Stormreach

Every city has its share of rumors, whispers, and tales of dread. Below are a few commonly circulated ones in Stormreach. It’s up to you to decide if they have any truth in them.

The Blood Devil: The only oath that means anything to a pirate is one sworn in blood. To this day, many Stormreachers swear kinship and seal business contracts with a blood oath. It is widely held that a person who breaks such an oath becomes the prey of a hulking red-skinned monster, with a gore-drenched mane and a mouth full of sucking leeches. The Blood Devil hunts down oath breakers and drinks every drop of their blood, “since they obviously don’t value it highly, breaking oaths sworn by it and all.”

Demon Glass: Old salts whisper of an enormous glass sphere that was discovered in the giants’ ruins long ago. The sphere was shattered by accident, unleashing a host of imprisoned demons, which devoured the explorers and moved on. But some demons remained trapped in the sphere’s fragments, which are supposedly scattered throughout the city to this day. Urchins collect this glass, unaware of its evil, and sell it to glassblowers and artisans, who melt it down to craft windowpanes, mirrors, and trinkets. Sometimes a person who stares into the dusky glass sees a hideous fiend, which reaches out and pulls the person inside its prison. People often mysteriously go missing in Stormreach, some vanishing from behind locked doors. Whispers of “demon-gazing” are often the only explanations for these disappearances.

Night Hunters: A drow tribe resided in the ruins of Stormreach before an unknown fate turned it into dust and memory. Today, the city’s more superstitious citizens believe that the spirits of the drow chieftains sometimes march in the dead of night, a host of their bravest warriors leading the way. The haunting call of a bone flute heralds their approach. Anyone who does not bow before the chieftains is decapitated, the heads carried off to the realm of the dead. When wind whistles through the city’s streets at night, more than a few Stormreachers recoil from the sound and drop to their knees in fear.

The Skin Shucker: Supposedly murdering indigents and visitors who are unlikely to be missed, the Skin Shucker shucks off a victim’s entire suit of flesh using barbed tentacles, which he keeps concealed in his open chest cavity. He collects the skins and wears them at night. They say he lives somewhere near fly-infested slaughterhouses in Forgelight.

The ever-changing face of crime in Stormreach is an ugly one. Unlike the situation in Sharn, no single syndicate wields the awesome influence of the Boromar Clan, and no group is capable of the widespread street terror Daask can bring to bear. In Stormreach, gangs rise and fall overnight, replaced by ever leaner, hungrier, and more ruthless criminals who pick clean the bones of dead gangs and assume their illegal business interests. Violent clashes between gangs consume whole districts, until the better-armed local militia puts the hammer to both sides. These crackdowns are bloody, quick, and brutal, with no due process and no quarter given. Most residents of a district clear out before a militia crackdown for fear of being crushed in the chaos.

The clever gangs of Stormreach’s mean streets know the tricks of the trade, and they ride the waves of constant unrest. Strength means little in the city’s criminal circles. Survival of the smartest is the unspoken law of the underworld, and nobody stupid stays alive for long. Some are stamped out by the law (especially those who challenge the Quickfoot Gang), but most are culled by their betters—left in the sewers with a knife in their back or sunk to the bottom of the harbor.

To those who know the Order of the Emerald Claw as merely an outlawed group of extremist Karrns, the city of Stormreach seems far removed from the organization’s interests back in Khorvaire. In truth, however, the order’s activities and schemes take it all over the globe. Since Xen’drik is of great importance to the lich queen Vol, the order considers it important too. The Emerald Claw has been in Stormreach since the city was a little more than a hideaway for pirates and other criminals. Nevertheless, it didn’t develop the semipublic presence it has today until the closing years of the Last War, when the local power structure had fully settled out.

Today, the order has agents of every kind placed at every level of Stormreach society (and possibly among the Storm Lords themselves; see the sidebar). The organization maintains an incredibly complex and secure hierarchy, and those doing the order’s bidding in the city are ignorant of the schemes and identities of their own confederates. Only when it suits their superior’s needs do these agents’ paths cross, and then only under tightly controlled conditions. Despite all the security, it’s an easier proposition to get hold of a member of the order in Stormreach than almost anywhere on Khorvaire. After all, they have a public meeting place, the existence and location of which is a mere DC 15 Gather Information check away for a character.

