Sigil

Sigil, also frequently known as the Cage or the City of Doors, was a city-state and the supposed center of the multiverse that included the Prime Material Plane and all other known planes according to some forms of the Great Wheel cosmology.

"Ah, the Cage. Nexus of the planes. You've gotta hate it…"

- Trykk

Description
Sigil was located in the Outlands, a plane at equal distance from each of the Outer Planes, hovering above an immensely tall landmark known as the Spire that sat at the plane's center. In a certain fashion, this put Sigil at the center of the planes, at least according to some interpretations of the Great Wheel cosmology, but, since the multiverse was infinite in all dimensions, there was no true center. From the Outlands, it was possible to see Sigil hovering atop the Spire as the mountaintop vanished into nothingness.

Sigil was shaped like the inside of a torus. It was considered by most sages, in particular the inhabitants of the Material Plane, to be an impossible place, since the center of the Outlands was devoid of any and all magic. There were many hypotheses that tried to explain Sigil's location and existence. Although they varied wildly, one of the more popular explanations posited that the Lady of Pain was behind the city's existence and properties.

Because of its unique geometry, Sigil had no sky. The city was kept lit by an intrinsic luminescence of its air, which waxed and waned creating the appearance of a day-night cycle. As a result, most of the time the city was illuminated only by a hazy twilight. The equivalent of full daylight only lasted for about 6 hours, so even creatures that were sensitive to bright light were comfortable in Sigil most of the time. During the darkest hours of the cycle, light coming from lanterns and streetlights on the opposite side of the ring gave an illusion of a sky filled with stars.

It was impossible to walk into and out of Sigil from the Outlands or any other location. It was also impossible to enter or exit the city, or even observe it, via spell, magic item, or any creature's innate abilities. The only way in or out of the city was via its portals.

Sigil contained innumerable portals: 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." This feature make Sigil a prime destination for travelers as well as a center of trade throughout the multiverse.

Government
The ruler of Sigil is the mysterious Lady of Pain. The Lady is sometimes seen in Sigil as a floating, robed lady with a face bearing a mantle of blades. The Lady does not concern herself with ruling the city directly; she typically only interferes when something threatens the stability of Sigil itself or crosses one of her few but unforgiving edicts, which amount to keeping the peace and refraining from worship of her. The Lady is an entity of inscrutable motives and often those who cross her path, even accidentally, are flayed to death or teleported to her hidden "mazes", extradimensional labyrinths, and lost forever. It is widely believed that she never speaks, although some unconfirmed rumours to the contrary do exist.

Although the Lady of Pain does not take action directly, she does act through a number of servants known as dabus, who simultaneously serve as the Lady's eyes and ears as well as maintaining the structure of Sigil. Like the Lady, the dabus do not interact with Sigil's inhabitants or travelers much and it is best to leave them be, since antagonizing them can bring down the infrequent but harsh wrath of their mistress.

Sigil is, theoretically, neutral ground to all: no wars are waged there and no armies pass through. Furthermore, no power can enter into Sigil; the Lady has barred them from the Cage. Of course, Sigil is hardly peaceful; with such a condensed population, consisting of everything from angelic devas to demonic glabrezu, violence is common, usually befalling the foolhardy, the incautious, or the poor. Most natives of Sigil ("Cagers") are quite jaded as a result of living there.

Sigil is also home to several extraplanar "factions," which struggle with one another for power and prestige but generally do not engage in open conflict. The Lady of Pain tolerates the existence of these factions so long as they do not interfere with her or her nebulous goals and several even serve useful purposes, such as the Guvners, Harmonium, and the Mercykillers, which serve as the judges, jury, and executioners of Sigil, respectively.

Notable Locations

 * The Prime Exotics shop specialized in selling small animals from the Prime Material plane, including rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs, and miniature giant space hamsters.

Wards of Sigil
Sigil was divided into six districts, called wards, listed below:


 * Clerk's Ward:
 * An affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.


 * Hive Ward:
 * The slum and the ghetto, home to the poor, the rogues, and the unwanted dregs of the city.


 * The Lady's Ward:
 * The richest and most exclusive section of the city, home to the elites of society and of its government.


 * Lower Ward:
 * An industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and from the portals to the Lower Planes.


 * Guildhall and Market Wards:
 * Usually counted as one single ward. Home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class.

Inhabitants
Long-time Sigil inhabitants and natives usually felt uncomfortable in open spaces or locations where they could see a sky and the horizon, as they were accustomed to the absence of those features in Sigil.

The city did not have a lustrous vegetation, and its only park had been overrun with squatters. The only remaining plant life was razorvine, a rapidly growing plant that originated in the Lower planes and was considered a hazard. The darker alleys were crowded with rats and cranium rats, rot grubs grew on garbage heaps, and bats nested on higher places. The city's underground was inhabited by wererats.

People coming to Sigil from the Prime Material Plane were often treated as clueless inferiors by the planar elitists who dwelt there. They were thus widely referred to as "the Clueless", "berks" or more charitably, as "Primes". It was highly recommended that planewalkers new to Sigil employed a guide, known locally as a "tout," lest they be taken advantage of or mugged. Such guides could be little better themselves, though, either serving to persuade a traveler to the side of their faction or simply robbing their "customer" once their backs were turned.

Notable Inhabitants

 * Saddam Hasan ibn Arvalas, a wizard from Toril and former pupil of Trobriand. A member of the Fraternity of Order, he was the owner of the Hands of Time, a shop specialized in the construction and repairs of golems and other automata.

Rumors & Legends
Sigil's origins and existence were a mystery. Some speculated that the city had been built by the Lady of Pain herself. Others posited that Sigil was her prison.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Great Modron March • For Duty & Deity
 * Novels
 * Masquerades • Finder's Bane • Tymora's Luck