Gleamshore

Gleamshore is a comfortably prosperous town that lies off the main trade route along the coast road. Visitors can expect to find decent accommodations, goods and services, as long as one minds their manners. Life is generally quiet, and people contentedly go about their business. Sitting on the edge of Gleamshore Lake, there are a number of fishing vessels and even leisure boats that traverse the calm inlets of the lake for tours. While the town lacks much interest for outsiders, recent resource claims have set new eyes upon its borders.

Government

Years ago Lionel Oweland led his forces in uniting the township against the invading Gnoll tribes. Once the fighting was over, he began construction of a keep and remained here ever since, declaring himself mayor and allying the town to Saltmarsh. Later on he built a vineyard near the town and retired, leaving the title of mayor to his son, Leon Oweland. Together with his twin sister Isabel Oweland, they each manage parts of the towns governmental duties.

Military

The small town does not have a military nor an official guard, instead relying on town hunters and a small militia to call to arms encase of attack. The mayor Leon Oweland and his twin sister Isabel Oweland have a small cadre of hired guards that defend a nearby keep. Should a disturbance or threat be posed to the village, they will respond as the authority figures in the town.

History

The oldest inhabitants of Gleamshore are the sons and daughters of those who immigrated to the lake shore in search of a new life. Originally no more than a small collection of cabins, the lush waters of lake Gleamshore slowly drew more settlers to its rich waters. Many who came here desired a simpler life, free from the bustle of the cities and the governance of the crown. Unfortunately as is typical for frontier towns, danger does not let sleepy hamlets rest in peace. Attacks from the hills from gnolls forced those spread across the lakes shimmering waters to band together, until the town of Gleamshore was officially founded. Seeking help from outside, The Owelands of Saltmarsh responded and their forces as well as hired Adventurers put the gnolls to the sword. While the townsfolk were grateful, they didn't realize that they were planning to remain in Gleamshore, and after constructing a keep have remained in power ever since. In recent years, not far up the coast from Gleamshore is a sea cave with a tribe of Seabolds, a race of blue-skinned Kobolds partially adapted to living in the the depths of the lake. They are slightly larger and bulkier than a typical Kobold, with clear second eyelids, webbed feet, fan-like ears, and a small ventral fin that extends down the tail. Seabolds are excellent swimmers who are as at home in the water as they are on land. Despite initial superstition, the kobolds are an accepted part of the town and can often be found around town. Because of their amphibious nature, some aid the towns fishers in finding schools of fish and are . Others are proficient at maintenance on the fishing boats, and occasional salvage work when things go overboard. There are normally around a dozen Seabolds working in the town, living on the beach in a shanty made from the hull of a derelict boat. The kobolds have discovered that the humans love the 'shiny rocks', a pearl found in a rare kind of freshwater mussel found in the lake. They are generally considered to be an asset to the community, and are more-or-less treated like anyone else.

Trade and Commerce

Gleamshore has seen a steady growth through the years by lying in a resource rich region and avoiding many of the problems that has plagued the rest of the plains. Lake Gleamshores rich waters have an abundance of fish and the occasional pearl. Farming the nearby plains remains a valuable source of food, along with the attempt to tame the Aurochs of the plains. The wolfsbane forest became a popular foraging spot for the lucrative flower, and a large quarry provides a great source of stone.

Locations

1. Oweland Manor House

This two story manor is the home of Leon Oweland and his twin sister Isabel Oweland. Initially the grounds were intended to support a large keep, but the necessity for that level of defense was lost before its construction began. After the walls went up, a smaller manor was instead constructed within the walls, followed by servants quarters and a stables. Surrounding the manor house is the large walls, a suitable fallback point for the town should a larger force attack their town. Leon Oweland -The distant relative of the late Eda Oweland, Leon is rather young for a mayor and assumed the role after his father went into early retirement. He comes off as reserved, but most of this is due to his view of superiority. While once he dismissed the town as below his station, as it continues to grow in prosperity under his rule he has grown a sense of pride in what he views as his town. He and his sister have personally negotiated terms with other humanoids of the area, growing trade and guaranteeing the safety of his townfolk. Leon has primarily been focused on its defense, part of the towns taxes being spent on adventurers to maintain the safety of the town, and as it grows he has considered funding an official town guard to take the burden off his personal guard. He has never married, though one day should be expected in order to bolster the Oweland name. Isabel Oweland - The twin sister of Leon, she lives in the same estate as her brother and manages much of the governmental powers of the town. She has a skill for recognizing lucrative deals and has often negotiated peaceful deals that have resulted in the town growing. With surrounding tribes of Kobolds, elves and other humanoids that might otherwise be hostile, with them allied to the town they have created a buffer that protects them from other dangers of the wilds. As the (technically) younger child, she was expected to marry and form an alliance for the Owelands, but when this was brought up by Eda she fiercely resisted it. Before the matriarch could press the issue, she was found slain in her hometown of Saltmarsh. Since then it appears the issue has been dropped, as the new Matriarch of the family has not brought it back up. Mursili Tahur - Known as "The Constable", Mursili is a middle-aged man charged with keeping the peace and enforcing laws in Gleamshore at the behest of The Owelands. He is an experienced fighter, powerfully built and covered in scars with years of battle behind him. Still, he is always upbeat and happy, seems to know all the residents, and is excited to meet visitors. Mursili is genuinely happy to be done with conflict and killing, and to have this post. He does his best to administer the laws in his charge and deal with the people of Gleamshore fairly, and they seem to like him and appreciate his approach and presence. Not much that happens in town escapes Mursili’s notice. He is famous for having a magic sword, something few in this small town would ever see.

