Salter Clan

The Salter clan is a prominent family in the Fiendeyrr region of the Arathi Highlands and along the broader Oriental Coast. Originally from Tol Barad, they have resided in the Arathi Highlands for just under 600 years.

## History

### Tol Barad

The Salter family were originally members of one of the largest of the Baradi clans, the Hafbittrarnir. A relatively minor branch of the family, the bulk of their history is uncertain but they were believed to have been involved in whaling and in raiding. The exact cause of their migration from their homeland is unknown, but coincides with the writing of the quasi-mythical Baradi work, 'Konradmal', which recounts the rise of the Petty King Konrad of the Dauthrfiscarnir and his cruelty towards the other Baradi clans; while no conclusive link can be drawn and Petty King Konrad may never have existed as one discrete individual, a period of tribal warfare and brutality would explain the marked migration of Baradi peoples to other lands in the early First Century KY.

### The Founding of Saltbreak

In 21KY, the most noteworthy Salter in the family's history - Noah Salter - led a small number of settlers from the islands of Tol Barad to the Arathi Highlands, where they settled on the coast some two miles south of the fortress-township of Gudbayn. This village swiftly came to be known as the Saltbreak, and equally swiftly, became the site of a sizeable fishery operation of Salters and associated migrant families. The village achieved township status in 214KY, and was absorbed into Gudbayn in 581KY.

### The Salter-Osterblut-Aris Feud

In 421KY, the elderly Ekaterina Tyrth - born Ekaterina Salter, daughter of Abdon Salter - was murdered by Sylvester Osterblut in a raid on her husband's mill. While the wergild for the killing was paid by Sylvester's five brothers (one of them, a half-brother, in fact a Salter himself), it sparked a series of retaliatory attacks on the four Osterbluts - and their new families. While the affair was initially very one-sided (the Osterbluts, at the time, numbering a total of seven people old enough to fight), the Salter's swiftly met unexpected resistance.

Jorge Osterblut, the second oldest son of Tyrrian the Sailor, had married Susanna Aris in 417KY - and the Aris family went above and beyond their traditional obligations in coming to the aid of the other Osterbluts. Tyrrian had poured a great deal of gold into their own hands, had employed many of their own kinsmen on his ships, and had won their affection. Jorge had proven himself a good man, attentive to his kin ties to his ailing uncle by marriage. Where the Salters had been poised to ruthlessly murder the Osterbluts, they found themselves suddenly attacked by men from Gudbayn and the Eastgate.

The feud continued for just over a decade, and ended with the 433KY killing of Mikhail Osterblut (Tyrrian's eldest son) and the retaliatory burning of Nathan Tyrth's homestead - with his brother, wife, and children inside. Nathan, the grandson of Ekaterina, appealed to Baron Vladimir d'Fiendeyrr for aid, and the feud was forcibly brought to an end by the Baron. In compensation to the Salters, they were appointed to the role of hereditary mayors of Saltbreak. The Osterbluts received a hereditary position as tax-collectors in Gudbayn, and the Aris family were given a small free-holding and the right to govern the neighbouring farmers on behalf of the Baron.

From the ashes of a bloody and unrelenting conflict - a conflict that ultimately claimed thirteen lives and caused great turmoil - developed a tripartite system of authorities. While their exact roles would come to shift over the following two centuries, the three families have ever since enjoyed a prominent place in the region.

## Notable Individuals

### Ekaterina Salter

The quasi-mythic founder of the clan. Born around 1800AD, Ekaterina was a prominent figure in two fields: the war against the trolls of Zul'dare, and the collecting of sea-salt for export (the source of the name).