TEXT: Cities of Sundara
  Archbliss
  Azukail
  Games
  
  I
  Cities of Sundara:
  Archbliss
  Credits
  Design: Neal Litherland
  Editing and Layout: Adrian Kennelly
  Page Backgrounds: Figu Design
  Images: Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission, all rights reserved, 
  some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission, Publisher’s Choice 
  Quality Stockart © Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games, Azukail Games, Jacob E. Blackmon, 
  Jeff Brown.
  Map: Watabou
  Published by Azukail Games, a trading style of eGDC Ltd
  Copyright Information
  The contents are copyright © 2021 Azukail Games. All rights reserved. As a purchaser of 
  this product your are entitled to print one copy for personal use. Reproduction, reselling 
  and redistribution of this work are strictly and expressly forbidden without written per-
  mission from Azukail Games.
  Open Gaming License Copyright © 2007 Wizards of the Coast. All rights reserved
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  defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Con-
  tent: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), 
  dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, trade dress and the “Cities 
  of Sundara: Archbliss” name. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open 
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  game mechanics of this Azukail Games product are Open Game Content, as defined in 
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  Cities of Sundara: Archbliss is published by eGDC Ltd under the Open Game License v 
  1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
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  II
  Table of Contents
  What is “Cities of Sundara”? 
   
  1
  Applicant 
   
  2
  Archbliss: The City of the Sorcerers 
   
  3
  Of Myths and Magic 
   
  3
  The Foundations of Eternity 
  4
  Sidebar: Sorcerer’s Quartz 
  5
  The Golden Age of Sorcery 
  5
  The Great Anchoring 
  6
  Sidebar: The Economy of Archbliss 
  6
  Archbliss Today 
  7
  The Perpetual Peers 
   
  7
  The Secret of Archbliss: The Well of Magic Runs Low 
   
  8
  Gazetteer 
   
  9
  Sunrise Way 
  9
  Noteworthy Locations 
  9
  Persons of Interest 
  10
  Whispers and Rumors 
  10
  Glasswood 
  11
  Noteworthy Locations 
  11
  Persons of Interest 
  11
  Whispers and Rumors 
  12
  Samen’s Way 
  12
  Noteworthy Locations 
  13
  Whispers and Rumors 
  14
  Spirit Tower 
  14
  Noteworthy Locations 
  14
  Persons of Interest 
  15
  Whispers and Rumors 
  15
  North Gate 
  16
  Noteworthy Locations 
  16
  Persons of Interest 
  17
  Whispers and Rumors 
  17
  Winter Gate 
  17
  Noteworthy Locations 
  18
  Persons of Interest 
  18
  Whispers and Rumors 
  19
  East District 
  19
  Noteworthy Locations 
  19
  Persons of Interest 
  20
  Whispers and Rumors 
  20
  Castle Archbliss 
  21
  Noteworthy Locations 
  21
  Persons of Interest 
  22
  Whispers and Rumors 
  22
  New Weapon: Spellwarper 
   
  23
  Spellwarper Pistol (One-Handed Firearm) 
  23
  Spellwarper Rifle (Two-Handed Firearm) 
  23
  New Magic Item: Collar of Binding 
   
  23
  New Background: Scion of the Great Houses  
  24
  Feature: Power in the Blood 
  24
  List of the Great Houses 
  24
  New Rogue Archetype: Spell Hunter 
   
  25
  Game Master Advice: Using Archbliss  
  26
  Promises 
   
  27
  More 5th Edition Compatible Supplements 
   
  28
  Links  
  28
  Archbliss Map 
   
  29
  
  1
  What is “Cities of Sundara”?
  In fantasy tabletop roleplaying games there is a tendency for settings to constant-
  ly be looking backward to a lost golden age, or a time of legend where great feats of 
  magic and the techniques for creating potent items of power have been lost. Whether 
  this downfall comes as a result of an apocalyptic event, societal collapse, destruction 
  of knowledge or some combination thereof, players often find themselves struggling 
  through a world that, for all its wonders, is not what it once was.
  Sundara: Dawn of a New Age takes the opposite approach.
  The world of Sundara has all of the monsters, magic, dangers and hardships you would 
  expect in a fantasy RPG. However, the people of Sundara tend to look for the other side 
  of the coin, harnessing the raw forces of their world in order to overcome trials and trib-
  ulations in strange, unexpected ways. Through discovery, industry, understanding and 
  sheer grit, the people of Sundara are boldly stepping forward to master the world around 
  them.
  “Cities of Sundara” offers game masters and players alike a peek into this world. By 
  visiting unique locations across the setting, it gives you a taste of what life is like in this 
  setting. Not only that, but you can choose to use the cities in their original setting, or in-
  corporate them into your own. Each supplement will also include resources such as new 
  materials for weapons and armor, new creature types, as well as new weapons, magic 
  items and more to enhance your game!
  As the setting grows, even more elements will be included. So come, step out into the 
  dawn of a new age with us, and revel in all the fresh possibilities that Sundara has to 
  offer!
  
  2
  Applicant
  Kadar sat in the small, stone chamber, tapping his foot nervously. The young man’s 
  face was drawn, and the dark circles around his eyes suggested he hadn’t been sleep-
  ing much of late. Fresh scorch marks ran along the walls, and the air smelled of char. 
  He’d been waiting there for three days, eating meals slid through a hole in the wall, and 
  drinking herb water that made him sluggish.
  He couldn’t tell if the herbs made the fire in his veins better, or worse.
  When the door opened, Kadar shot to his feet fast enough that he nearly knocked his 
  chair over. A woman he’d never seen before stood in the doorway, her hair and eyes 
  both the deep red of fresh blood. Power radiated from her skin like heat from a baking 
  brick, and the silk of many colors she wore slid and shushed more like a fine oil than 
  a fabric. A golden arch glimmered on her breast, but Kadar hardly needed to see it to 
  know who she was.
  His village’s summons had been answered.
  “Kadar,” she said, nodding to him as if she’d known him for years.
  “Yes ma’am,” he said, bobbing his head. He swallowed hard, and felt the skin on the 
  back of his neck go taut. Clammy sweat beaded in the hollows of his temples, and then 
  rapidly evaporated. His stomach went sick. Kadar felt it coming up again, and he knew 
  he had to stop it.
  The woman crossed the room on light steps, and cupped Kadar’s chin. She tilted his 
  head up, looking down into his eyes. She held him with her gaze, pinning him to the 
  stones. She spoke words he’d never heard before. Words that hung in the air like whis-
  pered thunder. He had no idea what they meant, but a part of him understood them all 
  the same. He felt the sullen heat in his guts recede, and the burning in his head quiet. 
  He let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, and a heat haze curled from 
  his lips. The sorcerer nodded, and smiled at him. It was the first smile anyone had given 
  Kadar since reap night, when fire had starting bursting from his hands.
  “Your gift burns hot,” she said, the words appreciative. She glanced around the stone 
  chamber, taking in the scoring left over generations of those who’d had to stay within 
  the stone walls while they waited for a teacher to come for them. Kadar saw her gaze 
  linger on the number of fresh scorches, and he flushed. He couldn’t tell if he was proud, 
  or embarrassed. “You will need to learn to control it, however, or it will burn you out.”
  “Will... will you teach me how?” Kadar asked. He knew, almost instinctively, that she 
  could. The only question is whether he would be allowed to learn.
  She gave him another smile. This one was smaller, but just as warm. “We shall see what 
  you are capable of, when the time comes, Kadar. I have no doubt that we will find a 
  place for you, though.”
  
  3
  Archbliss: The City of the 
  Sorcerers
  High above the Kerren Plateau looms an 
  impossible sight; the floating city of Arch-
  bliss.
  Borne aloft on wind and cloud for millennia, 
  Archbliss was raised into the sky by the 
  most powerful sorcerers of a bygone age. 
  The city is a place where all persons who 
  inherit potent magical gifts are welcome, 
  and it is said to be a place where the laws 
  of the groundling world do not apply. In 
  Archbliss it is those without magic who are 
  the unusual members of the population. 
  Breathtaking sights from forests of crystal 
  trees, to rainbows that run like water, are 
  everyday miracles that residents barely no-
  tice. It is a place where, if one believes the 
  legends told about it, anything is possible.
  Legends are never quite what they appear 
  to be once someone gets a glimpse be-
  neath their skin, however...
  Of Myths and Magic
  None can say for certain when it was that 
  the first conclave of great sorcerers met, 
  or precisely what purpose it was that drew 
  them together. Some histories claim it was 
  because they had been outcast from their 
  lands, driven away out of fear by those 
  who didn’t understand who they were, or 
  what they could do. There are one or two 
  surviving tomes that reference a great 
  cataclysm, claiming that those who raised 
  the city had been empowered by the raw 
  stuff of the Prim that changed them, and 
  made them gateways to power that few 
  could ever dream of. And there are some 
  who believe that like simply calls to like, 
  and that the original sorcerers were drawn 
  to one another as surely as iron is drawn to 
  a lodestone.
  What all agree upon, though, is the sorcer-
  ers who founded Archbliss wished to use 
  their gifts to create a refuge for others like 
  themselves; to use their powers to make a 
  paradise for those who came after. It was 
  through their combined might that they 
  reshaped the very land around them, call-
  
  4
  ing up wonders as they bent the fabric of 
  reality the way a smith would shape met-
  al. With every hammer blow of their wills 
  ripples shivered throughout the world, and 
  those ripples drew others like them. Some 
  were great, and others small, but all were 
  welcomed. This was a place for those who 
  had been touched by things beyond the 
  purely mortal, and who sought to harness 
  their gifts in order to do more with them. 
  To serve a purpose greater than them-
  selves.
  Like all such endeavors, this meeting of 
  minds and wills started out as something 
  pure. As time went on, though, covetous 
  and fearful eyes were turned toward this 
  commune of sorcerers. Outsiders attempt-
  ed to bleed away more prominent sorcer-
  ers, offering them wealth and position if 
  they would turn their backs on others of 
  their kind. Some attempted to recruit spies 
  in order to find out what the sorcerers 
  were doing, and how they could sabotage 
  it. Many of these outsiders formed allianc-
  es and compacts, hoping to present a uni-
  fied front against what they perceived as a 
  growing threat to their own power. Several 
  of these outside forces put out a call for 
  holy warriors, so-called witch hunters and 
  others who could stand against the sorcer-
  ers if doing so became necessary.
  Surrounded by a growing threat on all 
  sides, the sorcerers banded together to 
  once again perform an impossible task. 
  Storms wracked the heavens, winds 
  howled and the earth all around 
  the fledgling city of Archbliss 
  cracked asunder... before the 
  city itself lifted out of the ground 
  and into the sky. Those who 
  feared the sorcerers were awed 
  by this display of raw might, and 
  though taking to the air didn’t 
  assuage the fears of those be-
  low, it insulated Archbliss from 
  the machinations that had been 
  corrupting it from the edges. 
  With their new self-imposed 
  isolation, the sorcerers were free to shape 
  their own laws, their culture and the very 
  laws of reality around them without inter-
  ference.
  Which is precisely what they did.
  The Foundations of Eternity
  Though magic may take nearly infinite 
  forms, and it can be crafted to suit nearly 
  any purpose, there remain eight schools 
  that all spells fall into. Using a defined 
  quantity to describe infinity was, in many 
  ways, how the sorcerers saw themselves. 
  Mortals with access to power usually re-
  served for gods, they were finite con-
  duits to an infinite (and infinitely variable) 
  source of energy.
  It was with this symbolism in mind that 
  Archbliss formed the eight Great Houses, 
  each one focusing on the mastery of par-
  ticular schools of magic. The Houses al-
  lowed those of similar bloodlines to come 
  together, to pool their energies, to learn 
  from one another and to find a special kind 
  of kinship that only those with sorcerous 
  gifts could truly experience. While it was 
  rare for any bloodline to fall entirely un-
  der a single Great House (especially given 
  that many sorcerers tended to stretch their 
  magic in a variety of directions), the Hous-
  es were often fluid entities that exchanged 
  knowledge and members freely as the 
  need arose.
  The goals were to ensure that 
  sorcerers were free to choose 
  their own destinies, to walk their 
  own paths and to associate with 
  those they wished.
  From the Great Houses came 
  the Peers; those who had been 
  elected to speak for the city as 
  the masters of particular forms 
  of magic. Each House chooses its 
  Peers according to its own stan-
  dards and customs, but general-
  
