Saltmarsh

## General

**Saltmarsh** is a small, respectable fishing town in the western part of Arywyn. Noted for adventuring although it is normally a sleepy little town. In the late 570s it was likened to a small south-coast English fishing town of the 14th Century. To the west of Saltmarsh, just across the Kingfisher River are the Hool Marshes and the Dunwater River which feeds them. Saltmarsh lacks the underground sewage system found in cities of Keoland. The streets are lined with open gutters leading to the Kingfisher River or the ocean, though they are not perfect. Locals also leave barrels of waste on street corners, where they are collected by laborers in the emplo of the town's dungsweepers' guild.

## Demographics

The residents of Saltmarsh are predominantly human. The largest non-human faction is a mining group of two hundred dwarves. Wood elves inhabit a small enclave, and halflings have various local settlements and can sometimes be seen in the town. Other races are unfamiliar to the locals, and dragonborn and tieflings are particularly likely to frighten them.

## Religion

The people of Saltmarsh predominantly worship and give thanks to Procan. There's a temple dedicated to Procan at the Northern reaches of Saltmarsh.

## Government

Saltmarsh is governed by a town council of six elected members. The most senior member of the council holds the title of Lord Mayor, and is elected by the other five. He retains his position for life, and can only be removed by a unanimous vote of impeachment by the rest of the council. The other five members of the council are elected by popular vote of the citizens of Saltmarsh, and also hold their positions for life.

The council meets at the town hall at the start of each season. At these meetings, the council votes on new laws and other issues, and listens to citizens' grievances. The Lord Mayor's vote counts for two, and often needed to break ties. The Lord Mayor also has sole power to call emergency council sessions.

### Factions

Saltmarsh’s future rests in the hands of three factions that compete for supremacy. Two of the factions represent 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 Saltmarsh’s town council.

#### Traditionalists

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 merchants 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’ mining 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.

#### Loyalists

The loyalists consist of newcomers who arrived from the northern reaches of Keoland, loyal to King Kimbertos 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 efforts 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.

#### The Scarlet Brotherhood

The Scarlet Brotherhood claims that the bloodline of its followers traces back to an ancient empire, the Suel Imperium, and their goal is to restore the old Suloise noble houses to prominence in the world. As scions of a realm that once enjoyed unmatched arcane power and a vast dominion, its members see themselves as superior to all other folk and the only ones fit to rule.

For decades, this group has been concocting a conspiracy to spread fear, chaos, and uncertainty across the land. When the time is right, the Brotherhood will strike to seize the reins in kingdoms all across the world. Already its assassins have slain those who might oppose their sinister plans. In almost every court in the land, from the most remote backwater barony to the imperial courts of world powers, the Brotherhood’s agents have quietly assumed positions of influence.

## Rumors and Legends

As of the late 570s, four miles east of Saltmarsh, just inland of the old coast road and looking out to sea, stands a "Haunted House". The fields around it, though prime agricultural land, remain untended and rank with weeds. Up until the late 550s it was the residence of an aged alchemist magician of sinister reputation. The owner suddenly and without explanation disappeared, the house was abandoned, and by the late 570s was dilapidated. Locals who infrequently explored the house, due to rumors of a secret hoard of alchemical gold, returned with stories of a decayed house and monstrous perils.

In more recent years (in the late 570s) there have been reports of ghastly shrieks and eerie lights emanating from in the house.