The mystery of which one of the four Coin Lords is sympathetic to Vol remains an exercise for the DM to determine, based on the needs of the campaign; the aim of this book isn’t to spoil the fun in that particular regard. In the event that the DM does decide to place Vol’s tendrils amid the Storm Lords, he must decide what sort of impact the scenario has on the greater story of the city. In order to decide that, he has to answer two questions.

Which of the Coin Lords is it? Each Coin Lord has a unique set of motives and resources and each will likely respond to personal feelings on the faith in different ways than the others. If the DM decides it is Paulo Omaren, a female human with a powerful ally at the local Deneith enclave, then a different set of doors open for Vol and her various local agents than if the Seeker turns out to be Yorrick Amanatu, the dwarf with long-standing ties to House Kundarak.

What is the extent of the Coin Lord’s attachment? If the DM decides that the Coin Lord is serious about Vol, then the lich queen has a directly manipulable friend in a very high place in the city. If, however, the character’s interest is largely private or unexplored, that fact will more subtly alter the scope of the effect on the broader issues of city finance and politics.

Regardless of whom the DM decides to place into the role, or even to what extent the character is willing to further Vol’s agenda, it’s important to remember that no Coin Lord would be so foolish as to truly and seriously jeopardize his or her own standing in the city, regardless of other ties. In all cases, the DM should take care to characterize the chosen Coin Lord’s dealings appropriately.

Dragons avoid Stormreach for many reasons, from ancient evils hidden in the depths to the possibility of powerful traps left behind from the dragon–giant war. The Chamber wants to keep an eye on the city, but it typically uses human agents to accomplish this goal. If adventurers earn the trust of the Chamber, they might be called upon to serve in Stormreach. Missions for the Chamber could involve battling the Lords of Dust, disarming threats left behind by the ancient giants, or exploring the depths to monitor what lies below. If the adventurers have no connection to the Chamber, they could run afoul of Chamber agents when their innocent dungeon crawls threaten to release an ancient evil.

The Devourer of Dreams and the other members of the Circle of Night wish to learn more about the war between the giants and the quori of the past. What weapons and defenses did the giants develop during this conflict? What can they learn about the last age of Dal Quor, before the rise of the Dreaming Dark? Are their traps in the city that could capture quori? Could there be prisoners from the last age—quori spirits that have been bound for almost forty thousand years?

The lords of the Dreaming Dark are master manipulators, and any gang, militia, or other organization in the city could be twisted into serving their agenda. On the neutral ground of Xen’drik, the Dreaming Dark doesn’t have to be as subtle as it does on Khorvaire. It won’t allow its activities to be traced to the Riedran consulate, so Lord Katanavash isn’t privy to the plans of the Circle. But if necessary, the lords can bring a strike team of Inspired assassins to Stormreach or the wilds of Xen’drik; Lord Katanavash can truthfully say that such people have no connection to his government.

The Last War is still being fought in Stormreach, on however small a scale, and the Five Nations certainly want to know what’s afoot. However, the Storm Lords don’t care for spies from the Five Nations, and if Kirris Sel Shadra identifies Dark Lanterns, Royal Eyes, or other agents, she quickly arranges an accident for them. As a result, these secret services maintain a low profile. Assignments on behalf of a secret service could involve the kidnapping or assassination of dissidents or war criminals; the theft of an artifact believed to be vital to national security; or the disruption of a group deemed a treat to one of the nations of Khorvaire, such as the Swords of Karrn or Dannel’s Wrath. Such an assignment is a good way to make powerful friends in Khorvaire, but also carries the risk of making deadly enemies in Stormreach.

The Storm Lords: Stormreach is a small city, and the Storm Lords are prominent public figures. The streets buzz anytime new gossip emerges about Lord Jonas Wylkes or whenever the Lassites throw a party at Molou’s Distillery. Lady Kirris Sel Shadra maintains a low profile, but people are always speculating about the power she wields in the shadows. People might love them or hate them, yet the Storm Lords are a common topic of conversation whenever people gather.

Tall Tales of Xen’drik: Every Stormreacher can spin tales of horrific monsters, lost expeditions, and fabled treasures found in the depths of Xen’drik. Some stories are passed down over the generations. Others are embellishments of personal experiences in the dungeons below the city or on trips to the continent’s interior. When people gather in Stormreach taverns, they typically tell tall tales, with each storyteller trying to top the one before.

