The Foreign Quarter

This is the most crowded quarter of the New City, not just because this is the residential district assigned to all those who have not inherited or adopted Greyhawk citizenry, but because it is a nice place to live. It offers a variety of eateries and taverns, as well as tiny shops of many unique types.

It has long been city policy that visitors who take up residence in Greyhawk should not be allowed to inhabit certain areas, particularly places adjacent to the city wall. Thus, all foreigners who actually rent a residence (as opposed to taking a room in an inn. even for many weeks) must find such a residence in this quarter. Of course, foreign nobles and official guests of the city are exempt from the restriction.

Foreigners are not permitted to purchase property in the Free City. After seven consecutive years of residence (at least six months each year) in the city, a foreigner can apply for citizenship. Provided he has two citizens to vouch for him, and no record of troubles with the watch or any influential guilds. citizenship is granted.

Certain of the Foreign Quarter's shops and inns retain a distinctive character reflecting their owners' origins. But for the most part this district has blended very well into the rest of the Free City's character.

The City Watch is here, but not in any considerable numbers. If summoned, the watch patrol is not likely to arrive for 3d6 rounds. The People's Constables (Ch2 FFF) on the other hand, are a common and bothersome presence during day light. At night, the Nightwatchmen's Guild puts regular patrols through this and the neighboring River District. In many ways it is representative of the city in miniature, with its diversity of shops, its theatre (the Pit), and its mix of people from all places and all levels on the social scale. Indeed, the Foreign Quarter even has its own nobility, m the form of The Duke.

The shops of the Foreign Quarter are not listed as they are for Clerkburg and other areas. Instead, you can assume that there is at least one example here of every type of shop listed anywhere else in the city. And even if a type of shop isn't listed anywhere else, there is a 60% chance it can be found in this quarter. However, a passer-by asked for direc tions is only 50% likely to know the answer.

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When the New City walls were built, before 450 Cy, a separate section of the city was set aside for residents who were not actual citizens of Greyhawk by choice or birth. A paranoia existed in the city, fed by several sources, about the walls being drilled through or destroyed by foreign saboteurs, enemy spellcasters, and monsters in human form. (Sach had happened in the Great Kingdom.) All dwellings were moved several feet away from the walls, and foreigners were obliged to rent their homes in the newly designated Foreign Quarter. Foreigners were banned from purchasing real estate, but (oddly) they were allowed to rent rooms at inns anywhere in the city — even near walls and for long periods of time — thanks to pressure from city innkeepers who wanted more business. Also, foreign nobles and guests of the city were allowed to bypass all of these restrictions, leading to situations in which a few foreign diplomats and nobles own their own estates in the High Quarter.

The Foreign Quarter is considered the most cosmopolitan part of the city, and its variety and color make it highly attractive even to city residents; some well-to-do local merchant families live here. The mix of accents, dialects, and languages, with the wide assortment of clothing, shops, building decorations, and customs imported with the residents here, give the quarter an exotic character. Most Foreign Quarter residents come from only a few outside locations (Furyondy, Verbobonc, Dyvers, Duchy of Urnst, County of Urnst, Nyrond, and major towns in the Domain of Greyhawk), with the rest hailing from across the Flanaess. Nearly all residents came here for trade or business reasons, and some also serve as unofficial representatives of their home states.

Most crime here consists of petty theft (pickpocketing), burglary, and confidence scams, with a certain amount of blackmail and extortion in addition. The City Watch has a few patrols here and will arrive 3d6 rounds after being summoned. The Nightwatchmen conduct regular patrols here after dark. People’s Constables are a bother, as they habitually prey on “wicked, ignorant” foreigners. Private bodyguards and sentries are a common sight here.