Highport (Large City):Population 15,000; Integrated (human

[SOf] 5,550, orc 3,000, half-orc 2,700, goblin 1,500, hobgoblin

1,050, gnoll 750, norker 450).
Authority Figures: Braks, Commander of the garrison, Turel,
leader of the Chainers’ Guild, Boss of Highport; Lordrenn Marr,
leader of the Merchant’s Coster, Boss of Highport; Pyrra
Burntaxe, leader of the Burnt Axe mercenaries, Boss of Highport;
Kuurag Crackskull,, chief of the Bonespear mercenaries, Boss of
Highport; Lurghaleget – mercenary, leader of the Olvereaver
mercenaries, and Lord Rand, one of Turosh Mak’s most influential
henchman. Other leaders keep a lower profile.

Overview: Highport is the most populous city in the so-called

Orcish Empire of the Pomarj. A squalid, stinking port of some
15,000 souls, it is the gateway to the northern plains of the
Pomarj and the fearsome Drachensgrab Hills. Highport has long
been a haven for pirates, slavers and scum of all sorts.
Cold-blooded mercenaries offer their sword arms to the highest
bidder here, while privateer captains gamble away their ill-gotten
gold, stained as it is with the blood of innocents. By day,
unscrupulous traders throng its markets, trafficking in slaves and
contraband. By night, orcs, goblinkin and some say even the
ebon-skinned drow make the streets their own. Temples to fell
gods such as Nerull, Incabulos, Gruumsh and the enigmatic Earth
Dragon thrive here. Life in the City of Chains is often short, brutal
and - above all - cheap.

History: Highport was founded in 305 CY when the Poor March

(as the Pomarj was then known) was a possession of the
Kingdom of Keoland. The sundry barons of the March were
vassals of the Dwur Prince of Ulek. Distant from the affairs of the
Court of the Lion Throne, the human nobility chafed under a
dwarven liege lord. Thus, when Prince Corrond of Ulek broke with
Keoland in 461 CY, the barons in turn declared themselves the
Free Lords of the Poor March in 463 CY. Highport became capital
of the loose confederation of petty fiefs. For half a century, it
flourished under the rule of the House of Bilarro, its merchants
growing fat on the trade that mineral wealth of the Drachensgrabs
and the decadent tastes of the Marcher lords attracted.
In 513 CY, Highport’s good times came to an abrupt end. Hordes
of orcs, goblins and giant kin, driven from the Lortmil Mountains in
the wake of the Hateful Wars, descended on Highport. The city’s
defenders fought valiantly – throwing back no less than five
assaults before the sixth shattered the gates and carried the
walls. The slaughter that followed came to be called the Night of
Bloody Spears, after the victorious orcs decorated the walls with
the impaled bodies of the defenders.
For 60 years, loose coalitions of orcs and humans ruled the city,
re-establishing a semblance of order after the slaughter. In these
years, Highport acquired a fell reputation. Where once
merchantmen thronged its quays, pirate ships now jostled for
berths. In the late 570s CY, the port was home to the
yellow-sailed vessels of the Slavelords. Slaves became the
lifeblood of the city’s economy. The fall of the Slavelords hit this
trade hard, until the outbreak of the Greyhawk Wars, when the
city leaders swore allegiance to Turrosh Mak, Emperor of the
Pomarj.
A decade after the end of the Wars, Highport prospers once again
as the largest city of the Pomarj, enriched by the renewed slave
trade and the spoils of war. Rumour has it that the Slavelords
have risen again. If so, then Highport must surely be central to
their plans.
Rulership and Law: To the world at large, the Council of the Five
Bosses rules Highport in the Mak’s name. Made up of prominent
mercenary and merchants, the Council ensures that the Mak’s
laws are enforced in the city. An uneasy peace exists between the
Bosses and the factions they control. Though they scheme
endlessly to gain some new advantage over their rivals, none
risks open conflict for fear of the terrifying punishment that the
Mak would mete out for breaking his peace.
However, the true power in Highport lies in the hands of Braks,
the half-orc commander of the garrison and Rand, a mage, who
between them rule the city from the old Palace of the Bilarro
princes and an impressive tower complex. Though they allow the
Council the semblance of authority, their word, backed by the
might of the Mak, is law. Braks commands the city guard, easily
identifiable in their azure blue sashes. The guard, made up of a
mix of humans, orcs, half-orcs and goblinkin, patrol the city,
quelling disturbances with uncompromising brutality. Punishments
for minor offences range from fines to imprisonment in the
appallingly filthy dungeons beneath the city guardhouse. Major
crimes are punishable by death or enslavement, as judged by
Braks and Rand. All crimes, great or small, are likely to earn the
offender a savage beating at the hands of the guard.
Braks and Rand are said by some to loathe one another, by
others to be lovers. It is also whispered that Braks is the Mak’s
anointed successors.

