Source: Cultures of Thrane
Player characters in Sigilstar have plenty of options for where to go, whether
just stopping by or staying in town for a while.
River's Rest Station
This Orien-run lightning rail stop features multiple layers of shops and
restaurants on top of the actual train platforms. These range from cheap
options for thrifty travelers to many of the city's finest selections in
dining and commerce. While the options for traveling in and out of the city
were somewhat limited during the war, the Treaty of Thronehold has revitalized
River’s Rest Station by restoring international travel and commerce. The
station is well-staffed with Medani inspectors who actively monitor for
criminal activity.
Storm's Landing
While Sigilstar lacks the deep harbor necessary for the full range of
seafaring vessels, it is nonetheless an important port of trade for Scions
Sound. Despite being the historic home of House Lyrandar, plenty of
independent captains call Sigilstar their home port. The river elves
especially have a presence here, remaining proudly independent of a house that
they feel has gone too corporate.
Sigilstar’s docks also hold the secret headquarters of the White Hand Guild.
This “thieves guild” is a criminal organization that brands itself with a
respectable kind of racketeering, promising to keep the streets clean. The
White Hand Guild really took off early in the Last War, when its then-guild
master Branthus “Rooftop” Corawall came up with a plan to smuggle contraband
across the borders closed by the war. Allying with other urban criminal groups
such as the Boromar Clan of Sharn and the Ghost Walkers of Metrol, the Black
Highway was formed—an international cartel that snaked its way into many halls
of power by providing anything for the right price. Nobles paid for foreign
luxuries while corrupt military commanders sold military supplies for
personal profit. With the opening of borders post-war, the Black Highway has
fewer angles to work, but they still work with independently minded captains
to evade tariffs or the few import and export bans remaining, such as
Breland’s ban on Aundairian wine.
Imperial Gallery of Textiles
Sigilstar is the fashion capital of Khorvaire. While Cyre once had the
manufacturing base for textile production, the greatest designers have long
lived in Sigilstar. Before the war, the industry had a clear annual
schedule—outfits had to be ready in the spring, as feudal lords got ready to
leave their holds and venture out for the summer court season. The best of
these designs were accepted into the Imperial Gallery, a formal preservation
effort started by monks of Kol Korran who wished to keep a history of the
changing styles. Powerful abjurations protect the gallery’s exhibits from the
ravages of time.
While the exhibits do have a bias towards the styles of the wealthy and
powerful— attempts to document the clothing of Khorvaire’s everyday citizens
are only just starting—their collection of imperial wear from the courts of
Galifar are unrivaled. Collections from beyond Thrane are limited, but the
monks of Kol Korran who run it still have some international donors.
Grand Gallery of the Firstborn
Nominally the House Lyrandar headquarters in Sigilstar, the Grand Gallery of
the Firstborn is primarily a museum celebrating Lyran and Selavash. Various
documents and objects showcase all the places the legendary duo traveled to,
from pieces of their first ship that were recovered from the depths of the
Bitter Sea to their family lineages. The museum has a religious bent
consistent with the pre-Silver Flame religiosity of Sigilstar, holding that
the Mark of Storm was a gift from Arawai and Kol Korran.
These headquarters hold a dark secret, however—they are the home base of the
Kraekovar (“Kraken’s Brood”), a cult that believes its kraken masters are
reincarnations of House Lyrandar’s most legendary members. Rather than
wielding their marks to support communities, the Kraekovar harness the
destructive powers of thunder and lightning. They hold that rather than Arawai
and Kol Korran, the Devourer is the true source of the Mark of Storm, and that
the Khoravar are destined to rule over the continent.
Sigilstar Academy
The Sigilstar Academy was founded by the Arcane Order of Aureon in the years
before Daskara was absorbed into the Kingdom of Galifar and became Thrane.
Though the order is today primarily an Aundairian institution, it was once
headquartered in Sigilstar; the order’s depredations during the Year of Blood
and Fire are still a black mark on its history and significantly contributed
to the people of Thrane turning away from arcane magic. While the school is
still affiliated with the arcane order, it has largely shed its religious
trappings and become a primarily secular institution dedicated to arcane
education.
Today, Sigilstar Academy teaches the future mages of Thrane, offering a
rigorous magical education for youth with arcane ability. It’s also home to
the Chronepsis Institution, the foremost center for research into divination
and astromancy in the Five Nations. The institute’s head, an elf named
Nyllestra Tarravan (she/her), is a wizened mage of ancient but indeterminate
age. In truth, she’s an shapeshifted dragon and agent of the Chamber who has
used her position to advise political leaders and train arcanists who will
play a role in the Draconic Prophecy.
ir'Marktaros Estate
King Thalin’s husband, Sercyl ir’Marktaros, was the duke of Sigilstar before
marrying into the Wynarns. As Thalin’s husband, Sercyl became the last
Archduke of Thrane— without monarchical governance, let alone the kingdom of
Galifar, the title was deprecated. Today, Norah ir’Marktaros is the largest
landowner in Sigilstar, with more than half the city paying rent to her.
Sigilstar’s continued success has left her one of the wealthiest women in the
continent. She channels a large portion of her wealth into charitable works
through the city’s Aurum chapter, of which she is a Platinum Concordian. While
certainly an advocate for a system that has allowed her to maintain her wealth
and the influence that comes with it, Norah is not up to any particular
nefarious schemes—although one of her children or grandchildren getting into
trouble might draw her into a web of criminality and intrigue.
War of the Mark Memorial
Maintained by the dragonmarked houses for over a thousand years, this simple
stone slab bears ten dragonmarks in a ring around its edge, missing just the
marks of finding and warding (and death). The face commemorates the victory
over Halas Tarkanan while also honoring the sacrifice of those who stood
against “the corruption of Siberys’s gifts.” Nearby, a House
Phiarlan-manufactured device recalls the story of the Lady of Plague, a woman
born not far from Sigilstar who brought death wherever she went.