Gloomwrought, City in the Shadowfell - Location
Known as the City of Moonlight, this shadowy port city resides in the Shadowfell and is located on the Stormy Sea. It is considered a bright light in the Shadowfell, one of the few places in this dour realm where not everyone has given up on life or sunk deep into despair.
Manual of the Planes, 2008 Wizards of the Coast / Jason Engle
What is Gloomwrought?
Gloomwrought is located in the Shadowfell and is a port city. While it stands out as one of the few bright lights in the shadow plane, it is slowly sinking into the peat bog it is found in, called the Skins. Travelers to the city often find it difficult to arrive here on foot, with most relying on ships to sail into the port city.
This city is renowned for its trade and travel, attracting adventurers, traders, and those seeking rare and dark artifacts. Visitors seeking dark secrets and power are likely to find it sold here, even if the price may be out of reach for most people.
Manual of the Planes, 2008 Wizards of the Coast / Steve Belledin
History of Gloomwrought
Gloomwrought first appears in the 4th edition’s Manual of the Planes (2008) as a locale in the Shadowfell, briefly touching on the city and the people within. It is not until 2011 with the release of The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond that we dive into the city, exploring its districts, and the people who would willingly choose to reside in this soul-draining city.
Gloomwrought is said to have first been carved out of the shadows by the entities known as the Keepers. These enigmatic people are unknown and unknowable. They walk the streets of Gloomwrought, rarely interacting with others, but more than willing to defend themselves and the city when powerful creatures, monsters, or adventurers attempt to attack them. That said, they do not rule Gloomwrought.
Instead, over the eons, hands have constantly changed who rules and controls Gloomwrought, with the current ruler, Prince Rolan the Deathless, guiding the city at present. These Keepers don’t seem to mind and simply go about their business, inspecting the buildings, watching over the city, and keeping it from sinking forever into the bogs that surround the city. Little is recorded of the past rulers and the intervening eons between the first creation and the present.
An Outsider’s Perspective
The people are not friendly, with many looking at how to get the upper hand over you, the city isn’t beautiful, it’s slowly sinking into the stench of the peat bog, and the plane is trying to drag you into a depression that saps all energy from you. However, the city remains a gleaming light within the plane.
It is not a kind or hospitable city, but it is a type of respite for those traveling through this gloomy land. It attracts adventurers, traders, and explorers, providing what passes for a safe harbor in this plane. While people are in the shadow plane, Gloomwrought may be the closest they’ll find to respite and, while it is dangerous, it is no more dangerous than a downtrodden city that is down on its luck and run by corrupt nobles.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Ben Wootten
A Native’s Perspective
If you mind your own business, don’t bother people who are more powerful than you, and you have a fair amount of gold that nobody steals, Gloomwrought can be home. Also, the city is always changing, so you need to be mindful at all times.
Most of the citizens are the descendants of past visitors who never left, and the plane has left its mark on them by making them appear washed out and their emotions faded. They understand the dangers of Gloomhaven, and could be a part of those dangers as there is a large population of petty thieves, warring thieves’ guilds, and dangerous assassins in the city. Most have learned how to survive these dangers in the city either by avoiding streets or districts in the city, or by handing over what riches they have in the moment and accepting that life wouldn’t hold much promise for them.
While many in the city would like to leave, they often can’t afford to or the drain of the plane has sapped their will to leave. Many travelers often get sucked into the city in this way, simply accepting that Gloomwrought is their final destination and home. Their descendants end up staying because it’s all they’ve ever known, and the plane refuses to give them up.
Travel to the City
Most find their way to this city by taking a sailing ship across the Stormy Sea and arriving in the port district known as the Drowned Quarter. Green lights light up the quay along with skeletal bodies and fresh corpses trapped in iron cages that hang from the walls, a warning to pirates and thieves to not get caught by the Prince’s men.
As a mercantile city, ships are constantly coming and going. From huge galleons that barely float in the shallow waters to spectral ships sailed by ghosts, all manner of people arrive at the city for a few days (or forever). Traders sell their wares from across the plane, supposed artifacts and magic items carved from ancient metal to mundane goods like food, clothes, and toys.
