Darth Ultron
2019-02-22, 11:07 PM
Sigil is located atop the Spire in the Outlands. It has the shape of a torus; the city itself is located on the inner surface of the ring. There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night. Sigil cannot be entered or exited save via portals; although this makes it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key. Thus, sometimes Sigil is called "The Cage". Though Sigil is pseudo-geographically located "at the center of the planes" (where it is positioned atop the infinitely tall Spire), scholars argue that this is impossible since the planes are infinite in all dimensions, and therefore there can never truly be a center to any or all of them; thus, Sigil is of no special importance. Curiously, from the Outlands one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire.
Sigil contains innumerable portals that can lead to anywhere: any bounded opening (a doorway, an arch, a barrel hoop, a picture frame) could possibly be a portal to another plane, or to another point in Sigil itself. Thus, the city is a paradox: it touches all planes at once, yet ultimately belongs to none; from these characteristics, it draws its other name: "The City of Doors".
Interactive Map of Sigil: https://nether-whisper.ru/rp/planescape/map-of-sigil/
Population: Approximately 250,000. Representatives of nearly every race and monstrous kind can be found somewhere in the city.
Government and Defense: The only being in Sigil who wields any real authority is the mysterious Lady of Pain, the uncaring guardian and protector of the city. The touch of her gaze causes wounds to spout blood, and her smallest gesture can banish someone or something into an endless maze spawned in a pocket dimension. Her presence is said to prevent deities, demon princes, primordials, and beings of similar power from entering the City of Doors, and the fear of her is sufficient to keep a modicum of order in the streets. Crime is common, but rebellion is unthinkable.
Inns and Taverns: Sigil’s inns and taverns cater to diverse clientele. Efreets from the City of Brass can find flaming halls of sumptuous luxury. Devils can enjoy a night spent in unthinkable debauchery. A traveler might lodge in an inn whose interior is like a twilit fey grove or a sunless cavern, or eat in a place that’s virtually indistinguishable from Fallcrest’s Blue Moon Alehouse.
Supplies: The Grand Bazaar, located in the city’s Market Ward, is a huge square overflowing into side streets, alleyways, and even nearby taverns. It is filled with caravan tents and market stalls. It pales in comparison to the bazaars and markets of the City of Brass, but deals in commerce appropriate to the size of the city. Other marketplaces spring up in many places throughout the city. Most appear during the day, but some appear only at night.
Temples: Temples to all the deities—including evil gods whose shrines are rarely seen in civilized lands—can be found in the streets of Sigil. Most of them are small, and few claim any significant power in the city’s affairs.
There is no sensation in passing through a portal. No tingle, no rush of air or sense of movement. You merely move through, and the world changes around you. From your home, to a warm and pleasant afternoon in the big city.
The architecture looks strangely archaic. The buildings are almost all made of the same shade of gray stone, with balconies, walkways and railings made of elaborately wrought black iron. This makes it very difficult to tell when one building ends and another begins. There's no pattern to give a clue, save that the builings get narrower as you go up. Almost every roof is flat, and forms a balcony of some sort, and exterior doors seem almost as common on the higher floors as they are on the ground.
The people are... varied. Humans are the most common species, and most of the crowd are humanoid, after that, outsiders are most common, with a sprinkling of stranger things, like giants and abberations.
However, what is most strange is that the horizon curves upwards on two sides, rising almost to overhead before disappearing behind a bright light in the sky. Ahead, above, and behind you more city streets can be seen, rising into the sky. The city, it appears, is on the inside of a giant ring. To either side there is nothing but sky.
More immediately, you have just emerged from an archway set into the side of a blank-looking building. All the windows and doors have been bricked up quite some time ago, including the archway you've just emerged from. It is apparently the 3 inches or so that the frame of the old arch extends from the brickwork that provides you with the frame for the portal. Watching one of the large wagons emerge from the portal is quite strange. Even when the portal is active, you can't see through it, so it looks like people are just stepping from the wall.
The arch faces west. To the north the street forks to form two narrow lanes, running either side of a large pub. Scattered tables and stools fill most of the street, and have attracted a handful of creatures, most of them looking tired, more in need of a seat than a drink.
Across the street to the west is a shop filled with wooden plates, bowls, candlesticks, and so on. It is partly obscured by a cart parked in front, filled with a single enormous barrel. The front, facing south, has a tap, and an illuman taking coins from a queue of people using the tap, each of whom seems to have their own mug. Near them, a group of assorted humanoids with faced painted scarlet with black stripes, are setting some clubs and seem to be about to give some kind of juggling performance, despite the press of the crowd. Beyond them, to the south, the market proper begins. There are four rows of stalls, featuring a wide variety of good, mostly in the cheap fairground vein. A few further stalls dot the east wall. To south of them you can just make out a cafe and a small reataurant, both of which seem to have an elven theme. To the east, past the jugglers, are a series of small booths showing puppet shows, and selling toys, dolls, and obviously fake weapons.
