The River Quarter

"The River Quarter encompasses taverns and entertainment venues, as well as the wharves along the Selintan River outside the city wall. Because it’s a hub of trade, it’s the most diverse, multicultural part of the city."

The River Quarter is the beating heart of Greyhawk’s waterfront, where the ceaseless flow of goods, gold, and gossip creates a district as unruly as it is vibrant. Nestled just inside the Cargo Gate leading to the Wharf District, this boisterous neighborhood is a melting pot of cultures, professions, and vices. Here, hardened sailors, cunning smugglers, and weary dockworkers rub elbows with riverfolk, reckless nobles slumming for thrills, and wide-eyed adventurers seeking fortune—or trouble.

By day, the district is a maelstrom of activity as laborers unload exotic wares bound for Greyhawk’s artisans and markets. Cargo Street, running parallel to the Nobles’ Wall, is a muddy gauntlet of carts, beasts of burden, and harried merchants shouting over the din. The west wall of the district is lined with warehouses, each holding untold riches—or secrets best left undisturbed.

At night, the River Quarter transforms. The Strip, an infamous stretch of taverns, brothels, and gambling halls, awakens to raucous laughter and drunken brawls. Here, the wise go armed, and the foolish rarely go home unscathed. The City Watch, stretched thin and jaded by the district’s endless revelry, takes its time responding to disturbances—assuming they respond at all. Bribes speak louder than pleas for justice, and bodies in the gutters are an expected cost of business.

Yet for all its dangers, the River Quarter holds an undeniable allure. The scent of salt and spice mingles with tales from a thousand distant shores, and the promise of adventure lingers in the smoky air. It is a place of opportunity for those daring enough to seize it and a graveyard for those who underestimate its perils.