Twilitespace: Greywolf

Even more on Twilitespace!  Here's the writeup of Greywolf, a city that
I've been working on for a *long* time.  Finally sat down and wrote out
my ideas and added tons more.  It's loosely (as observed by the name:)
based on Greyhawk, probably (IMHO:) the best city in DnD ever:)  It's
not overly long, and I'll probably expand on it later.

Greywolf, Independent City & Domain 
Who Rules: Aba Hawksguard, Lord Mayor of Greywolf (NG hm T5/M15), a
self-made man who has a vested interest in many businesses throughout
the city.  He has ruled successfully for the last twelve years.

Population: 22,000 (estimated).  The city population can rise to 26,500
during the height of the trading season.  This includes many elves,
half-elves, dwarves, and halflings.  There has recently been a slight
increase of non-humans as a direct result of Hawksguard's rule.  The
domain population is roughly 150,000 people, mostly humans and
halflings.  The population is densest along the river, but thins
considerably as one travels away from the river.

Domain: The domain claimed by the city runs along the Dandrik River for
45 miles to the north and 20 miles to the south.  To the south, the
neutral Plains of Vanja mark the boundary of Greywolf's claim.  The
northern border is marked by the Dragonbreath Lake.  Territory claimed
by the city runs east to the mountains of Ithil, roughly 20 miles east. 
Greywolf claims land on the west bank of the Dandrik River for 20 or so
miles, mirroring their claims on the east bank.  In all, Greywolf claims
little over 2500 square miles.

Heraldry: The royal seal is a baying gray wolf head over a rising ringed
world (Artimis).  Most merchants use this symbol to identify themselves
as from Greywolf.  Nobles use variations of wolves in their family
emblems, including packs of wolves and the lone wolf.
	The Hawksguard emblem is that of a great golden hawk, wings outspread,
clutching a blade in one claw and a sphere in the other.  This symbol is
found on businesses owned by the rising Hawksguard family.
	Finally, all spelljammers owned by the city fly the colors of the Five
Stars Company, a recently created trading cartel.  The symbol of that
company is five stars over a blue field.  Usually, the flag flying this
symbol is flown under a similar flag flying the colors of Greywolf.

Major Products:  Wool (used mostly in thick, well-made blankets and
cloaks), leather and vellum (from livestock brought from surrounding
farmlands), meats and cheese, spelljammers (sealships), river-travelling
ships, jewelry and gems, and books.

Armed Forces:  The Watch patrols the city and is a force of 420 mounted,
chain-clad men armed with horseman maces, light crossbows, longswords,
and daggers.  These few soldiers are charged with the keeping of the
peace, but little else.  Greywolf has no walls to patrol, so there is no
need for soldiers patrolling the gates.  In addition, Greywolf can call
upon the adventurers within its borders to help protect it from attack. 
Soldiers are of levels 2-5, with officers averaging 4th or 5th level.
	The domain is lightly patrolled by militiamen loyal to Greywolf, but
live in the countryside.  Each of the 150 or so villages has d12
militiamen, depending on the size of the village.  The militiamen are
leather-clad men and women armed with longswords, spears, and light
crossbows.  Roughly half of these men will be mounted.  Larger towns
have 20-75 militiamen, slightly better equipped than their country
neighbors.  They usually wear studded leather armor and are armed with
longswords, pikes, daggers, and light crossbows.  In total, Aba can call
upon little more than 2,000 troops immediately, and can raise militias
from the countryside that can triple that amount.
	Additionally, the city is home port to several spelljammers that could
be pressed into service if the need arose.  The city has built at dozen
of these craft, and well over half use Greywolf as their home port. 
These ships run several trade routes, mostly around Artimis' moons, but
they travel as far as the Sunflow Republic, Lagorith, and Ethwold.  They
make occasional trips to other spheres, and traders from the city have
visited Realmspace, Greyspace, and Bralspace.  The city keeps a pair of
sealships for military purposes.  Such ships will have 40 crewmen, of
which 24 are marines, 8 are officers, and the rest are sailors.  The
military vessels are kept in a walled compound protected by 35 Watch
soldiers.
	To defend his own personal estate (a castle located 15 miles to the
east of the city), Hawksguard has hired a force of 6 griffon mounted
troops.  These men are of levels 5 through 7, who wear chain armor and
are armed with bastard swords, heavy lances, light crossbows, and
maces.  These griffon riders are the most elite force Hawksguard has at
his disposal.  They patrol the skies above the city of Greywolf east to
the Valley of Ithil.

