House of Whelk

The House of Whelk was a busy Merchant House, one of the sixteen members of the Merchants Council of Ravens Bluff in the late 14 century DR, with its headquarters located in the Pumpside neighborhood of the Southside District.
==Location==
The House of Whelk was located in Pumpside, on the crossing of Samarglast Lane and Helhavryn's Walk. It stood one block away from the House of War, a temple to Tempus, and two city blocks south of the Ravens Bluff Sanitation Facility.
==Structure==
The house's headquarters was the second biggest building in Pumpside, after the House of War, comprised of two connected warehouses, where down-on-their-luck fishers were paid to weave nets and turn fish into spiced paste.
==Services==
The Merchant House made its money by selling fisher equipment, such as ropes, nets, and other ship gear procured for cheap across Faerûn, and purchasing the catch from the same fishers, as well as purchased jars for fish preservation. The fish was then sold at a profit, fresh and in a preserved form – spiced fish paste in jars sealed with wax. The fishpaste was a popular meal, often spread over toasted bread and eaten with wine or beer.
==History==
The House of Whelk was run by Hlastryn Vhelturl, a conservative and reserved merchant from Calaunt in the 14 century DR. The merchant house was named after its insignia, an image of a white shell of a whelk. By the late 14 century DR, after the Three Women War, the House of Whelk was attempting to get a share of the dockloading and warehousing business in Ravens Bluff. Still, these attempts were unsuccessful, thanks to the industry being controlled by the city's guilds. If the dockloading and warehousing would prove to be completely unsuceseful, the Merchant House planned on trying its luck at building and operating a merchant fleet.
==Rumors & Legends==
Some believed that Hlastryn Vhelturl was financed by some unsavory powers from Hillsfar and Mulmaster, who may have had their own reasons for controlling the Bluff's docks and having a fleet in the Moonsea and the Dragon Reach under their thumb. Similar rumors claimed that the same sponsors sought to turn Scardale and Harrowdale into fortified trade centers inhabited by criminally inclined crafters and artisans. Yet more rumors claimed that the House of Whelk was under the control of the Zhentarim.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Organizations
Category:Merchant organizations
Category:Merchant Houses of Ravens Bluff
Category:Council Houses of Ravens Bluff
Category:Locations on Samarglast Lane
Category:Locations on Helhavryn's Walk
Category:Organizations in Pumpside
Category:Locations in Pumpside
Category:Organizations in the Southside District of Ravens Bluff
Category:Locations in the Southside District of Ravens Bluff
Category:Organizations in Ravens Bluff
Category:Locations in Ravens Bluff
Category:Locations in the Vast
Category:Organizations in the Vast
Category:Locations in the Eastern Heartlands
Category:Organizations in the Eastern Heartlands
Category:Organizations in Interior Faerûn
Category:Locations in Interior Faerûn
Category:Organizations in Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Organizations on Toril
Category:Locations on Toril
Category:Year of Metropolises