2. Derelict Hull (Seabolds)

This rotting ship was one of the larger fishing vessels on the lake before its unfortunate collision with a rock. The lessons learned, all future vessels built on its shores were smaller and better suited for the often shallow waters of the lake. This hull washed up on shore and was claimed as the distant home for the Seabold tribe further up the coast. They use it as a quaint trading post filled with strange knick-knacks and other trinkets gathered from the murky depths of the late. The kobolds were initially met with a bit of fear, as superstition goes that where there are kobolds there are dragons. But despite the initial unease, the town has come to accept the kobolds and they are now a welcome sight among the townsfolk. Ack - She is a young Seabold and the leader of the group who live and work in town. She is full of life and curious about the human settlement, and serves as the go-between and foreman for the Seabolds. She speaks Common (many of the other Seabolds speak only an odd dialect of Draconic). She is smart and experienced, and has learned that many of the items they have to offer deserve a fair price. She is open to ideas that will benefit the tribe, but not at serious risk of their place and status among the Humans.

3. Melkas Apothecary

This is the home of Yash Melka and the resident town healer. While it is not quite comparable to the incredible priests and healers of the big cities, he still does his best to further his training and provide both magical and mundane healing to the townsfolk. One can find basic healing potions here, and occasionally more powerful potions imported from other towns. Yash Melka - Surgeon Melka is the town doctor and healer. He is originally from Riverside, but has been living in the town for many years. He is a trained doctor, and very capable at his craft, and possesses limited magical capabilities to augment his mundane practice. He has a few underlings trained in alchemy, and sells some healing potions. A rare seaweed found in the depths of the lake has proven a remarkably good healing reagent, so he often trades with them for it to create healing potions.

4. The Note Worthy Inn

This inn is rather successful, with it being the only one in town, and it keeps busy year round. While it serves outsiders that come to the town for lodging, it also has a large tavern that serves drinks and food to the townsfolk. The founder came from Bards Gate, and named it after Note, God of the Harp. Extra effort towards music and merriment is encouraged and most nights one can find music. It has grown in segments throughout the years, with multiple additions being added every few years. A large wooden palisades surrounds the grounds, with a stables being just up the road. Cameron Tedding - Tedding is the local innkeeper. He employs his large family as well as several other locals to handle the sprawling inn. Tedding works hard in the inn, managing the operations and taking care of guests and overseeing the common room. His wife oversees the dining room and one of his adult sons runs the stable. He is constantly moving, and can only spare a few moments of his attention before going on to some other pressing task. Tedding’s inn was originally financed by smuggling; his father was the smuggling captain of his day, and he was captured, tried, and died in prison. Tedding fled with the small fortune left behind, and settled in Gleamshore to begin anew. Here he founded the inn, and deciding the peaceful life more suiting, has kept a low profile ever since.

5. Gleamshore Stables

This stables is owned by Cameron Tedding and ran by one of his sons. It is used not only for outsiders seeking a place for their mounts, but as a long term place for towns folk to keep theirs as well.

6. Gerotis Woodworks

This small woodworks is capable of most small scale construction projects and wood repair. He can do anything up to the size of a house, or even small projects like chairs. Miron Gerotis - Miron is the master woodworker in town. He runs the wood and carpentry shop, which employs several others as his business has expanded. His shop can handle anything made from wood, including parts and fittings for boats; but he can’t handle anything as large as a hull. He is a pillar of the community, and is involved in every facet of life in Gleamshore as the go-to handyman.

7. Loakims Home

Loakim Christof - Loakim is a dwarf and the towns resident boatwright. He is an expert on the construction and repair of small to medium-size watercraft, though would not fair well working on the large ocean-faring vessels of the shore cities. Boatwright wasn’t Loakim's first choice; he tried his hand at several other trades and failed miserably until he finally tried his hand at being a boatwright. It turned out to be something he was good at, and over time those of Gleamshore turned to him for fishing vessels. Despite his skill at crafting boats, his previous career failures are still brought up in the tavern to tease him. He doesn’t take it as a joke, so it’s made him somewhat sensitive, and he can be very cold to those he feels have stepped over the line.

8. Vasiloti Blacksmiths

Eleonora Vasiloti - Eleanora is the local blacksmith, though once very capable in her old age relies primarily on her apprentices and children for the heavy work. She is friendly, outgoing, and a bit of an egoist, but can turn sad and morose for a few minutes when she thinks nobody is looking. Eleanora was born and raised in Gleamshore, but moved to Riverside for several years to learn her trade. Her husband passed away years ago, though he was never any real use to the business.