Languages: Stormreach is extremely cosmopolitan for its size. The inhabitants not only deal with a steady infl ux of travelers and merchants from Khorvaire but also with drow, elves from Aerenal, giants, and sahuagin. Most Stormreachers learn at least one additional language. Beyond this, a number of words and phrases from other languages have fallen into the basic vocabulary. A Stormreacher might not speak Sahuagin, but he can certainly swear in it.

No Justice: The Stormreach Guard serves the Storm Lords and their interests. The guards are a force to be avoided, not a source of security. They arrest and sometimes execute criminals, but only if this benefits the Storm Lords; no moral principle is at work.

Gangs and Militias: Groups described as gangs are typically criminals driven by selfish desires. Whether they are muggers, pickpockets, burglars, dreamlily dealers, or worse, they prey on the city’s people. Militias are armed groups based on political or religious ideology. Often they are supported by the inhabitants of their wards, who perceive them as a source of stability and vigilante justice. Whether they support or despise them, Stormreachers are familiar with the gangs and militias in their home wards.

The population of Stormreach has always included immigrants from the Five Nations, many of whom retain fond memories of their distant homelands. The city has never been subject to the Five Nations, but the Storm Lords gave their fealty to Galifar, by virtue of its strength, and feared a day would come when the kingdom across the ocean would send its fl eets to bring their city under its rule. When word reached Stormreach that King Jarot was dead and Galifar had collapsed in civil war, the Lassite Storm Lord at the time gave a shot of kuryeva to anyone who would drink a toast to the kingdom’s fall.

Stormreach remained neutral throughout the Last War and became a haven for dissidents and defectors. The city is an imperfect sanctuary due to the relative lawlessness of the streets, but those who have sufficient funds can turn to House Deneith or House Kundarak for security. Less affluent defectors can always find sanctuary by joining the Stormreach Guard. Whatever their flaws in protecting the common people, the guards look after their own, and the Stormreach Recruiters ask no questions; when a man picks up a guard’s sword, he leaves his past behind.

Despite Stormreach’s neutrality, echoes of the Last War resonate through the city, where militias and gangs have arisen based on national themes. An adventurer who thinks the war is over might change his mind after clashing with Dannel’s Wrath or the Ninth Wands of Aundair (as long as the Storm Lords are not threatened, the Stormreach Guard ignores sectarian violence between immigrants). The Last War continues in Stormreach in ways unseen in Khorvaire, ways that surprise visitors who were involved in the war. A former soldier could be pressured to help a militia that has ties to his nation. Cyran refugees could hold a player character responsible for crimes she committed while serving in the war. An old companion could show up with a scheme to recover a treasure cache lost in the war—but the soldier has been exiled, and he needs his old war buddies to help. Vengeance, bigotry, and hope are all aspects of Stormreach. Even in this land of new opportunities, adventurers should come face to face with the consequences of the war.

Xen’drik is a land of monsters. A staggering array of strange creatures can be found in its wilds, from the beelike abeil to the cunning yuan-ti. A few monstrous races have a strong presence in or around Stormreach, so travelers are likely to encounter these creatures at some point in their journeys.

Giants were once the dominant species of Xen’drik, and modern Stormreach is built amid the ruins of a giant citadel. Many races of giants can be found across Xen’drik; those most frequently encountered in Stormreach are the nomadic hill giants of the Tents of Rushemé. From their encampment southwest of the city, these giants trade with the city’s inhabitants. Stone giants and jungle giants occasionally pass through Rushemé; other types of giants are rarely seen and are often hostile when they are.

Drow are spread across the northern coast of Xen’drik. Most of them shun Stormreach and its inhabitants. However, a few drow exiles have found their way to the city, and others have chosen to abandon their old ways and settle among humanity.

Sahuagin have a strong presence in the Thunder Sea, and most captains make deals with them to ensure safe passage. The sea devils are often seen in the city’s Harbor district, where a shrine to the Devourer rises from the water. Sahuagin respect the peace when they are in Stormreach, but wise travelers avoid antagonizing them.

Thri-kreen are few in number, but a handful make their homes in the tunnels beneath Stormreach and occasionally make their way to the surface. It is difficult but worthwhile to negotiate with the thri-kreen, for they are among the best guides to the city’s dungeons.

Kobolds are relative newcomers to the region. Sometime in the last century, a few tribes of them crawled up from Khyber into the city’s lower regions. Largely savage, these creatures are seen as pests by people on the surface, and the Stormreach Guard offers a bounty of 2 copper pieces for kobold hides.

