Blackstone
| Blackstone | |
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| The mining towns of the Domain of Greyhawk, with Blackstone highlighted. From the Ashes (1992), art by Diesel. | |
| Realm: | Cairn Hills, Domain of Greyhawk |
|---|---|
| Size: | Town |
| Government: | Governor-Mayor appointed by Greyhawk's Directing Oligarchy |
| Languages: | Common |
Blackstone is a small mining village in the Domain of Greyhawk.
Description[edit | edit source]
Blackstone is much like all the other mining towns in the area. The three mining towns (Steaming Springs, Blackstone, and Diamond Lake) controlled by the Directors all resemble each other in a basic fashion. They're all similarly run, have much the same in the way of entertainment, the same general types of people, etc.—except in the case of the specifics about their locales.[1]
"Blackstone is a mining town is nestled in a steep-sided canyon of dark grey granite. During wet weather, a slender waterfall, nearly 500 feet high, spills glittering water into the canyon in a once-crystalline lake.
The mines of Blackstone bore into the canyon walls all around the town. Some of these tunnel entrances, several hundred feet up sheer walls of granite, are reached only by the most precarious of trails. Others, near the top of the wall, can only be entered by those first taking the steep switchbacks of the main trail up the side of the canyon. The miners then circle the rim to a point over their mine entrance. There they are lowered over the edge with huge cranes." [1]
"Common buildings in the mining towns include large boarding houses for the miners, a large, smoky smelting house, several smithies, wainwrights, carpenters, a large teamster yard with numerous heavy wagons and draft horses, small markets of expensive fresh food and low-quality dried goods shipped from the city, and of course inns. taverns, eating houses. dance halls, and brothels-all the social accoutrements demanded by a well-paid. hard-working, and generally unmarried populace." [1]
History[edit | edit source]
In the 490s CY, the smelting of ore from the mines was taken over by the Directors of the Free City.[2]
Geography[edit | edit source]
The Cairn Hills are rough, difficult territory. Blackstone and the other mining towns somewhat form a line along a ridgeline in the hills.[3]
Government[edit | edit source]
Like Greyhawk's other mining towns, Blackstone is ruled by a governor-mayor appointed by the Directing Oligarchy of Greyhawk. In earlier times, only fighters were appointed governor-mayor.[1]. That changed with the times, and in later years, the Governorship became something of a political appointment.
Despite Diamond Lake being the least populous of the three mining towns, it's responsible for more mines in a larger territory.[1] And Blackstone is also directed by Diamond Lake,. because "the garrison at Diamond Lake organizes policing in these towns, in consultation with the Governor-Mayors."[4]
The town's watchmen are notoriously as corrupt and mean-spirited as the Governor-Mayor.[5] They use trumped-up charges (such as begging, loitering, trespassing, handling a merchant's goods, or blocking traffic, non-payment of fines, hindering a watchman in the execution of his duty, or assaulting a watchman)[6] to keep citizens (and visitors) in line. Those arrested for such offenses are then sentenced to working in the mine, this keeping the mines supplied with a steady stream of involuntary workers.[6]
Resources[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
Citations[edit | edit source]
- ↑ a b c d e The City of Greyhawk (1989), p.22, Gem of the Flanaess.
- ↑ "Backdrop: Diamond Lake". Dungeon #124 (Jul 2005), p.62
- ↑ The Doomgrinder (1998), IFC.
- ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.27, Campaign Book.
- ↑ The Doomgrinder (1998), p.22.
- ↑ a b The Doomgrinder (1998), p.23.
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Miller, Steve. The Doomgrinder. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998. Item code TSR9581.
- Mona, Erik. "Backdrop: Diamond Lake". Dungeon #124. Bellvue, WA: Paizo Publishing, Jul 2005.
- Niles, Douglas, Rik Rose, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989. Item code TSR1043.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone, Town of | Settlement | Settlement, | The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess | 22, 23 |
| Blackstone, Town of | Settlement | Settlement, | From the Ashes: Campaign Book | 27 |
| Blackstone, Town of | Settlement | Settlement, | LT3 The Doomgrinder | IBC |