Travelers can also approach the city from land, or what passes for land. The Skins is a peat bog that surrounds the city and extends for dozens of miles in all directions. Past the peat bog are mountains and forests, dark reflections of locations that exist in the Material Plane and Feywild. When travelers arrive outside the city, they are met with thick stone walls bearing howling faces that are the gates into the city. Unfortunately, these gates are constantly moving and changing their position on the wall, so it can take some doing to find an actual entrance to the city where guards charge taxes and ensure new arrivals aren’t going to cause trouble.
Shadow crossings, planar portals that connect the Shadowfell to the Material Plane and other planes, also provide travelers easy access to Gloomwrought. Some never close and provide two way travel to and from the city, while others may close at random or only be open for a brief period of time. One way portals are often utilized by merchants who travel the planes.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Ben Wootten
City in Motion
While cities all have to deal with the coming and going of its citizens, very few have to deal with the structures, buildings, and even wharves that make up the city coming and going. For reasons that maybe even the Keepers don’t know, the city is in a constant state of motion. A building might collapse with no warning, opening up a new street or alley one night, and then the next night, a new building simply sprouts up on a street, destroying anything that existed on the dark cobblestones.
When new buildings and structures are formed, it is a mad rush by the citizens to lay claim. A new wharf sees extended violence as people fight over who gets to lay claim to the wharf, as they can then sell the wharf to the nobles in the city for a huge price, or set themselves up as a wharf master and charge ships fees for docking at their wharf. For buildings, citizens must be ready to lay claim to their new homes, or continue to live their miserable lives in dark alleys.
Locations
Despite the city constantly rearranging itself and reforming its streets and buildings, there are buildings that never move and the city itself is broken down into key districts whose borders twist and change as years pass.
Dust Quarter
This district is the home of nobles. Extravagant mansions and opulent wealth are on full display, but the lavish lifestyle feels hollow, like the nobles are just going through the motion. The ruler of the city, Prince Rolan, resides within this district and his personal guard ensuring that this district remains the safest… for him.
Deathless Palace
This palace is currently the seat of power for Prince Rolan who passes laws and ensures the city thrives, or at least, that’s what the Prince believes. The citadel has been the home of countless nobles, many long forgotten, whether by accident or on purpose. While the rest of the city may change at the whims of whatever force morphs it, the palace remains untouched across the eons.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / William O’Connor
Drowned Quarter
Covered in wharves, ships, sailors, warehouses, this district may be the most lively of all in the city. Activity is nonstop, as there are far more ships waiting to unload cargo than there are moorings available. It isn’t unusual for the crew of two or more different ships get into bloody conflict as they fight for who gets to moor next. All decorum is forgotten in this quarter as money is to be made on trade, and no one wants to leave empty handed.
Plaza District
The main marketplace of Gloomwrought, this center of trade is filled with crowds selling and buying goods. While the Drowned Quarter has the most activity, the Plaza District has the most gold to be had in the city. Merchants from all over try to sell their goods, some offering legitimate goods while many offer stolen or counterfeit goods.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Warren Mahy
Temple District
Towering over the district, and much of the city, is Raven’s Eyrie, the main temple devoted to the Raven Queen. There are other temples to different deities in this district, and they may be the only spots of pure light in this city. This district is heavily visited by the citizens, for many, the only respite from this plane’s oppressive nature is their devotion to their gods.
Raven’s Eyrie
This massive temple is built upon the backs of four statues kneeling over as if in supplication. While there are shrines and minor temples to the Raven Queen, her creatures, like the shadar-kai, all make the long journey up the stairs and into this place of worship. The flow of souls is said to be within this structure and the Raven Queen herself is even said to visit from Letherna from time to time. Anyone who attempts to strike the souls under her protection in this temple are swiftly deal with.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Adam Paquette
Fettered Ward
Known for being the entertainment district, many of the entertainments found here would be considered repulsive in other cities. From weekly hangings of dozens of thieves, and onlookers make bets on how quickly they die, to cruel pleasures found at the Red Door, this district is both torment and ecstasy. For those who want to feel alive, they come to this district and may never leave.
