University District
District Type: University
Location: Upper Menthis Plateau
Buildings: University buildings—instruction and faculty offices (15), library (5), temple (Aureon), shrine (Path of Light), upscale lodging (20), upscale food (30), upscale (literary) trades—booksellers, stationers, mapsellers, seal makers, etc. (50), upscale (literary) services—scribe, sage, translator, cartographer, etc. (38), dormitories (20), upscale residences (100)
First Impression: Students carrying armloads of scrolls and books hustle to classes, while others sit or stand in circles, discussing the day’s lessons.
Social Class: Upper class
The home of Morgrave University, the University District is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge— while making as much profit as possible. From Morgrave itself to the businesses that have sprung up around it, love of learning coexists with love of earning and the two feed happily off each other. If scholarly interest can lead to great profit, or thirst for gold to historical discovery, then the residents of the University District are doubly satisfied.
Art Temple: One of Upper Menthis’ four theaters, the Art Temple is famous for cutting-edge, avant-garde plays. It has no resident playwright; instead, the theater solicits submissions from across Khorvaire, though residents of Sharn pen most of its productions. The theater’s owner, Cassa Faer (N female elf expert 3), prides herself on discovering new talent, but she definitely gives preferential treatment to her personal acquaintances, and tends to become romantically involved with each new playwright whose play she produces.
Golden Horn: This upscale inn is the local outpost of the Circle of Song (see Chapter 5: Guilds and Organizations). It has a considerable area set aside for members of the Circle, including a library, meeting hall, and even a small concert hall. The proprietor of the Horn is a man named Mandyran (CG male half-elf expert 3/bard 3). A former wanderer, the old man has settled down and opened the inn to help support the Circle.
Grand Stage: Another of the theaters in Upper Menthis, the Grand Stage generally produces a more conservative and traditional repertoire than the others, including a mixture of classic works and more modern plays echoing the style and conventions of the classics. The well-beloved The Changeling’s Prophecy, by the ancient playwright Duthic Olan, appears on the Grand Stage’s docket every two to three years. This is not the place to see avant-garde productions that wrestle with existential concerns in the wake of the Last War, but rather the Grand Stage presents a constant selection of the great cultural heritage of Galifar.
Kavarrah Concert Hall: The grand auditorium near the University, Kavarrah Concert Hall hosts the finest musical performances in Sharn. Residents of Upper Central, Upper Northedge, and Upper Menthis’s Platinate district attend shows in Kavarrah dressed in their finest glamerweave garments, often arriving by skycoach after dining in Skyway restaurants.
Haftak’s Books and Binding: Haftak ir’Clarn (NG male human aristocrat 2/expert 1) runs this bookstore and bindery, and uses its facilities to publish the Sharn Inquisitive, the city’s local chronicle.
A minor member of one of Breland’s noble families, Haftak has a prominent cousin in the parliament and a significant fortune at his disposal, which allowed him to start the Inquisitive as a sideline to his marginally profitable main business.
Morgrave Outreach Association: An adventurer's guildhall associated with the university. This association is designed for adventurer's who can serve as guides, bodyguards, healers and so on, to either accompany or adventure on behalf of scholars of Morgrave University.
Sharn Opera House: Breland has a long heritage of operatic composition, and the Sharn Opera House is committed to regular performances of classic Brelish works, as well as newer material from across Khorvaire. The opera house consists of a grand auditorium in Dalannan Tower, with comfortable seating for 3,000 people. As with the Kavarrah Concert Hall, attending performances in the Sharn Opera House usually become very formal affairs, but the opera house also offers standing-room galleries for those of less wealthy means.
Stargazer Theater: Another of Upper Menthis’s four theaters, the Stargazer Theater is located on the top of Kelsa Spire, open to the sky. A grassy park surrounds the open-air amphitheater, allowing audience members to picnic on the lawn if they prefer. Once confined to the summer months, its performance season was extended to the whole year thanks to the weather-controlling powers of House Lyrandar. Now, audiences can enjoy the warmth of a spring or summer day whenever they visit the Stargazer. Its repertoire focuses on classics with family appeal.