  5
  ly speaking those who are allowed to speak 
  with the voice of the House do so because 
  they are respected and trusted by those 
  who agreed to elevate them to the rank.
  It was the first gathering of the Perpetual 
  Peers who laid down the foundations for 
  what Archbliss would strive to become. 
  They declared that their city would be a 
  haven away from the concerns of the world 
  below. That Archbliss would be a place of 
  beauty and art, and where the creation of 
  a new (and better) way forward would be 
  their goal. Only once they had unlocked 
  the secrets of magic, and truly mastered 
  its ways, would they descend again from 
  their heights to spread their knowledge to 
  those who lived in the shadows below.
  Sidebar: Sorcerer’s Quartz
  The foundations of the entire city of Arch-
  bliss are lined with veins of a unique stone 
  referred to by most arcane scholars as sor-
  cerer’s quartz. This crystalline substance 
  reacts to the presence of magic, absorbing 
  and storing the power of spells inside itself. 
  Though small chips of this stone are used 
  in the construction of wands, amulets, 
  rings, and a variety of specialist magical 
  items, it is far from a common element. 
  Even today, after literal centuries of study, 
  there’s no telling for certain what events 
  will lead to the creation of these crystals; 
  all that’s truly agreed upon is that they 
  tend to be found in the 
  thin places of the world, 
  where the Prim bleeds 
  through into the very 
  rocks and soil.
  The ability for the city to 
  store huge amounts of 
  magical power to be used 
  as needed is one reason 
  Archbliss has been able 
  to keep itself aloft as long 
  as it has. In addition to 
  maintaining the city’s 
  flight, though, there are 
  siphons all across Archbliss that tap di-
  rectly into these veins for various day-to-
  day uses. From spigots and fountains that 
  conjure fresh water from nothing, to the 
  teleportation circles engraved into several 
  of the city’s squares, to the lamps that run 
  along most streets, the energy stored in 
  these veins is used to accomplish almost 
  all of the city’s everyday miracles.
  The Golden Age of Sorcery
  The youth of Archbliss is obscured today 
  by the myths surrounding the deeds of 
  the early sorcerers, and the fantastical 
  reports of those few people who were not 
  themselves inductees of one of the Great 
  Houses. The city flew across the world like 
  a great ship, or the home of some god, 
  often coming to the aid of those who had 
  lost all hope. Many poems and ballads are 
  still recited today, telling the tales of how 
  great sorcerers felled dragons with a wave 
  of their hand, called down rains from the 
  sky to end droughts or who turned en-
  tire armies into fields of statues with a fell 
  word and a withering glare.
  Layers of grandeur and romance have been 
  added to these songs and stories over the 
  years, and they often gloss over (or out-
  right omit) certain facts when it comes to 
  deals made with Archbliss. Because while 
  the sorcerers did offer aid and comfort to 
  many towns and villages in their times of 
  need, there was always a 
  price asked by the city in 
  the sky. Sometimes it was 
  the right to seek those 
  with a gift among the pop-
  ulace, and to take them 
  to Archbliss to be trained 
  in the use of their pow-
  er. Other times it was a 
  spouse, or even a squire, 
  who would leave with the 
  sorcerer. The price was 
  always set by the white-
  veiled members of House 
  Territus, whose members 
  
  6
  could read the skeins of fate the way sail-
  ors could find their way with nothing more 
  than the stars in the night sky.
  Archbliss thrived, or seemed to, and the 
  tales of what was possible in the city from 
  that age can scarcely be believed, even 
  today. It was nearly a thousand years 
  ago now that Archbliss stopped moving, 
  though, taking up its current position 
  above the empty grasslands of the Kerren 
  Plateau. This was where the City of the 
  Sorcerers came Termites down from its 
  heights (metaphorically speaking) and tru-
  ly joined the rest of the world for the first 
  time since its ascendance.
  The Great Anchoring
  When Archbliss ceased roaming the skies 
  after so many centuries of floating through 
  the clouds, there were many earthbound 
  peoples who wondered what it meant. The 
  world below waited with bated breath. 
  Fears of the past emerged anew, and whis-
  pers that Archbliss would finally declare 
  war spread through the halls of power 
  across the continent. Equally grim were 
  speculations that after so many years of 
  living higher than the rest, Archbliss was 
  about to come tumbling down out of the 
  sky.
  In the end neither of these things came to 
  pass.
  Instead, Archbliss established a boundary 
  of terrain on the ground below, and it sent 
  messengers to those bloodlines and set-
  tlements it had formed agreements and 
  pacts with over the years. News spread 
  along the highways and trade routes that 
  after all their years of wandering, Archbliss 
  felt it was time to take a step back toward 
  the world it had left so long ago. It was to 
  this end that the city had stopped above 
  an area of unclaimed wilderness, allowing 
  itself to be found reliably by those who 
  needed to reach them. And though the city 
  had kept itself largely closed off from those 
  who lacked sorcerous gifts in the past, it 
  began to open its gates to the common 
  folk.
  Only a crack, at first, but even that crack 
  was more than most would ever dream of.
  Arcane scholars, many of whom had long 
  dreamed of seeing the wonders of Arch-
  bliss, petitioned to be allowed to enter the 
  city. Merchant princes and trade guilds 
  tried to outbid each other for the privilege 
  of being allowed to form contracts with 
  the city. Ripples were sent throughout the 
  region as eyes turned toward the floating 
  relic of an age that had long since passed 
  from living memory in the lands below.
  Sidebar: The Economy of Arch-
  bliss
  One of the most peculiar things about 
  Archbliss is that it almost completely 
  lacks a form of understandable currency. 
  Gold and other precious metals are nearly 
  worthless, since they can be created at will 
  be many mid-ranking transmuters. Magic 
  items that would fetch hefty prices in the 
  world below are often worth significantly 
  less in the City of the Sorcerers as well, 
  sometimes regarded as mere trinkets or 
  baubles unless they are of significant pow-
  er or rarity.
  Those in Archbliss often find value in un-
  expected things, however, which has led 
  to commodities once thought worthless (or 
  nearly so) growing in demand in certain 
  quarters. From a vial of blood from a rare 
  magical creature, to fresh fruit raised with-
  out magic (a noted status symbol among 
  certain of the city’s elite), to the latest in-
  ventions and artifice from the world below, 
  it’s always surprising what one might be 
  able to barter for in exchange for the po-
  tent enchanted items that are as common 
  as dirt in Archbliss.
  The most reliable commodity one can use 
  to trade with the City of the Sorcerers, 
  
  7
  though, is sorcerer’s quartz. Difficult to 
  find, and nearly impossible to manufacture 
  reliably, there’s always a market in Arch-
  bliss for it. Additionally, many locations 
  within the city will accept a trade in spell 
  slots put into their siphon. The energy re-
  quired will vary based on the service being 
  asked for (a handful of repeated cantrip 
  castings for a meal, while a 1st or 2nd 
  level spell slot will typically cover the cost 
  of lodging), but it allows many locations to 
  provide services without putting a strain on 
  the city’s energy reservoir.
  Archbliss Today
  While Archbliss still remains isolationist in 
  many respects (particularly when it comes 
  to remaining a neutral party in matters 
  of large-scale conflict), they have been 
  making overtures to other entities over 
  the past century. From powerful cities like 
  Ironfire, to long-standing organizations like 
  the Silver Wraiths, Archbliss ensures there 
  are open lines of communication should 
  they be required.
  Archbliss has won a great deal of friends 
  in high places by offering the services of 
  the city’s acolytes as a gesture of goodwill. 
  Whether it’s as advisors on matters magi-
  cal, or to provide aid in dire situations, the 
  City of the Sorcerers does its best to at 
  least appear open-handed with its support. 
  Just as in the tales of old, however, there 
  must always be some form of compensa-
  tion. Every bargain has its price, as they 
  say.
  Those who wish to trade with Archbliss 
  often bring their goods to the plains below 
  the city. Even those who have business 
  with city officials (such as those who seek 
  to present themselves for training as bur-
  geoning sorcerers, or to offer their services 
  to Archbliss as a whole) will usually meet 
  with officials on the ground level before 
  being transported to the city above.
  Gaining access to Archbliss itself is often 
  a matter of cost more than anything else, 
  these days. While those with pressing 
  official business (as well as citizens of the 
  city) may be allowed to use the city’s tele-
  portation circles, visitors will often seek 
  out alternative means of transportation. 
  The plain is littered with teamsters that 
  command exotic mounts, ranging from 
  manticores, to wyverns, to winged horses, 
  and these beasts can often make dozens 
  of flights a day to bring travelers up to the 
  city itself. Some even boast saddlebags of 
  holding, allowing travelers to bring their 
  gear with them for an extra fee.
  No matter how many goods (and people) 
  enter Archbliss, however, it sometimes 
  seems like nothing much leaves the city 
  except for trinkets and stories. There are 
  always rumors of everything from potent 
  grimoires to weapons of legend being re-
  moved from the city’s vaults in exchange 
  for some dire promise or terrible cost, but 
  there are those who wonder if those are 
  just more whispers meant to draw peo-
  ple to the city so they can leave whatever 
  items of value behind when they eventually 
  descend once again.
  The Perpetual Peers
  While sorcerers are more common in Arch-
  bliss than anywhere else in the world, 
  there are sorcerers and then there are 
  sorcerers. Those who are born to the 
  bloodlines of the Great Houses, or who are 
  accepted into their fold as sworn members, 
  tend to be among the most prosperous and 
  powerful members of the city.
  And it is traditionally from this population 
  that the Peers are drawn.
  Each of the Peers who sit on the Perpetual 
  Council speaks for their House, and sym-
  bolically for the school of magic that House 
  is dedicated to. It is the Peers who weigh 
  in on the weighty matters of governance, 
  and who decide the laws of the city. It is 
  also the Peers who appoint representatives 
  
