Greystone
The Hollow City
Built around and into a large cave system, Greystone is one of the oldest cities in all of Petrea. Greystone is large enough that is the capital of the region and is ruled by a Jarl. The Jarl of Greystone is from House Greyblood, and the title has been passed through this House since the creation of the city. Greystone was created as a mining town, with the Greybloods being the owners of the mine. The Greybloods have a reputation for being ruthless and cunning, though they are an immensely proud House.
The citizens of Greystone are split into two main social classes, which are normally referred to as the Surface Dwellers and the Underlings. The surface dwellers are people that live on the surface of Greystone, and they tend to live very comfortable lives. The underlings are people that live in the caves of Greystone, and they tend to struggle with poverty and crime. The tunnels of Greystone run deep, so deep that some think they lead to the Underdark. Because of this, the further into caves people live, the more dangerous and poor their lives are, and guards usually don't go very far into the caves.
The Surface Dwellers
The Surface Dwellers are how most refer to those who live on the surface of Greystone. originally there were only surface dwellers, until they expanded into the caves. Those on the surface are generally more safe, wealthy, and better off than those in the caves.
While many Underlings are descended from the workers in the caves, many of the surface dwellers are descended from their bosses. Those in charge of the mine had risen to be the nobles of the growing town, and their descendants own much of the large business on the surface. This isn't to say that they're all wealthy, as the surface still contains many “peasants”, and citizens who are less financially successful. However, the poverty is not nearly as much of a problem as it is in the caves.
The surface is a well-regulated and safe place, with little crime. The surface dwellers respect the authority of the guards and soldiers, and the guards rarely have much to deal with. The famous Honeywell Mead brings in many travelers, as it is considered by many to be the best quality mead in the world. All cities generally have some of this mead, which they ship out regularly. All but the capital Freightway sells this mead, as the people of the Capitol city look down on the people of Greystone.
The Underlings
The “Underlings” are the Greystone citizens that inhabit the cave system underneath the rest of the city. The term “Underling” was initially considered an ethnic slur, as it was used by the nobles living in the capital to describe anyone from Greystone. The term was adopted by many as an insult, and eventually was used by the Greystone civilians to describe those who live in the caves. The city had initially expanded deep into the caves as a cheap solution to a growing housing problem, and not much thought was given to comfort, or even security in these areas. As a general rule, the deeper into the cave system, the worse the crime and poverty.
The lack of safety in the cave system has created an extremely crime ridden society, as the few police stationed in the caves are either corrupt, or under constant threat. As such, the Underlings tend to dislike guards and police, as they rarely do their job effectively. As a direct result of the crime, the Thieves Guild makes it's home in the cave system. The Thieves Guild has it's hands in just about everything in the cave system, acting very similarly to a mafia, just with much more anonymity.
There are some particularly wealthy Underlings, but generally money is scarce, with many resorting to crime to support themselves. Many are forced to scrounge for food in the caves, with the eating of the cave's giant rats being commonplace. The primary diet of many extremely poor citizens is something commonly referred to as “mud moss”, a mushy brown moss that grows in many areas of the cave. The moss is disgusting and unsanitary, but has surprisingly high nutritional value.
Demographics
Surface
- Human: 85%
- Dwarf: 7%
- Halfling: 5%
- Other: 3%
Caves
- Human: 50%
- Dwarf: 14%
- Halfling: 13%
- Drow: 12%
- Other: 11%
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