Shattered Isles
Located within the walls, the Shattered Isles are the slums of the city. They are small islands within the Stormy Sea, though like the city, parts of the island may find itself suddenly below sea water while other parts rise up. It is not just the frigid seawater that endangers to the inhabitants, but also the restless dead that roam the streets. While not all are violent, and most are simply minding their own business, a few will have spurts of madness or violence, attacking anyone they see until they are destroyed or their bouts of madness end.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Adam Paquette
Factions & People
Powerful nobles and merchants run the city, though there are just as many guilds, cults, and gangs who attempt to influence the city. While the poor and downtrodden struggle for every copper they earn, the wealthy hoard their wealth and do all they can to squeeze every coin from the city.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Hector Ortiz
Prince Rolan, the Deathless
While many see a dull and lifeless man, Prince Rolan is a talented actor who hides his powerful abilities behind disinterest and gloom. He has to, as the ruler of Gloomwrought, be on constant guard as there are many who want nothing more than to replace him on the throne and rule the city. This human prince has gained the title the Deathless as he has ruled for over 300 years, and if age has touched him, he has worked hard to erase all evidence of it.
Deathless Watch
The primary law enforcement, the Deathless Watch follows the orders of the prince. They are covered in dented and damaged armor, proof of their prowess and the many battles each have fought. They track down troublemakers in the city and patrol the streets. They don’t necessarily keep the peace, however; instead, they enforce the law based on how much of a bribe they can receive, what their prince wants, and if they are bored. They care little for anyone who isn’t a noble, and anyone who can’t afford their bribe and dragged off to be tossed from the walls and hung from one of the countless spikes that adorn the walls.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Beth Trott
Ebony Guard
Radical worshipers of the Raven Queen, they believe she is the only deity worth worshipping and want to force this worship on others. While not all in the Guard seek a militaristic solution for forcing her worship, they still want the Prince to ban all other deities and worship from the city. They can often be found in the many temples to the Raven Queen, and even outside of other temples, keeping track of who willingly enters these temples and who they are worshipping.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Kerem Beyit
The Keepers
As mysterious as the city, the Keepers were the first residents of the city and they seem to be responsible for its upkeep. They rarely talk, often only using guttural sounds if they do communicate, and they almost operate as if a single organism. For a while, it was thought they were a single organism, just operating hundreds of bodies at a time, however there are recent reports of infighting between Keepers.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought & Beyond, 2011 Wizards of the Coast / Ben Wootten
Cults
There are many cults in this city dedicated to dark gods. The worship of many are outlawed by the Prince, like the worship of Orcus and Vecna, and so these cults lie low. Undead are not wanted in this city, even if they infect the Shattered Isles, and anyone who attempts to bring in more undead is quickly apprehended by the guards and tossed from the walls.
Encounters
Back Alley Deals - A thief has learned of a shipment coming in of magical items and is willing to make the party a deal. They steal the shipment, and the thief will pay them handsomely. Of course, the party can’t be paid if they’re dead.
Skeletal Wave - A severe storm swept through the Stormy Sea and a wave containing thousands of skeletons crashed through the city. All of a sudden, the city is overrun by undead. Was this a deliberate attack by a cult or just an unlucky natural phenomenon in the Shadowfell?
Assassins - The greatest assassins are said to be from Gloomwrought, and they have recently been hired to deal with pesky adventurers. If the adventurers want the assassins to stop, they’ll have to travel to the city and attempt to bribe the assassins (or destroy them completely).
War for Gloomwrought - Prince Rolan was assassinated in the night. Noble houses are clamoring to take his throne, but rumors spread like wildfire that Rolan was actually seen alive on the Shattered Isles! Could it be him? And if so, why isn’t he stopping the nobles from taking his throne?
Cult Activity - Orcus is attempting to take control of the city and is even threatening to send an army of demons into the city. The city is desperately attempting to hunt down his cult, but they seem to have disappeared. Many believe that a noble is keeping them safe from the Deathless Watch.
Resources & Further Reading
Manual of the Planes (4th edition)
For a brief look at Gloomwrought.
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond (4th edition)
An in-depth look at the locations and people of Gloomwrought.
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