  8
  to Archbliss’s government bodies, and who 
  are privy to the full breadth of the city’s 
  vaults, as well as of information that is typ-
  ically kept hidden from the public.
  The Secret of Archbliss: The 
  Well of Magic Runs Low
  There is a secret the Peers have kept hid-
  den not just from the world below, but 
  from nearly everyone in Archbliss itself; 
  the city is closer to falling out of the sky 
  than anyone could possibly guess. For 
  while the veins of sorcerer’s quartz that 
  run through the city’s foundations are as 
  strong today as they have ever been, there 
  is barely enough power being poured into 
  them to keep the city running.
  The problems that led to this state are 
  legion. As the world below grew and 
  changed, sorcerers were welcomed in 
  more places than previously, which meant 
  Archbliss had fewer newcomers to the 
  city. While many pairings among the Great 
  Houses did produce sorcerous offspring, 
  nothing was guaranteed, and the city 
  hasn’t replaced its numbers over the long 
  centuries. Not only that, but when Arch-
  bliss was first established the power stored 
  within the sorcerer’s quartz was only used 
  for large rituals, and for energy-intensive 
  needs; it was assumed the day-to-day 
  requirements would be handled by the 
  population casting their own spells. As time 
  went on, though, the well was tapped for 
  more and more everyday necessities and 
  magical luxuries. Today it’s used for con-
  juring food, creating water, creating enter-
  tainment and nearly every other aspect of 
  daily life in Archbliss. This strain was, in 
  truth, the reason the city ceased its move-
  ment so long ago; it takes far less power 
  to remain floating yet anchored in place 
  than it does to fly across the world.
  The two biggest issues exacerbating this 
  problem, though, is the secrecy of the 
  Peers, and the hoarding of resources and 
  energies by the Great Houses.
  In order to maintain a facade of strength 
  and power, the Perpetual Council has come 
  up with alternative explanations for near-
  ly every action taken to ration the energy 
  within the city’s grid. Not only that, but 
  they often allow extravagant displays to 
  happen in order to impress visitors and as-
  suage the suspicions of the city’s populace. 
  Making matters worse, the Great Houses 
  (which could make serious progress if they 
  worked together the way the sorcerers of 
  old did) have grown selfish and insular. 
  They keep their power close, often tapping 
  into the grid rather than using their own 
  spells even for mundane requirements. 
  Each expects the others to contribute, with 
  each House falsely believing they are the 
  only ones siphoning more energy out of 
  the city than they’re contributing.
  The desperation of this situation has 
  pushed many of the Peers (as well as their 
  closest advisors) to sponsor several se-
  cretive projects over the years to try to 
  recharge the city without sacrificing their 
  own energies to do so.
  Some of these measures are relatively be-
  nign, such as attempting to capture light-
  ning bolts from the surrounding skies, or 
  creating social mores among the common 
  citizens that leads them to expend their 
  energies into the crystalline reservoir as 
  a measure of pride or proof of their own 
  power. Others are rather more sinister, 
  such as arresting those with spellcasting 
  abilities for minor infractions, and putting 
  them in cells that leach away their stored 
  energy as long as they’re inside, or at-
  tempting to instill sorcerous power into av-
  erage people via arcane experiments that 
  lead to monstrous results far more often 
  than they do to creating a newly-minted 
  sorcerer. It’s even rumored that refugees 
  from Moüd were conscripted to duplicate 
  the rite that punched a hole into the Prim, 
  drilling into an inexhaustible well of power 
  (albeit on a far smaller scale than the rite 
  
  9
  that doomed the City of Bones).
  This desperate need for power and energy 
  is the reason Archbliss has allowed in so 
  many non-sorcerer spellcasters over the 
  past several decades. However, the city’s 
  culture of only allowing those with sorcer-
  ous bloodlines to rise to positions of power, 
  ensuring wizards, witches, clerics and oth-
  ers remain firmly in the lower class, cam-
  ouflages this need as a kind of back-hand-
  ed charity. How much longer the illusion of 
  prosperity will last, and how much more 
  extreme the measures taken by the Peers 
  might become if it is threatened, are ques-
  tions better not contemplated.
  Gazetteer
  The following is a district-by-district break-
  down of Archbliss. Each entry contains 
  places of interest within each district, as 
  well as notable NPCs players are likely to 
  come across if they spend any amount of 
  time in a particular part of the city. Addi-
  tionally, each entry has rumors you can 
  use to create side quests, or to act as fod-
  der for your own stories within the City of 
  the Sorcerers!
  Sunrise Way
  Gates of burnished bronze worked with 
  fanciful patterns of silver open onto a gold-
  en road winding through the district. It 
  seems like every surface in Sunrise Way 
  gleams, and nothing is ever truly perma-
  nent. Benches that appear to be made of 
  stone run like melting wax to assume new 
  shapes, windows become lattices to allow 
  in fresh breezes and fountains may move 
  or change to become different scenes in 
  their entirety. The residents seem to take 
  the mutable nature of their home in stride, 
  and many of them seem to change their 
  flesh as easily as others might change their 
  clothes.
  One of the most impressive entrances into 
  Archbliss is found in Sunrise Way. The 
  gate was supposedly one of the first things 
  formed by Trixus, the original Peer of 
  transmutation. Perhaps the most common 
  place for pilgrims and travelers to enter 
  through, Sunrise Way leaves many visitors 
  awed and humbled at the enduring majes-
  ty (and majestic strangeness) of how mag-
  ic re-writes the rules of what one might 
  consider normal.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Street of Gold: The road that 
  leads through Sunrise Way to the heart 
  of Archbliss itself, the Street of Gold is 
  another relic from the founding of the 
  city. It’s said Trixus formed the initial 
  bricks with a gesture and a breath, 
  taking every base substance that could 
  be found and turning it to a brick of this 
  pure, noble material. Though nearly ev-
  ery brick in the road has been replaced 
  over the long years, this is always done 
  by a member of House Altarius; often 
  as a final test of power and skill before 
  an acolyte is granted full standing as a 
  member of the House.
  • The Brimming Court: A large plaza 
  in the southern part of the district, the 
  Brimming Court is filled with strange, 
  metallic arches, and free-standing 
  panes of crystal. The stones of the pla-
  za shift underfoot, often changing color 
  or glowing with light of varying hues 
  when someone steps on them. Those 
  who walk beneath the arches find that 
  their voices change, or that their hair, 
  clothes, skin or eyes take on fanciful 
  changes and appearances. The chang-
  es tend to be temporary, but there are 
  more than a few travelers who leave the 
  city with “a kiss from the Court” in the 
  form of changes that last for months... 
  or even years, in some cases.
  • Rainbow’s End: Located around an 
  oddly-shaped courtyard in the west-
  ern part of the district, Rainbow’s End 
  is a place where people go to find their 
  true selves, and to embrace change. 
  
  10
  Residents come in a variety of shapes 
  and species, many of whom have been 
  altered, augmented or otherwise trans-
  formed by magic. Shapeshifters are at 
  home here, and from women with silver 
  skin and glowing eyes, to dogs that walk 
  upright and bark in the tongues of man, 
  Rainbow’s End can feel like one is walk-
  ing through a dream rather than a place 
  firmly in the material world.
  Persons of Interest
  • Vieren Vaughn: Colorful even by the 
  standards of gnomes, Vieren is con-
  stantly shifting in hair color, eye color, 
  skin tone and voice pitch. A regular 
  fixture in the Brimming Court, Vieren 
  seems to be attempting to understand 
  the patterns of the seemingly random 
  effects created by the arches and crys-
  tals in this strange place. Usually willing 
  to share whatever insights they have, 
  Vieren comes across as more than a lit-
  tle obsessive on the matter of the Court, 
  and what it was meant to do.
  • Ran Houndstooth: With his long muz-
  zle and drooping ears, it’s clear that Ran 
  was a bloodhound in his former life... 
  and in many respects, he still is. Though 
  he walks upright now, and he wears 
  an oft-patched robe of many colors 
  and fabrics, he still has a nose that can 
  scent danger from halfway across the 
  city. Always happy to meet new friends, 
  and to act as a guide around his neigh-
  borhood, Ran doesn’t like troublemak-
  ers. He especially doesn’t care for those 
  who bear the badge of the Black Tower, 
  and they’re some of the only people in 
  the city he’ll growl at.
  • Tash Horwen: An old man with a bald 
  head and a thick beard, Tash always 
  seems to have a smile for those who 
  cross his path. Dressed in the coppery 
  robes of a mid-level public servant of 
  Archbliss, he spends most of his days 
  pointing his wand along the Street of 
  Gold, polishing and repairing it with a 
  spell he learned as a wizard’s apprentice 
  many years ago. Though he’s repaired 
  foundations with his magic, and helped 
  restore some semblance of order when 
  things occasionally go awry in the dis-
  trict, there’s a kind of resignation to his 
  work. As if Tash knows he’ll never rise 
  any higher in his profession, barring 
  some truly unexpected change that im-
  bues him with a sorcerous bloodline.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • It’s said that the Brimming Court is 
  more than just a place for amusement 
  and diversion; some people believe that 
  if someone exposes themselves to the 
  proper effects in the correct order at the 
  right time that it will infuse them with 
  energy, and transform them into a sor-
  cerer. Whether it’s supposed to awaken 
  a latent heritage, or instill magic into 
  the blood, there are several different 
  theories about how the process suppos-
  edly works. Most say it’s just a flight of 
  fancy, but with some of the unusual ef-
  fects that have been reported by those 
  who’ve passed beneath the arches, it’s 
  far from impossible that this could be 
  true.
  • Though the Street of Gold bears thou-
  sands of names on its bricks, it’s said 
  there remains a single brick that was 
  originally placed there by Trixus in the 
  early days of the city. This brick moves 
  to a new location with every sunrise, 
  however, following a pattern none but 
  the original Peer of House Altarius can 
  fathom. If one can find the brick, and 
  unlock the puzzle engraved on it, it’s 
  said they will find a key placed inside it 
  by Trixus. What the key goes to, or why 
  Trixus felt the need to hide it in such a 
  place, are matters of great debate.
  • Most who walk into Rainbow’s End come 
  out changed, which makes it rather 
  difficult to keep track of whose path 
  takes them through that particular 
  neighborhood. There are whispers that 
  visitors from outside the city who come 
  to Archbliss to remake themselves slip 
  
