibitions, in which illusionists create dramas that play out on the stage. Such shows may involve adventure, romance, intrigue, war, or a variety of other subjects. Some have no plot whatsoever; they are designed simply to impress the audience with the artist’s mastery of illusion.
The owner of the Lucky Dragonshard Cardhouse is a rogue named Rilfar Smas. This lithe, wiry man stands no more than 5 feet tall and has curly black hair, a mustache, and a goatee. He does not come from a dragonmarked house, nor is he descended from a particularly wealthy family. In fact, nobody is quite certain what his background is. Many suspect that the money with which he started this gambling house did not come to him through honest means, but no one has ever found evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
Rilfar has become quite wealthy during the fifteen years he has owned the Lucky Dragonshard Cardhouse.
The average patron loses 10 gp per evening, and at least a thousand patrons visit the place every night.
OTHER LOCATIONS
Other prominent locations within this section of Lyrandar Tower include the following.
The Stocking and Gown
As the name implies, both men and women can come here for an evening of companionship. A wide variety of races is represented among the employees, and almost any special needs the client may have can easily be accommodated.
Madron’s
This tavern is located very close to the cogs. Owned and operated by a half-orc named Madron, the place is a haven for adventurers. Several groups consider Madron’s their usual meeting place, and all patrons are invited to swap stories, recruit help, and have a drink or two.
The Triple Ruby
This cardhouse is the primary rival of the Lucky Dragonshard. The Triple Ruby is in poor repair and features fewer games and attractions than its rival does, but the winnings are commonly believed to be higher here.
