Drownboat Crossing
Dirt roads from the countryside converge for miles into one broad, unpaved track before entering the gates of Drownboat Crossing, the name marked on the few wooden signs along the roads. The town is at the edge of the Great Amrin River and flies a large banner over the gatehouse of a yellow boat with waves below it on a field of blue.
Drownboat Crossing is one of the few ferry-points across the Great Amrin upriver from the Amrin Ferry itself. Strategically located at the intersections of Glimmrill Run and the Great Amrin River, Drownboat Crossing specializes in ferrying passengers across the wide river. Numerous cart tracks and dirt paths converge at this point, which is one of the few upriver crossings in Eastreach Province. The Tantivy Road, the only thoroughfare connecting the provincial capital of Carterscroft with Florin’s Cross and other portions of northern and eastern Eastreach Province, runs close to Drownboat Crossing. Humans account for roughly 70% of the large town’s total residents, followed by a significant percentage of halflings with half-elves and elves combined making up less than 10% of the population. Four large boats sailing under the town’s flag shuttle farmers and merchants alike back and forth at a reasonable cost. The town’s previous ruler, the father of current leader Baron Owen Foundofter, handsomely bribed the lord-governor for the exclusive rights to operate a ferry at this critical river juncture. The concession put almost every ferry operator within several miles of Drownboat Crossing out of business save for two who duplicated the baron’s feat. For now, the baron tolerates the presence of another operator in close proximity to the town, though some of the town’s unscrupulous citizens claim the Foundofters have solicited the services of several known saboteurs and provocateurs to disrupt their rivals’ operations. There are no overt signs of trouble on the waterfront, but the chatter about these clandestine activities continues to increase with each passing day. Like most noble families in Eastreach Province, bribery played a critical role in the Foundofters’ rise to power. In addition to purchasing a virtual monopoly of the river ferry service, the family’s control of Drownboat Crossing rakes in enormous profits from taxes and tolls levied on goods passing across the river. The Foundofters intentionally keep these fees reasonably low to retain popular support for their corrupt regime, while still generating enough income to support their lavish lifestyle. The baron openly offers favorable treatment to anyone willing to pay him for the privilege of being spoiled, with one crucial exception: Bribery is unacceptable when it pertains to the care of the town’s ferry fleet. The Foundofters pride themselves on Drownboat Crossing’s exceptional safety record, which contradicts the settlement’s curious name whose origins have been lost to the annals of time.
Settlement
Drownboat Crossing, Town of
Type
Town
Owning Organization
Comments