Callestan

When Sharn first rose from the ruins of Shaarat, Callestan was the center for trade and commerce. Today, it serves as a center for illegal trade and activity. The people who come to stay in the inns of Callestan sacrifice comfort to avoid the watchful eyes of the law, and many crooked deals are arranged in these dark taverns.   Until recently, Callestan was a stronghold of the Boromar Clan. The Tyrants and House Tarkanan both conducted business in the district, but the Boromars collected tribute from the merchants, and the fences, dreamlily dens, and gambling halls all owed allegiance to the halfling crime lords. Over the last two years, however, Daask has been posing a significant threat to the Boromar position in Callestan. Daask soldiers have beaten and killed Boromar operatives. Businesses with ties to the Boromars have been threatened, robbed, or even destroyed. Tarkanan and the Tyrants have taken advantage of this conflict to strengthen their own positions, expanding their businesses and contacts in the region.   Most of the average services and trades, and all of the upscale services and trades, offered in this district are criminal in nature. Callestan is the best place to go to find a fence, arrange for a burglary, or acquire forged papers. All of these things can be found elsewhere in the city, but in Callestan you don’t have to worry about the Sharn Watch taking an interest. At this point, the district has become a crossroads for the four major criminal powers of Sharn, and one must deal with different groups for different services. House Tarkanan usually handles assassination and theft; forgery, deception, and prostitution are typically tied to the Tyrants; and smuggling, gambling, petty theft, and illegal goods are the realm of the Boromar Clan. Daask takes the role of a wild card that could intrude on any of these areas, but usually deal in violent crime.   The Sharn Watch won’t set foot in Callestan. Located at the base of Lower Dura, it’s been abandoned by the city above. Colors are faded, stones are cracked, and half the buildings should be condemned. The closest thing this district has to law is the Boromar Clan... and now they're being challenged by the monsters of Daask. Every day there’s the chance that a war will break out on the streets.   A Callestan campaign combines gritty dark fantasy with the classic Western. Callestan is effectively a frontier town in the middle of Sharn. The law is what you make it and brigands walk the streets. But it offers freedoms and opportunities you won't find in the towers above!  

Setting the Tone

  Callestan is a district shaped by poverty and neglect. People come to Callestan to engage in criminal activities: visiting dreamlily dens, buying or selling stolen goods, negotiating with a Boromar lieutenant or hiring a Tarkanan assassin. The thing that holds the district together on a daily basis is personal reputation and relationships. The reason no one robs the Anvil is because people love Eranna... and because they know Ilsa Boromar would hunt them down.   Poverty is a part of a Callestan campaign. Most of the people in this district have never seen a platinum piece, and a single gold piece has considerable value. Maintaining a comfortable lifestyle can be a challenge, and an uncommon magic item is a significant treasure. The material rewards of adventure should be lower than in a heroic fantasy campaign. But reputation and relationships are the true treasures of this style of campaign. If you save Ilsa Boromar, she might give you a purse with 10 gp for your trouble... but her favor may provide you with far more protection than a set of +1 amor.   An important piece of the tone is that no one cares what happens to Callestan. Things can occur here that would never happen in the upper towers. Daask might release a gorgon into the streets. The necromancers of the Emerald Claw could test a necrotic weapon or a new form of undead. A pack of wererats could take root, unnoticed by the Church of the Silver Flame. It’s a grim truth that anything can happen here... but it’s also a great source of adventure.  

The Shape of the District

  The heart of Callestan is the plaza called the Bridge. This central square serves as an open market and speaker’s corner. It’s not on a bridge; rather, the center of the plaza contains the wreckage of a bridge that fell from one of the higher wards.   More recently, the Bridge has taken on another meaning: it’s the line between Boromar territory and the wilds. Everything to the west of the Bridge is still under Boromar dominion. Fences, dreamlily dens, gambling holes—if it’s Westbridge, the Boromars take a cut and will actto protect it. The halfling Ilsa Boromar is the local clan leader. She despises needless cruelty but is ruthless in protecting her family’s interests. Eastbridge is a blend of Boromar loyalists, Daask insurgents, refugees and veteran soldiers driven here by war, even a small band of warforged. Westbridge is as safe as Callestan gets, while anything goes in Eastbridge.   Westbridge has a significant halfling population. In Eastbridge, a group of goblins, kobolds, and gnolls have taken up residence in a block of condemned tenements known as the Kennels. Aside from this, Callestan is incredibly diverse, and members of any race can be found here.   Callestan is an inner district, which means that it’s largely enclosed in one of the massive core towers of Dura Quarter. However, it’s large enough that it extends out to the walls of the tower. Many people live in or on the walls, in tenements or shops carved into the thick stone