Saltmarsh

Saltmarsh is a nondescript fishing town near the Mere of Dead Men tucked away on the Sword Coast northwest of Waterdeep, and South of Neverwinter. The Lords Alliance is a formidable military power. Its superior cavalry and bold knights control much of the Sword Coast and rule over most of the lands between the major City-States. Through cooperation and force they have managed to repeatedly push back their enemies, swelling their territory. Each successful campaign increased both the Alliance's wealth and power, and each one in turn drew their attention farther from the coast. Many parts of the coastal regions of the Sword Coast remain a backwater.
The Alliance's benign neglect allowed piracy and banditry to flourish. Saltmarsh and similar towns kept to fishing, content to maintain a low profile and avoid governmental entanglements. Decades ago, the pirates who prowled the waters off Saltmarsh grew strong enough to create their own realm, a loose confederacy known as the Sea Princes. With the rise of those pirates came increased raids on Saltmarsh and its neighbors. The Sea Princes' raiding ships pillaged the coast for more slaves to support their growing needs, and Saltmarsh suffered heavily. The memories of those times loom heavily over the area, and the locals’ hatred of the Sea Princes runs deep.
In time, the Alliance's victories in the East gave way to a string of defeats in which its neighbors pushed their control back. With the world closing in, the Lords looked to the west and saw unchecked banditry and a rising pirate nation. The Lords struck peace treaties with its former foes to the East, raised a navy, and dealt a sharp check to the ambitions of the Sea Princes—but the conflict is by no means over.
The Lords have decreed that the pirates must be put down, the sea lanes secured, and trade cultivated. If they can no longer grow as a military force, it must grow mightier as a center of trade.
Saltmarsh, remote though it might be, is entering a new phase of its life as it reacts to the great Lords' plans. The Lords' agents want to expand the village’s port taking advantage of its strategic location between Waterdeep and Neverwinter. In another recent development, a band of dwarves—bearing a decree from the Open Lord of Waterdeep himself—have arrived and begun to excavate the hills and seaside cliffs near town, looking for precious metals. If their work bears fruit as expected, the mine stands to become a major factor in the village’s—and, indeed, the entire region’s—prosperity. All of this has put a lot of pressure on the Saltmarsh Town Council, but the local economy is booming.
Naturally, not all of Saltmarsh’s residents feel the same way about the recent developments in and around their community, which is the key issue that affects their lives and livelihood. Although the recent changes stand to bring new prosperity to the area, many locals don’t want to see their home changed.

Geography

Marshy to the East, Mountainous to the South

Natural Resources

Fish Crab Copper Sulphur

Saltmarsh

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Saltmarsh Residents

• Eda Oweland • Eliander Fireborn • Gellan Primewater • Manistrad Copperlocks • Anders Solmor • Skerrin Wavechaser • Kraddok Stonehorn • Lankus Kurrid • Captain Xendros • Kreb Shenker • Kiorna Kester • Hanna Rist • Mafera Norrin • Jasker Norrin • Agatha Hearthgold • Argus Kolm • Arten Fell • Karstoff Redscale • Ingo the Drover • Jilar Kankelsten • Wellgar Brinehanded • Krag • Winston Hool • Ferrin Kastilar • Reekum • Keledeck the Unspoken • Arda Seaborne • Effie Fletcher

Saltmarsh Locations

• Saltmarsh City Gate • Barracks and Jail • The Wicker Goat • Eliander's House • The Primewater Manse • Copperlocks Mining Company Headquarters • Keledek Tower • Faithful Quartermasters of Iuz • Empty Net • Green Market • Sharkfin Bridge • Kester's Leather Goods • Merewatch Tower • The Snapping Line • Council Hall • Market Square • The Dwarven Anvil • Fishmonger’s Plants • Oweland House • Solmor House • Mariners’ Guildhall • Ingo the Drover’s House • Carpenters’ Guildhall • Crabber’s Cove • The Leap • Temple of Umberlee • Saltmarsh Cemetery • Winston’s Solid Goods • Sea Grove • Siren’s Stones • Fellfire House • Blackfish Chandlery

Type

Town

Population

about 3,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Saltmarshers

Location under

The Sword Coast

Included Locations

• Copperlocks Mining Company Headquarters

Owning Organization

Saltmarsh Town Council

Characters in Location

• Captain Eva Stormborn