The Hall of Records

The Hall of Records stands in the Clerk's Ward of Sigil, serving as the headquarters of the Fated and the center of all Sigilian record-keeping and tax collection. This complex spans across a large courtyard found at the end of Scholar Row and along Crystal Dew Lane, holding six massive buildings, some standing hundreds of feet tall. The Hall was first constructed in Hashkar -654 at the order of the Oerthian archmage Tzunk (the initial land lease cosigned by the Fated due to details of Sigilian law). It originally served as the Tzunk College of Academic Arts, an institution devoted to instruction both arcane and general. This school was intended mostly to provide a planar center of instruction for his lessers, but membership was open for all, and a number of Sigilians gained their education at this institution during the decades of its operation.   Upon his death in the City of Brass in Hashkar -629, the school was quickly repossessed by the Fated, exploiting a clause in the original lease agreement to take ownership once the primary party was no longer capable. The campus was soon closed, and within months another few months was repurposed to serve as a new headquarters for the faction. Its library building was sold to fund repair and remodeling efforts, and the rest were shortly reworked into faction lodging, offices, and records storage.   Today, the majority of the complex is kept private. The central building, the Hall of Records itself after which the complex is named, holds most faction business. This thirty-story building serves as the taxation offices and record holding for the entire city, as well as offices for the faction high-ups. Two other buildings, the faculty dormitory and the smaller of the two student dormitories, were similarly repurposed now into offices and records. The student dormitory now serves as the Hall of Property Records, holding all records of Sigilian real estate holding and contracts as well as the offices of the Fated officials, barristers, and agents charged with serving and arranging for such deals. The former faculty dormitory stands as the Hall of Census Records, tracking population figures for permanent residents, reports of births and deaths, and genealogies dating back as far as can be managed. While birth records are relatively accurate, the Dustmen have little care to keep other factions updated on a facet they see as under their sole purview, and so are often slow to communicate with the Fated.   The larger of the two former student dormitories was kept to its original purpose, however, now serving the Fated as the Faction Dormitory. This building holds residences for up to 2500 faction members at a time, full private suites for each. The former food hall, now the Faction Hall, serves as a cafeteria, meeting hall, lounge, and even short-term lodging. Even though its services are restricted for faction members only, given the Fated philosophy, it's no surprise that they charge even their own for such services; of course, prices are far lower than one would find anywhere else in Sigil for similar lodging, so factotums tend to have little complaint.   Finally, the recreation hall was modified into a general-purpose contest hall, serving as the center of challenges for those seeking new positions in the faction. A long-standing tradition in the Fated holds that any holding any position of significance in the faction can be challenged for their position in a contest decided by the challenged, and this hall serves as the home to those challenged for the more interesting subjects, as well as general demonstrations of combat or arcane skill performed for nothing but entertainment. The only hall wholly open to the public, the recently-renamed Rowan Academy of Training has, since Darkwood's capture of the position of factol, done its best to present itself as a competitor to the Civic Festhall. And while it's still not managed to achieve that level of prominence, it's drawn quite a bit more interest in recent years than previously, as Darkwood has encouraged far more challenges since his ascent than have been seen in years.

