SPORTS AND GAMES
As befits a metropolis that boasts people of all cultures,
Sham hosts a wide variety of sports and athletic events.
The Race of Eight Winds occurs once a year. Other
events take place on a daily, weekly, or monthly sched
ule. For instance, shifters hold informal hrazhak compe
titions every night in Lower Nor.thedge. The ogres of the
Cogs are fond of tugs-of-war, arm wrestling, and sim
ilarly simple tests of strength. People who want to bet
on sports can usually find a gambler willing to set odds
in the Firelight district in Lower Menthis, Callestan in
Lower Dura, Cornerstone in Middle Tavick's Landing,
or Hareth's Folly in Middle Dura. Three exotic sports
practiced in the city are described below.HRAZHAK
Two teams of seven shifters play hrazhak on a field
with a goal at each end. Each team starts out carrying a
wooden idol. To score, a team must steal its opponent's
idol and place both idols in its own goal. Obstacles such
as trees, streams, and piles of rubble can be present on
a hrazhak field, requiring the competitors to make full
use of their jumping and climbing abilities. Idols can be
thrown or carried, and there are no limits on contact
between participants, although only natural weapons
are allowed. Typically, a low-level druid or adept is on
hand to provide healing if needed-but any competitor
who receives aid is removed from play for the remainder
of the match. Competitors aren't allowed to use spells or
similar abilities.
The only formal hrazhak arena in Sham is located in
the Stone Trees, part of the Cornerstone district, where
the matches serve as both a spectator sport and a rea
son for gambling. Shifters created temporary hrazhak
fields in the slums and warehouse districts of the city
from time to time, and shifter youths often play im
promptu games in the parks.SKYBLADES
Common jousting is popular enough throughout Bre
land, but in Sham, the sport has taken to the air. In a
formal skyblades match, the goal is to knock an oppos
ing rider from the saddle-attacks against mounts are
forbidden, along with the use of magic or other super
natural abilities. Formal matches take place in one of
Sharn's two aerial arenas, in Cornerstone and Hareth's
Folly. Skyblades jousters typically ride hippogriffs and
carry blunted lances that deal nonlethal damage.
Informal matches, which don't always use the same
rules, occur from time to time in Lower and Middle
Dura, Tavick's Landing, and Menthis Plateau. An infor
mal match might be played out across an entire district,
with competitors weaving between towers and around
bridges. The rules for an informal match are set before
the start, establishing (among other things) whether
magic can be used and mounts can be targeted.
SIX STONES
A Droaam tradition brought to Sham by immigrants,
six stones is a game for seven competitors, who each
pay a base stake. The seven are then sealed in a large
chamber with a cockatrice. The match ends when six
CHAPTER 3 I SHARN, CITY OF TOWERSof the players have been turned to stone, at which point
the survivor is awarded all the stakes (except for a share
set aside for the organizers). A medusa handler moni
tors the competition to ensure that rules are followed.
Contestants carry no arms or armor, and no magic or
supernatural abilities may be used. Additionally, no one
is allowed to attack the cockatrice. The challenge lies
in outlasting the other contestants and luring them or
pushing them into the path of the cockatrice. The bat
tleground might be barren or littered with rubble and
cover; it might be lit, or it could be be pitch black.
Six stones matches are staged by the criminal organi
zation Daask (see the "Criminal Activities" section later
in this chapter). The sport is illegal, but the games go on
because the matches are confined to Lower Dura and
the Cogs and well hidden from the eyes of the Watch.
A match usually occurs only once every few months.
Sometimes participants voluntarily enter the compe
tition, but most are debtors who have been offered a
chance to pay off their loans by winning the match.
Daask takes bets on the outcome, and usually earns a
tidy sum as its share of the proceeds.CITY GOVERNMENT
Sham has many people in positions of power: beadles,
ministers, bailiffs, and all manner of minor functionar
ies and officials. But ultimate power rests in the hands
of the City Council. That body has seventeen members:
one for each ward in the city, plus representatives from
Skyway and the Cogs. Each ward has its own process
for selecting a councilor, and there are no legal restric
tions on who can govern; if you build up a strong base of
support in a ward, you could hold the position yourself!
The members of the City Council are quite diverse.
Some are crooked, others are idealists, and one of them
appears to be an owl. All of them are well known in their
home wards, and any of them could have use for a team
of adventurers. The Sham Councilors table describes
a few of the city leaders you might bump into in Upper
Central or at the Tain Gala. If your character has the no
ble background, you might already know one of them.SHARN COUNCILORS
d12 Councilor
Sorik Sensos (human) represents Middle Central. An
elder statesman and a brilliant orator, he is rumored
to be involved in a web of bribery and graft.
2 Sava Kharisa (human) is the outspoken councilor
from Lower Central. Since taking her seat, she has
fought to improve conditions for the lower classes of
Sharn, and she has made many enemies on the coun·
cil and beyond.
3 Thurik Davandi (gnome) represents Upper Menthis.4He is known to have ties to Zilargo and the Boromar
Clan, and reportedly loves intrigues and blackmail.
Savia Potellas (human) has her hand in the entertain
ment industry of Lower Menthis. She hopes to reduce
the influence of organized crime in her district, but
it's a dangerous game.