Notable Mages: 
	Most of the mages of Greywolf are part of a powerful society of such
spellslingers, the Society of Blazing Cowl.  The Blazing Cowls are a
loose organization of perhaps twenty five members, of which 10 are above
9th level.  They have a large keep-like structure set on the Hill of
Sorcery, where local meetings are held.  The residents of most of the
Society members were built upon the Hill, within easy walking distance
of the meeting hall.
· Zelda Nightcloak (human female W13): As one of the most powerful mages
in the city, Zelda commands respect from the common folk.  Daughter of a
rich nobleman and head of the Greywolf branch of the Society of the
Blazing Cowl (which has spread to numerous other cities), Zelda has
tremendous political power in the city.  Even Aba must tread carefully
in his dealings with this powerful woman.
· Zheverin Flamefall (human male W(In)11): Zheverin is a senior member
of the Society of the Blazing Cowl and a dangerous individual.  Born to
a poor family, Zheverin has had to work his way to the top, and has had
to make sacrifices that left him a cold and bitter individual.  He
typically sells spells to lesser mages to raise money to keep him in the
Society.
· Kethzair "Son of the Storm" (elvish male W10): A middle-aged elf from
Ithil, Kethzair is an extremely handsome individual with great skill in
magic.  Of the leading mages of Greywolf, he is most likely to take on
students (elves and half-elves preferable).  Though not a womanizer, he
enjoys the company of a young female greatly, and is often seen with
Zelda at his arm.  What relation those two have is kept between
themselves and is subject to much gossiping and speculation.
· Wildera Hawksguard (weredragon female W9): The older sister of Aba
Hawksguard, Wildera moved into the city not long after her half-brother
took power.  She has a fairly eloquent residence, but largely stays out
of the public eye.  Wildera owns a small potion and scroll shop, which
deals in most standard magical potions and protection scrolls.  This
business caters mostly to adventurers and spelljammer captains.

Notable Churches:
· The Wild Temple, dedicated to Isha and her many animal servants.  High
Druid Sharaner runs the place (NG hf D14), who also has 12 lesser druids
at her disposal.  The complex is a park-like area, where people come for
private mediation over formal praying.  Most weddings are held in this
temple.
· The Towers of the Sun, dedicated to Solran.  Bishop Anzurol (CG hm
P12) is the master of the place, and holds services every four days. 
Not everyone who prays at the Towers attends every service; on average,
a citizen attends a service once every twelve days.  The Towers are a
quartet of gold-colored towers with a massive, round stone building
between them.  Services are held under the domed roof of the central
building, while the towers hold the quarters for the temple's six
under-priests.  Another fifteen lay followers are attached to the
Towers, but they have residences elsewhere.
· Shrine of Tranquility, a small grove sanctioned to Llwar, the Goddess
of Magic.  The shrine is a small garden with a dozen statues each
depicting one of the twelve faces of Magic.  The shrine is tended by
Joth Tenderhand (LG hm P7), a kindly old man who acts as gardener and
caretaker.  He is paid a substantial salary by the Society of Blazing
Mages, who also provide him a home on the Hill of Sorcery.
· Warrior's Glade, the sanctuary of warriors who worship Brakus, the God
of Strength and Physical Prowess.  The Glade is a large garden filled
with twenty statues, all famous warriors of Greywolf's past.  At the
center of the Glade is a small chapel where warriors go to pray before
heading off to battle.  The Glade is tended by Kross Boldblood (N hm
F5/P6), a retired veteran and mercenary.  

Notable Rouges' and Thieves' Guilds: 
	The city has none.  There are a handful of independent thieves, but
Hawksguard has finally crushed the last formal thieves' guild to provide
safety for his people.  The most prominent thief and smuggler is
Ran-Goral (NE hm T10) who has managed to keep his identity hidden from
even Hawksguard.  He is not very active, as he has already accumulated
more than enough wealth to keep him to the end of his days.  He will
train thieves, and makes a rare heist to keep is skills sharp.  He
himself now has a family, a wife and three kids.
	In the countryside, the roads are plagued by a handful of bandit
groups.  The most famous of these groups are the Smashers (a group of 10
ogres led by a half-ogre), the Green Masks (roughly two dozen human
bandits and archers), the Fallen Branch (six elves and ten half-elves),
and the Broken Spear (twenty or so human slavers under the employ of the
Chainmen).  These groups are found at the margins of civilization, but
make occasional raids into Greyhawk claimed land.

Notable Merchant Houses: 
	Greywolf has a number of merchant houses that rival the power of any
noble house.  These houses control many of the businesses in the city,
but are not significant landholders, thus not considered noble.  The
largest are detailed below, but there are numerous other houses in the
city.

House Ferathusti ("Companions of the Harp"): an elvish trading cartel
out of Ithil, House Ferathusti has long dominated the elvish trade
market.  This house was founded four hundred years ago by a band of
elvish adventurers seeking a safer means of making money over
adventure.  It has a virtual monopoly on all elvish goods in the city of
Greywolf, and makes a tidy profit from said goods.  Its shop typically
has elvish wines, clothing, foodstuffs, and artwork available for sale. 
At least five elves stand guard over the shop at all times.  The emblem
of this merchant house is a golden harp.
· Dhoro Ferathusti "The Falcon who Walks" (elvish male R9): Grandson of
the founder of the Ferathusti, Dhoro had an easy early life.  He lived a
fairly pampered lifestyle in the land of Ithil and was well-educated. 
When he came of age, he decided to learn the ways of the wild and became
a ranger.  Fifty years ago, he officially joined the family business as
a trail guide and later earned the status of caravan master.  He
steadily rose through the ranks and is now in charge of the profitable
Greywolf division.  His is very rich but lives a modest lifestyle.
· Malael Ferathusti "Great Warrior" (elvish male F/W 6/6): As one of the
few bladesingers in the house, Malael is in charge of defending the
Ferathusti shop and caravans heading to and from Greywolf.  He takes his
job very seriously and commands a force of twenty-five elvish
men-at-arms.  Though rarely home, his house is a virtual fortress.
· Taemar Ferathusti "Honor of the Fox" (elvish female W4/T2): Taemar is
the shopkeeper for the Ferathusti's store, and as such is a crafty
merchant.  She always is trying to get the best deal and does some shady
dealing on the side, but her activities are not extensive nor do they
threaten the House's interests.