  11
  through the cracks behind closed doors, 
  vanishing into the shadows cast by the 
  bright lights of this neighborhood. Who 
  would take them, and for what purpose, 
  is a subject rarely discussed in public, 
  however. The ears of the Black Tower 
  are always too close for comfort, and no 
  one wants to be the next person who 
  vanishes into thin air.
  Glasswood
  A gleaming district of spires and stone, the 
  air in Glasswood feels positively charged 
  with violent potential; like the electrici-
  ty in the air before a storm. Spark lights 
  shine in most windows, and bright 
  banners fly from shops and homes 
  alike to declare loyalties. Standing in 
  neat rows along most streets are the 
  crystal spires Glasswood is named 
  for. These stalagmites of sorcerer’s 
  quartz shimmer and glow, drinking 
  in the errant discharges and way-
  ward spells that tend to fly from a 
  district known for evocation.
  The seat of House Torrent, Glass-
  wood is widely regarded as one of 
  the more dangerous sections of 
  Archbliss, if for no other reason than 
  the amount of destructive poten-
  tial possessed by average residents 
  there. Most agree that if Glasswood 
  wasn’t filled with so many nodes 
  of sorcerer’s quartz, which conduct 
  discharges straight into the well of 
  power beneath the city, it’s likely 
  that the district would have been de-
  stroyed a dozen times over by now.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Glass Spire: Located near 
  the heart of the city itself, the 
  Glass Spire is supposedly where 
  the ritual was conducted that 
  raised Archbliss into the sky so 
  many centuries ago. Even now, 
  all these years later, the air 
  around the Spire seems to hum with 
  power. It’s a humbling sight, even for 
  the most gifted magic users, and it is 
  often thought of as a place of pilgrimage 
  for sorcerers who don’t reside in Arch-
  bliss who want to gaze upon what can 
  be done with their gifts if they’re prop-
  erly applied.
  • The Arcanum: Located in the south-
  ern part of Glasswood, this center of 
  learning has trained sorcerers to control 
  their talents for well over a thousand 
  years now. With sweeping staircases, 
  high-ceilinged halls and a huge prac-
  tice yard, there is a weight of tradition 
  and history that’s almost palpable in 
  the stones of this institution. And for 
  those who are sensitive to the residue 
  of magic, the Arcanum is saturated in 
  echoes of the past; overlapping signa-
  tures on its walls from hundreds of gen-
  erations of students who came before.
  • The Lightning House: A tower built 
  in the heart of the district, the Lightning 
  House is a kind of hostel for those seek-
  ing the favor of House Torrent. Though 
  never unoccupied, the number of 
  non-sorcerers who call this place home 
  has grown over the years... perhaps 
  more than anywhere else in the city. 
  Though even here, those whose power 
  flows in their blood will always be given 
  preference over those who rely on other 
  means to master their magic.
  Persons of Interest
  • Eranor Irons: With a heavy, profes-
  sorial beard and a bald head that’s just 
  starting to show his first age spots, this 
  dwarf has tutored half a dozen gener-
  ations of sorcerers in the fine arts of 
  overwhelming force. Always surround-
  ed by a breeze, even in rooms that are 
  closed to the elements, Eranor’s voice 
  is far larger and deeper than even his 
  impressive chest should account for; a 
  clue to the storm that boils in his veins.
  • Thuvia Glass: The mistress of the 
  Lightning House, Thuvia has held her 
  
  12
  current position for nearly two centu-
  ries. An elven woman with limbs that 
  are a little too long, and dark eyes that 
  are entirely black, she has the air of 
  a particularly large spider. A friendly, 
  pleasant spider, as many of her charges 
  admit, but a spider nonetheless. Though 
  the Lightning House has a staff these 
  days, most of the chores still seem to 
  do themselves when no one is looking... 
  and no matter how many times some-
  one asks, Thuvia won’t disclose precise-
  ly how that happens.
  • Jentari Cloudwalker: Barely three 
  feet tall, with a head full of frizzy hair, 
  Jentari is one of several “glass light-
  ers” employed by the district. Regularly 
  checking the fingers of sorcerer’s quartz 
  that fill the district, it’s far from uncom-
  mon to see Jentari singing to the stones 
  until they glow brightly with the inher-
  ent magic of her song. Far from the 
  only bard to take up this role in the city, 
  many nights it can feel like there’s a 
  concert going on in the district’s streets 
  once the sun goes down, and the glass-
  es need to be lit.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • An unusual construction is being built 
  atop the Lightning House. This collec-
  tion of massive metal rods makes the 
  tower look like it’s wearing a crown, 
  and it tends to draw even more strikes 
  from the stormy skies than was previ-
  ously the case. Every time it happens 
  the veins of sorcerer’s quartz running 
  through the structure glow brightly, 
  before subsiding several minutes later. 
  While some think nothing of it, seeing 
  the crown as simply a protective mea-
  sure to safeguard one of the tallest 
  buildings in the entire district, others 
  suggest the Lightning House has been 
  turned into a conductor for some other 
  purpose.
  • The Arcanum still has students in it, but 
  the halls that were made for hundreds 
  of students barely contain two dozen 
  most years. While some say that’s be-
  cause more sorcerers come to the city 
  with full command of their powers, and 
  a majority of those born to the Great 
  Houses are tutored by those around 
  them as they grow up, others are wor-
  rying that the emptiness of the univer-
  sity is a dire portent of the future of the 
  city itself. Some have even discussed 
  expanding the curriculum to allow wiz-
  ards and other traditions of spellcaster 
  to fill the classes, but it’s proven a divi-
  sive subject in both the district and the 
  city.
  • It’s considered good luck to “charge” the 
  crystals all throughout Glasswood. Much 
  like throwing a coin into a wishing well, 
  firing cantrips and similarly low-pow-
  ered spells at the crystals is said to 
  bring good fortune to those who do it. 
  This tradition has become fairly com-
  mon over the past several decades, and 
  it’s a favorite among younger sorcerers 
  who are just starting to come into their 
  magic. No one can quite remember why 
  this tradition started in the first place, 
  though, but there are several spirited 
  debates about the purpose it probably 
  served when it first began.
  Samen’s Way
  Dragons fly through the skies on pearles-
  cent wings, belching forth flames that 
  leave no mark on the surrounding build-
  ings. Beautiful dancers flicker in and out 
  of walls like phantoms and music seems to 
  erupt out of thin air. Entire plays are per-
  formed by actors who float a dozen feet 
  off the ground, and mythical battles are 
  re-enacted in brutal, visceral details, only 
  to vanish as soon as the story draws to a 
  close. It’s impossible to tell what is real 
  and what isn’t when one enters Samen’s 
  Way... but that’s all part of the experience 
  one comes to the district for in the first 
  place!
  The seat of House Samen, this district of 
  the city is famed for the bizarre entertain-
  
  13
  ment it boasts, and the impossible illusions 
  that can amaze even those who are jad-
  ed to the constant presence of powerful 
  magic. Samen’s Way boasts perhaps the 
  largest number of visitors to Archbliss, and 
  it’s been said that on the nights of some of 
  the larger festivals half the population of 
  the city makes its way into this southern 
  stretch.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Respite: A collection of inns, 
  shops, parks and shaded lounging ar-
  eas to the south of the city beyond the 
  wall, the Respite is where a number of 
  travelers who come to Archbliss to see 
  the sights stay. Originally a place for 
  those who’d had enough of the illusions 
  so common throughout the district, the 
  more flamboyant spells that are com-
  monly seen in Samen’s Way are banned 
  in this place. It’s a haven where people 
  can trust their senses... at least until 
  they walk back into the rest of the dis-
  trict.
  • The Court of Lights: A large plaza on 
  the border of Samen’s Way and Glass-
  wood, the Court of Lights is where 
  some of the city’s greatest illusory per-
  formances have taken place over the 
  years. From conducting ghostly orches-
  tras, to re-creations of the deeds of 
  the sorcerers who first raised Archbliss 
  into the sky, there are shows of light 
  and wonder that have never been seen 
  anywhere else. Even the acolytes of 
  House Samen, who come to prove their 
  mastery over the sound and thunder of 
  illusion, can leave audiences howling for 
  more.
  • The Lost Ways: A difficult-to-find set 
  of alleyways hidden by illusory walls and 
  curtains of shadows, the Lost Ways is 
  the dark side of illusion’s typically bright 
  and cheery face. Filled with those who 
  weave filaments of dangerous darkness 
  into their magic, none of the illusions 
  found in the Lost Ways are harmless. 
  Not only that, but if the rumors about 
  what lurks down these hidden alleys are 
  to be believed, many of them can be 
  downright lethal.
  Persons of Interest
  • Nierena Gilded Eye: The gatekeeper 
  at the border between the Respite and 
  the rest of the district, Nierena is an 
  impressive sight to say the least. With 
  skin the color of burnished bronze, she 
  stands a head taller than most men. 
  With a soft voice that seems to travel 
  further than it should, her left eye is a 
  bright, emerald green. Her right eye has 
  been replaced with an engraved sil-
  ver sphere bearing strange glyphs that 
  seems to rotate when she grows irritat-
  ed. It’s said that this eye allows her to 
  see through all but the most subtle (or 
  powerful) of glamours.
  • Laranna Dandra: With flowing hair 
  that changes color like an indecisive 
  rainbow, and a voice that rings like 
  silver bells, Laranna has a good deal of 
  elven blood in her veins. One of the reg-
  ular “conductors” at the Court of Lights, 
  her shows are chaotic and bombastic, 
  reveling in color and sound rather than 
  illusions which tell carefully conceived 
  stories or accurate narratives of the 
  past. While there are plenty of tradi-
  tionalists who turn up their noses at her 
  style, she draws crowds not just from 
  around the city, but throughout the 
  entire region when she steps up to the 
  stand.
  • Tarrak Shadowborn: A long, lean man 
  with a noted orc heritage, Tarrak’s skin 
  is a stony, pebbled gray. His eyes are 
  entirely black and his shadow seems to 
  be darker than it should be... it also has 
  a tendency of moving of its own accord, 
  which can be more than a little unset-
  tling. Soft-spoken and polite, Tarrak 
  nevertheless has a fearsome reputation 
  throughout the district, and there are 
  dozens of particularly nasty rumors that 
  dog his heels. None seem to know pre-
  cisely where the line between specula-
  
  14
  tion and the truth is, though, and Tar-
  rak has no interest in clarifying even if 
  someone is bold enough to ask him to.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • It seems like there’s always events of 
  one stripe or another in the Court of 
  Lights, but those who watch the trends 
  in the district have remarked that many 
  of the shows have been smaller and 
  more intimate of late. Not only that, but 
  the latest trend seems to be incorporat-
  ing teams of spellcasters, rather than 
  allowing the creative vision and talent 
  of one person to define the show. Some 
  are suggesting the entertainment is too 
  much of a drain on the city’s resources, 
  but whenever those rumors get too loud 
  is when another of the extravaganzas is 
  scheduled. Is the speculation just tire-
  some worrying, or is there something 
  more to why fewer and fewer illusionists 
  tap into the city’s sorcerer’s quartz to 
  fuel their shows?
  • The Lost Ways has 
  always been something 
  of an open secret in the 
  district, but it seems to 
  be drawing more atten-
  tion than ever before 
  these days. Some are 
  suggesting that the 
  more dangerous oper-
  ators in the communi-
  ty have been given a 
  free hand by the Peers, 
  as long as they utilize 
  their skills on behalf of 
  the city’s rulers when 
  called upon to do so. Several people 
  consider this laughable, but there are 
  others who take it quite seriously. After 
  all, making the impossible happen with 
  nothing but smoke and whispers is illu-
  sion’s stock in trade.
  • Though it’s currently seen as something 
  of a low-rent place to house visitors, 
  there are rumored to be hidden theaters 
  all throughout the Respite. These places 
  were originally used by those attempt-
  ing complicated illusions, and they’re 
  carefully warded in order to protect 
  one’s privacy. They were forgotten over 
  time, but it’s said that if someone can 
  stumble across these hidden places, 
  they may find illusory tutors left by the 
  city’s oldest sorcerers who will teach 
  them lessons no one living today even 
  remembers.
  Spirit Tower
  Filled with monuments of gray stone and 
  wide walkways, this district has the feel-
  ing of a memorial park. Mausoleums and 
  crypts hold the remains of Archbliss’s an-
  cestors here, and they are watched over by 
  the servants and acolytes of House Calvar-
  ia. Always colder than the rest of the city, 
  Spirit Tower is a sanctuary for those who 
  have been touched by death... in one way 
  or another.
  Dedicated to the art and 
  preservation of necroman-
  cy, Spirit Tower was built 
  as a reminder that for all 
  the mastery of the ar-
  cane Archbliss may boast, 
  death always waits. While 
  death can be circumvent-
  ed, and even cheated, 
  House Calvaria reminds 
  those beneath its wings 
  that death is still to be 
  respected. As soon as 
  someone starts to think 
  they have become death’s 
  master, that’s when it will lay them low.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Crypt: A huge stone edifice sur-
  rounding a central courtyard, the Crypt 
  is a traditional gathering place for mem-
  bers of House Calvaria to come together 
  to discuss their affairs. From complex 
  rituals, to induction of new members 
  into the Great House, it is said that 
  
