SHARN
.
WATCH
A common viewpoint among the citizens of Sham is
that in the upper wards, the Sham Watch works for the
wealthy; in the middle wards, it works for the Boromar
Clan; and in the lower wards, it doesn't work at all.
This assessment is close enough to the truth. There's
an important undercurrent in the situation, however.
Although most officers of the Watch take bribes, that
doesn't mean all of them don't care about their city and
won't try to keep their communities safe; they do so be
cause they see their benefactors as being an important
part of the continued health of their community. For
instance, those officers who take gold from the Boro
mar Clan believe that the Boromars help keep the city
running and give the people what they want. But if some
strangers in town break the law, they're just troublemak
ers who deserve to be run in.
As another example, the guards of the Dura Bazaar
have an understanding with the gang of pickpockets
known as the Little Fingers. As long as the thieves
target only tourists and foreigners, the Watch will dis
miss any charges brought against them. Why should
an officer of the Sham Watch care if some Aundarian
with more gold than sense gets robbed? But if the Lit
tle Fingers pick on a local, they're asking for trouble.
The relationship works both ways; the pickpockets are
privy to things the Watch officers aren't, and they often
warn the Watch about suspicious people or activities
they witness.
Watch officers do exist who are entirely crooked and
care nothing for the law. At the other extreme, some
officers are entirely honorable and place the law above
CHAPTER (^4) I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES
all else, and most of those are willing to risk their lives
to save an innocent bystander from a rampaging Daask
troll. But most members of the Watch are pragmatists
who put the needs of their clients uppermost, the needs
of the citizenry second, and generally don't take action
against locals.
The upshot of all this is that the Watch's response to
a crime can vary significantly depending on the nature
of the crime and where it's committed. As a rule, when
a crime is committed in Skyway, any of the upper or
middle wards, Lower Central, Lower Tavick's Landing,
or Precarious, members of the Watch arrive to intervene
and investigate as soon as possible. In Cliffside, Lower
Menthis, and Lower Northedge, the few Watch members
in these locations address crimes in order of priority. In
Lower Dura and the Cogs, the Watch's reponse is typi
cally very slow.
SHARN WATCH DI VISIONS
The discussion above primarily concerns the rank and
file of the Sham Watch, the guards who walk the streets
day in and day out and the officers who supervise them.
The Watch also includes a few special divisions that
could cross the paths of the adventurers.
The Blackened Book is an elite core of abjurers and
diviners, charged with investigating and containing
magical threats. These wizards are highly dedicated
to their work and their city, and generally don't take
bribes. It's up to the higher-ups, however, to decide what
missions to assign to the Blackened Book; if there's a
case that a noble doesn't want investigated, it proba-
bly won't be.