Pe.rsonality Traits. Eda swears like a sailor when she
is frustrated or angry. and the folk in town who support
her appreciate her wi II ingness to stick up for them.
Despite her temper. she respects those who keep their
cool. Anyone who stands up to her wins her respect.
Those who try to flatter her earn her contempt.
Ideal. If anyone in town needs help. Eda is the first
lo volunteer. She believes community binds people to-
gether and allows the1n to ride out che fiercest storm.
Bond. Saltmarsh is Eda's home. She would protect it
to her dying breath and wants its people to prosper.
Flaw. Eda is suspicious of outsiders. and she is too
quick to trust those familiar to her.GELLAN PRIMEWATER
Gellan (NE male human noble) is a well-spoken, dap-
per older gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard and a
fancy wardrobe. With his cunning instincts, he has po-
sitioned his family to become the most prominent mer-
chants in town. but he now faces an intractable problem.
Gellan made his fortune through smuggling, his textile
and lumber exports serving as a cover for his illegal
activities. When Saltmarsh was a sleepy backwater, he
could operate with impunity. Now that Saltmarsh has
attracted attention from the outside world, he sees busi-
ness growing more difficult and less profitable.
Over the years, Gellan has cultivated relationships
with a number of contacts among the Sea Princes. His
ships move illicit goods, including slaves, between their
realm and Keoland. Gellan takes care to keep this side
of his business quiet, since any hint of involvement with
slave traders would mean the end of his days in Salt-
marsh, if not his life.
Gellan seeks to keep his smuggling cartel functioning
with as little interference as possible. Having a seat on
the council puts him in a perfect position to maintain his
business while supporting all aspects of the traditional-
ists' agenda. His popularity in the faction is second only
to that of Eda Oweland.
Because Gellan is the wealthiest man in town, be
garners a great deal of popular support from the many
feasts, entertainments, and other diversions he supports
with expenditures and donations. H e pretends to care
little for the daily functions of the council. defaulting to
throw his support behind Eda's position. Tn truth, this
deference is a ruse he uses to mask his efforts to shield
his smuggling operation.
Personality Traits. Gcllan loves to play che role of the
foppish dandy. He enjoys fine wine. good food. and the
latest fashions. He is a patron of the arts and spends lav-
ishly to support festivals. plays. and concerts.
Ideal. For Gellan. beauty and elegance are everything.
He derives great enjoyment from watching the town en-
joy his events.
Bond. Gellan values his reputation above all else. He
wants to be admired by the people of Saltmarsh.
Flaw. Greed colors every action Gellan takes. He can't
turn down a chance lo turn a profit. even if it means
breaking the law. Gellan secretly believes that even if
he is caught, he can spend his way back into the town's
good graces by throwing the biggest. most extravagant
festival Saltmarsh has ever seen.
Gii ·\i' IL I! l I SAi I ~11\l<SllTHE TRADITlONALISTS IN PLAY
The traditionalists simply want things to remain the
same. If they had their way, the dwarves would go home,
the guard would stick to dealing with monsters rather
than hassling honest traders, and the crown would go
back to dreaming of conquests in the north. The more
things change. the more this faction resorts to open pro-
test and resistance.TRADITIONALIST SAMPLE EVENTS
d20 Event
1- 6 A group of fishers accosts dwarves and other out-
siders, demanding they leave town or else.
7- 10 Gellan Primewater rm ports a variety of exotic flow-
ers that he uses to decorate the town, while also
distributing fresh tropical fruit free of charge to the
townsfolk.
11-12 A fire breaks out in town, and Eda Oweland raises
funds to support those who lost their homes.13 - (^14) A fishing boat goes missing with its crew. They
were smuggling a haul of black pearls, and Gellan
wants his treasure back without risking his cover.
1S-16 A bountiful catch leads to a day of feasting and
reconciliation, giving the factions a chance to make
amends.
17 - (^18) A bungled smuggling operation lands a few re-
spected people in jail, leading to near riots as fish-
ers gather in a huge mob to effect a breakout.
19 A horrible sea creature has been sighted. keeping
many crews at the docks until rt disappears. Any-
one who tracks it down and slays it would be a
hero. Gellan pledges a magic weapon to its slayer.
20 Several fishing crews have gone missing. The locals
demand that Keoland dispatch a squadron of ships
to track down the slavers from the Sea Princes who
surely kidnapped them.
LOYALISTS
The loyalists consist of newcomers who arrived from
the northern reaches of Keoland, loyal to King Kim-
bertos Skotti. They feel that the town should focus on
becoming a useful asset to the crown and value the good
of the kingdom before the good of the region. The town
guard. the dwarves. and the local farmers are generally
loyalists.
The loyalists care about security. They want to keep
Keoland's enemies at bay while ensuring law and order.
They see smuggling as a key problem, as it enriches the
Sea Princes at the cost of the royal treasury and the ef-
forts of honest merchants.
Above all else. the members of this faction put their
faith in law. They exert influence through the town
guard, though they remain within their legal authority.
At their best. the loyalists want to grow Saltmarsh into
a trading hub with a higher standard of living and im-
proved security. If the Sea Princes are held in check and
the sea lanes cleared of threats, Saltmarsh can grow to
become the envy of the world.