Commerce
Local Commerce
The Wicker Goat
Bearing the dubious honor of being the oldest tavern in town, owned by Lankus Kurrid. The two-story building has sleeping quarters for rent on the upper floor. Those who seek an audience with Manistrad can find her here when she’s not working at the mine.
Short List:
- Rooms for Rent
- Food and Drink
- Travel Supplies
- Meet travelers
- Work at the mine
Mining Headquarters
Once a noble mansion, now the dwarven mining company's HQ in Saltmarsh. Manistrad Copperlocks stays here for business; dwarf clerks log deliveries and arrange ore shipments. Rumors suggest a hidden vault in the cellar, sealed with a heavy iron door and a fine lock.
Short List:
- Connect with Manistrad
- Work at the mine
Green Market
A strip of open land that is the place for everything that isn’t fish, salt, or nautical wares, this market stretches among a dozen stalls down to the bridge. A few goats, eggs, cloth, marsh plants, and pots are available, as well as the occasional mule or ox for hauling carts.
Short List:
- Pots
- Plants
- Cloth
- Livestock
- Occasionally horses or oxen
Winston’s Store
Does business with sailors, adventurers, and those who need “solid goods at honest prices,” as he often says. Winston has a few maps of the marshes, and those who intend to explore that area often consult with him for guidance.
Short List:
- Various goods
- Travel Supplies
- Maps
- Food and drink
- Basic Tools
The Snapping Line
This popular inn and tavern is built from the planks and hulls of half a dozen decommissioned fishing ships. The Snapping Line is run by a young woman named Hanna Rist (NG female human commoner), who comes from a family of well-known lobster catchers. The Rist family also makes a spirit from lobster meat and potatoes called claw wine; it is, to put it mildly, an acquired taste. Hanna employs several former dockhands to keep peace in her bar.
Short List:
- Rooms for Rent
- Food and Drink
- Travel Supplies
- Meet fisherman and dock workers
Weekly Market
Built around the first well dug for the fishers in the town’s early days is a large market square where merchants of all descriptions gather on the first day of each week to sell their wares. Initially established to sell fish, the market has grown to include a wide variety of goods. The center area of the square contains a dozen long tables where shoppers can eat communally.
Short List:
- Shop different wares
- Sometimes livestock
- Rarely boats or carriages
The Dwarven Anvil
The blacksmith’s forge has a single anvil with a clear sign of dwarven origins, and a backlog of orders ten miles long. The human smiths make hooks, nails, harpoons, knives, fishing weights, and much more all day. A small shrine to Moradin can be found under the eaves as well, though it is somewhat neglected.
Short List:
- Armourer
- Weapons
- Various tools
- Items that require Dwarven tools
- Interested in rare or special ores and metal
Kester’s Leather Goods
Run by Kiorna, is keenly interested in acquiring hides from exotic creatures to craft into expensive leather. She pays a fee in gold pieces equal to 10 times a creature’s challenge rating for the intact hide of any beast or monstrosity of challenge rating 3 or higher. Harvesting the hide from such a creature requires an intact carcass, an hour of work, and a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Wisdom (Survival) check to preserve it in top condition for Kiorna’s purposes. On a failed check, the hide does not meet Kiorna’s standards but can still be sold for a lesser price.
Short List:
- Craft leather armour
- Craft supplies for livestock
- Buys Leather
Carpenters’ Guildhall
Run by a snobby gnome named Jilar Kanklesten, the carpenters’ guild has plenty of work building houses, assembling fish barrels, repairing docks, and much more. The whole building is a marvel of workmanship, made without a single nail. Jilar is obsessed with rare woods; she pays handsomely for adventurers to make expeditions in search of specific trees in the Hool Marshes, the Drowned Forest, and the Dreadwood.
Short List:
- Hire to build
- Training possible
- Buys rare wood
Mariners’ Guildhall
The mariners’ guild serves all the towns along the coast, providing a bunk and a meal for sailors passing through. Sea captains in search of a crew stop here, as do others seeking news from afar. The guildhall is an excellent place to discuss seafaring, as well as the various threats to navigation along the coast.
Short List:
- Look for crew
- Hire Ships
- Find Travel Times
- Gossip or News
- Train
Sea Grove of Obad-Hai
Open to the air and set in a grove outside town, the sea-grove is a gathering place for seagulls, sailors, and swamp folk. Ferrin always keeps an eye out for rumors of aberrations in the wild. He also has contacts with the elves of the Dreadwood, and they send word to him if a monster escapes that forest and heads in the direction of Saltmarsh. If news of an aberration reaches him, he hires adventurers to stalk and kill the creature.
Short List:
- Monster Bounty
- Travel Supplies
- Meet travelers
- Food and drink
- Work at the mine
Temple of Procan
The congregation is led by a one-legged former whaler: Wellgar Brinehanded, an older human man with a sharp memory for every storm, lost ship, and enormous catch ever brought into Saltmarsh harbor. He knows many fanciful stories of shipwrecks, lucky escapes, and famous captains. Matters ashore rarely interest him, but the temple and its bell tower are also served by a half-dozen novitiates and laypeople who keep things running smoothly.
Short List:
- Religious Ceremonies
- Sailor's Blessing
Council Hall
The hall is built from sturdy stone from the nearby cliffs and a variety of hardwood from the nearby Hool Marshes. A wooden sign depicting a net filled with fish hangs above the double doors leading into the hall. A small tower rises from the building, housing a horn at the top, which is blown to announce the beginning of a council session or other significant events.
The town has a sturdy but weatherbeaten platform and gallows in front of the hall for use in the event of an execution. Such punishments are rare, but when they do occur, they draw a large crowd. In any given week, there is a 2 percent chance of an execution, usually of some bandit or other non-native ne’er-do-well.
Short List:
- City Meetings
- Trials
- Executions
- Permits
- Bureaucracy
Hoolwatch Tower
This 60-foot-tall tower was the first defensive building of Saltmarsh, and it still serves as an armory and lookout as well as the official base of the town guard. Eliander spends most of his time here in his duties as commander of the guard.
Short List:
- Local Guards Barracks
- Armoury
- Report Crime
- Bounties
Empty Net
Partially supported by stilts driven into the harbor waters, this rickety tavern is purportedly a haven for smugglers, mercenaries, assassins and even pirates. The owner, Kreb Shenker, takes coin from anyone and asks no questions. Troublemakers are thrown out the door, over the railing, and into the reeking harbor. Characters looking to carouse find this the best place for a rowdy night of drinking and brawling. The town guard comes here only if called.
Short List:
- Smuggling