Sigil Sigil ( pronounced / ' sɪg . ɪl / ) , also frequently known as the Cage or the City of Doors , is a city - state and the supposed center of the multiverse which includes the Prime Material Plane and all other known plane s according to some forms of the Great Wheel cosmology . People coming to Sigil from the Prime Material Plane are often treated as clueless inferiors by the planar elitists who dwell there . They are thus widely referred to as " the Clueless " , " berks " or more charitably , as " Primes " . It is highly recommended that planewalker s new to Sigil employ a guide , known locally as a " tout , " lest they be taken advantage of or mugged . Such guides can be little better themselves , though , either serving to persuade a traveler to the side of their faction or simply robbing their " customer " once their back is turned . Geography . Sigil is located inside of the Outlands , a plane at equal distance from each of the Outer Planes , hovering above an immensely tall landmark known as the Spire that sits at the plane ' s center . In a certain fashion , this puts Sigil at the center of the planes , at least according to the Great Wheel cosmology , but since the multiverse is infinite in all dimensions there is no true center . Still , Sigil is the closest thing to a center ( other than the Prime Material Plane ) that there is . Curiously , from the Outlands one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire . Sigil has the shape of a torus and the city is located along the inner surface of the ring . It is generally agreed by knowledgeable people that this should be impossible , since the center of the Outlands is void of any and all magic , and yet it apparently is . Theories to explain Sigil ' s location and existence vary wildly , though one of the more popular is that the Lady of Pain either created it or keeps it intact — or both . There is no sky , simply an all - pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night . The city cannot be entered or exited save via portal s ; although this makes it quite safe from any would - be invader , it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key , giving Sigil its nickname " the Bird Cage " ( or simply " the Cage " ) . Sigil contains innumerable portals : any bounded opening ( a doorway , an arch , a barrel hoop , a picture frame ) could possibly be a portal to another plane , or to another point in Sigil itself . Thus , the city is a paradox : it touches all planes at once , yet ultimately belongs to none ; from these characteristics it draws its other name : " the City of Doors . " This feature make Sigil a prime destination for travelers as well as a center of trade throughout the multiverse . Wards of Sigil . Sigil is divided into six districts , called wards , listed below : Government . The ruler of Sigil is the mysterious Lady of Pain . The Lady is sometimes seen in Sigil as a floating , robed lady with a face bearing a mantle of blades . The Lady does not concern herself with ruling the city directly ; she typically only interferes when something threatens the stability of Sigil itself or crosses one of her few but unforgiving edicts , which amount to keeping the peace and refraining from worship of her . The Lady is an entity of inscrutable motives and often those who cross her path , even accidentally , are flayed to death or teleported to her hidden " mazes " , extradimensional labyrinths , and lost forever . It is widely believed that she never speaks , although some unconfirmed rumours to the contrary do exist . Although the Lady of Pain does not take action directly , she does act through a number of servants known as dabus , who simultaneously serve as the Lady ' s eyes and ears as well as maintaining the structure of Sigil . Like the Lady , the dabus do not interact with Sigil ' s inhabitants or travelers much and it is best to leave them be , since antagonizing them can bring down the infrequent but harsh wrath of their mistress . Sigil is , theoretically , neutral ground to all : no wars are waged there and no armies pass through . Furthermore , no power can enter into Sigil ; the Lady has barred them from the Cage . Of course , Sigil is hardly peaceful ; with such a condensed population , consisting of everything from angel ic deva s to demon ic glabrezu , violence is common , usually befalling the foolhardy , the incautious , or the poor . Most natives of Sigil ( " Cagers " ) are quite jaded as a result of living there . Sigil is also home to several extraplanar " factions , " which struggle with one another for power and prestige but generally do not engage in open conflict . The Lady of Pain tolerates the existence of these factions so long as they do not interfere with her or her nebulous goals and several even serve useful purposes , such as the Guvners , Harmonium , and the Mercykillers , which serve as the judges , jury , and executioners of Sigil , respectively .