Rookroost
The Free City of Rookroost is the de facto capital of the Bandit Kingdoms. It holds this position as the largest city in the strongest fiefdom of the Bandit Kingdoms. It is part of the Empire of Iuz in 591 CY.
The name "Rookroost" refers to both the Free City and the territory under its control.
Rookroost was founded in 329 CY by Latavius, an Oeridian robber-baron who used the settlement as a base from which to raid road and river traffic in the surrounding territory.[2] The town was initially no more than a a walled fort atop a low hill some 50 feet in height, but soon grew rapidly into a larger settlement, necessitating the construction of further walls.[1]
Latavius was assassinated suddenly in 371 CY and replaced by the former commander of his personal bodyguard. This would establish a long-standing tradition of assassination as a method of succession of rulership.[1]
Rookroost quickly grew into a significant settlement handling much legitimate trade.[2] During its early period, new walls were repeatedly constructed to enclose the new area. This resulted in the city consisting of concentric circles. Eventually, the city stopped building new walls, with the result being almost half the city's buildings lie outside of the walls.[1]
In 578 CY, Rookroost survived a siege by Tenha forces. A treaty was subsequently signed, in which Rookroost agreed to stop raiding western Tenh.[2]
In 583 CY, following the invasion of the neighboring Midlands by Iuz, Rookroost joined forces with Iuz. The following year, 584 CY, it was made a regional capital of the Bandit Kingdoms.[2]
The city's ruler, "The General" Pernevi, was quietly assassinated and secretly replaced by the cambion Kerzinen, a loyal and trusted servant of Iuz who assumed Pernevi's form. Following the Greyhawk Wars of 582 to 584 CY, he adopted the title The Baron. [3]
On 17 Fireseek, 585 CY, two priests of Iuz were murdered. In response, the city's ruler had four members of the thieves' guild rounded up and tortured to death by fiends in public.[3]
In turn, "Pernevi" was deposed when the Flight of Fiends destroyed many of his fiendish advisors in 586 CY. Lord Marshall Arus Mortoth replaced him and restructured the city's government to favor humans.[2]
Late in 588 CY, forces of Iuz based in Rookroost marched into Tenh.[4]
Rookroost is located just southeast of the Fellreev forest. The city controls much surrounding territory: as of 591 CY it is bordered by the Cold Run river to the west, including substantial portion of the Fellreev Forest; the Zumker River to the west, marking its border with Tenh; north seventy-five miles from the Artonsamay River up to the Bluff Hills;[5] and south across the Artonsamay River to the Rift Barrens.[2]
Although the Empire of Iuz formally recognized Rookroost as a regional capital, the city's area of territory control is not defined formally by any charter. Rather, it is based largely on how much it can hold by force.[6] The city has attempted to conquer abandoned territories western Tenh.[7]
Rookroost is a large walled city built upon a hill some fifty feet tall, and featuring several concentric walls constructed over centuries as the city grew. The city's districts grow progressively wealthier as one travels inward, with the city's most high-status individuals inhabiting the innermost area known as The Peak. Rookroost's poorest, among them many half-orcs and other non-human peoples, inhabit Outwall, the area outside of the outermost wall.[1]Ravens, the city's namesake, are a common sight on rooftops, especially in the central plaza adjacent to the ruler's abode. According to legend, shortly after the city was founded, a seer predicted the city would never fall to invaders as long as rooks roosted around the central square.[1]
Many Oeridian deities have temples here. They include Zilchus, god of wealth; Erythnul, popularly worshiped by nonhumans; Hextor, popular among military and police; and Kurell, popular among members of the thieves' guild. Atroa, Celestian, and Fharlanghn have small temples, and small shrines to gods of the orcs and others havebeen built in Outwall.[1]
Rookroost had a population of 17,310 in 576 CY.[8] Its population dipped to 11,650 after the Greyhawk Wars.[9]
By 591 CY, the population of Rookroost is 17,500.[10]
The population of Rookroost is primarily human, mostly of Oeridian descent. Many orcs, half-orcs, and other non-humans inhabit the city. Some half-fiends have taken up residence here, although many were banished during the Flight of Fiends.[2]
Prior to the Greyhawk Wars, the city had a substantial half-orc enclave, who were among those recruited for service by the priesthood of Iuz.[11]
Lord Marshall Arus Mortoth, a warlord and secretly a half-fiend, rules the city.
The Respendant Crynar Randal was born to an upper-class merchant in Rookroost.[12]
The cambion Baron Kerzinen, former ruler of Rookroost, was one of the most notable and trusted servants of Iuz.[13]
As part of the Empire of Iuz, Iuz is worshiped here.
Common is the language most spoken in Rookroost. Some wealthy and powerful humans speak Old Oeridian as a mark of status.
