Though the multiverse is a vast place and home to great swathes of unexplored wilderness, there are twelve massive metropolises at the heart of industry and politics. Ruled by the godlike Arches, these cities wield immense power:

Aenqota

Impressive and mind-bending spires glittering with strange light rise from a deep canyon in the Primeval Aqua. Aenqota is beautiful and a not unpopular vacation destination, but the rarity of air-filled spaces make it expensive to visit for most species.

The City of Brass

Rediscovered thousands of years ago, the City of Brass is by a wide margin the greatest exporter of dweomercraft. Its packed bazaars and shopping districts are the main tourist attraction here.

Dis

One of the oldest cities in the multiverse, Dis is the only city in the Nine Hells open to visitors. An oppressive and miserable prison city, saying it’s not a popular tourist destination is an understatement. Only out of sheer political power has it managed to count itself among the Dodekapolis.

Gehesti

The oldest city by anyone’s measure, Gehesti is the city of the dead. Rumored to have been built in a previous iteration of the multiverse. Its most notable feature is the river Styx meandering in hundreds of offshoots through all of the city. A popular destination for those wishing to tour the seemingly infinite catacombs, historical sites of buildings and structures fallen on their home planes, or to visit with the dead.

Gewirgrau

Tied with the City of Brass in wealth, Gewirgrau is the only source of diamonds among the planes. With its prime location near Vos Inaril and the City of Brass, as well as its relatively benign planar environs, it is a powerful trade hub. Many visitors travel here just for the breathtaking crystal caverns and gemstone laden streets.

Ios

Along with Aenqota, Ios is the most popular resort choice for non-adventurous vacationers. The views here are legendary, as the city is spread out between thousands of distant floating islands in an endless picturesque sky. Great views don’t secure a place among the Dodekapolis though; Ios is also the biggest exporter of skyships.

Labyrinth

Now missing/unreachable to planar travel and communication along with its home plane, Labyrinth is the smallest of the Dodekapolis and home to countless embassies and banks. Its main attractions to travelers are its diversity of culture, many museums, lack of taxes, and open business free from guild tyranny. With its absence in the wake of the Paroxysm, conspiracy theories abound as to who might profit from it being out of the picture.

The Nameless Rings

Scattered across icy moons, planetoids, and asteroids above a sunless polluted ocean world. Even more spread out than Ios, the Nameless Rings are considered a single city due to the bias of the Dodekapolis. So far removed from the rest of the planes sitting off in the Far Realms, it’s hard for planar travelers not to lump it all in together. Home to great industry, science, and psionic study, the Rings are also a coveted tourist destination. The alien culture, cuisine, art, and starry sky make it a unique experience, worth the trouble of getting to the Far Realms for.

Nar Qashi

Nar Qashi is the city and what most non-citizens of the Dodekapolis think of when they think of a metropolis. Built across the ruins of ships fallen in a now-forgotten ancient battle, Nar Qashi is home to over one hundred million citizens and with its home in the Astral, has prime real estate to dominate trade and travel across the planes. Though the most damaged by the Paroxysm, rebuilding efforts have been outstanding and the city is almost entirely recovered. Anything you can find in another city of the Dodekapolis, you can find a little slice of it here.

Voilauringocyfnos

Glittering jewel of the Faerie realm. Generally referred to as “The VAC” by those without the talent for elvish or sylvan. The party and pleasure vacation of choice for those too afraid of the demons in Xengala (though by many accounts, the fey aren’t much better). Tastefully decadent, unmatched in its beauty, and the best wine in the planes. Its citizens are all too eager to discuss politics, but it’s a topic best left undiscussed for casual visitors.

Vos Inaril

The only Dodekapolis city in a border realm, Vos Inaril sits squarely in the junction of the Dark Mirror, Faerie, and the primeval planes of Aqua and Terra. Tightly packed into the floor, ceiling and walls of a gloomy cavern and crisscrossed with briny ink-black rivers that rain upwards onto the opposing side of the city. Admittedly one of the more dismal cities in its aesthetic, it makes up for it with its access to the Styx, alchemical industry, gladiatorial arenas, and massive marketplace.

Xengala

All of the decadence of Faerie with none of the refinement. All manner of pleasure can be sated here and the markets are home to items forbidden everywhere else. Not a recommended trip for the squeamish or even vaguely moral. Xengala’s home of Pandaemonium makes it a herculean feat to stomach for all but the most depraved.