The Gatehouse (Sigil)

In Sigil, at the very edge of the Hive, the most desperate and wretched part of the whole ward is the Gatehouse, home of the Bleak Cabal. It's like the boundary between sanity and despair, and who better to man that than the faction that's given up all hope. In common folklore it's said to sit on the border to the Mazes, but the real chant is the Mazes can appear anywhere. Still, the Gatehouse sits at the edge of the Hive Headquarters, which is close enough to the Mazes for most honest souls.

The Gatehouse is an arched tower with sprawling wings, where the Bleakers minister to the mad and lost. They're kind to their charges, but their treatments are unorthodox. "Give up the illusion of meanings," they advise their patients. "Accept that which doesn't make sense and then peace'll come." Some folks say the Bleakers do more sinister things in there, in the parts of their headquarters where other folks aren't allowed. 'Course, that gets said about every faction, by enemies hoping to put fear into others. Still, haunting, unnatural moans and screams echo throughout the ward, and there's no saying whether they come from the hospital wings or from somewhere deeper within.

Where The Lady's Ward is order and calm, the streets around the Bleakers' headquarters are thriving chaos. Lined outside the Gatehouse there's sad parents lined up to commit their children, sad children with their old parents, and many a poor sod needing to be committed for his strange visions - manic dreams of fortune, crazed appetites for power, and lunatic promises of cosmic destiny. There's also rogues from the heart of the Hive, selling the fruits of their trade, and dives where information flows for the price of a drink. Hawkers offer "true and authentic maps" to all the portals of Sigil. Just remember, a cutter gets what he pays for...

Note: The Gatehouse of Sigil originally appeared in the Planescape AD&D campaign setting from TSR. Additional information can be found in In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil. Its use here is for the purposes of providing context for the campaign only.