  15
  whatever happens within the Crypt 
  stays within the Crypt.
  • Dead Town: A large neighborhood in 
  the southwest part of the district, Dead 
  Town was first established to house 
  sorcerers who drew their powers from 
  bloodlines associated with death and the 
  undead. The neighborhood also became 
  a haven for sentient undead creatures 
  who sought a place they could live their 
  lives (or unlives, as they case might 
  be). Today it boasts one of the largest 
  populations of half-deads outside of 
  Moüd itself.
  • The Obelisk: Raised at the center of 
  the district’s two major crossroads, this 
  large monument radiates a bone-deep 
  chill. Initially formed by a sorcerer re-
  corded in the annals of the city as the 
  Mummified Queen, the stone is carved 
  from tip to base with a slew of strange 
  symbols and unusual pictograms. It 
  often draws a crowd of the curious, but 
  few can bask in the aura for long before 
  feeling the need to move on and seek 
  warmth.
  Persons of Interest
  • Belarius Caul: A huge man with a 
  heavy influence of orc ancestry in his 
  features, Belarius’s pallid skin and dark 
  veins clearly mark him as a blackblood. 
  Slow of speech, though quick of wits, 
  the sorcerer is one of the better-known 
  residents of Dead Town when it comes 
  to spellcasters who oper-
  ate outside the sanction 
  and membership of one 
  of the Great Houses. His 
  relationship with House 
  Calvaria is a fraught one, 
  and it’s a subject he pre-
  fers not to speak about.
  • Rafesh Nightbloom: 
  Dark-skinned and white-
  eyed, with a head of thick, 
  pale hair, Rafesh is barely 
  three feet tall in their bare 
  feet. Those who stand 
  near the halfling, though, can feel the 
  aura of power (and the air of authority) 
  that radiates from them. The majordo-
  mo of the Crypt, Rafesh often acts as 
  the leader of ceremonial rites, as well 
  as the holder of the keys for those who 
  need to access the vaults beneath the 
  Crypt itself.
  • Erium Longfoot: A woman whose 
  elven blood comes out in her laven-
  der eyes and blue hair more than in 
  the curve of her ears, Erium has been 
  studying the architecture and monu-
  ments of Spirit Tower for more than a 
  decade now. A collector of stories and 
  histories, she knows more than nearly 
  any living person about the strange se-
  crets and hidden places that lurk within 
  Spirit Tower. And in the rare event she 
  doesn’t know where something might 
  be found, chances are good she knows 
  someone who does.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • The Obelisk is one of the city’s oldest 
  standing monuments, but for centuries 
  rumors have swirled suggesting that 
  it’s far more than meets the eye. Some 
  say the lost language carved into it is a 
  message from the past that’s been lost 
  over the years, but others scoff at the 
  idea of a language being lost in Arch-
  bliss. Instead, they suggest that the 
  Obelisk is a riddle meant to test the wis-
  dom, skill and power of those sorcerers 
  who would come after it was 
  raised. Even among those 
  who believe the Obelisk is a 
  riddle none can agree what 
  solving it will unlock, though 
  each suggestion is more fan-
  ciful than the last.
  • 
  The Crypt is usually 
  thought of as little more than 
  a ceremonial location by the 
  district’s residents, but there 
  are others who suggest the 
  old rituals from the earliest 
  days of the city still endure. 
  
  16
  From potent rites that resurrect the soul 
  of the dead instead of just the body, to 
  spell workings that can instill the power 
  of death into the blood of a non-sorcer-
  er, there’s always dark tales surrounding 
  what may or may not go on in the shad-
  ows of that place.
  • It’s far from unusual to see undead 
  servants on the streets of Spirit Tow-
  er, as they were once used to clean the 
  streets, haul burdens and perform all 
  the daily labors the early necromancers 
  didn’t wish to burden themselves with. 
  There are fewer of the undead in the 
  district now than there have been for 
  centuries, though. While the official rea-
  son is that it’s to make a better impres-
  sion on visitors to the city, as well as to 
  make living room for sentient citizens, 
  there are some who suspect the true 
  reason for this is the amount of energy 
  it took to create and maintain the labor 
  of the animate dead was putting too 
  great a strain on the city’s veins of sor-
  cerer’s quartz.
  North Gate
  At a glance, the streets of North Gate seem 
  remarkably unremarkable when compared 
  to the rest of Archbliss. The corners are 
  straight, the stones are perfectly laid, and 
  while there are banners and flags, foun-
  tains and parks, it has the look of a paint-
  ing. The longer one looks, though, the 
  more they realize that North Gate is just a 
  little too perfect. Like a shop window kept 
  pristine as the years roll by, North Gate’s 
  unchanging nature is what makes it stand 
  out from the rest of the city.
  Considered the back door of Archbliss, 
  North Gate is akin to the city’s tradesman’s 
  entrance. The seat of House Lethane, the 
  abjurers of this district do not officially 
  control the organization and agents of the 
  Black Tower. However, with so many mem-
  bers of the House among the ranks of city’s 
  chosen enforcers, the Tower is Lethan’s left 
  hand in all the ways that truly matter.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Black Tower: Formed from vol-
  canic glass, the tower rears up from 
  just inside the wall at the edge of North 
  Gate. Visible from nearly anywhere in 
  the city, this place is the central head-
  quarters of the black-garbed Watchers. 
  While the Tower is beautiful in a hard, 
  brutal sort of way, the implicit threat it 
  represents means that those who come 
  to North Gate tend to remain on their 
  best behavior so as to avoid the atten-
  tion of the city’s guard.
  • The Vaults: Located in the northern 
  part of the district, the Vaults were 
  originally a place used to house sor-
  cerers who were considered a danger 
  to themselves and others due to their 
  lack of control over their abilities. The 
  Vaults would absorb wayward magical 
  discharges, and help siphon off excess 
  power until the sorcerer could control 
  themselves, at which point they could 
  safely be allowed to continue their 
  studies at the Arcanum. Forged from a 
  marriage of sorcerer’s quartz and black 
  glass, layered with wards and protec-
  tions, the area is now used as holding 
  cells for spellcasters who’ve been taken 
  into custody, or for magic items that are 
  too dangerous or unstable to be housed 
  in alternative facilities.
  • Wardstone: A wide plaza in the east-
  ern part of the district, Wardstone is not 
  a place of leisure no matter how sce-
  nic it might appear at first glance. The 
  smooth stones worked with intricate en-
  chantments are a place where sorcerers 
  come to solve their differences without 
  any outside involvement. While duels of 
  magic are still fought there from time 
  to time, Wardstone is more commonly 
  used as a training ground these days; 
  particularly for the elite members of the 
  Black Tower who specialize in appre-
  hending targets capable of using magic, 
  and who need a safe, controlled location 
  to hone their skills to a razor’s edge.
  
  17
  Persons of Interest
  • Nasha Vore: Long and languid, with 
  her perpetually half-lidded eyes and 
  her hair shorn on one side of her head, 
  Nasha is one of the quietest sorcerers 
  most have ever seen. Those who watch 
  this gate guard long enough, though, 
  notice that good fortune seems to have 
  a permanent place on her shoulder. 
  Spilled food never falls on her clothes, 
  rain almost never touches her and from 
  arrows to lightning bolts, everything 
  seems to veer away from her at the 
  very last moment. It’s given her a rath-
  er laid-back attitude, making her un-
  worried and unhurried as she executes 
  her duties.
  • Arazani Marsh: Sallow-skinned and 
  gimlet-eyed, Arazani has spent years 
  earning her place in the Black Tower. 
  Perhaps the only witch allowed to wear 
  one of the Tower’s black badges on her 
  chest, she’s made her share of enemies 
  throughout the city; some for the things 
  she’s done, others for simply being who 
  and what she is. The little yellow song-
  bird that often rides on the brim of her 
  hat seems harmless enough, but there 
  are few creatures in Archbliss that spark 
  as much fear. Because where that famil-
  iar goes, the Marsh Witch cannot be far 
  away.
  • Verdura Flick: Wide-hipped and 
  broad-chested, Verdura runs the Po-
  tent Potables potion shop with her hal-
  fling husband Ganner Flick. Born with 
  a unique resistance to magic even over 
  and above what one would expect from 
  a dwarven woman, Verdura brews small 
  batch potions while Ganner carves and 
  enchants bespoke wands. Considered 
  community figures after so many years 
  living and working in the district, their 
  services are more often sought by visi-
  tors and guests to Archbliss than by res-
  idents.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • It’s said there are midnight duels going 
  on at Wardstone. The participants wear 
  masks and plain robes, concealing their 
  identities from onlookers who might 
  stumble upon the duel. Why these mys-
  terious figures would take such precau-
  tions is a matter of speculation, and 
  which faces lurk beneath the cowls and 
  masks are a hotly debated part of this 
  rumor. There are some, though, who 
  scoff at this rumor. Even in a place like 
  Archbliss, it sounds too fanciful to have 
  more than a grain or two of truth to it.
  • The Vaults are being used far more of-
  ten than most suspect, and for reasons 
  beyond maintaining the safety of the 
  city. If one listens very carefully to the 
  whisper stream, it’s said that the Black 
  Tower is far more interested in keep-
  ing the cells full than they are in either 
  protecting the populace or in serving 
  justice. While reasons for why so many 
  individuals would be thrown in these 
  cells range from political maneuvering 
  to retribution for actions taken against 
  the Watchers, no one is willing to specu-
  late too loudly lest they find themselves 
  in a cell of their own.
  • There’s rumors the little black book 
  Verdura Flick keeps locked up in her 
  shop contains the secret orders of some 
  of the city’s most powerful figures. Po-
  tions and wands are tools for hedge 
  wizards and commoners, or so the cul-
  ture among many of the Great Houses 
  dictates, and it would be something of a 
  scandal if it came to light that members 
  of the city’s elite were relying on these 
  baser tools to fulfill their needs. The 
  Flicks, of course, insist there is no such 
  book. Rather than laying the rumors to 
  rest, though, it just makes them burn 
  that much hotter.
  Winter Gate
  Surrounding Castle Archbliss itself, enfold-
  ing it like a protective embrace, Winter 
  