DISTRICTS:

The Old Port

The Newport
The Palace Ward
The East Warrens
The West Warrens
The Ruins

Shanty Towns
The Old Port: The tumbled ruins of the original city wall
encompass the Old Port, Highport’s oldest quarter. This area
houses most of the human population, which huddles into the
streets straddling the old walls. In the areas inhabited by humans,
buildings are maintained and in reasonable repair – though to call
it pleasant would be a gross exaggeration. Close to the
waterfront, the streets are lined with shops and hostelries catering
to the passing sea-trade. In places, though, the buildings give
away to open fields covered in tent shanties that house the poor
of the city. The most central is The Shakefork, so named for the
shape formed by the three roads that meet here. Home to the
city’s food and livestock market, the Shakefork is also a popular
spot for visiting sailors to find cheap ale, women and
accommodation.
Piers, wharves and warehouses line the waterfront, which is
generally thronged with a mix of pirate vessels and merchantmen
whose masters have paid a hefty protection fee to the Mak. The
most prominent building in the Old Port is the old Temple of
Xerbo, close to the waterfront. In years after the Greyhawk Wars,
its gutted shell was reconsecrated to the worship of the Earth
Dragon, an old Flan demi-god of earth, weather and hidden
treasures, worshiped since ancient times in the Pomarj and
apparently favoured by the Mak in addition to his allegiance to
Gummsh..
The New Port: Lying to the west of the Old Port, this district is
mainly inhabited by orcs, hobgoblins and goblins. As might be
expected, the New Port is appallingly squalid. The buildings here
are mostly in a state of partial collapse, kept standing only by the
most haphazard of repairs (though the hobgoblin neighbourhood
tends to be far more orderly). The streets are little more than open
sewers, whose stench mingles with that of the sides of rotting
meat that hang from almost every dwelling. Temples to Gruumsh
and Maglubiyet are located here.
The Palace Ward: This small walled enclave in the southwest of
the city encloses the old Lord’s Palace and the townhouses of
Highport’s old ruling class. The last portion of the city to fall, these
fine buildings were spared the brunt of the invader’s wrath and
thus have survived largely intact. Now they house Highport’s new
elite - the Bosses, rich merchants and those favoured by the Mak.
The Lord’s Palace itself is garrisoned by three score (60) of Braks’
elite soldiers. The Council of the Five Bosses meets here, quietly
overseen by Braks and (sometimes) Rand.

The Eastwarrens: The narrow tangle of lanes and streets just east
of the southern Slave Gate is home to several communities of
humans, orcs and goblins. The area’s name is apt – many of the
non-humans have excavated and extended the cellars of the old
houses into a multilevel maze of tunnels. Temples to Beltar,
Erythnul and Nerull, the god of death, are located here.

The Ruinfields: Large swathes of old Highport are sparsely

populated or entirely derelict. In many places, the old buildings
are in an advanced state of collapse, overgrown with scrub brush,
creepers, grass and weeds. Many citizens graze goats, sheep
and even cattle in the meadows that have sprung up in old streets
and empty lots. The surviving buildings are home to squatters,
criminals, vermin and even a handful of dangerous monsters that
have managed to avoid the attentions of the city guard. Plagues
of giant rats occasionally swarm from out of the ruins to trouble
the more populous parts of the city, while feral giant weasels also
abound. Highporters often tame these vicious beasts to use as
pets or guards.le
The West Warrens: The west warrens are a mirror reflection of the
East Warrens, except that the orcs, hobgoblins, and other humanoids are
somewhat more organized under the loose control of the thieve’s and
assasin’s guild. Temples of Grummsh are popular, and the Priest’s also
maintain some influence. However, the standard of living is the same, and
slaves are often sold at auction on the city streets.