The Military Governor of Hardby is Wilbrem Carister (LN male human Fighter L9), the commander of the Hardby Marines. Formerly a member of the Trade Council, Carister sold out his fellow councilors for command of the Marines and, less importantly in his view, the title of Military Governor As such, he has the power to issue decrees on matters of security and other areas. Being a soldier rather than a ruler, however, he governs with a light touch, leaving most of the actual administration to his chief secretary, Retep Mandel (LE male human Rogue L5/Assassin L4).

Mandel is Hardby’s Governor in all but name. A trusted lieutenant of Vesparian Lafanel, director of Greyhawk’s infamous Assassin’s Guild, his remit is to uncover and eliminate any threats to the Directing Oligarchy’s dominance in Hardby. Mandel has a network of spies and informers monitoring both the Gynarchy and the Merchants’ Alliance, He is also trying to increase the influence of the Greyhawk Thieves’ Guild among the local criminal fraternity. Since Mandel’s arrival, several vociferous opponents of Greyhawk have either recanted their opinions or simply vanished. Unsurprisingly, he is despised and feared in equal measure by both the Gynarchy and the Alliance.

The Hardby Marines protect the City from pirates and orc sea raiders from the Pomarj. The fleet consists of six war galleys, one of which is stationed continually at both Hardby and Safeton. with the other four prowling the waters between. There is always a garrison of approximately 80 marines present in Hardby. The morale of the Marines is excellent and they are hardy fighters, skilled with cutlass, club, knife and light crossbow. A wizard and a cleric of either Pelor or St. Cuthbert also support each war galley while on patrol.

The mainstay of the garrison is 300 men from the Greyhawk Mountaineers. As well as garrisoning the city, they patrol the western foothills of the Abbor-Alz. Hardby’s militia makes up the balance of the garrison, numbering 150 infantry and 100 cavalry. The infantry ward the gates and walls of the city, while cavalry patrols maintain order in the outlying villages and manors. Day to day law and order in the burgh is maintained by the City Watch, based in Northend and answerable to the Justicar of Hardby. The Watch are scrupulous in their maintenance of the laws of the city and corruption is surprisingly rare.

Although the Marines are fiercely loyal to their commander Wilbrem Carister and all of the Greyhawk men profess their love of their home city, the Despotrix and the Gynarchy are held in high esteem among Hardby’s garrison. The Militia and Watch are even more loyal to the Despotrix. The Directing Oligarchy has urged Carister to do more to rectify the divided loyalties of his men. but — typically — the military governor has ignored such calls in favor of orc-slaying on the high seas.

Hardby