Background
Raised on thick stilts sunk deep into harbor mud, the Empty Net is the roughest tavern in Saltmarsh. The air reeks of salt, ale, and seaweed smoke. Lanterns sway from rusted hooks, and warped floorboards groan beneath smugglers, sailors, and dockside thugs who drink and brawl under low rafters.
History
A century ago, during the Azure Tide, the west bank of the Kingfisher River was a modest boatyard. As war dragged on, it became a covert smuggling hub, trading with the Sea Princes under cover of darkness.
After Saltmarsh was folded into the Kingdom of Keoland, the west bank fell just beyond the town’s official boundary—and outside the Town Council’s taxes. When the Green Market opened across the river, traders seeking to avoid new levies shifted west.
The docks filled with unregistered merchants, smugglers, sailors, and bitter fishermen. From that lawless sprawl, the Empty Net emerged.
The West Bank
The west bank remains a legal gray zone.
It lies beyond council taxation, but still under the Crown’s authority. The garrison can intervene—though rarely does without direct orders.
Officially, Keoland’s law applies. In practice, soldiers step in only when blood is spilled or politics demand a show of force.
That uneasy balance allows both the Green Market and the Empty Net to thrive just outside the council’s grasp.
Modern Era
Today, the Empty Net is a haven for smugglers and Sea Prince sympathizers, and a refuge for those who resent Keoland’s rule. Loyalists avoid it; guards enter only when summoned. So long as violence stays contained, the Crown looks away.
But it is more than a den of drunks. The Empty Net is the beating heart of Saltmarsh’s underworld—where pirates, fences, and informants gather in the murky space between law and loyalty. Rum fuels whispers, dice decide fortunes, and secrets change hands as easily as coin.
Rumors at the Empty Net
Rumor Table
d12 | About | Rumor |
|---|---|---|
1 | Abbey Island – “The Pirate’s Payback” | “They say the Sea Princes torched that abbey after the clerics cheated them. The priests thought their skeleton guards would keep ’em safe—hah! Pirates cut through the bones and burned the place to the ground. Word is, there's treasure buried under the ash.” |
2 | Ruined Tower of Zenopus – “Goblins in the Caves” | “A pair o’ crabbers swore they saw torchlight movin’ near the old Zenopus ruin. Goblins, they say—creepin’ out at night through the sea caves. Others whisper there’s far worse things lurkin’ deeper under that cursed tower.” |
3 | Bale Keep – “The Soldiers Who Never Returned” | “Bale Keep still stands along the coast, black as pitch. You can see it from the sea, but no one dares land there. No garrison’s held it since Azure’s Tide, near a hundred years ago. A band of smugglers tried to use it once—none ever made it back to their ship.” |
4 | Raven Rocks – “The Wreck of the Marshall” | “The Marshall, a missionary ship of St. Cuthbert’s faithful, went down off Raven Rocks. Some say her hull’s still there, creakin’ in the depths, guarded by somethin’ foul that don’t take kindly to divers.” |
5 | The Stockade (Dunwater River) - "Haven for Cutthroats" | “They say there’s a place on the Dunwater called the Stockade. A hidden river town where cutthroats hide when the law gets too close.” |
6 | Crab Key – “Justice of the Sea Princes” | “Crab Key off the Eel Coast’s where the Sea Princes drop their traitors. Giant crabs big as wagons roam the sands, and the eels in those shallows can strip a man to bone before he screams.” |
7 | Port Torvin (The Styes) – “City of Shadows” | “Port Torvin used to be the jewel of the Azure Sea—silks, spices, all the sins coin could buy. After Azure’s Tide, the place rotted from the inside. Now it’s cutthroats, smugglers, and worse. They call it the Styes, and that name fits.” |
8 | Black Drain – “The River That Eats Boats” | “Heard another ship was lost to the Black Drain—headed up the Javan, never seen again. No boat’s ever come out the other side. Smart captains hug the west bank and pray.” |
9 | Keoland Navy – “Seaton” | “Keoland’s navy drilling out of the port of Seaton. Warships in the harbor most days now.” |
10 | Dwarven Mine- "The Deep Dig" | “Rumor is the dwarves dug too deep in those mines. Something dark is stirring in the lower tunnels.” |
11 | Dwarven Gold – “The Lost Caravan” | “Gold bound for the Burle vanished somewhere between there and Saltmarsh. Caravan guards swear something followed them through the woods.” |
12 | The Sea Princes – “Old Powers Rising” | “They say the Princes are stirrin’ again—new captains, new flags, and new gold changin’ hands in the Styes. Some folk say they’re rebuildin’ the fleet. Others say they never lost it.” |
Adventure Hooks
The Heist Job
Quest Type: Heist / Infiltration
Reward: Equal share of the stolen treasure or future favor with the Smugglers and Gellan Primewater
Word spreads that Kreb and Long John are looking for discreet specialists.
The job: infiltrate the vault of the Dwarven Mining Company and steal whatever they can: silver, gold, or raw gems.
The smugglers will provide detailed plans, including patrol schedules, trap placements, and even a hidden route through an old well shaft that leads directly beneath the vault. The offer starts at a 50/50 split, but the party can negotiate.
The job is funded by Gellan Primewater, though his name never appears in writing. If discovered, he’ll deny everything and the adventurers will be hunted by both dwarves and the garrison.
Smuggling & Fencing
Coastal smuggling has grown bolder in recent months. The Dwarven Mine near Saltmarsh has drawn thieves and opportunists to the region. Shipments of ore, silver, and uncut gems occasionally vanish between the mine and the docks.
Across the sea, a single rare gemstone or gold bar can fetch enormous prices in Port Torvin or the corrupt markets of the Styes.
The Fence
Kreb Shenker quietly moves small but valuable contraband through backroom deals at the tavern.
Few realize he works for Gellan Primewater, who launders illicit cargo through Kreb while maintaining his respectable position on the Town Council.
The Smuggling Route
On moonless nights the tavern grows unusually quiet.
Skiffs slip out from beneath The Empty Net, loaded with stolen cargo. They row north to the sea caves beneath the Ruined Tower of Zenopus, where smugglers transfer goods to waiting pirate longboats.
From there the ships rendezvous with Sea Prince vessels off Abbey Island, before disappearing into open water bound for Port Torvin.
What Locals Notice
Some mine shipments never reach the docks.
The Empty Net grows strangely quiet on certain nights.
Small boats are sometimes seen along the coast near the ruined tower.
Gellan Primewater continues to prosper despite declining local trade.
What the Characters Might Discover
Kreb Shenker acts as the local fence.
The sea caves serve as the smuggling transfer point.
The Sea Princes are buying Saltmarsh ore through intermediaries.
Someone on the council is protecting the operation.