House Rhreen: The Dandrik River is Greywolf's main trade route.  A
number of traders take advantage of this waterway to get goods from the
southern ports to the northern lake cities.  Of these trading houses,
House Rhreen is perhaps the largest and richest.  It owns a fleet of
twenty trading barges and seven knarrs, four of which are found at
Greywolf.  The rest are away, hauling cargo up and down the river.  The
House is very busy, and makes a lot of money as a result.  The ships of
the House typically carry clothing, raw ores, wood, furniture, quarried
stone, and weapons, worked iron goods of all kinds, and livestock.  The
House deals mostly with large bulk goods, preferring to deal with large,
heavy goods that are not easily stolen.
· Tom Rheen (human male F6): The head of the Household, he inherited the
family business years ago from his grandfather.  Tom is now a
middle-aged native of Greywolf who handles the paperwork of the
business.  He is usually found in his office, but sometimes makes
business trips to the cities the family does business with.
· Thric Rheen (human male F4): The younger brother of Tom, Thric is in
charge of running the Rhreen compound.  He is jealous of his older
brother, but has not yet found a way to take the business away from
him.  Currently, he is trying to win the support of prominent barge
captains, but is having little success.
· Sierra Rheen (human female W4/F5): Daughter of Tom and a prominent
captain, Sierra routinely runs the dangerous Greywolf/Duskwood route,
much to Tom's distress.  She usually dresses as a man, and can cuss,
sword swing, and fight as well as most men.  This woman is the person to
see if one wants to travel to Duskwood.
· Nigel Trollslayer (human male F2): A barge captain hired by the
Rheens, Nigel hauls livestock from the Vanja Plains to the south to
slaughter in Greywolf and cities north.  He is famous for
single-handedly slaying a troll, using a bottle of flaming oil to
distract the beast long enough for him to strike a killing blow.

House Glin: This house is the last remnant of the Glassblower Guild, one
of the lesser guilds.  When Hawksguard invaded the city, Glin family
laid low while the other guilds were destroyed.  The family was one of
the least violent of the guild families, and were one of the few to
accept the change of power.  House Glin now controls the glassblowing
industry in the city.  They became rich when they landed a contract to
craft all of the glass used in the production of sealships   They are
trying to rebuild the glassblower guild and have taken several
apprentices.  Many have reached the rank of journeymen.
· Sabastin Glin (human male F4): Eldest surviving member of the Glin
family, Sabastin is a cantankerous old man.  He was largely responsible
for keeping the glassblower guild out of the power struggles by moving
the headquarters for the guild outside of the city and only maintaining
a few contacts in the city itself.  Sabastin was not much of a fighter,
nor was he willing to risk his family in the constant power struggles
that gripped the city.  He reluctantly moved back once Aba took power.
· Travis Glin (human male F6): Middle aged but still healthy and hale,
Travis is responsible for most of the house's finances.  He is also a
master glassblower, but he is slowing down as of late.  He rarely crafts
glass these days, instead handling all of the house's paperwork and
training new apprentices.  He still takes commissions on occasion,
including crafting an eloquent decanter for a sealship captain.

House Tankard: One of the more successful houses in Greywolf, this house
owns roughly half of the taverns and inns in the city.  The goal of this
house is, of course, it to own all of the taverns and inns in the city. 
They are aggressively trying to take control of the remaining taverns
not owned by them, but are running into considerable opposition.  They
have yet to employ less honorable methods to secure a monopoly, but the
younger members of the family are getting frustrated with their progress
and want a quick solution to their problems.
· Krystine Tankard (human female F2): At age 26, Krystine is an unlikely
candidate for head of a major house, but she is the undisputed power
within her house.  She has been the force behind the house's aggressive
campaign to own every tavern and inn in Greywolf.  She is fiercely
competitive and is determined to ruin every man in the city she can. 
Her hatred of men comes from her early childhood; her father prostituted
her to his friends and businessmen, often to seal a bargain.  By age 19,
mother of four illegitimate children (two by her father), she slew her
vile father by cutting his throat when he came to her bed.  Within two
weeks she eliminated anyone who would rival her and seized control of
house Tankard.  She is an utterly ruthless woman and will do anything to
gain and hold power.
· Jason Tankard (human male W1):  Jason is the eldest of Krystine's
illegitimate children, and is 12 years old.  Krystine uses him as a pawn
against the rest of the family, claiming that he is the true heir to the
family and she is his custodian.  She does not love him, as he is a
constant remembrance of her abuse.  

-- 
Night Druid