I'd planned on working on my minis this week but life didn't play out that way. Later this week I'll be getting some shelves so I can clear up my painting space which will be amazing! Until then, I've been keeping myself busy prepping for a modified Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign. U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh was one of the first adventures I ever played and I get to try my hand at running it soon. For those of you not familiar with them, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a 5e campaign built around the original U series of adventures from the old Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
Overall, I like how they fleshed some of the background with the new campaign but there were things that I wanted different, hence my own spin on the history of Saltmarsh...
History of Saltmarsh
Roughly a hundred years ago, during the reign of King Veryl Rudge, Keoland waged war along its northern border as the King sought to expand his territory. Not all agreed with this aggressive expansion and some of the coastal families moved further south. Finding fertile fishing grounds beyond the Dread Wood, they founded the towns of Seaton and Saltmarsh along the northern coast of the Bay of Javan.
Seaton quickly established trade connections with some of the more organized factions of the Sea Princes and developed into a trading hub, while Saltmarsh became known for its bountiful fishing along the mouth of the Gleaming River. Both towns grew and prospered in their own way, but It was not long until they fell under the greedy eyes of some of the Sea Princes.
As part of their trading, Seaton was able to arrange for some protection from the Sea Princes but Saltmarsh did not enjoy such luxury. The initial raids were small, but once word spread of the vulnerability of the town compared to Seaton, it was not long until they became the target of one of the most ruthless Princes, Prince Dugir of Scourgehold. It began as a blockade of the town, but once the forces of Dugir saw that Keoland was quick to ignore their southern holdings, the true pillaging began.
These were dark days for Saltmarsh and the constant raids quickly took their toll. The town would have become a mere footnote in history if not for the actions of two of the major fishing families in the region, the Primmwaters and the Owelands. Together they ran the blockade of Saltmarsh and then began striking back at the forces of Dugir himself. Calling themselves the Kingfishers, they drove the pirates out of Saltmarsh and broke the blockade. The final blow came when Amarion Primmwater and Rupert Oweland led an attack against one of the lieutenants of Dugir, Arem the Doomcrier, killing him and sinking the flagship of the blockading fleet.
After their victory, Primmwater and Oweland were divided about what should happen to the Kingfishers. Oweland favored disbanding the group and petitioning the Crown to provide more support while Primmwater wanted to transition them to into a private town guard, focused on protecting the town of Saltmarsh without the help of the Crown. In the end, the two compromised. Oweland reached out to the regional commander in Seaton and stepped away from the Kingfishers while Primmwater took command of the group until Keoland was able to provide what he felt was sufficient protection.
Since then, the Primmwater and Oweland families became well established and have been instrumental in Saltmarsh growing into the town that it is today. While the Oweland family continued to focus on fishing, the Primmwaters expanded into trade and sent ships along the west coast of the Azure Sea. Both families have prospered over the generations since, expanding their fleets and influence within the town and the region, and both have remained a guiding force for the growth of Saltmarsh.
Though other mercantile families have sought to expand into Saltmarsh, it was not until within the past ten years that the town council decided to allow it. The Solmor family, an established merchant family from Seaton, quickly established themselves locally and the head of the local family, Petra Solmor, was invited to join the council as well. Working together, Saltmarsh has continued to grow under the guidance of the three families. Today, the council is composed of Eda Oweland, Garin Primmwater, and Anders Solmor.
Eda is the granddaughter of Rupert Oweland, and her family owns or contracts most of the fishing ships operating out of Saltmarsh. She works together with the Fishmongers Guild to establish competitive rates for their goods. The Guild also maintains a large smokehouse, letting them expand their markets farther, and they are said to be working on creating magical methods of preserving fresh fish as well.
Garin is the grandson of Amarion Primmwater, and while his family still maintains a small interest in fishing, he has largely shifted his focus to transporting goods in the region. Though Saltmarsh is mainly known for its fishing trade, it is a closer port to Restenford and Burle to the north, and it is less regulated than Seaton. In addition to his family’s legal activities, it is commonly known that the Kingfishers were never disbanded and have become a well-established smuggling ring operating in the Bay of Javan and beyond.
Anders is the son of the recently deceased Petra Solmor. Just over a year ago, Petra developed a mysterious wasting illness and soon passed away. Rather than send another family member to handle trade in Saltmarsh, it was decided that Anders should take control of the Solmor interests in town. Raised and educated in Seaton, he has a different outlook on things than Eda and Garin are accustomed to, but he does have useful insights that still make him an asset to the council.
In addition to the council itself, there are also two prominent townsfolk who act as advisors. Eliander Fiske is the Captain of the town guard and a decorated veteran of the Royal Army. With the safety of Saltmarsh as his main concern, he keeps an eye open for any trouble that might be stirring up in the region. Eliander also still has strong ties to the Royal military and has been able to have a small contingent of marines stationed in town in case of emergency. Trained as soldiers and sailors, these fighting men can be assigned to trade ships if the Sea Princes start to become aggressive again.
The final advisor is Jemis Copperlocks, head of the Copperlocks mine located to the east of Saltmarsh. Though some of the locals complain that she has no business with the council, the Crown feels otherwise which is why she attached by a royal decree. Even so, she typically sits as a bystander if the town business does not interfere with her operation.
In addition to this, I'm also fleshing out various locations around town and expanding the initial adventure in the haunted house. I'm the first to admit that this might be a bit much but I'm trying to make sure I have a solid picture of the setting so I can convey it to the players. I have some thoughts for an overarching plot for the campaign which departs from the one laid out in Ghosts, but that all depends on what the players want. Heck, they might just hop on a boat and sail away for all I know but at least this gives a solid foundation to build on. Until next time...
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