Upper Tavick's Landing
"The ward is, in many ways, a small city within Sharn."
Upper Tavick's Landing is a self-contained kingdom for the wealthy — a ward that has deliberately isolated itself from the chaos of the city around it, established its own laws enforced by its own private security force, and constructed an internal economy that meets every need its aristocratic residents might have without requiring them to leave. Fine housing, skilled services, a luxurious mercantile district, and an entire residential district specifically designed to house the servants who keep the whole arrangement running: Upper Tavick's Landing is not a neighborhood within Sharn so much as a gated enclosure that happens to share Sharn's towers.
The laws that enforce this enclosure were established during the Last War, when the ward's leadership petitioned the city council over concerns about foreign agents moving through the lower wards. The resulting statutes are still in full effect. House Deneith Blademark soldiers maintain checkpoints at every entrance and have equal authority to the Sharn Watch within the ward. Weapon licenses cost 5 gold, spellcasting licenses cost 10 gold with spell-by-spell specification required, and a dress code requiring inhabitants to dress "in a manner that upholds the solemn dignity of this proud ward" is enforced at Blademark discretion — with armor considered inappropriate unless the wearer has ties to House Deneith, the Watch, or the Brelish military. Anyone in contempt is escorted out. Any unruly behavior — fighting, shouting in the streets — brings a fine of up to 5 gold and temporary expulsion.
The ward's council representative, Bestan ir'Tonn, is a halfling who has held the seat for thirty years, is generally respected, has strong Boromar Clan connections, and has opened the door for trade with Riedra.
Three of the ward's six districts are upper class in social register — Ocean View, Dalan's Refuge, and Silvergate — with the remaining three running middle class. The ward's overall gold piece limit of 80,000 gp reflects this split, placing it above Middle Central and Middle Menthis but below Upper Central's ceiling of 100,000 gp. Adventurers and foreigners are treated with great suspicion unless they have significant gold to spend or ties to a dragonmarked house.
The Laws of Upper Tavick's Landing
The ward's legal framework deserves its own treatment because it is meaningfully different from anywhere else in Sharn, and the differences have practical consequences for anyone passing through.
The weapon license (5 gp, obtained at Twelve Pillars courthouse) can be demanded by any Blademark or Watch officer at any time; unauthorized weapons are confiscated. The spellcasting license (10 gp) requires the applicant to specify in advance which spells they intend to cast; unauthorized magic use is subject to fines. The dress code is enforced at Blademark discretion, with armor treated as a violation for anyone without appropriate institutional affiliation. The fine for unruly behavior is up to 5 gp plus temporary expulsion — "unruly" being another term subject to Blademark interpretation.
The Zilargo embassy spymaster has placed an agent — Janesta Banton, a gnome scribe and clerk — in the courthouse records department where weapon and spellcasting license applications are processed. Every detail applicants provide to obtain a license flows through the gnomes as a result.
Ocean View and the Gray House
Ocean View is the most exclusive residential district in Upper Tavick's Landing. Gold alone cannot buy property here: at least 30 current residents must sign a petition allowing any newcomer to purchase. The towers are among the highest in the city, with views south toward the ocean; Lavalla Park provides the best vantage point.
The Gray House is Ocean View's most unusual feature — one of the oldest manors in the district, and the only one with no windows. Where windows would be, the walls are solid stone with window outlines engraved into them; the original architect described this as an artistic statement.
The rest of Ocean View regards the Gray House with the particular tolerance reserved for old money — quietly agreed not to ask questions that might require uncomfortable answers.
Districts
Copper Arch (Professionals) — Named for the massive copper arch that spans its central business district. A professional quarter similar to Twelve Pillars in function, with a stronger emphasis on personal services: Transmutation beauty salon (the most prominent in the city, offering both mundane and arcane cosmetic services), Wyredd's Spirits (the finest wine and exotic spirits importer in Sharn), and Magical Pigments (a gallery of local art). House Deneith's Copper Arch enclave anchors the district — a fortified complex containing the Blademark garrison that polices the ward, a private mansion restricted to Sharn Deneith heirs, and hidden training facilities where Deneith practitioners develop psionic combat techniques.
Dalan's Refuge (Wealthy residential) — The less exclusive of Upper Tavick's Landing's two wealthy residential districts, requiring only 25 resident signatures for a property purchase rather than Ocean View's 30. Streets lined with marble statues of famous Sharn inhabitants; fountains of illusion light. The mansions are large and impressive without reaching Ocean View's level of luxury; the district also houses successful merchants, barristers, and politicians who have not quite arrived at the top tier yet but are making the right associations.
Ocean View (Wealthy residential) — The most exclusive residential district on the east side of Sharn. Towers among the highest in the city, with ocean views from the southern face, private guards at most manor gates, and a 30-signature property purchase requirement.
Silvergate (Fine shops) — Upper Tavick's Landing's luxury retail district, patronized by those with substantial gold. Fine jewelry, expensive clothing, exotic artwork, overpriced food, and pretentious wines define the commercial register. The Crystals of Denion buys and sells rare magic items, with a preference for charm effects and Charisma-enhancing goods and extremely expensive magical art of no practical utility; items purchased here carry a 5% markup. Four dining clubs operate in the district, accepting members only from wealthy families or dragonmarked houses.
Sunrise (Average residential) — Built specifically to house the shopkeepers, hirelings, and servants who keep the ward's aristocratic economy running. Clean, safe, and subject to Tavick's Laws, which residents must comply with whether or not they find them convenient. The district's few mansions cluster on the east side for the best sunrise views over the cliffs; most housing is comfortable rather than ostentatious.
Twelve Pillars (Professionals) — The civic and professional heart of Upper Tavick's Landing. The district's namesake courthouse, surrounded by twelve pillars each made of a different stone and topped with statues of former Lord Mayors, is where weapon and spellcasting license applications are processed — and where Janesta Banton, Zilargo's embedded scribe, records every detail applicants provide. Barristers, architects, scribes, translators, and skilled professionals of various kinds operate here alongside more exotic trades including a legal Riedran goods importer and a dealer in exotic cheeses.