River Quarter
Loud, wet, and alive at all hours, the River Quarter is the Free City of Greyhawk’s beating heart of labor, trade, and temptation. If the High Quarter is where power is whispered and masked behind velvet, the River Quarter is where deals are shouted across docks, knives are drawn over spilled ale, and coin clinks in dirty hands.
Anchored along the Selintan River, this district is a constant churn of cargo, shouting laborers, fishmongers, smugglers, tavern wenches, and the ever-watchful eyes of mercenary guilds and underworld figures. It’s not a place of refinement—but it is a place where things happen, often quickly and without warning.
The River Quarter is the city’s main working-class ward, extending from the city’s southern docks all the way up the riverbank to the fringes of the Foreign and Artisans' Quarters. Streets are narrow, crooked, and wet from spilled river water, drink, or blood—depending on the time of day.
Warehouses lean beside taverns, brothels perch above fish markets, and the scent of tar, brine, and pipe smoke hangs constantly in the air. The noise never stops—hammers ring on ship hulls, gulls shriek overhead, and music leaks from every inn, lute-strum and hurdy-gurdy all night long.
Sailors, teamsters, craftsmen, mercenaries, and dock-workers call the River Quarter home, and its spirit is fiercely independent. These are people who earn their coin the hard way and spend it faster than nobles can count theirs.
The River Quarter is Greyhawk at its most unvarnished—raw, loud, vital, and unapologetically real. It’s a place where anyone can make their way with a strong arm, a sharp mind, or a quicker blade. It’s dirty, dangerous, and drunk half the time—but for many, it’s the only place that feels like home.
Adventurers often pass through the River Quarter, and more than a few choose to stay. It’s here, amid the shouting vendors and shifting tides, that heroes are forged—or drowned.
Demographics
Life here is fast and precarious. A day of work might bring a silver windfall or a broken jaw. Food is hearty and cheap; music is always playing, and beer flows like the river itself. Brawls are common, but so is laughter.
Community ties run strong in the Quarter—despite its roughness, residents often look out for one another. Many are born here, live here, and die here, never seeking the finer streets of the High or Garden Quarters. They view those places with suspicion and pride themselves on surviving in the “real Greyhawk.”
Religion finds a foothold here too—shrines to Procan, Kurell, or Olidammara dot alley corners and tavern shelves. Superstition mixes with prayer, especially when storms rise on the river or strange lights flicker near the docks.
Where goods and coin flow, crime follows. The Thieves’ Guild maintains a strong (though subtle) presence in the River Quarter, using its alleyways and cargo lines to move illicit goods. Rival gangs and unlicensed operators sometimes test the Guild’s patience—often to their regret.
Bribery is a way of life. So are fences, counterfeiters, and information brokers. Many a plot in Greyhawk—be it political, arcane, or criminal—has begun with a whispered deal on a River Quarter pier.
Still, the Quarter does not wholly belong to criminals. Some vigilante factions and unofficial "dock enforcers" keep peace in their own fashion, while Adventurers' Guilds often use the district as a proving ground for new hires and quick work.
Points of interest
- The Wharf District – The heart of river trade. Barges and ships crowd the docks as stevedores unload cargo from across the Flanaess. Smugglers, spies, and river pirates blend seamlessly into the labor force.
- The Barge Inn – One of the oldest taverns in Greyhawk and legendary among adventurers. Cheap drink, hot stew, and tales of fortunes lost and found. Some claim it was once a moored ship, now bricked into permanence.
- The River Watch Barracks – A fortified outpost of the City Watch, staffed with some of the toughest guards in Greyhawk. They’re underpaid, overworked, and not above pocketing a bribe when no one’s looking.
- The Broken Rudder – A ramshackle gambling den and unofficial meeting house for smugglers and independent traders. Its basement tunnels supposedly lead beneath the docks—and even to the Thieves’ Guild.
- Selintan Steps – A popular riverside gathering spot, where musicians, preachers, and pickpockets compete for attention. It’s also a hiring spot for riverboats, mercenaries, and shady jobs that require few questions.
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