  18
  Gate looks like something out of a fairy 
  story one would tell a child. Filled with 
  glimmering towers and fanciful bridges, 
  the district often feels far larger than it is 
  to those trying to find their way through it. 
  The streets seems to loop back on them-
  selves, the glamours and charms leaving 
  people confused and unsure of how they 
  found themselves where they are. A place 
  that twists perspective and perception, the 
  enchanted quarter is unsettling to those 
  who are used to being able to trust their 
  own hearts and minds.
  Perhaps the smallest district in the City of 
  the Sorcerers, Winter Gate is the demesne 
  of House Mitharian. While enchantment 
  is not as outwardly flashy as many other 
  forms of magic, those who can speak with 
  its voice are respected and feared in equal 
  measure in Archbliss. This is, in no small 
  part, because of all the sorcerers in the 
  city, those blessed with bloodlines of en-
  chantment tend to come from the oldest 
  wellsprings of power.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Dragon’s Den: Found in the north-
  west corner of the district, there is no 
  sign to mark the Dragon’s Den. In fact, 
  the door itself is hard to even notice 
  for those who don’t know what they’re 
  looking for (or who aren’t strong-willed 
  enough to resist the com-
  pulsion to ignore the en-
  trance). Inside the Den is 
  a beautiful, high-ceilinged 
  place filled with heady 
  smoke, and the crooning 
  voices of incomparable sing-
  ers. An elite club even in a 
  place like Archbliss, there 
  are few in the city who can 
  claim they will always be 
  welcome there.
  • Charmer’s Way: A small, 
  shady side street, this pic-
  turesque parkway is ru-
  mored to be a place one 
  can acquire all kinds of strange charms 
  and unusual enchantments... if they’re 
  willing to pay the price for them, that 
  is. Whether one seeks the courage they 
  can’t find within themselves, to speak 
  with a silver tongue or to forget pain-
  ful things they’d rather not remember, 
  these small miracles can be found be-
  hind the rather plain-looking store-
  fronts.
  • The Cottage: Difficult to find even for 
  those who know where it is, the Cottage 
  was the home of the powerful sorcer-
  er Saruil. Her gifts were said to be so 
  strong that her words could sway the 
  very stones beneath her feet, and that 
  even the strongest mind was clay to be 
  molded in her hands. The Cottage sits 
  alone, surrounded by magics that cause 
  those who see it to forget it, and for 
  those who know where it is to be un-
  able to speak of it outside its walls. It 
  is a place where the powerful of House 
  Mitharian come to settle their affairs, 
  it’s also been used as a safe house for 
  those under the protection of this Great 
  House.
  Persons of Interest
  • Kano Phan: A huge man with a heavy 
  belly and thick hands, Kano has a mag-
  netic air to him that makes people like 
  him almost despite themselves. A reg-
  ular patron of the Dragon’s 
  Den, Kano is a connoisseur of 
  sensory indulgence. From food, 
  to song, to beautiful company, 
  exotic wines and unusual sub-
  stances, it’s said there are few 
  lines that remain uncrossed 
  when it comes to his desire to 
  experience every state of mind 
  he possibly can.
  • 
  Hestevia Crowne: 
  With a sleek head, perfect-
  ly-groomed plumage and an 
  almost regal bearing, Hestevia 
  is difficult to miss. The aara-
  kocra is the official herald of 
  
  19
  House Mitharian, and her words carry 
  the weight of her office in addition to 
  the potent charge of her magic. Friend-
  ly, and with a love of beautiful stones 
  and shining silver, Hestevia has many 
  friends throughout the district despite 
  the rather fearful position she holds 
  within the Great House.
  • Dagomar: A working-class enchant-
  er, Dagomar’s leathery green skin and 
  uncouth speech makes the orc stand out 
  in a district that is so concerned with 
  beauty, poise and elegance. Despite 
  being a wizard rather than a sorcerer 
  born to a bloodline, Dagomar is often 
  regarded as one of the more talented 
  spellcasters in the district when it comes 
  to geases, bindings and other forms 
  of compulsions... both putting them in 
  place, as well as breaking someone of 
  their effects. For those who cannot gain 
  an audience with members of House 
  Mitharian, Dagomar’s door is often 
  where they turn next.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • No one is certain where Hestevia’s mag-
  ic originates, but many believe it runs 
  far deeper than she shows. Even her 
  feathers hold a tiny portion of her pow-
  er, and it’s said that if one of them is 
  used as a quill to pen an enchantment 
  scroll it will add extra potency to the 
  spell. No one is sure who started this 
  particular rumor, but there are at least a 
  few people who are sure it was Hestevia 
  herself having a bit of a laugh at what 
  people will and won’t believe.
  • Common wisdom is to always be po-
  lite and courteous to those one meets 
  in Winter Gate, as the district is built 
  on the ancient laws of hospitality as 
  much as it is on stone. Debts must be 
  balanced, and promises kept lest they 
  bring down dire consequences. Those 
  who understand the nature of certain 
  bloodlines, particularly those connect-
  ed to fey creatures, know there may be 
  some basis for this belief. However, the 
  superstition has grown so commonplace 
  that everything from engagement vows 
  to business agreements are made in 
  the district in an attempt to invoke the 
  power of a pact. Of course, as with a 
  great deal of enchantment, belief can go 
  a very long way toward reality.
  • There are always salacious rumors 
  about the private practices of the mem-
  bers of House Mitharian. While the 
  House of Enchantment retains much of 
  the power it’s held for centuries, it’s said 
  their bloodlines are particularly hard to 
  pass on to children. As such, there are 
  always new techniques, spells, potions 
  and other “aids” used to try to ensure 
  that any offspring carry not only a par-
  ent’s smooth features or haunting eyes, 
  but also the power that beats in their 
  blood.
  East District
  Wide-open boulevards seem inviting, and 
  strange creatures are commonplace as 
  they flit here and there on the bidding of 
  their masters. Citizens ride atop floating 
  discs as often as they do bizarre beasts 
  of burden, and the place looks almost like 
  the woodcuts of storybooks told about the 
  ancient days of the City of The Sorcerers. 
  There is a tinge of something in the air, 
  though; a raw scent that says the barriers 
  between worlds are thinner here than any-
  where else in Archbliss.
  The district dedicated to conjuration, the 
  East District is the first part of the city 
  those who enter Archbliss through the ded-
  icated teleportation gates see. Kept lush 
  and clean, wearing its magic on its sleeve, 
  the conjurers of House Navari have creat-
  ed something akin to a paradise... or so it 
  seems, at least.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • The Arches: Located in the western 
  part of the district, this wide plaza con-
  tains the twin gates that allow goods 
  
  20
  and people to be teleported from the 
  city to the ground below. Once con-
  stantly active to provide a permanent 
  doorway between Archbliss and the 
  community beneath it, the gates are 
  now opened on a set schedule by teams 
  of sorcerers from the district’s Great 
  House.
  • The Menagerie: The large eastern 
  clearing in this district was set down by 
  the original sorcerers of House Navari as 
  a proving ground for those who wished 
  to show they had mastered the subtle 
  arts of summoning and 
  binding. Strange beasts 
  from across Sundara are 
  kept in this bizarre zoo, 
  and it’s even possible to 
  catch a glimpse of impos-
  sible creatures drawn from 
  the Prim if one arrives on 
  the right day. The Menag-
  erie is one of the most 
  popular places for visitors 
  to the city to take a stroll 
  through, and there are al-
  ways merchants, vendors 
  and performers clinging to 
  the edges hoping to draw 
  some of the crowd’s attention.
  • Feng’s Familiars: Found near the 
  eastern wall of the district this gilt-
  edged shop deals in bizarre and unusual 
  companions for the discerning sorcerer. 
  While snow ravens, shadow owls and 
  golden weasels are common enough 
  offerings in the shop, Feng’s can also 
  locate more exotic companion creatures 
  should a client have a particular need. 
  The cost to do so will always be high-
  er, of course, but that is the price that 
  comes with needing something that is 
  more difficult to acquire.
  Persons of Interest
  • Alessa Starwinds: With hair like 
  the night sky and eyes that shine 
  like moonsilver, Alessa’s voice always 
  seems to come from somewhere far 
  away when she speaks. One of the gate 
  wrights of the Arches, her position re-
  quires a great deal of personal strength 
  and focused willpower... especially since 
  the Arches (and the instant transmission 
  they offer the city) are more important 
  now than they’ve ever been before.
  • Rory “Roarin” Traskar: A halfling man 
  with an impressive scar up one side of 
  his round face, the smiling, leather-clad 
  ranger has been a groundskeeper in the 
  Menagerie for several years now. One 
  of hundreds of visitors to the city who’d 
  come to see the sights, Rory 
  was present when a griffon 
  managed to escape its cage. 
  Using quick thinking, a length 
  of rope and all the lessons 
  he’d learned breaking riding 
  birds back home, he man-
  aged to wear the creature 
  out. Officially granted his 
  position soon after by repre-
  sentatives of House Navari, 
  Rory has an almost child-like 
  love of all the creatures under 
  his care. Not only that, but 
  he seems to have a genuine 
  rapport with even the deadli-
  est of the beasts.
  • Alistair “Lefty” Rockhammer: A 
  shifty dwarven man with a drooping 
  mustache and a round, hard-top hat, 
  Alistair lost his left hand, replacing it 
  with a uniquely crafted hook. Though 
  rejected by House Navari as a squire 
  (the highest rank the Great Houses al-
  low a wizard to hold among them), he’s 
  found others in the city who are more 
  than happy to avail themselves of his 
  dubious talents. Often accompanied by 
  the green, acid-spitting rabbit Citrine, 
  Alistair is never difficult to find even in a 
  district noted for its colorful characters 
  and eccentric personalities.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • The Arches usually run on a tight sched-
  ule, but exceptions can be made for the 
  