A thriving thri-kreen civilization once inhabited the area that became Stormreach, yet much about the mantisfolk remains a mystery to this day.

Determined to learn all he could about them, the gnome researcher Lohn Ender, from the Library of Korranberg, traveled to Xen’drik and somehow managed to garner the favor of the thri-kreen, who allowed him to study them from a respectful distance. This research culminated in the publication of his findings, which immediately caused a stir within the academic community. In his report, known as the Ender Disquisition, Ender presented the curious theory that the thri-kreen of Xen’drik exist simultaneously in Eberron and in Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. The disquisition claims that this dual existence is the source of the thri-kreen’s baffl ing immunity to the Traveler’s Curse (SX 25), as well as their seemingly alien mindset and idiosyncratic relations with other humanoid races.

The thri-kreen are among the most reliable and trustworthy native guides. The mantis warriors have an uncanny ability to find a path through Xen’drik’s shifting terrain, and they are also familiar with the dungeons beneath Stormreach. Obtaining their services is no mean feat, however. Visitors misunderstand their principles, lifestyle, and beliefs, and it is difficult to gain a thri-kreen’s trust. Easily insulted by foreigners, unable to comprehend mammalian behavior, and uninterested in material wealth, the thri-kreen spurn most travelers who seek their service. People do not choose a thri-kreen guide as much as the insectoid being chooses them.

Stormreach is unlike any city in Khorvaire. Sharn’s vast size provides a host of opportunities, but Stormreach’s unique location and history make possible adventures that could never occur elsewhere in Eberron. Whether you’re playing an explorer traveling to Stormreach or you’re a Dungeon Master plotting a story arc, consider the following paths a story could take.

The Gate to Xen’drik: Stormreach is the largest human city in Xen’drik. Even if an expedition does not go directly through the city, explorers will probably use the city as a stopping point to replenish supplies or hire guides. Even adventurers who prefer pulp action over global intrigue have much to gain from making friends in Stormreach. Suppliers and smiths can provide travelers with vital goods or a market for treasures found in the continent’s interior. Sages and stranger folk, such as Katanavash (page 62), can provide rewards to adventurers willing to reveal their discoveries. If PCs have the urge to adventure but have no goal in mind, Stormreach always has patrons looking for capable swords to risk venturing into the shattered land.

The Tip of the Iceberg: With ancient dungeons below every street in Stormreach, characters in search of adventure and treasure never need to leave the city. Stormreach’s history includes occupation by sahuagin, the psionic thri-kreen, and giants whose knowledge of magic outstripped that of the modern age. The world beneath the city is filled with traps, treasures, monsters, and more. If the PCs desire a dungeon crawl, Storm reach can offer it.

Echoes of the Last War: The Treaty of Thronehold keeps tensions in check in Khorvaire, but anything goes in Stormreach. Home to war criminals, dissidents, and soldiers who wish to keep the war alive, the city offers many opportunities for adventures based on the Last War. Characters could start a new movement or fight one that already exists, such as the Swords of Karrn or the Brelish antimonarchists. Political intrigue can occur in any city in Khorvaire, but in Stormreach it can occur out in the open.

Mingling with Monsters: With giants, drow, sahuagin, and others, Stormreach is home to more monsters than any other city outside Droaam. Stormreach provides a chance to interact with these creatures in a neutral environment and can serve as a starting point for adventures among the Thunder Sea’s sahuagin clans; among the Qaltiar drow and their confl ict with the Sulatar drow, the dreaded firebinders (SX 51); and among other groups. Beyond this, Stormreach offers chances to associate with humans whom many would describe as monsters. When characters come to the Black Freighter for a tankard of ale, they might find a knight of the Emerald Claw, a priest of the Blood of Vol, and one of the Inspired having a discussion with a cultist of the Dragon Below or an Aurum Concordian. Stormreach is a neutral city, and justice is in the hands of the individual. Adventurers can therefore end up associating with people they would normally see on the other end of a blade.

A Small Pond: Stormreach’s size, as well as its remoteness, means that many services expected from a larger city are unavailable. Merchants have limited funds, and selections of magic items and services are restricted. The city’s size has a fl ip side; PCs can be big fish in a small pond. They would have a difficult time destroying the Boromar Clan in Sharn; the criminal organization is simply too large, too infl uential, too entrenched. But they could eliminate the Bilge Rats or the Swords of Karrn in Stormreach. The fight would be difficult—and a new group could rise to fill the void left behind—but the characters’ actions could have a lasting impact on the city’s balance of power. Characters should also find it easy to make a reputation and to cross paths with other major players in the city. This isn’t Sharn, with hundreds of thousands of people. PCs can meet gang and militia leaders, dragonmarked viceroys, and the Storm Lords themselves. Player characters are remarkable people, and in Stormreach that gets noticed.

