The 42nd district is at the forefront of Magi-tech within the city, home to the workshops and labs of many talented artificers, and a few larger factories. This district is also the place of birth for the Forged: the mechanical, sentient construct people of The City, and is where many make their homes (at least initially) within The Hives.
The Hives are large, hostel-like accommodation offered to all Forged upon creation, giving them a place to live while they find a place in the world. They take the form of giant honeycomb structures of small, capsule homes, enough for the occupants to rest in privacy and keep a few personal belongings safe. While a little cramped, they offer a starting point to many newly created Forged.
The Forged originate from the Foundry, a large, mysterious complex found at the heart of the district. The process of creating Forged remains a closely guarded secret, with the public being denied access to the complex. Only those with the money, power, and influence to commission the creation of a Forged are permitted to enter the complex, and few have ever let on what they saw. Even Forged, who are born here, rarely ever see more than a few chambers, and are not told by what magic they are animated. Despite some public calls for greater transparency, the Council have yet to comment on the secrecy surrounding the Foundry, likely due to its important role in the 42nd.
The Modron Clocktower is found in the central square of the 42nd, and is the main way Labyrinth tracks the date and time. The digital, illusory display tracks the exact days, months, seasons, years, hours, minutes and seconds since the clocktower appeared out of nowhere 149 years ago. The Modrons within are a mechanical hivemind, obsessed with understanding the Shifting City objectively, by collecting records and attempting to map the city - a task that is infamously cursed, and thought to be impossible (though this doesn't ever stop the Modrons trying). The mechanical clocktower is also thought to have contributed to the leap forward in technology in the last 100 years concentrated around the 42nd, bringing an otherworldly understanding of engineering and automation.
The district is also home to: