Dyvers, the City of Sails
An Overview

by Philip Niewold

A Brief Overview
Dyvers' position at the mouth of the Velverdyva River on the coast of the Lake of Unknown Depths (Nyr Dyv) makes it an important trading center and busy port, with lake and river traffic from all over the Flanaess. Dyvers is diverse. It's many different businesses, people and tolerant attitude attracts travelers from afar.

History of Dyvers
Dyvers was built in 68 CY, and was a fair-sized town of about 2,000 inhabitants when the Kingdom of Furyondy was established as the Viceroyalty of Ferrond around 100 CY by the Great Kingdom of the Aerdi, which was then at its peak. Dyvers was proclaimed the capital of the Viceroyalty. As political and financial power became more centralized in the hands of Ferrond's rulers, it was only a matter of time before the Viceroyalty began to struggle for its independence. An endless series of skirmishes with Aerdi forces, combined with careful political maneuvering brought Thrommel I to the throne in 254 CY, and the Kingdom of Furyondy was born, with Dyvers as its capital. In 340 CY the construction of Chendl began. Chendl was a planned city, a capital built to specifications, intended to replace Dyvers as first city of the kingdom. In 422 CY the royal court left the old citadel at Dyvers and moved to Chendl. Dyvers held its position as most cosmopolitan city and most important trading center, with lake and river traffic from Bissel, Nyrond, Urnst, and even lands as far away as Perrenland (down the Velverdyva) and the Theocracy of the Pale. Dyvers proclaimed itself a Free City in 526 CY, alleging that it was uncomfortable with Furyondy allying with a state whose policies Dyvers found overly restrictive (i.e., Veluna). This was probably just a pretext, but King Thrommel II of Furyondy allowed the secession to pass in return for Dyvers continuing to contribute taxes and levies to Furyondian coffers.

The City's Makeup
Dyvers lays claim to some 2,000 square miles of territory along the south bank of the Velverdyva and towards the Gnarley Forest. It also claims a number of small islands at the mouth of the great river. This territory can be roughly divided into four different parts. The City; the dwellings within Dyvers' city walls, The Slums; the poorer dwellings outside the city's walls, The Wharves; the islands and river coast with the harbor and shipbuilding facilities and The Country; the pasture land that surrounds the city.
The City is the most populous, diverse and interesting part of Dyvers. Here one can find the many banks, craftsmen, goods and interesting buildings that the city contains. The City is divided into a number of neighborhoods. The boundaries of the neighborhoods are formed by geographical, social, cultural, practical and historical factors. The collective neighborhoods are known as: the Northern Quarter, "the Town", the Dragon's Ward, the Thieves Quarter, the Old Trade Ward, the Mercenaries District, the Foreigners Quarter, the New Merchants Quarter, the Wizard's District, the Rich Quarter, the God's Quarter, the Castle District, the Students Quarter, the Festival Ward and "the Park". 
The Slums comprise a few thousand shanty buildings, almost exclusively made of wood, mud and straw, and a large number of tents set up outside the city's walls. Much of the poorer folk live here, and the slums have grown recently because of the influx of refugees since the Greyhawk Wars. Life is hard here, and crime is commonplace. Patrols come here less frequently, and if they do, in larger numbers, especially at night.
The Wharves area is the harbor of Dyvers. It consists of a small strip along the river and two islands in the river itself. The strip along the river is crowded with warehouses, inns and taverns, and a number of services especially aimed at the shipping business. The most eye-catching construction along the shore is the large Lighthouse of Dyvers, which towers above the other buildings. One of the two islands, the larger one, is completely devoted to the construction of ships. It is filled completely with ships' wharves and a cacophony of hammering and sawing always dominates life here. The other island houses the River Keep, home of the Dyvers' Marines. It has mooring spots for Dyvers' warships and several are always present at the keep.
The Country is the area around Dyvers, bordered by the Velverdyva River and the Gnarley Forest and having an undefined border with Greyhawk City. Several thorps and hamlets lie in this area. This area is mainly used to feed Dyvers' population. Crops are grown here by the farmers. Cattle is relatively scarce, however, and Dyvers' relies heavily on imports for its meat.

The People
Dyvers is a diverse and cosmopolitan city. Bakluni rub shoulders with Oeridians, Suel and Flan people. Other races can also be found in Dyvers. The city has a fair-sized dwarven community in the foreigner's quarter, some elves and halflings and even a few gnomish families. The City, the Slums and the Wharves house about fifty-thousand people. A few thousand more live in the surrounding countryside. A large part of the people is relatively poor, having simple jobs or none at all. Another significant part of the population belongs to the middle classes; artisans, craftsmen and owners of small businesses. The upper classes consist of the wealthy, mostly merchants and some nobles. Nobility does not mean that much in Dyvers unless the noble in question is wealthy also. There are few clashes between the classes. Sometimes the people outside the city's walls, in the slums, rise up to demand a home within the walls, more job opportunities or fewer taxes. The wealthy are usually the target of these unrests, but as long as the middle classes are content with their lives, no major unstability will erupt.
The major occupation of most people in Dyvers is trading, and, making a profit. They are a hard-working practical folk, unconcerned, and even somewhat disdainful to regal and splendorous things without a clear profit-making function. Etiquette and ceremonies are fine, as long as they serve a clear purpose. The inhabitants are always concerned with acquiring more money, valuable items and new business contacts. Wealth equals power and prestige in this city, and its people pride themselves in their creativity and inventivity in finding novel ways to make a profit. Begging is frowned at, as disabled people can also find a way to make themselves useful. Blatant attempts at fraud, swindling and trickery in business is condemned and justice is often swift here, but more covert and well-executed plans to lighten someone’s load is applauded and encouraged. 
Dyvers is a place of festivals, fairs, meetings and markets. During the year several festivals and other special events are held inside as well as outside its walls. Therefore, Dyvers has many transients, and during festivals and special events, the number of people inside the city can swell to sixty-thousand or more. For a traveler, there always is something interesting to do and see in the city, although they must keep a close eye on their wallets, not so much as protection against thieves as against the merchants. All the wonderful things you can do and buy in Dyvers cost a fair sum of money.

