Sanctuary Districts

Sanctuary is like a large pie. There is never quite enough to go round; each slice can be divided up further if you have a sharp enough knife; and there is always someone's fingers in each piece.

Map

An overview of Sanctuary city, and the districts in it can be found here. It is quite large, at ¾Mb and 2000x1100.

The most exciting areas

Some areas of Sanctuary are particularly exciting. It is wise to know what to expect when you turn a street corner and when not to step into an alley.

• The Maze
• The Bazaar
• Street of Red Lanterns
• Downwind
• The Avenue of Temples
• Sewers

See further down this page for an overview of these exciting tourists traps.

Other Areas

• The Foreign Quarter
• The Stadium
• Downtown
• Elysium Fields
• Fishtown
• Cathedral
• Kettleby
• The Jeweller's Quarter
• Little Ilsig
• The Docks
• Old Saints
• Silberton
• Riverside
• Southside
• Kitty's Orchard
• Uptown
• The Governor's Palace
• Promise of Heaven
• Danbo's Reef
• The Swanky Estates
• The Farms
• The Offshore Isles

The Maze

The Maze, a labyrinth of foul-smelling dark alleys winding between old decaying buildings, forms the roughest part of Sanctuary’s poor quarter. This malodorous neighbourhood is populated by fugitives from justice, poor labourers with nothing left to be stolen, smugglers who use the rats nest of tunnels beneath the Maze, bravos, toughs, slavers and a few odd craftsmen – forgers, knife sharpeners, etc. Above them all, the mobster lordlings exist in fierce competition. The town watch refuses to enter the streets of the Maze, and even the Hell Hounds enter carefully and disguised. In the centre of the Maze crouches the Vulgar Unicorn, a rough-and-tumble tavern where wine and life are cheap, but never dull. One, two and three story buildings are scattered without plan or purpose throughout the Maze, giving this area its name. The alleys and streets, often overhung or covered by second stories, littered with rubble and garbage, are as dark and twisted as the hearts of its inhabitants. Many of the building have cellars with entrances into the labyrinth of tunnels and sewers beneath this part of the city. Narrow and convoluted, they serve as byways for smugglers and a hideaway for secret societies and cults. Twice a day some tunnels will rapidly flood with a tidal bore from Confederation Bay. More details

The Bazaar

The Bazaar is a teeming confusion of sights, smells and sounds. Beginning early each morning, the crowds throng to buy the first produce from the farmers’ market, then other items in the Bazaar itself. The crowded booths and tents offer every imaginable product, legal or otherwise, with plenty of food, wine and ale to keep the customers happy. Some people live as well as work within the Bazaar walls. Many of these folk specialise in fortune-telling, or provide services or entertainment for the daily crowds. These folk sleep in the stalls or nearby doorways. In contrast, some of the tents of the Bazaar are taken down and replaced each day. Many of the merchants also have shops in town, and use the booths for illegal or cut-rate items. A character in the Bazaar will be constantly jostled, bumped and tripped by the throngs, making it difficult to notice when a pickpocket tries for their purse. A victim of a thief may find the Bazaar folk reluctant to help against just another service provided by this tight-knot group, who can rapidly turn hostile against outsiders. More details

Street of Red Lanterns

Not so much a street, as a concept. The Street of Red Lanterns is everywhere in Sanctuary, although there are a couple of clusters around the best known establishments of Aphrodisia House and the Lily Garden. Myrtis is the unofficial mayor of this community of brothels, gaming houses, pawnshops, money lenders and vendors of related wares. Red Lantern businesses come alive at sunset, when Sanctuary’s citizens appear, many wrapped in cloak to hide their identities from acquaintances and the muggers and cutpurses preying on the clientele. At this time too, unaffiliated ladies walk the streets, or troop behind the Governors Palace to ply their trade, returning at sunrise. The evening patrol of the city guards appears infrequently and with plenty of warning, making the streets an inviting place for all forms of business as the evening deepens into night. More details

Downwind

Downwind is the slum of a city of thieves. It is a shanty town formed outside the walls, between Sanctuary and the swamps. Here live the truly poor; drifters, winos, those without skill or sustenance, and those who have lost all hope. Little thievery occurs among Downwinders since none have anything worth stealing, but this focuses attention on anyone else entering the neighbourhood. Life is extremely cheap here, although the older inhabitants are often too apathetic to murder. Most of the violence comes from the gangs of children roaming the streets looking for excitement or food, and who are ready to kill for a meal or entertainment. Since the city guard and even the Hell Hounds rarely find reason to enter Downwind, the gangs rule the ill-defined streets. The streets are open paths between or through buildings, clogged with garbage and dung. Fires are common and devastate large area of hovels because of a lack of water and effort to put them out.More details

Avenue of Temples

The most remarkable display of architectural variety and of co-operation in service to greed can be found in the Avenue of Temples. The Avenue is the only place where organised religion is allowed in Sanctuary. All forms of worship have been crammed into a single street. Demon cultists rub shoulders with saints or heathens. The primary cults include the United Church as represented by Michael, Uriel and Gabriel, the demons Berith, Seir, Gremory, Valefor, Sitri, Labolas, Malphas, the northern god Odin, and some of the Elven Gods. Each has their own temple, although many were build by previous cults. Odin is worshipped from an Arabie mosque, while Malphas from a simple marble shrine in a wooded garden. Religious privileges such as the imposition of canon-law are supported by all cults, although punishment by blood sacrifice, flagellation or public fornication vary from cult to cult. Currently Gremory’s temple virgins are the most popular service. However, Berith is supported by more town authorities, and the Duke of Ranke is building a Cathedral for the United Church as part of prepartions for joining the Western Kingdom. More details