Saltmarsh Gazetteer

Saltmarsh is a nondescript fishing village tucked away on the southern coast of the Kingdom of Keoland. For several generations, Keoland was a formidable military power. Its superior cavalry and bold knights pushed the kingdom’s borders outward to the north, west, and east. Each successful campaign increased both the crown’s wealth and power, and each one in turn drew the kingdom’s attention even farther north. The southern coastal regions of Keoland remained a backwater.

The crown’s benign neglect allowed piracy and banditry to flourish. Saltmarsh and similar towns kept to fishing, content to maintain a low profile and avoid governmental entanglements. Decades ago, the pirates who prowled the waters off Saltmarsh grew strong enough to create their own realm, a loose confederacy known as the Hold of the Sea Princes. With the rise of that nation came increased raids on Saltmarsh and its neighbors. The Sea Princes’ raiding ships pillaged the coast for more slaves to support their growing realm, and Saltmarsh suffered heavily. The memories of those times loom heavily over the area, and the locals’ hatred of the Sea Princes runs deep.

In time, Keoland’s victories in the north gave way to a string of defeats in which its neighbors pushed the kingdom back to its original boundaries. With the world closing in, King Kimbertos Skotti looked to the south and saw unchecked banditry and a rising pirate nation. The crown struck peace treaties with its former foes to the north, raised a navy, and dealt a sharp check to the ambitions of the Sea Princes — but the conflict is by no means over.

King Skotti has decreed that the pirates must be put down, the sea lanes secured, and trade cultivated. If Keoland cannot prosper as a military force, it must grow mightier as a center of trade.

Saltmarsh, remote though it might be from the center of power in Keoland, is entering a new phase of its life as it reacts to the king’s plans. The crown’s agents want to expand the village’s port and make it a prime location for trade with the world beyond. In another recent development, a band of dwarves — bearing a decree from the king himself — have arrived and begun to excavate the hills and seaside cliffs near town, looking for precious metals. If their work bears fruit as expected, the mine stands to become a major factor in the village’s — and, indeed, the entire region’s — prosperity.

Naturally, not all of Saltmarsh’s residents feel the same way about the recent developments in and around their community, which is the key issue that affects their lives and livelihood. Although the recent changes stand to bring new prosperity to the area, many locals don’t want to see their home changed. At the same time, as an undercurrent through all the goings-on, agents of the secretive and mysterious Scarlet Brotherhood work to thwart Keoland’s ambitions while advancing their own.

Saltmarsh might be encrusted in sea salt and reek of rotting fish guts, but there is gold aplenty in the coffers of its citizens. For more than a century, the ships of Saltmarsh have worked the rich fishing grounds along the coast. Trade ships from near and far have been using the docks to unload their goods, and lately more ships have come to call as the dwarven mining operation grows. Smuggling has also long been a profitable business here.

The dwarven mining operation promises to bring about a rapid growth in Saltmarsh’s fortunes. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends on who you ask. The merchants look forward to more business, but the fishers don’t see how the mines will do anything to enrich their coffers. If anything, they fear that competition for fish will become more ferocious as the town grows.

Fishing
More folk in town work in the fishing industry than any other, and it has been the backbone of Saltmarsh for generations. The wealthier families own their own boats, while less well-to-do folk hire out to work as deckhands. The work is difficult and dangerous, but a smart deckhand can save money for several years and eventually buy their own boat. That promise of earned prosperity is important to the townsfolk, and they see newcomers as a threat to it.

Trading
The wealthiest families in town own large trading vessels that they use to ship goods across the Azure Sea. Saltmarsh exports other foodstuffs from the farms around town. Most manufactured goods, except for rope, nets, and other items created locally to support the fishing industry, are imported into town.

Smuggling
As a sleepy backwater town, Saltmarsh has long been an ideal market for illegal goods. Pirates, agents of the Sea Princes, and Keoish nobles looking to evade the king’s taxes have all helped fuel a bustling local black market. Some fishing boats meet ships at sea to load and unload illegal goods, while other cartels conduct business at isolated points along the shore near town. The locals see smuggling as a victimless crime and resent the crown’s growing insistence on cracking down on it.

Mining
The mine outside town is a new development. Despite the skepticism of the locals, the mine has started to yield silver in growing quantities, and the dwarves are convinced that the nearby cliffs are rich with gold. If the mine takes off, Saltmarsh could transform into a sprawling boomtown overnight.

The docks of Saltmarsh are the beating heart of the town. The fishing trade and related commerce that keep the town alive are based here.

The docks have recently undergone a series of expansions intended to lure larger merchant vessels into the port. Two primary piers are used to load and unload large ships, while a series of smaller ones accommodate humbler vessels.

This part of Saltmarsh is almost constantly busy; it’s rare to see the large piers unoccupied. Guarded warehouses are a common sight in this district, and it is considered suspicious behavior to walk near those places at night.

The docks are a hotbed of rumors and gossip. The sailors and laborers who frequent this area are bored, eager for news, and inclined to share what they have heard.