Economy
Dyvers existence depends upon continued trade and commerce. Without it the city would not survive. Dyvers is known for its festivals, banks, mercenaries, excellent woodcarvings, shipbuilding, and the many trading companies. It has a fair fishing fleet, and the surrounding countryside supplies a reasonable amount of foodstuffs. The City itself is dotted with services of all sorts. You can get almost anything here, if you can find the right place. Craftsmen who are related to the aforementioned core businesses are abundant. An example of related businesses are the many weapon and armor shops in the case of the mercenaries, and bounty hunters and security specialists that are associated with the banking business. Most of Dyvers' trade is with Furyondy, so the war has had its impact on the economy. The war, coupled with the influx of refugees, has caused some minor troubles as unemployment rose. The mercenary industry has had a boom, however. The more expansionistic policies of Greyhawk have also caused more trade to flow between it and Dyvers. All in all, the city is somewhat less prosperous as the days before the war, but is certainly not on the brink of poverty of economic collapse.
Dyvers has a lot of different taxes. Import taxes are usually low, to bolster Dyvers' importance as a trading center. A number of other taxes remain however, as it is costly to pay for an adequate protection of its civilians and merchants, and to maintain an excellent level of service and a superior infrastructure. This problem is partially remedied through the introduction of the services tax. This tax can be levied upon anyone within the city's boundaries and can be adjusted to fit someone’s wealth.

Government
Dyvers is ruled by a council. This institution, the High Council of Dyvers, is formed by several persons: the Magister, elected by the populace once every six years, an appointed representative from the noble families, an appointed representative from the Dyvers' Merchant Association, an appointed representative of the Dyvers’ Mages Guild, an appointed representative of the Dyvers’ Churches and Temples, an appointed representative of the Thieves Guild, an appointed representative of the Craftmens’ Guilds, a publicly elected official by the city's inhabitants, a publicly elected official by the inhabitants of the area outside the walls and the general. The day to day work of governing the city is not done by the council itself, but by the Dyvers' City Council. This council of eight has the Magister as its president and is has its other members appointed through consensus by the High Council. The City Council has a large apparatus of public servants to carry out their commands. The current Magister is Damocles, leader of a powerful merchant company. He has been Magister for three years now, and has three more to go before new elections.
Its military might and its permanent defenses protect Dyvers. The city boasts excellent walls and is home to a powerful mages guild, many experienced adventurers who will help the army defend the city, and several mercenary companies. Dyvers has a standing army of 1,500 professional soldiers, a thousand of which are in the navy, either on board of their ships, or inside the tower of war, and five hundred more are situated at the citadel. These soldiers are all trained specialist and veterans, mostly led by experienced officers. Dyvers has an excellent navy, and can field about 5 large warships and 20 smaller ones.

Justice
For the enforcement of the law, Dyvers relies upon a force of about 600 peacekeepers. These are divided between different branches, such as the Dyverian Guard Patrol, the Night Watch and the Security Teams. The police employ a no-nonsense strict approach, although punishments are usually mild in relation with other cities and countries. Even sergeant can convict and sentence a civilian, but there is always the option of appeal. The appellant be warned however! The court may double the normal punishment if the appeal is not fruitful.
Apart from the usual laws against crimes as murder and arson, many special laws exist to prevent behavior that hinders trade. For example you can be fined staying to long on the same spot with your cart for Obstructing Traffic.

The Sights and Sounds
Dyvers is a large and cosmopolitan city. There is always something to see for the nosy traveler. Those visiting Dyvers should definitely see the emerald spires of the Mages Guild. This enormous architectonic wonder is situated in the south part of the city. The old citadel and the gates are also a beautiful to behold, and limited tours are given during the summer. The temples also are worth a visit, especially the temple of Pelor, that projects beams of light into the sky that can be seen from hundreds of yards at night. There are also many intriguing if somewhat dangerous spots in the thieves' quarter. A visit to Dyvers is of course never complete without having shopped. You must have been to the great market in the northern part of the city, and to the hustle and bustle in the new merchant’s district, which is located south of the old city walls.
Dyvers is also the city of festivals. There is a festival at least once a month. Some festivals last up to two weeks, while other last for only a few days. But it is certainly worth it to experience the grandeur of the Foundation festival, the joy of the Summers-End festival and the wonders of the Dwarven festival. A lot of related business and many theatres can be found in the festival district, nestled against the southwestern wall of the old city. Explore and enjoy!