Torch was a large gate-town leading to Gehenna from the Outlands.[1]
Description[]
The gate-town was divided into two parts. The lowest part was the most dangerous part of Torch. The impoverished and desperate inhabitants lived here. Occasionally, the marsh flooded this section of the gate-town, bring waves of disease and a species of killer frogs, poisonous snakes and giant leeches. The wealthiest and most powerful inhabitants of Torch made their homes in the upper slopes, divided into three sections called Karal, Maygel and Dohin. Connected by towering bridges, the upper part of Torch was walled of from the lower town. A popular past-time of the residents of the upper sections was standing on the bridges and watching the struggles of the residents of the lower town.[2][1]
Gates[]
Floating about 100 feet (30 meters) in the air, the Gate to Gehenna appeared as a large dark red gemstone. Flying into the gate was the safest course of action, but some brave, or foolhardy, individuals attempted to pass through the gate by dropping down from one of the volcanic spires. Local legend stated that there was a hidden second gate to Gehenna found in the marsh surrounding Torch.[1]
Geography[]
A map showing the Torch's location in relation to other gate-towns and the River Ma'at.
Torch was built on the slopes of several towering volcanic spires, formed by cooled magma. Some of the spires were still active, occasionally producing inflammable gases and lava flows. The constant light from the ever-present lava was how the gate-town came to be called Torch. The town and the spires were surrounded by a large march filled with water the color of blood.[1]
There was a roughly a distance of three to eighteen journeying days between Torch and the River Ma'at.[3]
Government[]
The closest thing Torch had to a local government was the Council of All. It was, in theory, a council of the inhabitants of the town. Meeting were held in the ruins of an abandoned arena. In reality, the meetings often devolved into large fights, with the council being run by the most wealthy, and powerful, inhabitants.[1]
History[]
In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR,[note 1] a planeswalking merchantile caravan in Ravens Bluff, a city on the Prime Material world of Toril, was being sponsored by local Ravenian noble Lauren DeVillars and doing business with the gate-town of Glorium,[4] though they had aims to soon start trade missions with both the gate-towns of Torch and Tradegate.[5]
Inhabitants[]
Due to the ever-present light, Torch never slept. The inhabitants of this gate-town were some of the most dangerous individuals in the Outlands. They were known for their greed and vicious, violent temperament. They held the belief that everything in the Outlands, and beyond, was theirs by right and did not hesitate to do whatever was necessary to possess it. Thankfully, they spent so much time robbing each other that raids on other gate-towns were rare.[1]
The gate-town was home to several thieves guilds. The largest six were[1]:
- Gray Orb
- Kindred of Yoj
- Severed Hand
- Brotherhood Janko
- Tiamat's Chosen
- Fire Lords
The thieves guilds were in constant conflict, each desiring to corner the black market. Full-on brawls in the streets were not uncommon. The closest they had to a neutral meeting ground was the Festhall of the Falling Coins,[1] which was run by a Torilian wizard named Badurth.[6]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The events of the Living City Ravens Bluff campaign took place on a timeline that advanced together with the real world's time. Even though all Living City adventures and issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter were dated with real-world dates, there were events that received a DR year. The Living City timeline can be derived from Myrkyssa Jelan's historic events of the late 14th century DR. Myrkyssa Jelan attacked Ravens Bluff in 1370 DR, according to The City of Ravens Bluff and Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition; these events are chronicled in an in-and-out of universe issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter. This places the real world year 1997 as 1370 DR, and in 1998 (1371 DR), Myrkyssa was at last arrested and tried and said to have been executed, only to reappear in 1372 DR in The City of Ravens novel. As the real world's months and the Calendar of Harptos are virtually identical, we can also date all events of the Living City Ravens Bluff as close as an in-universe month.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Jeff Grubb (May 1995). A Player's Primer to the Outlands. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-0121-7.
- ↑ Colin McComb, Monte Cook (July 1996). “War Games”. In Ray Vallese ed. Hellbound: The Blood War (TSR, Inc.), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-0407-0.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (May 1995). A Player's Primer to the Outlands. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-0121-7.
- ↑ Erich Schmidt (August 1999). Three Coins in a Well. Living City (RPGA), p. 2.
- ↑ Erich Schmidt (August 1999). Three Coins in a Well. Living City (RPGA), p. 9.
- ↑ Colin McComb, Monte Cook (July 1996). “War Games”. In Ray Vallese ed. Hellbound: The Blood War (TSR, Inc.), p. 45. ISBN 0-7869-0407-0.
Connections[]
Caverns of Thought • Court of Light • Dwarvish Mountain (Deepshaft Hall • Soot Hall • Strongale Hall) • Flowering Hill • Gzemnid's Realm • Hidden Realm • Labyrinth of Life • Marketplace Eternal • Mausoleum of Chronepsis • Palace of Judgement • Semuanya's Bog • Sigil • Sleeping Lands • Storm Cloud • Tir na Og (Deep Forest • the Great Smithy • House of Knowledge • Mag Mell • the Pinnacle • Tir fo Thuinn) • Thoth's Estate • Wonderhome
Gate-towns
Automata • Bedlam • Curst • Ecstasy • Excelsior • Faunel • Fortitude • Glorium • Hopeless • Plague-Mort • Ribcage • Rigus • Sylvania • Torch • Tradegate • Xaos