12~
MILITIA AND DEFENSE
One hundred trained warriors serve in the town guard.
Each of them wears studded leather armor marked with
a town guard's badge the green reed of Saltmarsh-
and is armed with a club while patrolling in town. The
guards work in pairs, operating from two guardhouses
built near the road into Saltmarsh. A smaller station at
the docks quells the fights that break out there nightly.
The captain of the town guard is Eliander Fireborn.
The guard also patrols the area around Saltmarsh on
horseback. Groups assigned to this duty are more heav-
ily armed and armored; they wear chain mail and wield
longswords and heavy crossbows.
A militia of five hundred residents can be mustered to
take up the defense of the town if it comes under attack.
The militia members have undergone minimal training,
since they are expected only to keep an enemy at bay
until the king's forces arrive.
A small force of marines watches over the docks and.
if needed, can take to sea to meet t he threat of a pirate
ship or sahuagin incursion. The mari nes are hardened
veterans of several battles against the Sea Princes. They
are led by a married couple, Tom and Will Stoutly, vet-
erans who have fought dozens of engagements against
pirates. raiders. and monsters.
The guard is seen as something of a meddlesome
force. since most of its members are drawn from the
military veterans who migrated here with the crown's
blessing. Townsfolk tend to see them as brutish thugs.
though they arc quick to call them when trouble arises.LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
The town guard arrests lawbreakers and imprisons
them in the town jail. In most cases, criminals pay a
fine and are let go. Those who cannot pay are required
to work off their debt, usually put to work sweeping
streets or helping with construction projects. If a crime
requires a trial, the town council hears evidence and
renders a verdict. Crime breaks down into three basic
categories in Saltmarsh.
Petty Crime. Public unarmed brawling, pickpocket·
ing, and other crimes that cause up to 50 gp in property
damages are classified as petty crimes. The accused
pays a fine of 2d6 gp. or one clay of hard labor per gold
piece owed.
Minor Crime. Armed assault, defined as any nonfatal
attack made with a weapon, along with any other assault
or property crimes that cause more than 50 gp in dam-
ages, but less than 250 gp, are minor crimes. The per-
petrator must pay a fine of JOO gp and serve ld4 years in
prison or at forced labor.
M'fjor Crime. Crimes more severe than those out-
lined above, including murder, are major crimes. The
criminal faces 2d 10 years of imprisonment, though
serious cases earn the death penalty. I n most instances.
these crimes are dealt with in Seaton, the provincial
capital located east of Saltmarsh.<.llAP"l I kt Is \l I MAR~ll
COMME RCE
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 opera-
tion grows. Smuggling has also long been a profitable
business here.
The dwarven mining operation promises to bring
about a rapid growth in Sahmarsh'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 en-
rich 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 fol k 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 ves-
sels 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 co 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 sprawl-
ing boomtown overnight.DOCKS
The docks of Saltmarsh are the beating heart of the
town. The fishing trade and related commerce that keep
the town alive arc based here.