Steaming Spring

Steaming Spring lies in a wider valley, and draws its name from the several geysers outside the town. These regularly spew hot water, steam, and occasionally mud into the air. The mines dig into the lower slopes of the hills to either side of the valley. Unlike Blackstone, which sits primarily on a stone foundation, Steaming Spring is built upon dirt that has long since turned to mud. The town is visible from miles away as a brown smudge across the bottom of a once verdant valley.
These working communities are all governed and protected by the Free City of Greyhawk. While the mines themselves are scattered over this portion of the hills, the ore is carried to one of these three towns for assaying, smelting. and further transportation.
The communities. from west to east, are Blackstone, Steaming Spring, and Diamond Lake. They resemble each other in most particulars except location, and hence are described together.
Each of these towns is made of wooden buildings, except for a central blockhouse and vault, which is of stone. The towns are governed by Governor-Mayors, appointed by Greyhawk's directors. These are lucrative posts, and thus are filled with qualified candidates who are not likely to succumb to corruption.
Each Governor-Mayor has at least a score of years in proven service to the city. He, and his detachment of the watch garrison, is responsible for order in his town and the surrounding mines, protection of the area against bandits and monsters, and seeing that the mining operations run without a great deal of interference.
The mines are owned by the city. But are leased to various individuals for life. These mine managers are usually industrious nobles who are responsible for the business of mining. Fully half of the product of each mine is the property of the city, but many mine managers, Governor-Mayors, and prospectors have made good fortunes on the other half.
Common buildings in the mining towns include large boarding houses for the miners, a large, smoky smelting house, several smithies, wainwrights, carpenters, a large teamster yard with numerous heavy wagons and draft horses, small markets of expensive fresh food and low-quality dried goods shipped from the city, and of course inns. taverns, eating houses, dance halls, and brothels-all the social accoutrements demanded by a well-paid, hard-working, and generally unmarried populace.
The mine managers maintain large houses in the towns, usually with their families and servants. The Governor-Mayor, his watch officers, and skilled artisans such as the Chief Smelter or Master Smith have individual houses as well, though with not so much finery or as many servants as the mine managers.

Type

Town