Upper Central
"If you're lost in Upper Central, you're not supposed to be there." — Sella, private security
Upper Central is the most exclusive and expensive area of Sharn's towers, surpassed in the city only by Skyway. It is home to some of the most powerful individuals in Breland, though it is far from the kingdom's seat of government. More wealth flows through this single ward than many cities will ever see. With this great power comes enormous corruption — and more evil is done, or at least ordered, in Upper Central than a casual look would suggest.
The ward is organized around three functions: civic governance in Highest Towers, concentrated financial power in the twin districts of Korranath and Korran-Thiven, and the insulated wealth of its residential and commercial districts. The Kundarak Bank of Sharn, the Aurora Gallery magic item auction house, Sannid's restaurant, and Skysedge Park's tower-top gardens all sit within its borders. Visitors maintaining a poor lifestyle may be assumed to be servants or vagrants — and may find that assumption enforced, quietly, by the people they encounter.
The ward's council representative, Javan Tomollan, made his fortune in trade with House Lyrandar but has long since parted ways with them. He is a shrewd, fair negotiator whose greatest concern is protecting the interests of Upper Central's residents. The problems of Lower Dura hold little interest for him. His presence in Mithral Tower, where he maintains his estate, is one of the primary reasons the district is as well-patrolled as it is.
Upper Central's gold piece limit matches Skyway's — the only two wards in Sharn where it reaches this level — reflecting the ward's status as the commercial ceiling of the plateau system. The Aurum has repeatedly approached Javan Tomollan for recruitment into their Platinum Concord; he has so far declined, which places him in the unusual position of being one of the wealthiest people in Sharn who does not currently serve the organization that effectively runs the ward's financial districts.
The Aurum's Ward
Korranath is named for the great temple of Kol Korran that dominates it, and the sourcebooks are direct about what this means: the district is "utterly dedicated to the darker side of the god of wealth — the pursuit of wealth at any cost." The Korranath itself is one of the most ostentatious structures in Sharn — a grand dome a hundred feet across covered in gold leaf and studded with gems, with a mosaic floor made of precious stones and sacral objects of solid gold. The high priest of the Korranath is appointed by the Lord Mayor on an annual basis; the position rarely goes to an actual cleric. The current high priest is Kalphan Riak, a member of the Aurum's Platinum Concord.
Kalphan Riak is the most visible face of what Upper Central actually is beneath its civic presentation. He is not descended from a noble family or a dragonmarked house — he made his fortune selling arms during the Last War through a combination of business savvy and innate sorcery. His mansion tops Andith Tower on the edge of Mithral Tower, with open pavilions, sprawling quarters, and a garden on the towertop. He holds controlling interests in six of Sharn's ten banks. Through the Aurum, he conspires with fellow Platinum Concord members to maximize their collective profitability and insert their influence into every aspect of commerce in Sharn and greater Breland.
Korran-Thiven — "Korran's Blade" in Dwarven — is the harder-edged twin of Korranath, more obsessed with protecting wealth than acquiring it. Armed private security guards stand near every storefront and on every balcony in district livery. The Wayfinder Foundation maintains a small but important office here; its Sharn liaison, Hendra ir'Kavay, is a wealthy socialite whose interest in ancient history is largely financial.
The Civic Face
Highest Towers is where Sharn's government keeps its official presence: the council hall, municipal archives, bureaucratic offices, and the airship docking tower where vessels from across Khorvaire arrive. Of the city's three arrival points — the waterfront, Terminus Station, and Lyrandar Tower — Highest Towers' airship dock is the least busy and by far the safest.
The City Archive in Highest Towers holds the nearly endless legal and historical records of the city: birth certificates, marriage rolls, death records, property documents, letters of marque, identification papers. Agents of the Citadel have unrestricted access. Others require contacts and favors to access specific records.
Lord Mayor Cathan ir'Demell operates from Highest Towers. He is a rotund, bored-looking bureaucrat whose administrative competence is real — the ward is well-run, which is his primary measure of success — and whose concern for the city as a whole is limited by his comfort with things as they are. He is an administrator first and a political figure second, and he functions accordingly.
Districts
Highest Towers (Civic district) — The seat of Sharn's government: council hall, City Archive, bureaucratic offices, monument, and the Lyrandar airship docking tower. Lofty and ornate, the district offers panoramic views and the steady business of people who have appointments here. Access to government is physically easy from here; functionally, it remains as managed and conditional as anywhere in the ward.
Korranath (Finance district) — One of Sharn's twin financial centers, anchored by the grand temple of Kol Korran and the Kundarak Bank of Sharn — the largest bank in the city, whose loans hold up most of Sharn's major building projects. Below the bank lies the Vaults, House Kundarak's high-security storage facility. The district is also the seat of the Aurum's power in Sharn, with Kalphan Riak's mansion at its edge and the Korranath's high priesthood under his control.
Korran-Thiven (Finance district) — The second financial district, whose name translates from Dwarven as "Korran's Blade." Similar to Korranath in function but with a harder edge: five banks, thirty moneychangers, and private security visible at every storefront and balcony. The Wayfinder Foundation's Sharn office is located here — small but essential for adventurers operating in Xen'drik.
Mithral Tower (Wealthy residential) — Sharn's most desirable downtown residential district. Homes are large, well-kept, and decorated with the mithral filigree that gives the district its name. Javan Tomollan's estate is here, and Kalphan Riak's mansion sits at the district's edge. The Aurum has consistently attempted to recruit Tomollan for the Platinum Concord; he has not accepted.
Platinum Heights (Fine shops) — The finest commercial district in Sharn: fewer shops than the Bazaar of Dura, but no equivalent for quality or price. The Aurora Gallery maintains the city's most prestigious magic item auction house, with items worth up to 130,000 gp occasionally available. Sannid's restaurant — third-generation family establishment, legendary wine cellar, spiced Brelish fare with selections from across Khorvaire including Aerenal spirits — is the dining benchmark for the ward. The Gray Dragon Inn provides aristocratic lodging near the pinnacle of the Tower of Gold.
Skysedge Park (Park district) — Sharn's only dedicated park district: three large tower-top parks where grass and trees grow in deep earthen layers above the towers, artificial ponds shimmer on the surface, and the noise of the city is magically dampened. A colossal iron statue watches over the area. A small community of around 400 Eldeen Reaches immigrants maintains the parks and gardens, struggling to sustain something of their traditional relationship with nature in a city that resists it on every surface. Temples to Arawai and Balinor and a druidic site of the Gatekeepers are here.