1. The Battalion of the Basalt Towers is preparing to launch another major offensive against the city, and the Storm Lords need a small team to deliver a critical preemptive strike.
2. An agent of Storm Lord Kirris Sel Shadra asks the PCs to dispose of a body beyond the city’s borders. Seems a simple task, and the price is right. What could go wrong?
3. Aging Storm Lord Yorrick Amanatu seeks a magical artifact said to restore youth. It is located deep in the wilds of Xen’drik, and the lord is willing to pay handsomely for it. Storm Lord Paulo Omaren makes a counteroffer, promising rewards and influence if the adventurers give Lord Yorrick a cursed relic instead.
4. Someone is murdering the Ninth Wands. If the characters are Aundairians, they will be asked to help. If they are enemies of Aundair, they might be framed for the murders.
5. Storm Lord Paulo Omaren hires the adventurers to investigate House Kundarak and to discover what lies beneath the Tower of Kol Korran.
6. Dannel’s Wrath takes hostages at the inn where the adventurers are staying. Can the PCs stop the situation without the loss of innocent life?
7. A devastated Riedran expedition bound for Dar Qat stumbles into Stormreach, bearing a cursed artifact from the Dal Quor invasion.
8. The Swords of Karrn and the Knights of Thrane are fighting an escalating war of retribution. Mercenary work can be found with either side, though investigation reveals a third party is pitting the two factions against each other.
9. Adventurers discover a Tairnadal crypt in the dungeons beneath the city. If the PCs defeat the undead elves and take their treasures, they will have to face Valenar elves who want to reclaim their ancestors’ relics.
10. Naleen Lassite, daughter of the popular Storm Lord Varen Lassite, has been kidnapped, and the PCs have been framed for the crime. Suddenly Stormreach’s most wanted criminals, the PCs must move quickly and carefully to clear their names.
11. A thri-kreen approaches the party and indicates that they should follow him, but he will not speak. If they follow, he leads them to a powerful monster lurking in the undercity. But what drew the mantis warrior to the PCs?
12. A magical infection is spreading through the city. Is it an ancient curse triggered by unwise explorers or an arcane weapon being tested by the Dragonhawk?
13. Jirian Zayne has been poisoned within the Keep of the Silver Flame, and the venom resists all magical healing. The PCs must recover the antivenom from the Hantar’kul drow and hunt down the mysterious assassin.
14. A group of powerful Khorvairian benefactors offer the party nearly unlimited resources to uncover the true identity of the individual called the Dragonhawk.
15. The blind sculptor Mazrath the Maker requires an escort to a secret rendezvous in the Xen’drik jungle.
16. One or more of the adventurers are arrested on trumped-up charges and sentenced to a week in the Red Ring.
17. Something has driven the undead court of the Shrouds to madness. Now waves of elf ghosts and wraiths assault the surface world, howling in rage.
18. A renowned Stormreach inquisitive asks the PCs help to avenge his sister’s death at the hands of the psychotic Jacques the Hook.
19. Tulea Wylkes, mother of the city’s new Harbor Lord, hires the PCs to act as bodyguards for her delinquent socialite son.
20. An unlikely gang of drow, sahuagin, and thrikreen warriors threaten to disrupt the power balance in the city. Who could possibly create, or control, such an alliance?

Hundreds arrive in Stormreach every month to start their lives anew, seek their fortune, hunt old enemies, or shrug off their homelands’ laws. Some come for freedom, others chase dreams of adventure, and many travel to the remote city as a last resort.

Unless the player characters grew up in Stormreach, how they find their way to this city of vice and peril can be an adventure in itself. A heist gone wrong, a simple bodyguard mission that turns into a regicidal frame-up, a fragment of their past pointing like a compass to the city, or any other strange occurrence can set the PCs’ course for Stormreach.

A Place to Lie Low

No city is more suited for ducking the law than Stormreach, where the Storm Lords spurn any attempts by the Five Nations to enforce the Code of Galifar within their domain. Built on piracy, the city rewards those with a taste for crime. Felons, war criminals, and even regicides can leave their pasts behind, for as a common saying goes, the city’s muck, blood, and tides wash sins away. Or perhaps most crimes simply seem trifling compared to the villainy here.

