Garden Quarter
If the posh inhabitants of the High Quarter represent the influence of Greyhawk's oldest wealth, the folk of the Garden Quarter are the city’s future. Their mansions aren’t quite as ornate, their estates not quite as large, their statuary not quite as self-aggrandizing, but they make up a vibrant part of the city’s social tapestry. Ennobled heroes, made-good prospectors, acclaimed artists and artisans, and retired adventurers combine to form a community open to new and challenging ideas, in part because many of them had to work for what they have made. If their statuary is less exquisite and the architecture more plain, these deficiencies are more than made up for by the brilliant profusion of blossoms grown here. The sweeping expanses of manicured beauty have given the quarter its name and its character. On a pleasant spring day the fragrance of lilac is carried by each passing breeze, while in summer a stroller can sample the dewy aroma of the lilies, and so on.
Despite this subtle distinction, the folk of the Garden Quarter still fall firmly into the upper class, and just because they are willing to entertain the concept of respect for their social inferiors doesn’t mean they necessarily subscribe to it themselves.
The district sprawls across a wide swath from wall to wall of the High Quarter, a collection of beautiful estates, placid ponds, manicured gardens, topiary displays, and private green spaces. In truth, an untutored observer could not tell where one district ends and the other begins. But the boundaries are clearly defined in the collective social consciousness of the city’s elite. By far the most fragrant of Greyhawk’s neighborhoods, the Garden Quarter is a favored site for romantic strolls. Although visitors from south of the Nobles’ Gate are tolerated, the City Watch and a host of private security companies keep a close eye on strangers.
The Garden Quarter runs in a broad swath east from the bluffs overlooking the Selintan to Duke’s Gate. Lying as it does at the foot of the High Quarter – its inhabitants are looked down upon physically and socially by their loftier neighbors, even though they are scarcely less wealthy.
The High Market lies at the heart of the Garden Quarter, forming the hub around which the entire Upper City revolves. This large market square lies astride the Processional and is dotted with wooden booths. the vendors here deal mainly in luxury goods and the work of master craftsmen from across the Flanaess and beyond.
There are no shops in the Garden Quarter, save for the region of the High Marketplace. Several fine inns and clubs offer fine cuisine and often gambling to wealthy patrons. There are plenty of luxury lodgings in the Quarter.
The higher western end of the quarter is give over to opulent villas surrounded by the beautiful gardens that give the district its name. Where the Processional bisects the area, two huge baroque edifices glower at each other across the paving stones – Royal Opera House and the Grand Theatre, bitter rivals for the patronage of the city’s moneyed classes.
The eastern end of the quarter is home to a collection of the city’s more important and extravagant temples – including the sanctuaries of Istus.
Type
Neighbourhood
Location under
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