Located roughly about half the length of the Ditch and half a mile outward from Seafarer’s Arch, this artificial canal system operates under the auspices of the Fated. Originally, this stretch of the riverway ran shallow, almost to a trickle, thereby causing an incredible bottleneck for ships wishing to travel further inward into Sigil. The Fated, in their official role as the city’s tax collectors, developed an idea of creating a series of great “doors”. Their seams waterproof, these doors would form a series of spaces that could be filled with water. This way, ships could be ferried across the Ditch’s bottleneck.
Now, it doesn’t take a Guvner to figure out that no Taker ever does anything out of charity. The Fated’s true motivation for the Lock is to serve as a guarded gateway between the Cage and traders. If a ship wants to trade with Sigil, then its captain has to pay the toll to use the Lock. It further adds an immediate and convenient excuse to establish a customs station that would examine a vessel’s cargo and levy any applicable taxes, even confiscate illegal materials. For a portion of the Fated’s “operation expenses,” the Harmonium agreed to assign a battalion to act as a port authority in case any vessel decided to refuse inspection.
In a further economic manoeuvre that would make a Merkant proud, the Fated enforce a requirement that all loading and unloading done at Sigil’s docks be completed using only recognized, accredited workers from the Guild of Teamsters (which the Takers will be happy to provide for a nominal sum). In return, the Teamster’s Guild pay a registration fee (part of each member’s monthly dues) to remain on the “sanctioned worker’s list.”
Canonical Sources:
- In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil by Wolfgang Baur and Rick Swan, pg. 49.
- Polyhedron #137 article ‘Of Sigil and the Sea’; William James Cuffe, more info on that here.
