Broken Reach
Alright, let’s talk Broken Reach, where even the walls have seen better days, and that’s sayin’ something, considering where we are. If you’ve got the jink and the guts to stroll into this sorry excuse for a burg, well, you’re about to meet a whole slew of folks from every corner of the multiverse, congregating under the watchful eye of the enchanting yet downright fearsome Red Shroud (planar succubus tanar’ri [she/her] / CE).
Now, this burg’s the brainchild of Red Shroud herself, a succubus with a penchant for the sorcerous arts and, get this, a real taste for poison. Seeing an opportunity, she built it a couple of hundred years ago atop a portal to the, ahem, delightful gate town of Plague-Mort in the Outlands. And, despite lookin’ like a place that’s been chewed up and spat out by the Abyss, it’s got a certain… charm, if ye could call it that. You see, although Broken Reach is little more than a ragged bunch of stone towers held together more by stubbornness than mortar, and defended to the hilt with walls that’ve seen too many battles, trenches deep enough to swallow a man whole, and barricades bristling with more spikes than a hamatula… it’s at least comprised of buildings with bricks and roofs and windows. In the Abyss, it’s the little things that remind a cutter of home.
Broken Reach is the sort of place that calls to the desperate and the dangerous alike, serving as a waystation for those foolhardy enough to travel these lands and a haven for the mercs of the Blood War lookin’ for some downtime. Merchants, mercenaries, even some green as a prime material meadow mortals find their way here, all lookin’ for something. Mostly, they’re lookin’ not to get eaten by the local populace, which I’d say is a very a fair ask in the grand scheme of things. And sometimes they even find it.
Now, Miss Shroud, she’s a businesswoman through and through, filling her coffers with the jink of those lookin’ for a safe(ish) place to lay their heads, offering them luxurious suites that’d make a resident of the Lady’s Ward jealous(ish), but at a price that’ll have you washing dishes for the next cycle to pay it off. Did I mention she’s got a taste for poison? Ah yes, Red Shroud’s a real connoisseur of the concoctions brewed in the dark corners of the Abyss. Bring her somethin’ new, and you might just find yourself in her good graces, at least for a while till she gets bored.
Now, don’t get too comfortable, berk, ’cause underneath those crumbling towers, there’s a whole network of dungeons, darker and more treacherous than the streets above. A place of whispered secrets and deals best left unspoken, where who knows what lurks in the shadows. Let me tell ya, it ain’t for the faint of heart.
If you find yourself in Broken Reach, one place you mustn’t miss is the Bucket of Blood tavern. It’s a boisterous place so take your weapons and a full head of spells, but the drinks are to die for. Pun intended. And if you see her there, give a nod to Red Shroud — but keep your distance. She’s got a temper shorter than a gnome and nerves frayed to the edge. Always lookin’ over her shoulder, expecting trouble, and willing to squash it before it even starts. And one last piece of advice, cutter, don’t get on her bad side, ’cause in Broken Reach, the ground your standin’ on is as unstable as the burg’s infamous ruler.
Canonical Sources:
- Dungeon Magazine #148 [3e]- 55-62 (55) (Adventure Savage Tide, Wells of Darkness, map, Red Shroud stats 3e)
- Planes of Chaos: The Book of Chaos [2e] p25 (description)
Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
