Greyhawk, Domain of the Free City of

Ruled by His Solemn Authority, the Lord Mayor of Greyhawk, Nerof Gasgol

The city of Greyhawk controls a sizable estate ranging from the northern coast of the Woolly Bay to the southern shores of Midbay in the Nyr Dyv. The Cairn Hills and the Abbor-Alz mark the eastern limits of this domain, while its western boundary is generally considered to lie within the Gnarley Forest and along the edge of the Welkwood. The other towns in the Greyhawk territory each have their own history of independence. Were the entire region not threatened by upheaval in the adjacent lands, none of them would willingly submit to Greyhawk. The "empires" of the Pomarj and the Bright Desert lands are seen as unstable, but quite dangerous. In addition, neither Dyvers nor Celene, Greyhawk's western neighbors, hold any affection for the free city; the Duchy of Urnst, to the east, is a lukewarm ally.
The soldiers of the free city are typically armed with sword and club, and also include a substantial number of crossbowmen. They are provided with chainmail and shield, with the exception of the Hardby Marines, who wear leather armor. The Greyhawk Militia patrols the entire region, dealing with unruly elements such as bandits, Rhennee, orcs, and assorted monsters. The Greyhawk Militia's strength is focused in the south, facing endless raids by orcs and goblinoids from the conquered Wild Coast. The army includes the seagoing Hardby Marines of Woolly Bay, in their six war-galleys, and the Mountaineer Militia of the Abbor-Alz, with a score of griffon-riding "skymen" attached.
The Selintan River and the River Road that runs alongside it are the main avenues of travel in the lands of Greyhawk, connecting Woolly Bay to the Nyr Dyv. The Western Road carries traffic to Dyvers and beyond, while Urnst Trail crosses through the Cairn Hills to the east. Trade from all across the Flanaess passes through the free city, and people of all nations can be found there. In addition to being a center of commerce, Greyhawk is a city of learning. The University of Magical Arts and the Grey College, among others, attract numerous students here. finally, it is also a city of diplomacy; statesmen and politicians from nations throughout the central Flanaess serve as ambassadors to this domain, forging alliances and treaties.
The city of Greyhawk is ruled by its lord mayor, who is selected by the Directing Oligarchy comprised of twelve to eighteen of the city's major guild and military leaders, in addition to important clerics and wizards. The populace of the expanded estate of Greyhawk, beyond the city proper, has only limited influence in government. The Greyhawk Council of Mayors and Manorial Lords ostensibly gives the leaders of the various lesser communities in the city's larger domain a voice in government, but it is recognized that this annual gathering has no real authority. Hardby, in particular, still supports its ruling gynarchy, though the town is occupied by the military of Greyhawk. The nearby settlements and villages also look to the gynarchy for leadership, following the example of the current despotrix by deferring to the authority of the free city.

History

The city that would command so much attention from the world at large began centuries ago as a modest village on the Selintan River. Built around a trading outpost, the original settlement came to be dominated by a warlord whose keep stood on a hill above the village. After several years of garnering wealth through taxation, and a bit more by overt banditry, the influence of Greyhawk's sovereign was great enough to warrant a new title: Landgraf of Selintan. The first Landgraf s son was wed to the daughter of the gynarch of Hardby, thus cementing a political alliance that brought the whole of the river basin together under the old Landstadt of Selintan. The height of this confluence was reached in the person of the last landgraf, the so-called Mad Archmage, Zagig Yragerne.
This Wild Coast native was a full though distant heir to the position of landgraf. Zagig's rulership as lord mayor and landgraf was the most successful in the history of Greyhawk; he refortified the city, reformed many of its more onerous laws, established a university, and brought great prosperity to the region as a whole. His construction of Castle Greyhawk was an unparalleled achievement of engineering. While some of his projects seemed without purpose or even destructive, his rule in total was of great benefit to Greyhawk and its inhabitants.
Ultimately, his eccentricities took him far from his duties as ruler. He was also without heir. After many decades of his absence, Greyhawk was proclaimed a free and independent city in 498 CY, slicing all political ties (which were nearly nonexistent by now anyway) with the Great Kingdom. The old Landstadt was abolished, and absolute authority was formally vested in the Directing Oligarchy. Though beginning with great promise with the legacy of Zagig, the city quickly fell into decline. Greyhawk lost its authority over much of the associated territory after 500 CY, most notably the Wild Coast and Hardby. In Hardby, the female wizards, knights, and nobles restored the sovereignty of the gynarchy, though by tradition the title of gynarch belonged to House Yragerne. Therefore, the women of Hardby named their new ruler the despotrix, ruling over a domain extending from the lower Selintan to the Abbor-Alz.
Greyhawk finally recovered several decades ago, benefiting from dungeon-loot taken from several major troves discovered in the region, particularly beneath the ruins of Castle Greyhawk. By the time of the Greyhawk Wars, the city was again being called the "Gem of the Flanaess" (a term coined by Zagig) and received increasing numbers of visitors. In the aftermath of the wars, refugees replaced many of these visitors. Some of the wealthier refugees purchased invented titles, with the prerequisite counterfeit histories and lineages. As a result, the true history of the city and surrounding region is slowly being overwritten. Many see this as the price of growth and success. Greyhawk is, for all its difficulties, more vital and prosperous than it has been at any time since the departure of Zagig Yragerne.

Government: Lord mayor elected by an oligarchy representing the city's major mercantile, military, legal, economic, criminal, religious, and magical guilds
Capital: Greyhawk
Major Towns: Elmshire (pop. 4,000), Greyhawk (pop. 69,500), Hardby (pop. 5,100), Narwell (pop. 4,400), Safeton (pop. 6,100)
Provinces: One metropolis, two small cities, two large towns, and numerous villages and manorial estates run by noble lords, military authorities, or local officials who answer to the oligarchy; land not controlled by urban areas is controlled by Greyhawk military
Resources: Silver, electrum, gold, platinum, gems (IIV), river and road trade nexus
Coinage: Plate (pp), orb (gp), lucky (ep), noble (sp), common (cp)
Population: 160,000—Human 79% (OSfbr), Halfling 9% (lightfoot), Gnome 5%, Elf 3% (sylvan), Dwarf 2%, Half-elf 1%, Half-orc 1%
Languages: Common, Rhopan, Gnome, Halfling
Alignments: N*, all others
Religions: Zilchus, Pelor, St. Cuthbert, Norebo, Fharlanghn, many others
Allies: Duchy of Urnst, Furyondy, Nyrond, County of Urnst, Veluna, Verbobonc, Dyvers, Shield Lands
Enemies: Pomarj, Iuz, Bright Lands, Scarlet Brotherhood, various evil cults (Iuz, Vecna, Wastri, Nerull, etc.), Horned Society

  Location in the Flanaess