Beggarmaster's chicanery.Unfortunately, Christa was hardly capable <strong>of</strong> assuming the position <strong>of</strong> Beggarmaster. The Thieves Guildwas none to happy with events and it looked like the beggars would fall upon themselves. Enter Blain Winterguard.The old gladiator, himself little more than a beggar, saw in Christa an opportunity and he took it. With his guidance,Christa consolidated her <strong>de</strong> facto position as Beggarmistress. Christa now runs the Beggars' Union with Blain'sassistance. They make a formidable team. Christa has a knowledge <strong>of</strong> the city second to none and a <strong>de</strong>finitecharisma. Blain has organized and trained the beggars as a passable irregular fighting force, capable <strong>of</strong> at least<strong>de</strong>fending themselves.The Beggars' Guild has succee<strong>de</strong>d in taking complete control over criminal activity in the Slum Quarter. Inconcert with city wi<strong>de</strong> begging activities, the Guild is more prosperous than ever before and Christa ensures that theprosperity is shared among all the beggars. With the rise <strong>of</strong> darkness within the Thieves' Guild, the beggars haveeven gained a cadre <strong>of</strong> disaffected thieves.Tied down with the Rhennee, Org has been loathe to open a second front, at least until his otherworldlyallies can be brought to bear. To that end, he has confined his attempts to retake the Slum Quarter to occasionalincursions and otherwise agreed to a citywi<strong>de</strong> truce with the beggars. How long the truce lasts remains to be seen.Except for the fact that the Rhennee lea<strong>de</strong>rship is generally as <strong>de</strong>spicable as that <strong>of</strong> Thieves' Guild, Christamight forge an alliance. So far, she has refused Rhennee overtures.Bankers' HouseThe newest and most powerful entity in the City <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greyhawk</strong> is the Bankers' House, a guild <strong>of</strong> bankers.Banking is a relatively new concept.Moneylen<strong>de</strong>rs have traditionally <strong>of</strong>fered credit for sale. They continue to do so and by agreement bankersdo not <strong>of</strong>fer credit. Instead, bankers perform two other functions.Bankers' primary business in un<strong>de</strong>rwriting commercial ventures for a share <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>of</strong>its. A merchant,unable to afford to ship his goods to Furondy where a good price might be had, can go to a banker, who will financethe venture in exchange for a share <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>of</strong>its. While a moneylen<strong>de</strong>r might lend the merchant the money, mostmoneylen<strong>de</strong>rs do not have sufficient reserves to tie up in a few such ventures and moneylen<strong>de</strong>rs will <strong>de</strong>mand thatinterest and principle be paid back, even if the venture fails. Bankers assume the risk and have the capital to financemany such ventures. While wealthy merchants have no need <strong>of</strong> bankers, small businesses, <strong>of</strong>ten in cooperation, do.Secondarily, bankers need extremely secure facilities to maintain their cash reserves and valuablemerchandise. Creating these storehouses <strong>of</strong> wealth is not easy. To <strong>de</strong>fray part <strong>of</strong> the cost, bankers will rent securespace to others to store their valuables.The rise <strong>of</strong> banking is the direct result <strong>of</strong> the favorable tra<strong>de</strong> environment, especially in Dyvers. Dyvers, not<strong>Greyhawk</strong>, is the birthplace <strong>of</strong> banking houses and that city has prospered because <strong>of</strong> them. <strong>Greyhawk</strong> amen<strong>de</strong>d thecity charter to allow banking houses out <strong>of</strong> fear that Dyvers bankers would soon monopolize large scale tradingventures.The Knights <strong>of</strong> the Holy ShieldingWhen Iuz overran the Shield Lands, the Knights <strong>of</strong> the Holy Shielding were put to flight along with anycivilians who could flee. Determined to fight Iuz and one day win back their homeland, the Knights relocated to<strong>Greyhawk</strong>, Dyvers, Hardby, Verbobonc and <strong>Le</strong>ukish. A <strong>de</strong>dicated and well trained fighting force, the Knights werewelcomed - at first. As the years have dragged on and peace was ma<strong>de</strong> with Iuz, the Knights proved no longer sowelcome. In fact, they are seen as something <strong>of</strong> a threat.Each <strong>of</strong> the Knights' chapter houses is in communication with the others and all coordinate their activities.A single Grandmistress, Katrina the last heir to the crown <strong>of</strong> the Shield Lands, oversees the Or<strong>de</strong>r's operations alongwith the Masters <strong>of</strong> the Or<strong>de</strong>r. To survive, the Knights have sold their services as mercenaries, <strong>of</strong>ten to the cities inwhich their chapter houses are located. They have also invested in weapon smithies and armories to provi<strong>de</strong> for theirneeds, while turning a pr<strong>of</strong>it selling to the public any surplus.The presence <strong>of</strong> such an armed, organized and seasoned fighting force with partial control <strong>of</strong> criticalindustries and a growing income is making the rules <strong>of</strong> the city states, and to a lesser <strong>de</strong>gree Urnst, nervous. Theexpansion <strong>of</strong> the Knights' operations into the Wild Coast only makes matters worse. Conspiracy theorists postulatethat the Knights <strong>of</strong> the Holy Shielding are planning to seize all <strong>of</strong> the city states from the Nyr Dyv to the Pomarj andunit them into a new Shield Lands! They are RIGHT!There is a faction within the Or<strong>de</strong>r that plans to do exactly that. Already their agents are in place. They donot strike because they wish the Or<strong>de</strong>r to become stronger still and to that end actively recruit new members into theOr<strong>de</strong>r. They know they will only get one chance and must make it count. Katrina also opposes such a move andmust be <strong>de</strong>alt with. Because <strong>of</strong> her hereditary claim to rulership, the conspirators are hesitant to merely arrange an
acci<strong>de</strong>nt but when all else is in readiness a <strong>de</strong>cision will have to bema<strong>de</strong>.
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