Middle Central
"Middle Central lacks the wealth of the upper ward, but makes up for it in political connections across Khorvaire." — Common assessment among Sharn's political observers
Middle Central is a center for intrigue. It lacks the raw financial concentration of Upper Central, but it compensates with a different kind of power: diplomatic reach, dragonmarked house infrastructure, the institutional weight of Sharn's two most important temples, and the King's Citadel — Breland's elite intelligence service, whose headquarters doubles as the city's high-security prison. Every major religious tradition in Sharn considers this ward its institutional home. Every dragonmarked house with a presence in Sharn conducts its primary business here. Every nation with diplomatic relations with Breland has an embassy here. The ward is not where decisions are made — that happens in Upper Central's council chambers and financial districts — but it is where the machinery that enables those decisions is maintained.
The ward's council representative, Sorik Senso, is one of the oldest and most influential voices on the council: a brilliant half-elf orator whose rising expenses and declining gold have made him increasingly susceptible to bribery. His bitter personal rivalry with Javan Tomollan of Upper Central is well known; what is less known is how deeply that rivalry has corroded his judgment on matters unrelated to it.
Ambassador Towers is the ward's only upper class district, pulling the overall social classification upward from what the remaining four districts would suggest. The ward as a whole presents as middle class — practical, professional, and slightly overpriced relative to what it delivers — but Ambassador Towers operates at a different register entirely, with upscale lodging, diplomatic residences, and the King's Citadel.
The Houses in Dragon Towers
Dragon Towers is the primary place in Sharn to conduct business with representatives of the dragonmarked houses. All houses have outposts here, and Sivis, Tharashk, Jorasco, and Cannith maintain their principal Sharn enclaves in the district. The Panaeum — House Jorasco's largest Sharn enclave — provides high-priced healing services to all who can pay. The Sivis enclave handles communication services, and the district contains the largest Sivis message station in the city; the only location from which a sending can be dispatched, though this service is often unavailable and very expensive.
Merrix d'Cannith leads the Cannith enclave, using Dragon Towers as the house's diplomatic face while conducting his real work in the Forgehold deep in Ashblack. The Cannith presence in Dragon Towers is for negotiations and optics; the meaningful work happens far below. Solia d'Lyrandar oversees Lyrandar's enclave, coordinating the house's operations across multiple locations including the Highest Towers airship dock and the Cliffside shipping offices. Daphanë d'Kundarak maintains the Kundarak enclave while also running the Kundarak Bank in Upper Central; she spends most of her time at the bank.
The Temples in Sovereign Towers
Sovereign Towers contains the grandest temples in Sharn, but the grandeur is uneven in its meaning.
The Pavilion of the Host is exactly what it presents as: the largest temple complex devoted to the Sovereign Host in Sharn, a grand open tower ringed by nine dedicated temples, one for each of the Sovereigns. High Priest Phthaso Mogan leads the rituals and represents genuine institutional integrity. The priests of the Host are known for devotion; if you want a truly committed priest rather than a prestigious one, the common wisdom says to go to High Hope in Middle Northedge rather than the Pavilion, but the distinction is one of personal character rather than institutional corruption.
The Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame is another matter entirely. It is named in honor of the church's role in cleansing Khorvaire of evil, which is ironic as many of the Cathedral's clergy brazenly covet privilege, power, and material wealth. The institution functions for ceremonial purposes and maintains its public face.
Ambassador Towers
Ambassador Towers houses embassies and consulates from eleven foreign nations: Aundair, Cyre, Karrnath, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Talenta Plains, Thrane, Valenar, Zilargo, Aerenal, and Riedra. Each embassy is headed by a single consul or ambassador. Cyre's embassy, established long before the Last War, continues to advocate for the interests of the people of New Cyre in eastern Breland; its staff have been conducting this function since the nation that accredited them ceased to exist.
The King's Citadel occupies an imposing fortified structure in Andith Tower — the headquarters of Brelish intelligence and also the city jail, both contained in the same fortress. Unexpected visitors to the Citadel rarely receive a warm welcome. The Citadel can assert jurisdiction over any criminal matter involving espionage or national security, which places it in a different category from the Watch and creates predictable tensions with other power centers in the ward.
The Brelish Museum of Fine Art is housed in Farhaven Tower, near the bridge leading to Middle Dura. It contains an unequalled collection of Brelish art and an impressive collection of Xen'drik antiquities, though the antiquities collection is small compared to the Dezina Museum at Morgrave. The museum also houses Athania's Companions — officially an escort service providing companionship to visiting diplomats; actually a spy ring in the business of collecting, cataloging, and selling secrets. Athania, a dragonmark heir of House Phiarlan, keeps her house affiliation her own best-kept secret. Her escorts are trained in conversation, seduction, and deception, and prepare intelligence reports after every significant client engagement.
Districts
Ambassador Towers (Embassy district) — Sharn's diplomatic center: embassies from eleven nations, the King's Citadel and city jail, the Brelish Museum of Fine Art, and Athania's Companions intelligence operation. The flags of most of Khorvaire's nations fly here. The district is upper class in social register, with upscale lodging, food, and residences serving the diplomatic community and its attendants.
Dragon Towers (Guildhall district) — The primary venue for conducting business with dragonmarked house representatives. All houses have outposts here; Sivis, Tharashk, Jorasco, and Cannith maintain their principal Sharn enclaves. The Panaeum provides high-priced healing. The Sivis message station is the largest in the city and the only location from which a sending can be sent. A wealthy neighborhood adjacent to the guildhall district houses prominent house personnel.
Sovereign Towers (Temple district) — Home to the Pavilion of the Host and the Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame, Sharn's two most important temples. The Pavilion is a genuinely devoted institution with committed clergy. The Cathedral is Sharn's most corrupt holy institution, led by an Archierophant who actively cooperates with a rakshasa operative in Khyber's Gate. The contrast between the two institutions, side by side in the same district, summarizes something essential about power in Middle Central.
Sword Point (Garrison) — The Central Plateau's Watch garrison, linking five adjacent towers into a fortress-like complex with a drill yard half a mile above the ground. Commander Belew Yorgan is a harsh and effective administrator who focuses resources on Upper and Middle Central while leaving Lower Central underserved and Northedge practically ignored. The garrison houses a detachment of the royal army in addition to Watch forces.
Tradefair (Marketplace) — The Central Plateau's only open-air marketplace, operating daily during daylight hours. Colorful signs and tents, barkers and shoppers, and a range of scents from perfumes to sizzling meats. A marketplace permit costs 1 gold — the most expensive in Sharn — and the quality of goods reflects this: legal, honest trades at comfortable to upscale quality. It is the smallest and most expensive of Sharn's four open markets, and makes no attempt to compete on price or variety.