Guildhall of Architects and Stonemasons
Though many of Greyhawk's newer constructions are seen as pedestrian by the architectural elite of the Flanaess, the city is home to dozens of structures considered to be paragons of the masonic arts. After the departure of Zagig Yragerne, a number of the artisans who had conspired on such buildings as the Grand Citadel, Lord Mayor’s Palace, and the campus of Grey College unionized, becoming the justly famous Guild of Architects and Stonemasons. As befits the meetinghouse of artisans specializing in quality construction, this guildhall is one of the most unique buildings in the Free City—the only one with an address on each side of the same street!
Their home has ever been a three-story great arch that spans Smith Road near the Guildhall of Performing Artistes resembling a bridge. It rests on two square pillars, each a stone building of no little size. Supported by eight massive trunks—single beams more than 100 feet long and nearly three feet thick-the upper portion of the building rests upon these bases. The structure is phenomenally strong. As if to prove the point, the Guild Ballroom, where the members hold their social gatherings and dances, is located in the part of the building suspended over the road.
The visually impressive arch contains a maze-like museum of scale models of dozens of buildings the guild had a hand in creating. Since many of these detailed models contain secret chambers and notes on magical protections, a number are kept in magically guarded locked rooms. Meeting rooms and studio workshops fill the bulk of the building with much of the uppermost “bridge” floor acting as one of the most prestigious ballrooms in the city. Guildmaster Goros Redgate, who dwells within lavish quarters off the ballroom’s balcony, is said to be in the midst of controversial negotiations to redesign major sections of the Old City near the Highway Gate.
The guild maintains a small museum m the left leg of the hall, wherein are displayed detailed scale models of some of the greater accomplishments of guild architects. Models of the Citadel, the Lord Mayor’s Palace. the Hall of the Dean at Grey College, and the Guildhall of the Performing Artistes are the only buildings of the Free City displayed here, but a dozen more models represent palatial structures from other parts of the Flanaess.
Each model is provided with its own alcove in the museum, lighted by its own chandelier. The museum is a maze-like area of stone passages, columns, freely swinging stone doors, and other examples of the stonemason’s art. It is open to the public during the afternoons. It is staffed by one master architect or stonemason, and about six young teenage children of guild members who aspire to apprenticeships.
The other pillar of the bridge holds a storeroom of rare tools and a large drawing laboratory. Its facilities are available to guild members who have temporarily need of equipment or space exceeding their own resources.
The upper part of the hall, reached usually through the museum but connecting to both sides, contains small meeting rooms, the large ballroom with a raised orchestra platform, and an amply provisioned bar and kitchen area.
This guild is responsible for all buildings and repair work undertaken within the city. The guild has been granted the monopoly on all building work conforms to an acceptable standard of safety and construction.
The operations of the guild are directed from the Guildhall in the Artisans’ Quarter. Here the guild maintains an archive of plans and surveys of all of the city’s major buildings. These are, for obvious reasons, not available to the public.
Type
Guildhall
Parent Location
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