Vrakor Cinderheart (LE male red dragon): Vrakor comes from a long line of highly respected red dragons. His family’s prestige saved him from a swift death when evidence of his involvement with the Talons of Tiamat came to light. Leniency left him languishing in southern Xen’drik. Vrakor continues his dark service to the Talons from afar, keeping tabs on fiendish hot spots such as Darkfire Crater (page 138). When the time is right, he can be a powerful ally to servants of the Lords of Dust hiding on Xen’drik.

At first glance, First Tower doesn’t appear to deserve a mention alongside such massive population centers as Sharn and Wroat. If a settlement were judged solely on the number of people it contained, then the place might not even appear on a Brelish map. As the gateway to Sharn from the northern land passages, however, First Tower earns prominence and notoriety befi tting the number of travelers who regularly pass through its humble environs.

The thorp grew up around a single stone tower, maybe thirty feet high, that legends claim was the first tower built in the greater Sharn region. Long before any of Sharn’s massive structures climbed into the sky, the people of First Tower believe, the stones of their ancient spire were stacked one atop the other. Historians dispute this legend, because the tower and the ramshackle inn that has been built around it are clearly not as old as the ancient goblinoid foundations upon which Sharn grew. The people of First Tower nod, smile politely, and leave the scholars to their delusions, for they know in their hearts that they live in an historic and significant location.

Regardless of the accuracy of the place’s history, First Tower serves an important role in the cycle of life around Sharn. Those traveling to or from Sharn by land, whether walking, riding, or as passengers in a caravan or lightning rail, have only one route they can take. This route cuts through the crags and cliffs upon which Sharn sits, slices north, and passes through the settlement of First Tower. Whether coming from or going to Sharn, if you travel by land you must pass through First Tower.

All the residents of First Tower earn a living by catering to the travelers moving through the settlement. The inn employs most of them, for travelers need to eat, drink, relax, and have a place to stay while waiting for the next outbound caravan or for their papers to clear so they can enter the City of Towers.

The lightning rail station, the caravan stables, a general store, and the crown’s checkpoint make up the rest of the thorp, as well as a scattering of houses where the locals live. Royal clerks stationed at the checkpoint examine the identification and traveling papers of everyone seeking to travel to Sharn proper. The checkpoint maintains a small garrison that enforces order in First Tower and keeps the place safe from bandits and marauders who sometimes slip out of the King’s Forest.