The Salt Curse

Metaphysical / Paranormal event

On the Day of Brine, the Salt Curse fell upon Freeport and her surroundings, rendering potable water a scarcity.

Until three years ago, one’s drinking water was acquired by one of the usual means in Freeport: It was drawn from a well (or purchased from a water seller who had drawn it for you), gathered as rainwater, or perhaps conjured by priests using a simple cantrip. But then, on a day now referred to colloquially as “The Day of Brine,” the Salt Curse fell.   Since then, all of the sources of fresh water in the city and for miles around have turned to undrinkable, salty brine. The city’s wells are useless. Rainwater is potable as it’s falling, but as soon as one tries to collect it, it too turns salty and undrinkable. Even water created using magic is drinkable only for a brief moment before the curse takes hold, transmuting it into worthless seawater. If a priestess is on hand to cast create water, anyone who is near her might be able to get just a short slurp before the water turns bad. Thus, a spellcaster who can cast create water (or those who can afford to hire such a spellcaster for the long term) can survive comfortably through repeated casting of cantrips throughout the day, but they cannot store any of the excess water to drink later.   So how do people survive at all? Enter the Rainmakers Group, who somehow are able to produce fresh water that’s unaffected by the curse. Their water is available throughout the city from the few merchants and water sellers who receive it from them directly (and some of whom are only too happy to mark the price up significantly). For their part, the Rainmakers do not price the water so high that it’s inaccessible. In fact, it’s quite cheap, at just a few copper bits per jug. But it’s enough to make a difference to the poor folk of the city, for whom a few bits every day is a lot of money.   Of course, potable water has always been a limited resource in Freeport, being on an island in the middle of the ocean. People are used to paying a little for it if they don’t have easy access to a well. But still, the curse has changed some things in Freeport significantly. Most folks are forced to go to a merchant or water seller every day to purchase water for their families. Many businesses or industries that rely on fresh water, such as brewers and cooks, must charge a little more for their product to cover the cost of buying water, rather than getting it from their own wells.