  21
  needs of the city and those who wield 
  the authority of the Peers. Recently, 
  however, the gates have been used 
  more and more often for unexpected 
  jaunts. Not only that, but it seems the 
  people arriving in or leaving Archbliss 
  are not coming from the plains below. 
  This has speculation buzzing about 
  whether the old networks of sending 
  stones and gates that had been large-
  ly forgotten in centuries past are being 
  re-discovered and re-activated. Like all 
  good rumors there are plenty of indi-
  viduals who are certain these jaunts 
  represent something else entirely, and it 
  seems everyone has their own angle on 
  the conversation.
  • Feng’s is always a reliable shop, but if 
  you believe the rumors it’s been branch-
  ing out beyond companion animals un-
  der-the-table. For those who need un-
  usual spell components, and who don’t 
  want to answer a bunch of questions, 
  it’s said Feng can provide... as long as, 
  in return, you don’t ask how the shop 
  managed to lay hands on the compo-
  nents in question. From Roc feathers, 
  to gorgon scales, to wyvern venom, to 
  pixie skulls, if you’ve got a need, then 
  Feng’s can help you fill it for the right 
  cost.
  • It’s been said the Menagerie is under-
  going some serious changes, and that 
  something new is going to be added 
  to the displays in the very near future. 
  What that might be, or how it’s going 
  to be brought in, is currently a mystery. 
  Still, that hasn’t stopped people from 
  putting their own ideas forth as to what 
  is going to be coming to the district, and 
  arguing back and forth over whether the 
  suggested creatures even exist outside 
  of old grimoires and half-remembered 
  legends.
  Castle Archbliss
  A fanciful construction of soaring buttress-
  es and high towers, Castle Archbliss was 
  formed from raw will, and the stuff of the 
  Prim. Even now, millennia after its con-
  struction, every stone in the entire castle 
  radiates magic as if the spells binding it 
  in place were laid down mere days ago. 
  The seat of power of the entire city, Castle 
  Archbliss is where the Peers meet in con-
  clave, and where the future of the City of 
  the Sorcerers is charted.
  A symbol of the cooperation and power 
  of the sorcerers who first raised Archbliss 
  above the clouds, the castle that bears the 
  city’s namesake is the closest thing Arch-
  bliss has to a holy site. Currently the seat 
  of power for House Territus, whose oracles 
  and diviners can glimpse the skeins of the 
  future, these far seers have governed the 
  city’s efforts for several centuries now.
  Noteworthy Locations
  • Stargazer’s Tower: The highest tower 
  in the castle, Stargazer’s Tower boasts 
  several arcane devices, gazing lenses 
  and orreries to track the movements of 
  the stars and planets. Initially estab-
  lished by Jensen Far Seer, whom leg-
  ends say was the first of the city’s great 
  sorcerers to arrive at the spot the city 
  rose from, the tower has traditionally 
  been a place where House Territus con-
  ducts the more complicated rites and 
  rituals to see into all the possibilities 
  that the future holds.
  • The Eight Arches: Kept in the east-
  ern yard outside Castle Archbliss, these 
  slender, glimmering arches are arrayed 
  like a compass rose, stemming outward 
  from a single point. The area is off-lim-
  its to everyone, and may only be ac-
  cessed with permission from a majority 
  of the current Peers. The area shimmers 
  with power, and the arches are far more 
  than mere sculptures... but what pur-
  pose they were made for is known only 
  to those with positions of authority in 
  Archbliss.
  • Sorcerer’s Court: The meeting place 
  for the Perpetual Council, this is one 
  of the most heavily warded areas in 
  
  22
  the entire city. The business conducted 
  within this chamber requires a guaran-
  tee of absolute privacy... safety is less 
  of a concern, though, as only a madman 
  would attempt to threaten the Peers 
  from each of the Great Houses gathered 
  together in common purpose.
  Persons of Interest
  • Thuranen Guard: While less of a per-
  son than a concept, the Thuranen Guard 
  are the eternal watchers of Castle Arch-
  bliss. Huge figures in potent suits of 
  enchanted armor, the Thuranen Guard 
  never speak, never tire and they seem 
  immune to even the most potent of 
  magics. Identical to one another, none 
  but the Peers even know how many of 
  the Guard there are, or what each one’s 
  particular capabilities truly is.
  • Verrine Dubroc: Born and raised in 
  Archbliss, Verrine possesses a powerful 
  gift of prophecy. Blue-lipped and green-
  haired, her eyes are covered with milky 
  cataracts. That doesn’t seem to stop her 
  from seeing far more than those who 
  lack her particular abilities, however. 
  The castellan of Archbliss for several 
  years now, she handles the day-to-day 
  affairs that keep the City of the Sorcer-
  ers functioning, but which aren’t import-
  ant enough to be brought to the atten-
  tion of the Peers.
  • Highvalin Greenhurst: An enigmatic 
  figure to say the least, this elven man 
  has been a high advisor to the Peers for 
  several centuries. While not a sorcerer 
  himself, he has often been in council 
  with the most magically powerful mem-
  bers of the city, and when he speaks 
  even the Peers listen to what he has to 
  say. Aloof, but polite, there is something 
  unnerving about being in his presence. 
  Between his slender build and big eyes, 
  as well as his unmoving countenance, 
  he seems more like a giant insect than 
  an elf in his stance, manner and his re-
  gard for others.
  Whispers and Rumors
  • A common rumor throughout Archbliss 
  is that the Thuranen Guard are autom-
  atons bound to the will of the city’s 
  rulers. Others argue that the armor is 
  merely ceremonial in nature, and that 
  it is used to disguise the true identity 
  of the sorcerers who wear it. After all, 
  the Thuranen Guard has been seen un-
  leashing powerful spells of their own, so 
  there must be someone capable of cast-
  ing said spells beneath the ensorcelled 
  steel. There have been some whispers, 
  though, which claim that a posting to 
  the Guard is a punishment, and that the 
  sorcerer cannot remove the armor and 
  return to their lives until they’ve served 
  out their sentence.
  • There are some who believe that most 
  of the city’s truly unusual marriages 
  (and couplings that occur outside the 
  marital chamber) are a direct result of 
  Highvalin Greenhurst’s influence. Re-
  ferred to as the Matchmaker in sardon-
  ic tones by some in the Great Houses, 
  there are entire generations of sorcer-
  ers who have been born as a result of 
  Greenhurst’s machinations. There are 
  even some who whisper (though not 
  very loudly) that more goes into these 
  conceptions than his suggestions. Ad-
  mixtures, rituals and other bizarre prac-
  tices have been laid at the elf’s feet, 
  though there doesn’t appear to be any 
  proof of these scandalous accusations.
  • A heavier guard than normal has been 
  placed on the Eight Gates recently, and 
  though there’s a great deal of specula-
  tion about why, no one seems to have 
  any hard answers. Some say it’s be-
  cause people have been trying to sneak 
  into the eastern yard to get a closer 
  look at the arches... others say that it’s 
  because members of the Great Houses 
  sought access without the Peers’ ap-
  proval. Why they would want to do so is 
  anyone’s guess, however.
  
  23
  New Weapon: Spellwarper
  Barrels of blued steel and intricately carved 
  bone grips cannot hide the slender core 
  of sorcerer’s quartz that is the heart of 
  this weapon. Created by a squire of House 
  Torrent, the wizard’s name has been lost 
  to the annals of the city... if, indeed, it was 
  ever recorded. While these weapons are 
  regularly carried by officers of the Black 
  Tower, they are extremely rare outside of 
  Archbliss. It is not unheard of, adventur-
  ers being what they are, but someone who 
  carries a spellwarper paid a dear price for 
  it one way or another.
  A spellwarper weapon emits a focused 
  beam of force from the energies of an 
  interior core of carefully-shaped sorcerer’s 
  quartz. Beams cannot pass through force 
  effects such as shield and wall of force, 
  though they can pass through mage armor 
  (however, the AC bonus from mage armor 
  does apply against attacks from a spell-
  warper weapon).
  A spellwarper weapon must be charged 
  by expending spell slots while touching 
  the central crystal assembly (accessed 
  by opening the weapon’s housing), or by 
  draining magic items like wands or scrolls 
  to fill the sorcerer’s quartz. An expended 
  spell slot, scroll or charge from a wand 
  provides a number of charges equal to the 
  level of the spell slot used, but any left-
  over charges from a casting are lost as 
  the weapon cannot absorb them. So if a 
  spellwarper pistol had 7 charges, using a 
  4th level spell slot would fill the weapon to 
  capacity, but the last level of the spell slot 
  would simply dissipate. Opening a spell-
  warper weapon to charge it is considered 
  interacting with an item, as is closing it 
  once more.
  Spellwarper weapons are manufactured us-
  ing magic, and their beams are considered 
  magical for Resistance and Immunity.
  Spellwarper Pistol (One-Handed 
  Firearm)
  Price: 1,000 gp; Type: one-handed 
  ranged; Proficiency: firearms; Damage: 
  1d8 force; Range: 75/150 feet; Usage: 1 
  charge; Properties: light, semi-automatic, 
  reload 10; Weight: 1 pound
  Spellwarper Rifle (Two-Handed Fire-
  arm)
  Price: 2,000 gp; Type: two-handed 
  ranged; Proficiency: firearms; Damage: 
  2d6 force; Range: 120 feet; Capaci-
  ty: 20; Usage: 1 charge; Properties: 
  semi-automatic, two-handed, reload 20; 
  Weight: 5 pounds
  New Magic Item: Collar of 
  Binding
  Wondrous Item; Rare
  Description
  A beautiful collar, this magical item can be 
  made of nearly any material and come in 
  nearly any style. From supple leather col-
  lars fit for a hunting hound, to burnished 
  copper that makes an elegant accessory 
  for a cat, to a buttery gold chain fit for a 
  pseudodragon. Worked with intricate runes 
  of binding, these collars allow a familiar 
  spirit to occupy the body of a beast.
  Any character capable of casting the spell 
  find familiar can use a Collar of Binding to 
  anchor their familiar spirit into the physical 
  form of an existing animal. Animals who 
  
  24
  are not sentient receive no save, but mag-
  ical or intelligent animals (those with an 
  Intelligence score of 4 or higher) can resist 
  the attempt to bind them as a host with 
  a DC 15 Wisdom save if they are unwill-
  ing. An animal that is both intelligent and 
  magical makes this save with Advantage. 
  The binding happens when the collar is put 
  on, and it is automatically undone when 
  the collar is removed. Also, an intelligent 
  or magical animal who was willing initially 
  who becomes an unwilling host later may 
  attempt to make the Wisdom save to break 
  the connection, and expel the familiar spirit 
  from its body.
  While wearing this collar, the familiar spirit 
  takes on the physical traits of the animal 
  it’s been bound to. Often the animal will 
  show some sign that it is possessed, such 
  as glowing eyes, an unusual aura or a 
  gleam of intelligence in its gaze. The an-
  imal has all the functions of the familiar 
  spirit (ability to communicate telepathically 
  with its master, deliver touch spells using 
  its Reaction, etc.), but it now has the hit 
  points, attributes, attacks and any other 
  relevant abilities of its host body. If the 
  host is slain then both the animal and the 
  familiar cease to be. The spirit cannot be 
  re-summoned for 24 hours if this happens, 
  though it can be re-bound to a new host at 
  that time.
  New Background: Scion of 
  the Great Houses
  Whether born into the bloodlines, or ac-
  cepted by one of Archbliss’s Great Houses 
  and inducted via their secretive ceremo-
  nies, your power has been expanded be-
  yond that of normal sorcerers.
  Skill Proficiencies: Arcana or History, In-
  timidation or Persuasion
  Tool Proficiencies: N/A
  New Language: Two of your choice from 
  any list.
  Equipment: A piece of heraldry showing 
  your House membership, an appropriate 
  arcane tool or instrument, a small chunk 
  of sorcerer’s quartz that acts as a flash-
  light when fed energy from a single cantrip 
  casting.
  Feature: Power in the Blood
  The Great Houses of Archbliss do not allow 
  just any sorcerer to join their ranks. These 
  sorcerers are known throughout the city, 
  and even in distant lands, often accorded 
  respect as a member of a powerful sect. 
  Whether it’s the attention and training the 
  Great Houses lavish on their acolytes, or 
  the rites and rituals of induction, it always 
  seems to awaken power in a sorcerer’s 
  veins. You gain access to Spell Points at 1st 
  level instead of 2nd level, and at second 
  level you gain a bonus Spell Point over and 
  above what you would normally have.
  List of the Great Houses
  House Lethane (Abjuration): Careful-
  ly composed and valuing preparation and 
  defense, the blessings of House Lethane 
  allow their sorcerers to be prepared for 
  nearly any sort of attack that might come 
  their way.
  House Navari (Conjuration): It takes 
  great strength of will to pull anything from 
  the ether. House Navari long ago discov-
  ered the secrets of summoning, and their 
  blood sings with crackling potential.
  House Territus (Divination): The cur-
  rent first-among-equals of Archbliss, mem-
  bers of House Territus are often thought of 
  as mysterious and secretive. The ability to 
  glimpse the future with such clarity is rare, 
  however, and leaves even other sorcerers 
  in awe.
  House Mitharian (Enchantment): Often 
  thought of as arrogant or prideful, con-
  cerned with fashions and ceremony, House 
  Mitharian occupied the seat now held by 
  House Territus for centuries. They have 
  
