The Fortune's Wheel Annex, usually referred to as simply The Annex, is located in the Lady's Ward of Sigil. It occupies the building next door to the Fortune's Wheel gaming house.

The Annex is located in a plain, but solid, building in the Lady's Ward of Sigil. The building is constructed on slate-grey marble blocks which are so finely fitted as to make the structure appear to be carved from one immense brick. There are no windows in any of the walls, and there is but one door into the establishment. The door is made from sturdy wood (possibly oak), which is scarred by blast marks from spells and notchmarks from errant arrows and crossbow bolts. Other than these traces of violence, no other sign labels the building. Entrance can only be gained if the patron is known to the staff, and the proper code of knocks is given at the door.

The interior of the building betrays the austere and simple appearance of its exterior. The whole of the building's single floor is taken up by a large common room. The walls are tastefully panelled in finely polished wood, and the floor is carpeted with plush fabric. Light is provided by numerous oil lamps mounted on the walls, and a score of chandeliers. The entrance door opens onto a wide central aisle which spans the length of the room. Two score of circular tables made from expensive wood are evenly spaced in the two halves of the room created by the aisle. Five of the tables near the bar have roped off into a seperate arena. The entire back wall of the room is taken up by a well-stocked and well-tended bar. Hanging over the bar, mounted on the center of the establishment's back wall, is a large sign which has a long list of names (the Leader Board).

Nearly all of the buzz of conversation comes from the area in front of the bar at the back, where the off-duty minders and resting Players take their leaves. Amongst the tables, the talk is very quiet and used only as needed to play the game at the table.

A quick look inside the building reveals its purpose - it is an environment designed solely for the purpose of gambling; specifically, card games. What is not immediately apparent is exactly who is playing. The Annex is more than a simple gaming house - the Fortune's Wheel takes care of such "normal" things. This establishment is set aside for the true Players of the game; for those who take cards as seriously as their faction or their life. The Annex serves the sole purpose of pitting skill against skill, for stakes that range from monetary to information to the Player's very soul.

Given the nature of the Outer Planes, one would think that it would be nearly impossible to garuntee a fair game in which the players can only use their innate skill and intelligence. But the Annex is able to insure exactly that. One fact that is very well known to the patrons of the house is that neither magic nor psionics of any kind will work within the physical confines of the building. Additionally, there is a small contingent of Mercykillers present to make sure that everyone plays by the Rules of the House, and of the various games. The Rules of the House are:

(The rules are both repeated by the doorman upon entering, as well as posted on several signs hanging from the ceiling beams.)

In addition to the Rules of the House, the Annex also maintains a list of standard card games which are legal in the establishment and the agreed upon rules of play for each of these games. While the list and rules are not posted, copies of them are provided upon request of a Player.

Normally, the Players simply play to test themselves against one another and improve their skills - the money itself is unimportant; it is merely a physical measure of one's confidence. Occasionally, the pot may be made up of pieces of information or other intangible treasures (this is most often seen when Fiends or Celestials play). A Player improves his standing on the Leader Board by winning hands and/or specifically beating higher ranked Players. Any Player can play against any other - the only exception to this are the upper score of leaders. In order to play them, you must either be amongst their number or be invited to join in one of their games.

A key part of the gaming at the Annex is a unique magic item known as "the Anything Chip". The Chips are made by the doorman to the Annex (Checker) and represent the Player's soul - after a fashion. More specifically, the Chips serve as a kind of banked Geas against the Player. If another Player wins a Player's Chip, the winner is then allowed to call upon the loser to perform any ONE task. There is no time limit for this task, but each Player can only have one Chip in existance at any time - so there is no fear for multiple Geases. The Anything Chip is the highest bet one can make in the Annex. Once a Chip is placed into the pot, other Players can only stay in the hand if they too put their Chips into the pot.

Due to the unique construction of the Anything Chips, their banked Geas will only work if they have been won by a Player - thus, a thief can't steal a Chip and hope to use it. Also, all Chips are returned to the doorman as the patron exits the building. It is not the physical object which activates the Geas, but rather the odd enchantment in them. Thus, once a Chip has been won, the winner can call in the marker at any time, even without the physical object.

All of the patrons of the Annex are at least reasonably skilled at some form of cards. (They have to be, otherwise they would not have been invited to join.) Presently, there are just over 100 Players listed on the Leader Board. Other than a love of the game, there is no common factor amongst the Players. Prime, Planar, Fiend, Celestial; all are welcome is they are a proven gambler. Local rumors have it that a few of the high-ups on the leader board are either Proxies or Petetioners of the various Powers of Luck and Gaming. Apart from the Players on the Board, the other regulars are the minders (bodyguards) for the less popular Players.

The Annex, while owned by the same people that run the Fortune's Wheel, is essentially a seperate business entity. This philosophy, along with the unique gaming that goes on here, has created a cartel of factions which oversees the daily operations of the establishment. A small group of outgoing Guvners is in charge of setting the rules of the games, as well as deciding what games are legal to play in the Annex. A pair of Fated oversee the whole business as well as establish stakes and take care of movement on the Leader Board. Finally, a squad or two of Mercykillers is always on duty to ensure that the Rules of the House as well as common courtesy are followed at all times.

Checker (Pr/Mongrelman/??/CG/Sensate): Checker is the admittedly unique doorman for the Annex. As a mongrelman, he is physically a hodge-podge collection of various body parts. His back is hunched, while his skin is covered with oozing, black scales. His left hand is replaced by a large crab-like pincer. He has two human eyes (one brown, one green), and a third, reptillian eye which droops on the end of a thin tentacle. However, Checker is much more than he (disgustingly) appears. His third eye is known to be able to Detect Magic; it's rumored to be able to Detect Psionics as well. The doorman is also the only person in the Annex known to make the Anything Chips - however, it is not known how he does it from inside of the house's anti-magic zone.

Jayce (Pl/Hu/F9/LN/Mk): Jayce is the unoffical captain of all the Mercykiller squads which rotate through the Annex. While his faction has not officially stationed him here, 9 times out of 10 Jayce is the Red Death high-up in the establishment. It is unknown why this is, but the Mercykiller doesn't seem to mind. Jayce is a large, well-muscled man who's still in his prime. He wears his blond hair cropped short, and his blue eyes glitter with dedication to his duty. While a friendly cutter, he's also very no-nonsense when it comes to Rules.

Recently, the number three Player on the Board (Lucias Adolphus) was caught cheating. It appears that he somehow managed to bring in a magic item that actually functioned within the dead zone of the Annex. It happened after a very high-stakes game in which FOUR Anything Chips were in the pot.

The Annex does indeed completely prevent the use of magic or psionics within its confines. What's known only to the original builders of the structure is the source of this power and how it is contained. Beneath the flagstones of the building - in the foundation - a pool of grey... syrup. The liquid functions much like a Rod of Cancellation, save that magic doesn't need to touch it to be nullified. Rather, the null zone radiates up from the pool like steam from a pot of boiling water. Thus, the farther away one gets from the pool, the less effective the nullification is. The grey marble from which the building is made contains this "null steam", trapping and concentrating its effects. As the nullification acts much like steam, this is why the exterior surfaces of the building and door can be affected by spells and the like while the interior remains impervious.

Note that while magic or psionics have no affect in the Annex, that doesn't mean that they can't be used. It's rather pointless, that's all. Thus, if a mage tries to cast a Fireball inside the building, he still spends the spell, but nothing happens.