Blackstone

"Blackstone is a mining town is nestled in a steep-sided canyon of dark grey granite. During wet weather, a slender waterfall, nearly 500 feet high, spills glittering water into the canyon in a once-crystalline lake.   The mines of Blackstone bore into the canyon walls all around the town. Some of these tunnel entrances, several hundred feet up sheer walls of granite, are reached only by the most precarious of trails. Others, near the top of the wall, can only be entered by those first taking the steep switchbacks of the main trail up the side of the canyon. The miners then circle the rim to a point over their mine entrance. There they are lowered over the edge with huge cranes."   "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."   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 is fighter of 5th- 8th level, of at least a score of years 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 lowquality dried goods shipped from the city, and of course inns, taverns, eatinghouses, 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 GovernorMayor, his watch officers, and skilled ar tisans 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 .