PCs who have troubled pasts, whose deeds bring agents of the law hard at their heels, might choose Stormreach as an escape. And those who are branded as outcasts elsewhere can walk in the open here, with no fear of persecution. If the PCs are framed for a crime, Stormreach is a place for them to lie low and gather their wits and resources before returning home to prove their innocence.

Stormreach is also an ideal place to spend illgotten loot. No one cares here how you came by your coin. The city’s brothels, drug parlors, and gambling houses find all that glitters to their liking, regardless of how much blood they need to wipe away to see the sparkle. PCs laden with dirty gold will find no port more ready to take it. In a city of pirates, all tender is legal.

The city is the perfect place to launder money as well. Those with an interest in bringing their disreputable fortunes back to the Five Nations can cleanse them in the mire of Stormreach. Gambling on the Red Ring’s matches or purchasing gems discovered in the city’s ruins are two of the many ways to turn dirty money into unmarked valuables. Just be sure not to purchase cleverly masked knockoffs peddled by the Hollow Shards, lest you exchange your gold for garbage.

Thrills For The Daring

The bold can find few places better to seek adventure than in Xen’drik, whether probing cyclopean ruins, battling jungle tribes, slaying mighty giants and claiming their hoards, braving volcanoes, digging in the Menechtarun desert for ancient secrets, or conquering Stormreach’s streets. The city is the gateway to the shattered land, and below its streets, in the dark places once presided over by lost civilizations, lie untold treasures.

Many are drawn to Stormreach like moths to a flame, and often with the same result. The city does not suffer the foolhardy lightly. Still they come by the hundreds to make corpses for porters to drag from the streets. Those with heroic hearts just might survive the city’s dangers, from cutthroats in its alleys to monsters in its dungeons, and become legends.

Stormreach is a holy city for fortune hunters, explorers, and vagabonds. It is an adventurer’s proving ground. Those who have scratched its perilous underbelly and survived are part of an exclusive club. You’re really somebody when you’ve been to Stormreach and dared the wilds of Xen’drik beyond.

Evil to Hunt

Stormreach—you will find no greater den of villainy on the face of Eberron. The city’s pseudonyms, from the Pirate’s Haven to the Nest of Vipers, are too many to list. Here war criminals with the blood of hundreds on their hands consort with dragonmarked scions, Storm Lords, and reputable merchants.

Where evil hides, heroes dare. PCs might have to cross the Thunder Sea to find a traitor whose actions nearly destroyed the Brelish crown, track down the hobgoblin who killed a sibling or dear friend, or find the duplicitous changeling who ruined their lives.

Stormreach is not easily defined. Visitors get different impressions, and only someone who resides here for a while sees its many faces.

City of Adventure: Perched at the edge of Xen’drik, Stormreach is a haven for adventurers, explorers, and scholars ready to plunge into the jungle to discover its secrets. With the wild continent at its gates, the city is the best launching point for an expedition into the interior.

City of Diversity: Stormreach is a haven for outcasts from around the world. Sarlonan refugees, Lhazaarites, Seren barbarians, warforged, halflings, shifters, drow, thri-kreen, and expatriates of all Five Nations make their home here or pass through. You can find almost any kind of person, and many monsters, roaming Stormreach’s streets.

City of Dungeons: Dozens of civilizations have come and gone in the mighty ruins where the pirates made their home. Below modern Stormreach, a ruined undercity extends deep into the earth, filled with ancient treasures and evils.

City of Freedom: The Storm Lords do not bow to the Code of Galifar, and few substances and trades are illegal in their city. One can enjoy even the most decadent delights in Stormreach, even those forbidden in the world’s other great cities.

City of Oppression: Power in Stormreach is concentrated in the hands of a few. The destitute are desperate, and laborers have no rights. There’s no justice here, and the only opportunity is what you make yourself.

City of Opportunity: Anyone can become anything in Stormreach. A war criminal can rise high, and a beggar can crown himself king of a merchant empire here. Treasures lie below the streets. The opportunity to engage in illicit business is everywhere. Artists scorned elsewhere gain notoriety in the city, and outcasts from the Five Nations might become magistrates of a district tribunal. The sky is the limit, and the city’s ruins reach up to it. Just be sure they don’t crumble beneath you as you climb.