North Side
Barnacle Bob’s Tackle
The cramped little shop reeks of bait, seawater, and tar. Nets, floats, and rust-speckled hooks dangle from every wall, while barrels of chum and crates of coiled rope clutter the floor. The air is thick with the hum of flies and the faint slap of fish drying on racks outside. Behind a scarred wooden counter leans a heavyset man with a beard, his sunburnt face split by a gap-toothed grin as he eyes you with the wariness of an old sailor.
Barnacle Bob
Role: Dockside Tackle Seller
Race: Human
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
NPC Type: Veteran (mace, dagger, leather armor)
Look: Broad, bearded, and sun-browned, with a red cap and a grin full of missing teeth. Smells of brine and old rope. Always surrounded by nets, hooks, and questionable merchandise.
Use at the Table: Loud, friendly, and incapable of telling a short story. Swears every item he sells once survived something terrible at sea.
Hook: Buy a pole or trap and Bob will spin tales of leviathans, black-eyed lizard folk, and the day he wrestled a Giant Sea Eel barehanded. Most stories are exaggeration—one is true.
Twist: Hidden beneath rotting nets is a crude map marking the hunting grounds of fish-folk he calls the Locathah—who once saved his life. He believes they’ve since been enslaved… and this time, he’s not exaggerating.
The Salty Kraken
A low-beamed tavern with large carved octopus above the door. Inside a huge tank of pickled “kraken tentacle” (actually giant squid) sits behind the bar. The small common room spills out onto the bridge itself, with barrels used as tables and two windows to serve those sitting on the bridge. Ale is serves through two windows, along with homemade salty pretzels.
A young local girl with a stained apron clears the tables of empty mugs on the tables outside.
Sophie
Role: Tavern Girl, The Salty Kraken
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral
NPC Type: Commoner
Look: Young local with wind-tangled hair and a stained apron, weaving between tables with armfuls of empty mugs. Quick smile, quicker ears.
Use at the Table: Cheerful but observant. Knows which sailors tip, which whisper, and which shouldn’t be trusted.
Hook: Smugglers and sailors mingle here under loud drinking songs. Careful listeners may catch coded phrases about shipments moving through sea caves.
Twist: The ale carries a faint narcotic edge—drinkers dream of the sea and “the deep things.” The brewer blames sea-salt aging, but some dockers insist the kraken blesses the barrels..
Mr. Kim's Spicy Seafood
A smoky outdoor table with metal plates over fire cook spicy seafood, the air around it always tinged with chili, garlic, and frying oil. A man with a steel spork-hand is cooking up and serving fiery seafood stews, grilled fish skewers, and octopus dumplings
Mr. Kim
Role: Street Cook & Rumor Broker
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral
NPC Type: Veteran (mace, dagger, leather armor)
Look: Lean, scarred, and sharp-eyed. His right hand ends in a steel spork prosthetic—useful for cooking and fighting alike. Faded sailor tattoos crawl up his forearms.
Use at the Table: Gruff but observant. Trades gossip for coin or bowls of his infamous fire crab curry.
Hook: Hears everything sailors say. Knows rumors about smugglers, hidden coves, and whispers that something is wrong at the haunted house.
Twist: Sometimes closes early. If followed, he can be seen making quiet deliveries to shadowed figures on the docks.