Page 13 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

M ILITIA AND DEFENSE COMMERCE
One hundred trained warriors serve in the town guard.
Saltmarsh might be encrusted in sea salt and reek of
Each of them wears studded leather armor marked with
rotting fish guts, but there is gold aplenty in the coffers
a town guard's badge the green reed of Saltmarsh-
of its citizens. For more than a century, the ships of
and is armed with a club while patrolling in town. The
Saltmarsh have worked the rich fishing grounds along
guards work in pairs, operating from two guardhouses
the coast. Trade ships from near and far have been
built near the road into Saltmarsh. A smaller station at
using the docks to unload their goods, and lately more
the docks quells the fights that break out there nightly.
ships have come to call as the dwarven mining opera-
The captain of the town guard is Eliander Fireborn.
tion grows. Smuggling has also long been a profitable
The guard also patrols the area around Saltmarsh on
business here.
horseback. Groups assigned to this duty are more heav-
The dwarven mining operation promises to bring
ily armed and armored; they wear chain mail and wield
about a rapid growth in Sahmarsh's fortunes. Whether
longswords and heavy crossbows.
that's a good or a bad thing depends on who you ask.
A militia of five hundred residents can be mustered to
The merchants look forward to more business, but the
take up the defense of the town if it comes under attack.
fishers don't see how the mines will do anything to en-
The militia members have undergone minimal training,
rich their coffers. If anything, they fear that competition
since they are expected only to keep an enemy at bay
for fish will become more ferocious as the town grows.
until the king's forces arrive.
A small force of marines watches over the docks and. FISHING
if needed, can take to sea to meet the threat of a pirate
More folk in town work in the fishing industry than
ship or sahuagin incursion. The marines are hardened
any other, and it has been the backbone of Saltmarsh
veterans of several battles against the Sea Princes. They
for generations. The wealthier families own their own
are led by a married couple, Tom and Will Stoutly, vet-
boats, while less well-to-do folk hire out to work as
erans who have fought dozens of engagements against
deckhands. The work is difficult and dangerous, but a
pirates. raiders. and monsters. smart deckhand can save money for several years and
The guard is seen as something of a meddlesome
eventually buy their own boat. That promise of earned
force. since most of its members are drawn from the prosperity is important to the townsfolk, and they see
military veterans who migrated here with the crown's newcomers as a threat to it.
blessing. Townsfolk tend to see them as brutish thugs.
though they arc quick to call them when trouble arises. TRADING
The wealthiest families in town own large trading ves-
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT sels that they use to ship goods across the Azure Sea.
The town guard arrests lawbreakers and imprisons Saltmarsh exports other foodstuffs from the farms
them in the town jail. In most cases, criminals pay a around town. Most manufactured goods, except for
fine and are let go. Those who cannot pay are required
rope, nets. and other items created locally to support the
to work off their debt, usually put to work sweeping fishing industry, are imported into town.
streets or helping with construction projects. If a crime
requires a trial, the town council hears evidence and SMUGGLING
renders a verdict. Crime breaks down into three basic As a sleepy backwater town, Saltmarsh has long been
categories in Saltmarsh. an ideal market for illegal goods. Pirates, agents of the
Petty Crime. Public unarmed brawling, pickpocket· Sea Princes, and Keoish nobles looking to evade the
ing, and other crimes that cause up to 50 gp in property king's taxes have all helped fuel a bustling local black
damages are classified as petty crimes. The accused market. Some fishing boats meet ships at sea co load
pays a fine of 2d6 gp. or one clay of hard labor per gold and unload illegal goods, while other cartels conduct
piece owed. business at isolated points along the shore near town.
Minor Crime. Armed assault, defined as any nonfatal The locals see smuggling as a victimless crime and
attack made with a weapon, along with any other assault resent the crown's growing insistence on cracking
or property crimes that cause more than 50 gp in dam- down on it.
ages, but less than 250 gp, are minor crimes. The per-
petrator must pay a fine of JOO gp and serve ld4 years in MINING
prison or at forced labor. The mine outside town is a new development. Despite
M'fjor Crime. Crimes more severe than those out- the skepticism of the locals, the mine has started to
lined above, including murder, are major crimes. The yield silver in growing quantities. and the dwarves are
criminal faces 2d 10 years of imprisonment, though convinced that the nearby cliffs are rich with gold. If the
serious cases earn the death penalty. In most instances. mine takes off. Saltmarsh could transform into a sprawl-
these crimes are dealt with in Seaton, the provincial ing boomtown overnight.
capital located east of Saltmarsh.
D OCKS
The docks of Saltmarsh are the beating heart of the
town. The fishing trade and related commerce that keep
the town alive arc based here.

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