The High Quarter

"Palaces, temples, mansions, and gardens fill the posh High Quarter. Extravagant architecture and wide-open spaces define this quarter."

Perched atop a gentle rise, the High Quarter stands as a testament to wealth, power, and privilege in the Free City. To the destitute of the Slum Quarter, its opulent mansions are unreachable dreams, symbols of a ruling class indifferent to their plight. To others, these grand estates and towering temples represent ambition realized—an address in the High Quarter grants one instant status among nobles, ambassadors, and merchants in the city’s upper echelons. Within its lavish casinos, exclusive theaters, and refined taverns, influence is both flaunted and bartered, shaping the currents of Greyhawk’s elite society.

At the heart of the district lies the bustling High Market, a hub of luxury commerce drawing patrons from across the region. However, the constabulary and hired mercenaries watch outsiders with a wary eye, ensuring that once business is concluded, visitors quickly find their way out. Hospitality in the High Quarter is strictly for its own.

The district's streets, immaculate and stately, weave through a landscape of architectural marvels spanning centuries. Manicured gardens and soaring wooden spires stand alongside imposing edifices like the Guild of Wizardry, its six-story stone ziggurat said to be born from a dream of the mad archmage Zagig. Not far away, Lord Henway’s Menagerie adds a touch of the exotic with its vast aviary—an enormous barred structure that echoes with the cries of rare creatures, their shrieks piercing the night as far as the Thieves’ Quarter.

Yet for all its splendor, the High Quarter is not without its shadows. At its edge, the Wharf Gate remains sealed against the wretched outlanders of Barge End, a shantytown where the forsaken—paupers, addicts, and fugitives—cling to life. And though the district is largely under the protection of the Thieves’ Guild by unwritten accord, the allure of its riches still tempts the bold and the foolish. However, crime here is met with swift and uncompromising justice. A watch patrol responds within moments, and an elite force follows soon after. Unlike elsewhere in Greyhawk, the High Quarter’s constables take neither bribes nor excuses—only arrests.