CHAPTER 1: SALTMARSH
ALTMARSH 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 ban-
ditry to flourish. Saltmarsh and similar towns kept to
fishing, content to maintain a low profile and avoid gov-
ernmental 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 Salt-
marsh 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 devel-
opment, a band of dwarves bearing a decree from the
king himself- have arrived and begun LO 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 Saltniarsh's residems 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.
Politics and Factions 7 Adventure Hooks
Saltmarsh's future rests in the hands of three factions
that compete for supremacy. Two of the factions repre-
sent the opposing sentiments that have grown in town
in recent years. The third is a secret group that seeks to
undermine Saltmarsh and seize control of the region.
These factions' struggles play out in the day-to-day lives
of the townsfolk and the political maneuvering of Salt-
marsh·s town council.TRADITI ONALISTS
The traditionalist faction is an alliance of the prominent
fishing families and merchants in town, along with the
workers who rely on those industries for a living. The
traditionalists remember the terrible times during the
Sea Princes' raids and have no desire to see the crown's
ambitions lead to open war. The smugglers who operate
in the area tend to be traditionalists. Most pose as mer-
chants and rely on their local contacts to move goods
through the region without interference from the town
guard or royal agents. Smuggling has long been an easy
way to make money in Saltmarsh, and locals generally
look the other way, seeing it as a victimless crime.
The traditionalists would like to see the dwarves' min-
ing efforts fail and interest from the north wane, so that
Saltmarsh's dependable fishing trade can thrive and
the smugglers in the area are left alone. They resent the
intrusion of outsiders seeking to transform Saltmarsh
and undoubtedly drain power from the fishing families
to give to dwarves and merchants.
This faction relies on two council members for repre-
sentation. Eda Oweland leads the faction and can count
on Gellan Primewater to back her up. Anders Solmor is
young and unpredictable. but he has supported the tradi-
tionalists' viewpoint on most issues.
At their best, traditionalists are community-minded
folk who want Saltmarsh to return to its old way of
doing things, arguing that the town has survived for a
century by sticking to its original priorities. They suf-
fered mightily due to the Sea Princes' depredations and
remember the days when the crown turned a blind eye
to their troubles. Their loyalty to the king runs second to
their desire for peace and quiet.EDA 0WELAND
Eda (CG female human noble) is the current senior
member of the town council, as well as the owner of
three large fishing boats. She has lived in Saltmarsh all
her life and has been elected to the council three times.
She is a gruff, pragmatic woman whose graying hair is
cut short and whose face bears the marks of a life lived
outdoors. Eda is keenly interested in expanding Salt-
marsh's fishing industry. her sights set on a wild section
of the coast where she hopes to build a new dock. She is
suspicious of the dwarves' mining enterprise and doubts
it will amount to much.C 1-IAPTf RI S>\LI \I \11~
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