Artisan's Quarter

Greyhawk's most poetic residents suggest that the city has achieved its current prosperity as the result of kismet, that centuries of dedication to spiritualism, the arts. and learning have raised the city from a backwater trading post to the center of enlightenment in the Flanaess. They trace the city's history in verse on the crisp vellum pages of books bound with the finest leather, extolling the virtues of fair Greyhawk to visitors far and wide. The wisest (and perhaps weariest) of Greyhawk folk, the merchants and artisans who daily hock their wares in the plazas and squares of the Artisans Quarter, know the truth. Greyhawk's prosperity has come not from the will of the gods or the rhyme of the poet's pen. Greyhawk is built not on a foundation of good will and karma, but on a firm dedication to craftsmanship, business, and the milking of every ounce of value from the gold orb. It comes from the plundered burial treasures of the Cairn Hills, the exotic curios liberated from Castle Greyhawk, or the coins of travelers and refugees from all corners of the Flanaess. But wealth alone does not build lasting walls. Management of that wealth, however, does. Perhaps nowhere in all of Greyhawk is the pursuit and management of wealth as evident as in the Artisans' Quarter.
The district is situated around the central Low Market, and includes structures on either side of the Processional, the great road that bisects the city. Beyond the open marketplace, tightly packed well-made buildings serve as both shops and homes to the bulk of Greyhawk's craftsmen and artisans. Most folk who live in the district also work there. Craftsmen often apprenticed at or nearby the shop they now run. so a large portion of the populace has deep roots in the community. Though thousands of strangers pass through Low Market every morning, the district supports a very small transient population. In general, the folk of the Artisans' Quarter keep to themselves while keeping a keen eye on strangers. That said, foreign hands bear foreign coins, and opportunities for profit occasionally outweigh the better judgement of the residents.
Though some merchants are very wealthy, the district supports a strong working class ethic. Everyone (even if grudgingly) supports a successful colleague, but there is little trust for the nobles of the High or Garden district, even while many artisans owe their livelihoods to noble patronage. Trade guilds are extremely powerful here, and while a brotherhood of merchants is seldom so brutal as the Thieves or Assassins of Old City, those who have seen the sad financial fate of uncooperative business folk might find them every bit as vindictive.
Since so many of the shops in the Artisans' Quarter double as homes, there is little tolerance for troublemakers. The streets are well patrolled by the City Watch and the Nightwatchmen's Guild, and lawbreakers apprehended here usually serve harsher sentences in the City Workhouse than those captured in neighboring districts. Even before the watch arrives on the scene of a crime, burly armed locals often (quite brutally) take the law into their own hands. When it comes to the protection of their neighborhoods, Artisans' Quarter folk seldom bargain.
Still, an entire quarter dedicated to trade in a city that many suspect is run by thieves attracts its fair share of trouble. Wherever coins pass hand to hand there is bound to be passion. and even here, in the cozy neighborhoods of the Artisans' Quarter, danger lurks in the shadows.

Demographics

Demographics: Human 77%, Dwarf 9%, Hin 7%, Gnome 4%, Rageborn 1%, Other 1%, Elf/Alfar negligible

Government

No quarter in the Free City has its own governmental structure. Possibly the most important person in the Artisan's Quarter is Carmen Halmaster, the Guildmaster of the Clothworkers' Guild and a member of the Directing Oligarchy. Concerns about the quarter are brought to Halmaster, who then decides whether or not to bring them to the Oligarchy.
Among Greyhawk's more pragmatic wizards can be counted Darred Hebbren, a rail-thin middle-aged mage who has dedicated most of his research and artifice to aiding the business of various guilds in the Artisans' Quarter. As such, the mage has a lot of influence in the quarter.

Defences

District Guard

• Free City Watch Captain Nellisir Avanson

• Nightwatchman Guild Sergeant Ramelos

Industry & Trade

The Petit or Low Bazaar is the main attraction of the Artisans' Quarter. Greyhawk’s busiest market stands at the crossroads of the Old City and the New City, serving both communities with goods from around the city and the world. The Merchants' and Traders' Union organize the Bazaar from the Grand Tent, but rotate people through the Grand Tent so no one merchant becomes too influential.
Every day at dawn and for about two hours afterward, throngs of unskilled workers crowd the low stone stairs of the Laborers' Union Hall, hoping to hire themselves off on some service of physical labor. Among the largest structures within sight of the north side of Black Gate, the hall is home to the largest guild in all of Greyhawk.
The Artisan's Quarter is the hub of many of the influential guilds of Greyhawk, including the guild of Clothworkers', Architects' and Stonemasons', Carpenters', Leatherworkers, and the newly combined Metalsmiths' Guild.

Guilds and Factions

Important People

• Thalivar, Head Agent, Able Carter Coaching

• Repnel Porton, Master Streetcleaner

• Darred Hebbren, influential wizard

Guildmasters

• Goros Redpate, Architects' and Stonemasons'

• Paks Teros, Carpenters'

• Carmen Halmaster, Clothworkers', also a member of the Directing Oligarchy and High-level member of the Merchants' and Traders' Union

• Harran Fanshen, Leatherworkers'

• Metalsmiths: Jaskar Smithson, Blacksmiths', Basher Grundig, Coppersmiths', Orrin Thundercleaver, Weaponsmiths'

Points of interest

LOCATIONS

Political and Government

• Artisan’s Quarter City Watch Station

• Artisan's Quarter Nightwatchmens' Guildstation

Guilds and Industry

• Architects' and Stonemasons' Guild

• Carpenter’s Guildhall

• Halmaster's Hall (Clothworker's Guild)

• Laborers' Union Guildhall

• Leatherworker’s Guildhall

• Metalsmiths' Hall

• Performing Artistes' Guildhall

Inns, Taverns and Entertainment

• Broken Staff (Tavern - caters to wizards)

• Copper Coin Inn (Inn)

• Fat of the Hog (Tavern and Restaurant)

• Wild Goose (Tavern)

Shops and Services

• The Low Market (Petit Bazaar)

• Grand Tent

• Able Carters Coaching House (Coaches and Posts)

• Crowmar's Magnificent Lantern Emporium (Illuminations)

• Eridok's Expedition Provisions (Outfitters)

• Fruit of the Mill (Food and Drink)

• Grinning Mammet (Toymaker)

• Halls of Hilmer (Master Armorer)

• Maldin and Elenderi's (Magic Shop)

• Maps by Melezakan (Maps)

• Moxitled's Alchemical Wares (Alchemist)

• Nine of Swords (Blades)

• Tinge of Vellum (Scrolls and Stationary)

Culture and Sites

• New City Fountains (Site)

Important Residences

• Darred Hebbren's Tower (Wizard's Residence)

• Dorshak Krane's House (Residence)

Population

9,035

Location under

Greyhawk