City of Arches - High-Fantasy City Source Book for Lazy GMs

Oct 6, 2026

Upload by Angel

City of Arches is a high-fantasy city source book designed to help GMs quickly run adventures set in a layered metropolis and its surrounding realms. It introduces the setting’s origin, tone, and introductory scenario while providing a structured gazetteer covering politics, economics, secrets, and key locations. The book expands into regional districts, notable sites, factions, NPCs, and encounter material, then broadens outward with worlds beyond the arches and campaign arcs for continuing play.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages42

Reading Time1 h 5 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1: Welcome to the City of Arches

About This Book

A City of Adventure Using the City of Arches

Introductory Scenario: Golgoron Arises

Chapter 2: Gazetteer of the City of Arches

Politics and Economics

Keys to the Arches

NPCs, Locations, Factions, Events, Encounters, History

Chapter 3: The Lower Reaches

History; Politics and Economics

Secrets and Clues; Locations; Encounters

Chapter 4: The Cliffs of the Dead

Borderlands of Life and Death

The Magistrate of Tombs

Secrets and Clues; Locations; Encounters

Chapter 5: The Endless Warrens

Caverns Spanning Worlds

Traveling to the Endless Warrens

Secrets and Clues; Locations; Encounters

Chapter 6: Sunken Revvia

Entering Sunken Revvia

Secrets and Clues; Factions; Locations

Moving through Sunken Revvia; NPCs; Encounters

Chapter 7: Vaults of the Nameless King

Traveling to the Vaults

Secrets and Clues; Locations; Encounters

Chapter 8: The Borderlands

The Revlend Marshes

The Doorish Hills

The Deadlands

Secrets and Clues; Locations; Encounters

Chapter 9: Worlds Beyond the Arches

Korax; Vynan; Terrache; Maphotar; Drendaan; Eruwynd; Io

Threska; Drakeholm; Deathreach; Arkus

Chapter 10: Campaign Arcs

The Key of Worlds; Return of the Nameless King; Collision of Worlds

Chapter 11: Adventures

The Obsidian Skull; Pit of the Vile Prince; The Tomb of Rorathix

Chapter 12: Adventure Frameworks

Secrets of Summervine Villa; Brother Cavel

Appendix A: Villains and Monsters

Appendix B: Legendary Figures

Appendix C: Adventure Generators

Appendix D: World Generator

Appendix E: City of Arches

Player’s Guide

A H IGH-FANTASY C ITY SOURCE BOOK FOR LAZY G MS BY M ICHAEL E . SHEA by Michael E. Shea Design and Writing by Michael E. Shea Editing by Scott Fitzgerald Gray Cover Art by Allie Brigss Interior Art by Allie Briggs, Bebeto Daroz, Matt Morrow, Danny Pavlov, Bryan Syme, and Zuzanna Wuzyk Cartography by Chloe Bolland and Saga Mackenzie Adventure Maps Based on Original Designs by Dyson Logos Logo Design by Rich Lescouflair Page Design and Layout by Scott Fitzgerald Gray Thanks to our Kickstarter backers for supporting this project! Copyright © 2024 by Michael E. Shea Art copyright © 2024 by the individual artists Websites referenced in this book can be found at [https://slyflourish.com/](https://slyflourish.com/$$$/)[$$$](https://slyflourish.com/$$$/)[/](https://slyflourish.com/$$$/)[ ](https://slyflourish.com/$$$/)Look for the symbol (clickable in the PDF) . This work includes material taken from the A5E System Reference Document (A5ESRD) by EN Publishing [and available at](and available at A5ESRD.com)[ ](and available at A5ESRD.com)[A5ESRD.com](and available at A5ESRD.com), based on Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition, [available at](available at www.levelup5e.com)[ ](available at www.levelup5e.com)[www.levelup5e.com](available at www.levelup5e.com). The A5ESRD is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. International License available at [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE CITY OF ARCHES About This Book A City of Adventure Using the City of Arches Introductory Scenario: Golgoron Arises CHAPTER 2: GAZETTEER OF THE CITY OF ARCHES Politics Economics Keys to the Arches Revealing Secrets NPCs of the City of Arches Locations in the City of Arches Factions ofthe City of Arches Events in the City of Arches Encounters in the City of Arches History of the City of Arches CHAPTER 3: THE LOWER REACHES History of the Lower Reaches Politics and Economics Secrets and Clues of the Lower Reaches Locations in the Lower Reaches Encounters in the Lower Reaches CHAPTER 4: THE CLIFFS OF THE DEAD Borderlands of Life and Death The Magistrate of Tombs Secrets and Clues of the Cliffs of the Dead Locations in the Cliffs of the Dead Encounters in the Cliffs of the Dead CHAPTER 5: THE ENDLESS WARRENS Caverns Spanning Worlds Traveling to the Endless Warrens Secrets and Clues of the Endless Warrens Locations in the Endless Warrens Encounters in the Endless Warrens CHAPTER 6: SUNKEN REVVIA Entering Sunken Revvia Secrets and Clues of Sunken Revvia Factions of Sunken Revvia Locations in Sunken Revvia Moving through Sunken Revvia NPCs of Sunken Revvia Encounters in Sunken Revvia CHAPTER 7: VAULTS OFTHE NAMELESS KING Traveling to the Vaults Secrets and Clues of the Vaults Locations in the Vaults Encounters in the Vaults ofthe Nameless King CHAPTER 8: THE BORDERLANDS The Revlend Marshes Secrets and Clues of the Revlend Marshes Locations in the Revlend Marshes Revlend Marshes Location Summary Encounters in the Revlend Marshes The Doorish Hills Secrets and Clues of the Doorish Hills Locations in the Doorish Hills Doorish Hills Location Summary Encounters in the Doorish Hills The Deadlands Secrets and Clues of the Deadlands Locations in the Deadlands Deadlands Location Summary Encounters in the Deadlands CHAPTER 9: WORLDS BEYOND THE ARCHES Korax—Primeval Land of the Red Star Vynan—The Forgotten Laboratory Terrache—The Jaws of Chaos Maphotar—The Infernal Machine Drendaan—World of Air and Water Eruwynd—The Endless Forest Io—The Forge of Creation Threska—Desert of Dead Gods Drakeholm—Land of Dragons Deathreach—The Endless Dungeon Arkus—World of Dead Temples CHAPTER 10: CAMPAIGN ARCS The Key of Worlds Return of the Nameless King Collision of Worlds CHAPTER 11: ADVENTURES The Obsidian Skull Pit of the Vile Prince The Tomb of Rorathix CHAPTER 12: ADVENT

FAQs

What is the City of Arches, and how is it positioned in the setting?

The City of Arches stands for thousands of years along a border between this world and others, built where boundaries between planes and realms are naturally thin.

What does the Gazetteer section of the city include?

The Gazetteer covers politics and economics, keys to the arches, secrets, NPCs, locations, factions, events, encounters, and the city’s history.

Which regions and themes are covered after the city introduction?

Subsequent chapters expand into the Lower Reaches, the Cliffs of the Dead, the Endless Warrens, Sunken Revvia, the Vaults of the Nameless King, and broader Borderlands areas with locations, secrets, clues, and encounters.

Oct 6, 2026

Upload by Angel