A military dictator governs the city. The ruler in 591 CY was Lord Marshall Arus Mortoth, a powerful fighter/assassin who attained the position by murdering his predecessor, in the traditional method. Most of Mortoth's government are human, and his rule favors humans over other races. Few clerics of Iuz are in his government, and his mostly human cabinet are suspected to have weak loyalty to Iuz. He hires a hill giant as his chief constable.[2]
A powerful thieves' guild holds significant control over the city and its government, although the current Lord Marshall is not known to have any connection to the group.[2] His predecessor, General Pernevi, previously had a formal power-sharing agreement with the guild in the hopes of protecting himself from assassination: The General would handle military and national policy, and the guild controlled the rest. Corruption and bribery remain standard practice.[1]
The most recent known head of the thieves' guild is Guildmother Elara Mornstar, who served as Pernevi's head of secret police, although The General sought to have her assassinated.[1]
Trade guilds hold significant power in Rookroost, and non-guild members operating in the city are pressured out of business, sometimes by violence. They are generally connected to the government and thieves' guilds, to whom they pay hefty fees. In turn, guild membership requires a large fee. Major guilds include those for blacksmiths, merchants, teamsters, and mages.[1]
Rookroost has a standing army of several thousand men. It is financially supported by significant "protection payments" levied on lands through which it moves. Several hundred are stationed outside the city walls to guard against rebellion.[1] The military contains an army of 100 orogs and other nonhumans imported from elsewhere in the Empire of Iuz.[3]
A formal police force numbering some 300 individuals serves the city's ruler. They are identified by wearing the city's crest on their leather armor, and are often equipped with swords, as well as clubs and maces. The police are undisciplined and poorly paid, and commonly engage in extortion and bribery.[1]
Guards enforce a legally mandated charge of 1 sp to enter one of the city seven gates (5 sp for a one-day pass, or 10 gp for a pass which is valid for the rest of the month). Such passes are simply written on parchment by guards, who eagerly take the assignment in the hopes of making extra money. Guards will often attempt to make a profit by charging other fees, including a 2 gp "weapon fee".[1]
Much legitimate trade is conducted here.[2] Weapons are significant export.[15] Large entry fees are charged at the city's gates.[1]
Major trade routes connect Rookroost to the settlements of Marsakeer, Senningford, and Narleon; the latter leads to Nevond Nevnend, from which Rookroost imports food, slaves, and some equipment.[3]
The coinage minted in Rookroost includes the golden Lord, the silver Lady, and the copper Knave. The coins are crudely minted compared to the currency of other realms. Foreign currency is widely accepted, but an exorbitant exchange rate is levied on non-local coins, such that ten gold pieces minted in the Free City of Greyhawk might only buy 4 or 5 gold pieces worth of goods in Rookroost. By law, change must be given in local currency, and bartering is common to avoid this hefty tax.[1]
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The large walled city of Rookroost was founded in 329 CY by an Oeridian robber-baron named Latavius, who preyed on river and road traffic within many leagues of his base. The town grew rapidly; for most of this century, it has been the major state in the Bandit Kingdoms, controlling all land up to seventy-five miles north of the Artonsamay-Zumker confluence and pulling in much legitimate trade. Rookroost's rulers have traditionally been warriors who assassinate their predecessors, controlled all the while by the city's powerful gang of thieves, which also controls the local assassins. Oeridian humans are dominant, but a large orc and half-orc population is present, with many other nonhumans besides (including half-fiends after the Greyhawk Wars). A local legend says the city on the hill will never be conquered, so long as its huge raven population roosts in the city's central square. So far, the prophecy has held true.
The city resisted a siege by Tenha forces in 578 CY but was forced by treaty to stop raiding western Tenh. It wisely offered to join Iuz in 583 when the demigod's armies laid waste to the Midlands realm to the south, and in 584 it became a regional capital.
Rookroost now governs all plains, forests, and hills between Cold Run and the Zumker River, all Iuzite forces in Tenh, and the plains across the Artonsamay south to the Rift Barrens. The city's newest ruler, Lord Marshall Arus Mortoth (secretly: CE male half-fiend Ftr15/Asn4), murdered his predecessor, General Pernevi, following the loss in 586 of many of Pernevi's fiendish advisers. Mortoth has restructured the government, heavily favoring humans over other races, except for a brutal hill giant employed as chief constable. Some say thieves and their agents really control the city, though the current administration has not overtly tried to sour relations with Dorakaa. Lord Mortoth is rumored to be disenchanted with Iuz, but he has no known relationship with Rookroost's rogues, being a very self-centered dictator. It may be that the humans in his administration, which include very few priests of Iuz, feign their loyalty to him. Rookroost forces use their old heraldry with that of Iuz, and relations with Iuz's local clerics are strained.
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