Gloomwrought

Gloomwrought remains one of the few neutral and protected cities in the entire Shadowfell. It is a teeming metropolis overflowing with countless species. The peace is kept only by the continual vigilance of the City Guard of Prince Rolan who patrol the city and have Guardhouses throughout the various districts.

Some of these districts include:

The Tenebreous Cabal District:

This district represents a large, loosely organized series of buildings that are run by the Cabal as a campus for the instruction of shadow magic. Buildings include lecture halls, potion labs, and practice halls. These practice halls are large warehouse-like buildings that can be modified to train a student in various scenarios of combat and encounter.

The Raven's Eyre District:

This district gets its name from the massive temple of the Raven Queen that stands in a broad plaza in the center of the district. This "great temple rests on the backs of 70-foot tall statues of men bent in half from the weight" (Baker et al. 2008). A thin causeway winds its way up to the temple proper from the ground. Here at the Eyre aspirants to the Raven Queen' s holy order move about the plaza in their deep blue robes attending to logistical needs of the temple as well as assisting pilgrims and supplicants in the various rituals and religious activities they require.

Additionally, the Raven's Eyre district is home to some of the oldest homes in the city along what is now called Despairing Lane. The homes here date to before the days of Prince Rolan, and some say the Raven's Eyre itself.

The Veiled League District:

This district is made up almost completely by a "red-light district". Largest among the structures here is the Sensorium, where beings of all kinds can come to enjoy any form of physical, emotional, or psychic desire they can imagine. Here anything and everything is for sale, including many forms of debauchery you have never even imagined It is in this district that most Shadar-kai make their homes. Born of the Shadowfell plane itself, the Shadar-kai have constructed this den of hedonism to break the back of the soul-sapping ennui that dominates life on the Shadowfell.

In stark contrast to the chaos of the opium dens and massage parlors is Forgetown. This enclave of Warforged citizens has existed in one form or another for more than 100 years. Mechanical wonders dominate this area. At 15 feet above the sidewalks runs a thin wire track by which baskets of goods are shuttled up and down the streets. Artificed familiars move about the feet of the citizens on clockwork legs cleaning up garbage and controlling pest populations. Dominating the main thoroughfare, named simply "Primary" is the shrine to the Warforged deity, the Blind Watchmaker. Symbolized by a large cogged gear inset with a closed eye, the Blind Watchmaker remains an important, if not revered figure among Gloomwrought Warforged. Open to all, the rather spartan shrine features a simple gabled facade in the center of a larger open "park". All around are hundred of clocks that have been constructed in honor of the "Great Inventor" that set the universe into motion. At the small structure in the center is a simple metal altar with a large icon handing above it. Here, small oil lamps are lit in honor of sick or dead loved-ones as well as old, broken devices. Supplicants kneel in silent meditation before the shrine.

In marked divergence from other planar religions, adherents to the Blind Watchmaker do not make requests or ask favors of the deity, believing such entreaties foolish. Rather they seek to meditate on the mark of the divine reflected in themselves that they might use such wisdom to reorder their lives in a way that more accurately reflects the nature of the cosmos. The monks of the Order wander the plaza giving advice and solace where it is needed.

The Graveyard District:

Keeping the dead in their graves remains a continual challenge for denizens of Gloomwrought and the Shadowfell in general. As such many of the businesses surrounding the Graveyard cater to those patrons who truly would like to see their loved ones rest in peace. Cremation remains the most popular form of in-humation practiced, but many others simply dismember, embalm with holy water or place the necessary wards and glyphs on the freshly-dead to prevent any undesired resurrection. This said, the graveyard employs numerous servants in the form of Zombies and Golems to insure that the dead remain in their graves and that their loved ones don't get any unexpected surprises when they come to pay their respects.

Notable in this district is the tavern Tears, where is is said "everybody knows your pain." Here mourners, employees and other patrons can come to take a break from all their worries.

(Original image Copyright 2008, Wizards of the Coast All rights Reserved. Additional material added by DM, for in-game use only.)