In the middle of press of stalls is a large booth piled high with mirrors. Standing next to it is a pale faced lady dressed in figure-hugging velvet corsetry and dress and silver jewelry.
Just a bit to get going
Sigil contains innumerable portals that can lead to anywhere: any bounded opening (a doorway, an arch, a barrel hoop, a picture frame) could possibly be a portal to another plane, or to another point in Sigil itself. Thus, the city is a paradox: it touches all planes at once, yet ultimately belongs to none; from these characteristics, it draws its other name: "The City of Doors".
Interactive Map of Sigil: https://nether-whisper.ru/rp/planescape/map-of-sigil/
Population: Approximately 250,000. Representatives of nearly every race and monstrous kind can be found somewhere in the city.
Government and Defense: The only being in Sigil who wields any real authority is the mysterious Lady of Pain, the uncaring guardian and protector of the city. The touch of her gaze causes wounds to spout blood, and her smallest gesture can banish someone or something into an endless maze spawned in a pocket dimension. Her presence is said to prevent deities, demon princes, primordials, and beings of similar power from entering the City of Doors, and the fear of her is sufficient to keep a modicum of order in the streets. Crime is common, but rebellion is unthinkable.
Inns and Taverns: Sigil’s inns and taverns cater to diverse clientele. Efreets from the City of Brass can find flaming halls of sumptuous luxury. Devils can enjoy a night spent in unthinkable debauchery. A traveler might lodge in an inn whose interior is like a twilit fey grove or a sunless cavern, or eat in a place that’s virtually indistinguishable from Fallcrest’s Blue Moon Alehouse.
Supplies: The Grand Bazaar, located in the city’s Market Ward, is a huge square overflowing into side streets, alleyways, and even nearby taverns. It is filled with caravan tents and market stalls. It pales in comparison to the bazaars and markets of the City of Brass, but deals in commerce appropriate to the size of the city. Other marketplaces spring up in many places throughout the city. Most appear during the day, but some appear only at night.
Temples: Temples to all the deities—including evil gods whose shrines are rarely seen in civilized lands—can be found in the streets of Sigil. Most of them are small, and few claim any significant power in the city’s affairs.
There is no sensation in passing through a portal. No tingle, no rush of air or sense of movement. You merely move through, and the world changes around you. From your home, to a warm and pleasant afternoon in the big city.
The architecture looks strangely archaic. The buildings are almost all made of the same shade of gray stone, with balconies, walkways and railings made of elaborately wrought black iron. This makes it very difficult to tell when one building ends and another begins. There's no pattern to give a clue, save that the builings get narrower as you go up. Almost every roof is flat, and forms a balcony of some sort, and exterior doors seem almost as common on the higher floors as they are on the ground.
The people are... varied. Humans are the most common species, and most of the crowd are humanoid, after that, outsiders are most common, with a sprinkling of stranger things, like giants and abberations.
However, what is most strange is that the horizon curves upwards on two sides, rising almost to overhead before disappearing behind a bright light in the sky. Ahead, above, and behind you more city streets can be seen, rising into the sky. The city, it appears, is on the inside of a giant ring. To either side there is nothing but sky.
More immediately, you have just emerged from an archway set into the side of a blank-looking building. All the windows and doors have been bricked up quite some time ago, including the archway you've just emerged from. It is apparently the 3 inches or so that the frame of the old arch extends from the brickwork that provides you with the frame for the portal. Watching one of the large wagons emerge from the portal is quite strange. Even when the portal is active, you can't see through it, so it looks like people are just stepping from the wall.
The arch faces west. To the north the street forks to form two narrow lanes, running either side of a large pub. Scattered tables and stools fill most of the street, and have attracted a handful of creatures, most of them looking tired, more in need of a seat than a drink.
Across the street to the west is a shop filled with wooden plates, bowls, candlesticks, and so on. It is partly obscured by a cart parked in front, filled with a single enormous barrel. The front, facing south, has a tap, and an illuman taking coins from a queue of people using the tap, each of whom seems to have their own mug. Near them, a group of assorted humanoids with faced painted scarlet with black stripes, are setting some clubs and seem to be about to give some kind of juggling performance, despite the press of the crowd. Beyond them, to the south, the market proper begins. There are four rows of stalls, featuring a wide variety of good, mostly in the cheap fairground vein. A few further stalls dot the east wall. To south of them you can just make out a cafe and a small reataurant, both of which seem to have an elven theme. To the east, past the jugglers, are a series of small booths showing puppet shows, and selling toys, dolls, and obviously fake weapons.
In the middle of press of stalls is a large booth piled high with mirrors. Standing next to it is a pale faced lady dressed in figure-hugging velvet corsetry and dress and silver jewelry.
Just a bit to get going