The Gray District
The Gray District in Sigil, now that place is an ironic testament to the Dusties’ obsession with the dead and the dying. It’s like a morbid sculpture, a piece of art dedicated to the end of all things, where even the thick misty air feels like it’s been steeped in a sense of finality.
Back in the day, when the Dustmen weren’t just another faction but The Faction, this district was their crown jewel. Imagine it, aye? A sprawling necropolis within the City of Doors itself, where each crypt and mausoleum stood as a monument to the dead, each more one grandiose than the last. It was a sight to behold, gravestones carved with care, sepulchres in neat rows. But like all things in Sigil, permanence is just an illusion.
Now, what you’ve got is a collapsing, decrepit shadow of its former glory. The Dusties still mope about, but the power they once wielded like a mace over Sigil’s head is just dust now, heh. The place is a jumble of ruins, broken statues, and unkept graves, a silent testament to the Dustmen’s faded glory. And that portal to the Negative Energy Plane, cutter, it’s like a gaping maw that sucks the life out of everything. You can feel the chill to your bones, the sort of cold that reminds you that every candle’s got to flicker out someday.
There’s also a lesson to be learned here about the shifting nature of Sigil’s districts. The Hive, now a wretched den of scum and villainy, was once as grand as the Lady’s Ward is today. Ragpicker’s Square, with its buried statues and forgotten glories, is proof that in the Great Ring, change is the only constant. Today’s palace is tomorrow’s ruin, and today’s slum could be tomorrow’s seat of power. The City of Doors is like a living creature, constantly shedding its skin, always evolving. In the eternal waltz of rise and fall, the Gray District’s just another dancer in this macabre ball. It serves as a grim reminder, don’t it? Even in a city that defies the gods, nothing lasts forever.
Not even death.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt, inspired by the excellent podcast Planescape: Torment the Unofficial Audio Series by RevocerGM — Goodpods | Apple PodcastsÂ
“Would love to know where that gate goes! The Grey District looks cool as the Nine Hells! Well, not literally, its a metaphor but you know what I mean.”
The idea was it was a portal to the negative energy plane, which is why it was leeching the life force out of the area. If you want to hear more, check out the Planescape Torment Podcast that it was inspired by!