Who Rules: Lady Serilla Silvershield (LN, Dwarf Female, P15) and Sir Edri Stronggrip (CG, Human Male, F18) rule their separate sections of the city, and the Council of Seventeen (8 dwarves, 8 humans, and an elf from Cormanthyr) rule the city as a whole. Traditionally the independent city lords sit on the council, and both rulers are currently council members.

Who Really Rules: There are no hidden powers pulling any strings, though the elven councilman, who is traditionally brought in as a neutral arbitrator and is always an elf (though not always from Cormanthyr) is currently a little biased against humans, so he has a slight tendency to favor the dwarves.

Population: 165,000 (45% human, 45% dwarf, 10% mixed races).

Major Products: Weapons, quarried stone, livestock, the very rare and heady Hexcombe Select Mead, Bartleby's Barley Brew ale, and Stormcask Barleywine, a hoppy malted ale. Most of Great Gorge's income is generated from trade and tariffs.

Armed Forces: 14,000 (comprised of 4,000 cavalry of all sorts, 4,000 dwarven engineers/sappers), 2,000 artillerists, 250 war mages, 3,750 infantry of mixed types) regulars, plus 6,000 militia. Sixteen secret spelljammer ships are also part of the force.

Notable Mages: Erin Cowherd (LG, Human Female, W19) so named because she maintains a small herd of milking cows within a barn attached to her tower. Whatever milk she or her servants do not use is freely given to any poor people who ask for it. She is also generous with answering questions on the creation of magical items, her field of expertise.

The Feline (CN, Human Male, W17) lives in a large house in the center of town, along with over 100 cats. He is the Regions' expert on familiars of all species, not just cats (his familiar is actually a large parrot). He is also an expert on spells that have to deal with animals.

Aefillia Birchbraid (LN, Elf Female, W14) specializes in aquatic and winter spells, and is constantly doing research in these fields. She two very large (200' x 200' x 200') pools built deep beneath her tower. One is saltwater and the other is fresh water. She periodically teleports animals into the pools or summons elementals as part of her experiments. She also crafts and sells a fair number of magic items that are used in the manufacture of fountains.

Notable Churches: Azuth, Mystra, Waukeen, Gond, dwarven gods.

Notable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds: The Gorge Ghosts is a guild that doesn't exist. At some point in the past the head of the guild died and in the ensuing power struggle all the major powers in the guild were killed. So many were killed, and the guild was so large, that everyone left alive assumed someone else had taken over. Since then any newcomers to the town will claim to be a member of the guild, and will act as if they are in order to stay alive. This has been going on for so long that every thief in the town believes he has been getting away with pulling the wool over the local guild. The current rumors have an individual known as Nagow Nedas as the current head of the guild. He is said to me a minotaur with a mean streak.

Equipment Shops: Full for Realms products, half for items from the Far East and realms beyond. The occasional off-world item can also be found.

Adventurers' Quarters: Adventurers are welcome anywhere in town, though some sections of the dwarven quarters are not built to house taller beings.

Important Characters: Kinir the Cripple (CN, Dwarf Male, T1) is a beggar who roams the city, barely able to survive on what he is given. However, he has amassed a sizable fortune on selling information. He has perfect recall on any face that he sees, and he can call upon other beggars for other information if need be.

Tanessa Yellow-Eye (NG, Human Female, R19) is so named for the fact that one of her eyes is bright yellow. She is an expert on local fauna and flora, but her specialty is engineering. She helped redesign the sewers of the city, and she is so respected by dwarves that many a male dwarf has fallen in love with her. Recently, she figured out a way to channel the force of the Essl River into a stream of water mere millimeters in diameter, yet with the force to cut stone as if a saw were cutting wood.

Important Features in Town: This city is actually comprised of two cities, one on top of the other. The upper city is built astride a river at the head of a gorge, where the Essl River flows from the upper plains down into Southern Rossak. The walls around 60% of the city are very tall, nearly 50' tall, and almost 30' thick. Where the river runs out of the northern end of the gorge, the city walls are almost 150' high, and just as thick at the base. The city itself is built on the three-sided bowl of the head of the gorge. Underneath the city, though, is an immense dwarven city whose population rivals that of the city above it. The Great Lane runs through the center of both cities, following the river as it tumbles down its rocky path. Here, the upper city is a busy section of shops and taverns and residences. The distance between both sides of the street is nearly 120', despite the river being only 75' wide here. 40' below the upper street level and assessable by stairways and ladders lays the lower section of the Great Lane, the heart of the dwarven quarter. Many bridges span the two-stepped Great Lane, and several towers actually rise up out of the river itself. While intermingling is common throughout the city, here it is profuse, with quite a few stores having two different storefronts, one down below, the other on top. This is very common for taverns and inns.

Local Lore: Despite the best efforts of the local constabulary, military, the Harpers, and many an adventurer, no one has been able to root out the sect of Dragon Cult that is based in the city. It is known that they are in league with the great dracolich, Im'dyny, but no one has been able to find his lair either. At present he is only a minor nuisance to caravans, which have started travelling in greater numbers and with greater escorts.

Kobolds are an incredible nuisance around the city, especially in the mountains and the moors. It seems that they have somehow figured out how to manufacture firearms, though they are still forced to steal or buy gunpowder. They are also fond of keeping pet cockatrices, which can be just as dangerous to themselves as their foes. It is also rumored that some of the local tribes have secret access into the city because they on occasion just appear in one section, and disappear just as fast.