Petrified Forest of Sigil
Shrouded in the misty back alleys of the Lower Ward
Most Cagers don’t know that there’s a forest in Sigil, but then, what leatherhead’d go exploring down all the alleys? Apart from me… But kips of all sorts are built in Sigil. It ain’t surprising that real trees don’t grow very well in the Cage, so tree-dwellers live in a petrified forest of stone trees (face it, it’s the next best thing). The kips built there are wood, and well-placed amongst the branches. Presumably, since a stone canopy of leaves would be far too heavy for the branches to support, magical leaves sprout from the rocky twigs. The whole thing was “grown” a long time ago, surrounded on all sides by high, dense buildings. This makes the area tough (I found it nigh-on impossible) to spot from most curved vantage points in other places of Sigil.
There are perhaps fifty of these trees altogether. Access to the area ain’t restricted, but the only way to reach it is through one of about a dozen long, narrow alleyways. At dark, a set of iron gates are closed to help keep out the riff-raff.
Elven art is sold here, along with special elven equipment. To get to some shops, narrow staircases wrap around thick trunks of the trees. A few shops have only rope ladders, allowing a pretty good defence if it’s necessary. And judging by the stuff I saw on sale here, I’d be surprised if squads of Hardheads didn’t try and raid this place whenever they could find it. Some elven mercenaries are available for a high price, most of these being outcast prime elves that found their way here. And if you’re after glitterglee, that illegal hallucinogen SIGIS has been making such a fuss about recently, I gather here’s a very good place to make inquiries. You’ve been warned…
Source: Will Pattison