  25
  never forgotten either how they achieved 
  power, or why they lost it.
  House Torrent (Evocation): Embracing 
  the wild nature of their bloodlines and the 
  magic they tend to favor, House Torrent is 
  often compared to a storm. Awe-inspiring 
  from a distance, and exciting to be caught 
  up in, but there is a chance you will be 
  where the lightning strikes next.
  House Samen (Illusion): Whether 
  dressed in elaborate robes or a simple 
  tunic, it’s said that no member of House 
  Samen is ever truly what they appear to 
  be. Often glamorous in a way that only 
  celebrated entertainers are, most people 
  who see them on the street would never 
  recognize these sorcerers out of their per-
  formance glamours and makeup.
  House Calvaria (Necromancy): Typical-
  ly associated with mourning and severity, 
  House Calvaria has a pragmatic streak to it 
  that often makes them a breath of fresh air 
  among sorcerers. Looking death in the eye 
  has a way of lessening one’s patience for 
  political niceties, and the concerns of the 
  purely material world.
  House Altarius (Transmutation): Col-
  orful and flamboyant, the sorcerers of this 
  house rarely feel the need to conform to 
  rules and expectations. Often disorganized 
  and self-involved, nothing brings them to-
  gether like a threat to them and theirs.
  New Rogue Archetype: Spell 
  Hunter
  The sorcerers of Archbliss have opened 
  their city to wizards, witches, clerics and 
  more, but always have they kept a watch-
  ful eye on their “cousins” in the magical 
  arts. Spell hunters are those specifically 
  trained by the Black Tower to combat mag-
  ic users the Peers have deemed danger-
  ous... and while they were never intended 
  to be used against any of the citizens of 
  the city itself, there are more than a few 
  rumors about sorcerers who’ve disap-
  peared into these spell hunters’ black bags, 
  never to be seen again.
  Bonus Proficiencies
  Spell hunters are specifically trained in 
  dealing with magic users, and identifying 
  their unique differences, tools, and meth-
  ods. They gain Proficiency in Arcana and 
  Religion.
  Occult Combatant
  Spell hunters are specifically trained to 
  fight creatures capable of using magic, 
  whatever form that takes. At third level 
  a spell hunter has Advantage on any at-
  tack rolls made against creatures who cast 
  spells, or have in-born abilities that mimic 
  spells (such as a tiefling’s Infernal Legacy).
  Inured to Magic
  Spell hunters are constantly exposed to 
  the effects of magic in order to help them 
  better resist the effects in the field. At 9th 
  level they are considered to have profi-
  ciency in any saving throw made against 
  a spell, or an in-born ability that mimics a 
  spell. If the spell hunter was already pro-
  ficient in this save (such as a Dexterity or 
  Intelligence saving throw, which all rogues 
  are proficient in), they instead gain Advan-
  tage on the save.
  Cutting the Ties
  One of the most feared abilities of a spell 
  hunter is their skill at unraveling ongo-
  ing magical effects. At 13th level a spell 
  hunter’s sneak attack carries the effects 
  of dispel magic using a 3rd level spell slot. 
  The spell hunter’s spellcasting ability is the 
  higher of their Dexterity and Intelligence 
  scores for the purposes of this ability.
  
  26
  Cut to the Quick
  Spell hunters strike deeper than the 
  heart... they can attack the very magic in 
  one’s blood. At 17th level any time a rogue 
  successfully dispels an ongoing spell using 
  Cutting the Ties the attack is considered 
  a critical hit. Additionally, the initial caster 
  of the spell (or person who used the item/
  ability if it came from a source other than 
  a spell) must make a Constitution sav-
  ing throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity modifi-
  er + your proficiency bonus) or gain the 
  Stunned condition.
  Game Master Advice: Using 
  Archbliss
  Sundara is a setting without alignment, 
  but the theme of the world is that places 
  and people should be attempting to move 
  forward to find collective solutions to the 
  problems they face. Archbliss, by contrast, 
  is a place that’s mired in a glorious past 
  that’s been heavily edited to preserve the 
  ego (and the magical caste system) of the 
  current generation.
  The City of the Sorcerers is still a place 
  of great power, and the problems it faces 
  could be solved if the modern Peers em-
  braced the spirit of cooperation that its 
  founders used to accomplish many of their 
  early wonders. Infighting, selfishness and 
  a need to hide the problems from not just 
  the world at large but the citizens of the 
  city, however, have greatly hampered any 
  effective solutions. Not only that, but the 
  Peers have bought so completely into their 
  own ideas of superiority that the solutions 
  they are implementing tend to be cruel 
  and inhumane, ranging from eugenics to 
  preserve their own bloodlines, to exploiting 
  the spellcasting abilities of non-sorcerers 
  (and even sorcerers who have not been 
  inducted into the Great Houses) to act as 
  batteries for the city’s failing power grid. 
  Genuine solutions (reducing the rampant 
  consumption of resources in the city, en-
  suring the citizens from the Peers on down 
  actually contribute enough energy to sus-
  tain Archbliss, recruiting aid from other 
  organizations and centers of power to help 
  accomplish the “impossible” task or going 
  so far as you gently return the city to the 
  ground) are simply unthinkable because 
  they require giving up the illusions of supe-
  riority, and the myths of the “great” blood-
  lines that built and sustained the city for so 
  long.
  In short, the City of the Sorcerers is a 
  place that’s swollen with corruption, and 
  which is in genuine danger of total collapse 
  in the most literal of terms.
  This provides game masters a lot of leeway 
  with the kinds of stories they want to tell, 
  and how Archbliss fits into those stories. At 
  its most basic, Archbliss can be used as a 
  bizarre set piece, where magic items un-
  available anywhere else in the world can be 
  acquired. And since gold is nearly worth-
  less to the sorcerers, the party will usually 
  need to perform some service in exchange 
  for the items in question. Alternatively, 
  Archbliss might be a destination for a par-
  ty heavy on arcane casters as they begin 
  to dig beneath the surface of the city’s 
  glitz and glamour only to discover that the 
  Peers are barreling toward disaster but 
  aren’t willing to spend the resources nec-
  essary to truly avert it. You could even cast 
  Archbliss in a more antagonistic role, forc-
  ing the party to make hard decisions like 
  breaking out those unjustly jailed in the 
  Vaults, but knowing the loss of so much 
  power all at once could have dire repercus-
  sions for the city and those who live in it.
  
  27
  Promises
  Kadar panted, sucking air into his burning lungs. The air was hot and thin, and it made 
  his head spin. He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek to the stone floor. It was incongru-
  ously cool, and it helped stop the world from pitching and yawing behind his eyes.
  “Again,” Soria said through the grate in the wall.
  Kadar bristled, clenching his teeth. He had been in the black cell for weeks, now, and he 
  had done everything asked of him. The walls had glowed, and he’d unleashed everything 
  he had until the fires had burned down to embers. He slept, he ate and he trained, but it 
  never seemed enough.
  “Again,” Soria repeated, lowering the grate once more.
  Letting out a wordless cry, Kadar exploded in flames. They rose higher and higher, slam-
  ming against the ceiling and licking down the walls. The veins within the cell burned 
  bright, sucking in the fire, until there was nothing but a slightly charred smell on the air. 
  Kadar collapsed bonelessly, shivering in every limb.
  “Good,” Soria said, the single word of praise more than she usually offered. “You’re al-
  most ready, now.”
  Kadar wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that soon Soria would open that 
  door, and guide him out into the city where he could meet others like himself. Where he 
  could finally breathe the cool, open air, and feel the sun on his face again. As the light 
  faded from the walls, and he heard Soria’s steps whisper down the hall, Kadar closed his 
  eyes.
  He wanted to believe they’d let him out. He wanted to believe the promises were true. 
  But deep down, he didn’t. Not anymore.
  
  28
  More 5th Edition Compatible Supplements
  10 Ammunition Spells (5E)
  100 Bits of Miscellaneous Tat to Find (5E)
  100 Encounters in a Fey Forest (5E)
  100 Pieces of Flotsam and Jetsam To Find On A Beach (5E)
  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (5E)
  A Baker’s Dozen of Rumours (And The Truth Behind Them) (5E)
  Cities of Sundara: Hoardreach (5E)
  Cities of Sundara: Ironfire (5E)
  Cities of Sundara: Moüd (5E)
  Cities of Sundara: Silkgift (5E)
  Links
  Join our mailing list and get a free PDF, The Book of Sixes, which contains 33 d6 tables 
  taken from our fantasy supplements.
  Subscribe to our YouTube channel for product demos, unboxing videos, tutorial videos 
  and more to come.
  Find us on itch.
  Our Ko-fi store
  
  29
  Archbliss Map
  
  30
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  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris 
  Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. 
  Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend,
  based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Cities of Sundara: Archbliss © 2021, eGDC Ltd; Author: Neal 
  Litherland
  END OF LICENSE
  
  Like a scene from a dream, Archbliss hangs above the plains. It gleams from its 
  place just below the clouds, its enchanted spires and graceful towers giving it 
  the appearance of some massive, fanciful ship docked in the sky. An amazing 
  location spoken of in myth, it is a place of palpable magic.
  Those who ascend the sky, and who find themselves treading the stones of The 
  City of the Sorcerers will enter a whole new world. In Archbliss gold is practical-
  ly worthless, and even potent spells are common enough as to go unremarked 
  among most people. It is a city of amazement and wonder, where just for a mo-
  ment you might believe the legends told about it.
  There are truths not spoken of in well-loved poems and romantic songs, though. 
  Truths about the price that must be paid for power, and about the toll magic 
  takes. Tales of people who’ve gone missing, of forgotten secrets stumbled upon 
  by the wrong people, and of arrogance that could turn beautiful dreams into ter-
  rifying nightmares.
  “Archbliss: The City of the Sorcerers” is meant for use with Sundara: Dawn of a 
  New Age, but this particular supplement may be adapted for an existing game! 
  This particular supplement includes:
  • City map and history of Archbliss.
  • District-by-district breakdown, including notable NPCs, unique locations, and 
  rumors to act as jumping off points for fresh plots.
  • Rules for unique items like spellwarp weapons, the spell hunter rogue arche-
  type that’s trained to dispatch magic users, as well as background mechanics 
  for those who are part of the power structure of Archbliss itself.
  • GM advice for themes and plots to help you get the most out of using Arch-
  bliss in your game.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/Cities of Sundara/Cities of Sundara - Archbliss.pdf