Page 145 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

USKARN COUNCIL INTRIGUE
A village council of six respected merchants guides Though the village is small and unassuming overall,
general policy for Uskarn. The council consists of the it's also the site of a smuggling operation run out of
following members: Uskarn's large port district. Several of Merrick's dep-
• Vortanim (NG male human druid), an elderly and uties are in the pocket of GriffTalsin (CE male human
good-natured sage and bookseller bandit captain), ostensibly a maritime merchant who
• Bellis Bellweather (CG female halfling commoner). a trades in fine cloth and dry goods. Talsin is actually a
bright-spirited cheese shop owner black-hearted privateer who gets most of his wares from
• Mirria Delvane (N female human guard), a retired sol- illegal raids against coastal villages across the bay. Any
dier turned blacksmith trouble with Talsin attracts the attention of his more
Valissia Arrowen (CN female elf spy), an elf guide and powerful pirate allies, which could lead to or connect
scout who runs a fur and leather shop with further adventures.
Skeldruff Plenk (LN male gnome commoner), a beer
maker and proprietor of the Fog and Frog tavern FIREWATCH ISLAND
Marius Golpin (NE male human thug), the unscrupu- Firewatch Island is a small island set between a popu-
lous owner of a general store
lous peninsula and the mouth of a broad river. Its only
feature of note is the hermitage built on the site of the
LAW AND ORDER
abandoned ruin of its old fortress.
Although the council steers the village's economy, the The tiny island. 800 feet long by 400 feet wide. is a
true power in Uskarn lies in the hands of Feldrin Kane mixture of scrubby woodland and rocky hills. Three
(LN male human k night), an intimidating bailiff who stony peaks rise above the grass and shrubs. The tallest
ensures that the independent-minded natives don"t stray stands more than 400 feet high along the southern coast
too far from his own vision of good government. His taci- of the island, while the other two are 300 and 100 feet
turn agent Merrick (N male halfting veteran) commands high respectively.
a small force of deputies and officers who maintain Aside from the hermits, the island is normally home
order in the village, and who look poorly on foreign trou- to only vermin, rats, a variety of noisy birds, and various
blemakers. Visitors are likely to receive a visit from Mer- tide pool creatures. But now the stink of corpses in
rick or one of his officers soon after arriving, the official area 14 has drawn additional scavengers from the sur-
offering a cool welcome along with questions about their rounding waters and the mainland- including a danger-
business in town and intended length of stay. ous monster.

(II \l' f I I~ 7 I I \~I Ml f(\ll r• f\TI
111