Greystow

The town is run by Stow Council which represents the interests of the Deep Greys, the Far Greys and the Free Union of Magical Scholars. Council members are appointed according to obscure protocols derived in the first instance from rules established by the Puzzle Lords Directorate and little modified since. During times when democracies have been globally popular, Greystow has adopted some limited democratic practices but in essence it remains an opaque oligarchy.

The oldest parts of Greystow are located close to the harbour. This is where the castle known as the Stow can be found, lending its name to be a part of the town name and functioning as the home of the Stow Council.   The main market is not far south and east of the harbour. Running due north from the market, is North Road, an axis which marks an informal division between the buildings mostly belonging to the Free Union of Magical Scholars to the east, and the rest of the town.  

Greystow was officially founded in 1598 APC, in the age of the Puzzle Lords Directorate as a simple mining support town, providing services to assist prospectors and engineers, mainly from Quarowl, who sought to open up the hills nearby for the extraction of coal and tin.   Political life in the early years was dominated by a party known as the Deep Greys, founded by Garald Grey in 1607 APC. They represented the interests of the mine owners.   In 1654 APC, the Far Greys, a group of merchants and ship owners began to contest the hitherto unchallenged rule of the Deep Greys.   These two parties have continued to operate in one form or another up until the present day and still play a role in local politics. However, the power and influence of both of them waned significantly after 2291 APC, when academics who wanted a location to set up a centre of learning in opposition to the Institute of Magical Analytics selected Greystow to be their base. They called their organisation the Free Union of Magical Scholars and its buildings quickly came to dominate the town, as they still do to this day.   The Free Union of Magical Scholars, although it is theoretically disinterested in respect of the non-academic governance of the town, in practice often meddles with the plans of the Deep and Far Greys and more often than not, the Provost has had effective de-facto control of the town.   The wider world has never had much concern for the locally focused interests of the Deep and Far Greys, but the Free Union of Magical Scholars has had a more significant influence on the history of Magicians' End as a whole. These stories can generally be found either under historical articles covering more global themes or in the article about the Free Union itself, but the political killing of Tobias Golkin, the Provost, in an ambush known as Golkin's Last Stand was a particularly noteworthy crime that happened here in the Free Union Hall in 3113 APC.

The Stow is the name given to a squat coastal fortress just north of the main harbour, which acts as a centre of civic administration for the town. There have been two earlier and simpler buildings which held the same name, the first of which was burnt in an accidental fire, whilst the second was converted into warehouses after the construction of the current version, which was completed in 1726 APC.
 
  Of the many buildings that are owned and operated by the Free Union of Magical Scholars, the best known is Free Union Hall, completed in 2345 APC as a grand administrative centre, it was the site of the martyrdom of Tobias Golkin in 3113 APC.
 
  The Scholary is a stunning semi circular auditorium with great glass windows which faces south at the edge of town and hosts the highest profile lectures.
 
  Bear Street chapel, dedicated to Lynodyth, provides a spiritual focus where meditative musical ceremonies are held on a regular basis. The many bells of the chapel are particularly fine and the sound of their richly orchestrated ringing is a renowned feature of the town.
 

Greystow has mild summers but is known for its cold winters, chilled by a frequent north polar airstream which flows direct from Zisleth and affects this north eastern region of the continent more strongly than it does at Quarowl, only a relatively short distance to the west.   Occasionally, particularly severe winters provide an unpleasant reminder of the glaciation that followed the Sundering. The most notorious of these occurred between 4813 APC and 4814 APC and became known as The Long Cold Bite.