The Military Council is in charge of the city’s security and to some degree the military security of the southeastern portion of the Domain of Greyhawk. While the council answers to the Gynarch, the Gynarchy has traditionally not been too concerned with the details of military operation. The centuries-long loyalty of the City Guard and the Marines to Hardby and the Gynarchy has allowed for this laizez faire approach. The staunch loyalty of these two groups have also prevented the “guests from Greyhawk” from becoming a major factor in local politics.

The Hardby City Guard and Marines have three seats each on the council, while the Greyhawk Infantry and Mountaineers each occupy two seats. The concerns of the Council include local law enforcement (especially during the festivals), threats from the Robilar’s troops in the Bright Desert, humanoids from the Abbor Alz, pirates from the Wild Coast, and most recently, Turrosh Mak’s Orcish Armada. There are also concerning rumors that the Duke of Urnst has been holding large scale military maneuvers near the border of his Duchy with the Domain, but these have yet to be confirmed.

The Hardby City Guard: The Guard is lead by Captain Rowan Selecoxib-Pharast (LG male human Paladin L8), a knight from Dyvers who has recently wed the young Gynarch’s aunt.

The Hardby Marines: The Marines operate a group of six war galleys that patrol the waters of upper Wooly Bay; at any given time, one vessel is in Hardby, one in Safeton, and the other four sail the bay. Thus, in Hardby, at any given time there is one full crew of marines plus a group of spare men, a total of around 80 men.

The morale of these men is high because they are paid well by Greyhawk. Their specific brief is to watch for incursions from the Pomarj, to investigate any vessels they deem to be suspicious, and to provide information about weather, sea monsters, ship travel, and such-like. This doesn’t usually include watching out for smuggling. That is the province of the grim-faced riverman-bureaucrats of the Hardby Pilot’s Office (who combine piloting services with a thorough inspection of holds and cargoes).

A final important note is that some 20-30% of the Hardby Marines are men freed from slavery in the Wild Coast cities. Since they owe their freedom to Greyhawk’s new alliance with Narwell and Safeton, these men are very loyal to their new employer and most state their occupation with real pride.

The Greyhawk Infantry: The infantry are based out of a keep in the village of Orz, just outside of Hardby. This allows them to act an early warning system in case of invasion from the east or southeast. This arrangement also minimizes the amount of trouble the Greyhawk soldiers can be to daily life in Hardby.

The Greyhawk Mountaineers: The Mountaineers scout the Cairn Hills and Abbor Alz, rooting out bandit camps and humanoid lairs. The Mountaineers are headquartered in Hardby, but the majority of the troops are on patrol or missions.

Governing Bodies and Organizations of Hardby