Extra Detail

Foreclosed upon for a debt exactly one week late in payment, Bigby’s College of Academic Arts was converted into the Hall of Records, a campus of six buildings, many centuries ago. A seventh building - a library - was sold off by the Taken at a hefty profit, which more than paid for the renovation of the remaining six. ’Course, being as sharp as they were, the Takers sold only the building, not the books, scrolls, and other academic treasures. Those materials were secreted in underground archives, to be used as the basis of a new research project: The Secret History of Sigil. Over the centuries, subsequent factols’ve continued to hide rare and valuable tomes in the secret vaults. Today, the underground complex takes up as large an area as the structures above; several buildings may even collapse, due to faulty excavation and poor shoring over the years.   The remaining six buildings were formerly used as a food hall, two student dormitories, a faculty dormitory, a huge academic hall, and a recreational ball. For the most part, a number of these buildings still retain their original functions. For instance, in the food hall, now just called the Faction Hall, the Fated and their comrades can get a good meal - and even a small room - at a reasonable price. Berks without jink can work for their supper or board, provided they make their arrangements in advance.   One of the student dormitories houses members of the Fated‘s “army.” Duke Darkwood has gradually increased the number of faction members stationed inside the Faction Dormitory: it now holds 2,500 Takers. Ostensibly, the troops are needed to help maintain the grounds and move the bulk of the archives, but some folks remain suspicious.   The second student dormitory and the faculty dormitory were converted into smaller records halls. One’s the Hall of Property Records, where a body can learn who owns what in all of Sigil - if he cares to look. ’Course, finding the right record is a tricky thing, and the Fated charge a good fee for the task (as well as note who wanted the information). And the Hall of Census Records tries to keep up with the fluctuating population of the Cage. The Fated do a decent job of recording births, but deaths are another thimg - mostly because the Dustmen don’t always bother to report the names of the deaders they collect. Fact is, the two factions often find themselves nearly coming to blows over the issue.   The five-story recreational hall, renamed the Rowan Academy of Training, is the site of challenges for position among the Takers. Twice a week, in the first-floor auditorium, contests of combat, magic, wit, or some other skill take place. If a low-ranked namer wants to move up, he finds a factotum who’s got the job he wants and issues a challenge. (Some namers prefer to "convince” the factotum to retire or encourage him to go after someone else’s position; some stubborn factotums disappear entirely.) As this is a major source of entertainment in Sigil, the Fated naturally charge admission to all onlookers - and contestants as well. The higher the position dsired, the greater the fee.   When it isn’t being used for challenges, the hall’s devoted to recreation of a sort far more like drill instruction. Per the factol's orders and under the guidance of Rayl Whitespoon, faction members learn the niceties of warfare, via both magic and weaponry. Whitespoon, though devoted to herself, respects Duke Darkwood‘s prowess and is Wing to follow him - at least, until a better prospect turns up. Some 3,000 faction members are currently in training in the Academy.   Also found inside the Academy is a permanent portal to Himinborg - a burg in the first layer of Ysgard where the Duke’s power, Heimdall, is sometimes found. There’s a fair amount of back-and-forth passage between Himinborg and Sigil, for not only do the Fated often go to Ysgard for recreation, but many of the inhabitants of that plane like to watch (and sometimes partake in) the Academy’s challenges and training sessions.   The final building, for which the whole campus is named, is the Hall of Records - a monstrous tower thirty stones high. Here are found all the moneylending records, tax rolls, debtors’ defaults, foreign bills of credit, and the like - anything dealing with jink. Duke Darkwood has close to 3,000 faction members worbing in the Hall, all devoted to finding still more tidbits of information usable in his quest to take over Sigil.   When the diggers uncover a secret worthy of reporting, they bring it to the first floor, where it’s sent up through magical tubes to the next floor and sorted. Depending on the nature of the information, it might get sent up to higher floors, until the most sensitive dark of all finally reaches the top floor. (Plenty of other folks in the Cage have learned to bring bits of usefil infonnotion to the Hall, where they usually get a gold piece or two in exchange.) Since privileged information makes its way through the hall, guards are posted prominently throughout the building: likewise, crystal balls for scrying are located in key positions, making guard duty less obvious and more effective.   Underneath the Hall of Records lies the main part of the archives (though they’ve sprawled out over the years beneath nearly all of the buildings). A staff of 4,000 tries to glean knowledge from the ancient scrolls or put together lists of cross-referenced information on possible threats to Darkwood. The only visitors allowed in the archives are other faction members with written permission from the Duke himself. During his year as factol, Darkwood‘s admitted only 37 guests.   One of the more noted historians at the Hall of Records is a frost giant named Brigitte Gunnarsmoon; she’s usually too busy to meet with every cutter off the street, but sometimes she takes an interest in an intriguing request and personally attends to a visitor’s neds. The blood to go to when all else fails, though, is Anam Oakwright. known to be the Duke’s right hand af the Hall.