District Type: Inn district
Buildings: Temples (Silver Flame, Sovereign Host), upscale lodging (1), average lodging (35), poor lodging (100), average food (20), poor food (80), average trades (20), poor trades (60), average services (20), poor services (60), poor residences (20)
First Impression: The Underlook district has seen better days. Dingy inns and restaurants line the streets, but many old businesses have closed and been transformed into wretched tenements. Nonetheless, cheap lodging is plentiful and travelers from across Khorvaire walk the streets.
Social Class: Lower class
Location: Sharn, Middle Dura
Before Menthis Plateau, Underlook was the center for Sharn’s nightlife. The district was filled with fine restaurants, inns, and other forms of entertainment.
But over the centuries the finest establishments have moved to other towers, leaving Underlook to decay in the shadows. Honest sailors and merchants who arrive at Cliffside often choose to stay in Underlook instead of risking life and limb in the Lower Wards.
In addition to the inns and taverns of Underlook, there are a wide number of businesses that are, while not illegal, often held in low regard. In particular, Underlook is an excellent place to hire inquisitives. While the heirs of Tharashk are generally considered to be the best inquisitives in Khorvaire, there are a number of capable non-house operatives in the district who can do the job if the price is right.
Sharn Ghallanda Hall: While many of the finest inns have left Underlook, one exceptional establishment remains. Ghallanda Hall was the first outpost House Ghallanda established in Sharn, and while it is not as fancy as the enclave in Dragon Towers, it still makes for an imposing place. The hall is divided into three sections, each catering to customers with different financial means—effectively, an upscale, average, and poor lodging combined into one. Some rooms have been specially prepared for members of different races, so halflings and gnomes can feel at home in a smaller environment. While each section of the inn has its own common room, there is also a grand hall open to all that features a tavern and a stage. Acts change on a nightly basis, and Ghallanda Hall generally has the best entertainment in Middle Dura.
Ghallanda Hall is one of the few locations where the house hosts its heroes’ feasts. A private dining room in the upscale quarter of the hall is reserved for this function, and the clients receive exceptional treatment and entertainment to accompany the enchanted meal.
The current Lord of Ghallanda Hall, Keslo d’Ghallanda (N male halfl ing expert 7/ dragonmark heir 2), bears the Least Mark of Hospitality (purify food and drink). Keslo is a man of many talents, a diplomat, a poet, and a master chef. Eight elite Ghallanda guards (2nd-level halfling barbarians) provide security, and two clawfoot dinosaurs can be brought into play during serious altercations.
Information Acquisition: When people think of inquisitives, House Tharashk usually springs to mind. Kalaash’arrna (NE male half-orc rogue 4/master inquisitive 3), a cunning man with the Lesser Mark of Finding (locate object, locate creature), runs Information Acquisition (Lhash’ta’raak in the orcish tongue) for the house. As the name implies, InAc specializes in information gathering—shadowing people, digging up dirt, and similar, often unsavory tasks. Kalaash’arrna never betrays his clients; however, he is completely ruthless when it comes to fulfilling his contracts. Kalaash comes from one of the poorer families of the house. The success of InAc directly reflects on his family, and he is determined to prove his value to the house.
While Kalaash serves as the primary inquisitive at InAc, he employs four lesser inquisitives, all unmarked members of House Tharashk (both humans and half-orcs). These include two 2nd-level rogues and two 3rd-level experts.
Source: Sharn: City of Towers
