A colorless pit of apathy, Hopeless is a grey tinged spiral of depression down to the gate to the Wastes at the center of it. The Gate-town leading to the Grey Waste, it is located roughly 1000 miles from the base of the Spire in the Outlands, situated between the other gate towns of Torch and Curst. It is surrounded by rocky hills and twisting ravines which rise into mountains beyond the town.

On the surface, there is the Screaming Gate, made of blood red stone carved into a screaming humanoid face; this opens to a single broad street that spirals down into the earth, eventually reaching a courtyard with the gate to the Grey Waste. All the buildings on this street are made of decaying grey wood and stone. The residents, while mostly evil, don't have the energy or motivation to be cruel to visitors at most times.

Long time residents have the Wasting Tan - their skin becomes grey and unhealthy looking, and their eyes become sensitive to colours other than gray. Because of this, it is decreed that all visitors to the town wear only grey. Visitors who break this rule will have to deal with angry mobs, especially further down the spiral.

Hopeless is nominally ruled by a masked female human who goes by the name of Thingol the Mocking. Her rule is enforced swiftly and harshly if need be, by a large number of armed and well-trained thugs, and most impressively by the seven Beholders who constantly float over and patrol the spiral street of the burg. The town adheres to the rigid guidelines set out by Thingol for fear of her beholders and the slow, excessively cruel and very public executions she relishes in holding for any who disturb the status quo.

Widely known as the rowdiest inn and tavern in the city, this long, two story building of soot covered wood and stone sits near the center of the third ring of the city. It is owned and run by Vrikus Mel’Ort, a dusky skinned Tiefling of mixed or otherwise indeterminate fiendish heritage, who manages to keep the fights and spilt blood to a minimum, or at least keep it confined to outside the inn, where the troublemakers are as likely to be disintegrated on the spot by one of the High Cardinal’s beholders than settle their fight amongst themselves.

The inn caters primarily to non-residents of the burg, mainly mercenaries traveling to the Waste to join with other groups bound for the Blood War, though Fiends can be found here as well.

There is a two-way Portal in Sigil leading right to the Paladin. It was through a brick archway in the alley behind the Grim Journeyman tavern just off Ragmonger's Lane in the Hive Ward, keyed by a palm-sized shard of glass. (22)

The Plansewalkers visited Hopeless and The Paladin when they were tracking the Evil Party that had kidnapped the Magistrate who was chosen for their trial in Sigil. (22)

The Spiral Courtyard stands at the lowest end of the burg’s single, descending road. Here is a gate to the layer of Oinos in the Grey Waste. The gate is filled with a substance that looks like cold liquid tar. The gate may be entered through the well, or the liquid can be commanded to flood out into the square if a large number of people or items need to be transported.