Marrowport
Built directly into a crescent of bleached sea-cliffs, Marrowport is a marvel of maritime engineering and architectural desperation. The city climbs from the Silt, where buildings on stilts endure daily flooding, up to the Marrow, a dense market district carved into the rock. Finally, the Crown looms above, where the elite inhabit manors supported by massive whale ribs. The constant grinding of the city bone-mills provides the lime used to reinforce the crumbling cliffs against the Narrow Sea.
Marrowport
- Population
- 12,000
- Rule
- Lord Admiral Silas…
- Wealth
- Wealthy
- Defence
- High
Overview
Built directly into a crescent of bleached sea-cliffs, Marrowport is a marvel of maritime engineering and architectural desperation. The city climbs from the Silt, where buildings on stilts endure daily flooding, up to the Marrow, a dense market district carved into the rock. Finally, the Crown looms above, where the elite inhabit manors supported by massive whale ribs. The constant grinding of the city bone-mills provides the lime used to reinforce the crumbling cliffs against the Narrow Sea.
Atmosphere
The air tastes of brine and pulverized bone, a constant white dust settling over the jagged limestone tiers. Lanterns encased in leviathan vertebrae cast a sickly, flickering yellow glow against the damp cliff walls. Tension hums through the floorboards of the Silt docks as the tide rises, while the wealthy in the Crown ignore the rhythmic thumping of the bone-mills that never truly stops.
Culture
The Deep Tithe, The Weaver of Tides
Humans, Dwarves (Hill and Sea), Half-Orcs
Economy
Whaling, Bone-Milling, Alchemical Lime Production
White Lime, Refined Scrimshaw, Leviathan Oil
Grain, Fresh Water, Iron Ore
Geography
Ways in and out
Places to see
- The Pale RibsThe massive exposed skeletal arches in the Crown that form the support for the Admiral’s Palace. They glow faintly blue during lunar eclipses.
- The Maw-ShaftA terrifying vertical drop in the center of the city used for garbage and waste, leading directly to the sea floor beneath the cliffs.
Power
1 factionGovernment
Laws
Trouble
- Structural Instability of the Lower SiltThe base of the cliffs is eroding faster than the lime-slurry can patch it. Admiral Thorne is demanding double the bone-stock from merchants to fuel the mills, causing a near-mutiny among the dock-workers who can no longer afford the tribute required to keep their shops from sliding into the brine.Involves
Silas Thorne, Captain Barnaby
Factions
- The Shoreline BrethrenReligious Cult / Terrorist CellA group of radical zealots who believe the city is a parasite killing a living sea-god. They sabotage elevators and graffiti the Silt tiers with bioluminescent paint.GoalsTo stop the bone-mills and allow the cliffs to fall into the sea, 'returning' the city to the waves.Allies
- None (though they take money from Salt Sarah)
RivalsThe Admiralty, The Shoreguard
Defences
The Harpoon Batteries, Iron-Gate Locks, The Vertical Palisades
Law and order
People and places
8 entriesLord AdmiralLord Admiral Silas Thorne Human Male
A tall, gaunt man with a prosthetic leg made of polished leviathan ivory that clicks rhythmically when he paces the Crown balconies.
High PriestessMother Hallows Human Female
A woman draped in heavy grey robes that seem to bleed ink into the seawater around her feet when she walks the docks.
Mill OverseerElias Thorne Human Male
A pampered young man wearing silks that are out of place in the gritty, dust-choked Marrow district.
Smuggler QueenSalt Sarah Half-Orc Female
A muscular woman with skin the color of wet sand, her arms covered in tattoos of sea monsters that seem to writhe in the dark.
HarbormasterCaptain Barnaby Dwarf Male
A squat dwarf with a beard crusted in salt crystals and a habit of spitting whenever the wind changes direction.
Specialty Goods and ToolsThe Ivory Carvery Kept by Maerwyn
Located in a hollowed-out rib cage in the Marrow, this shop smells of sandalwood and wet stone. The walls are lined with intricate carvings of the city and its history.
TavernThe Barnacle Kept by Old Grog
A low-ceilinged dive in the Silt that floods halfway during the highest spring tides. Patrons simply lift their feet and keep drinking. The walls are covered in centuries of copper-green moss.
Industrial PowerhouseThe Great Bone-Mill Run by Elias Thorne
A massive, soot-stained tower of iron and stone that never stops its rhythmic thumping. Large chutes on the seaside side allow ships to dump whale carcasses directly into the grinding chambers.
Events
Lately
- A shipment of grain arrived infested with shore-mites.Food prices have tripled, causing civil unrest in the Marrow and hunger in the Silt.
Calendar
- 15th of the Harvest MoonThe Festival of the Deep ReachA celebration of the year's whale catch with lantern parades through the Marrow.The twist · GM only
History
Marrowport began as a salvager outpost for the massive bones of creatures that washed ashore during the Bleached Era. As the trade in whale-oil and bone-meal grew, so did the city's vertical ambitions. The Admiralty claimed control during the Sinking Year when the cliffs first began to settle. Since then, the city has maintained a precarious balance, literal and economic, by focusing its entire industry on strengthening its own foundation while bleeding its competitors dry.
- The Bleached EraThe Discovery of the Pale RibsExplorers found the massive skeleton that forms the foundation of the Crown. They mistook the ancient remains for a unique mineral deposit, leading to the first permanent quarries and the establishment of the early trade guilds.
- Thirty Years PriorThe Great Seawall CollapseA massive section of the Silt fell into the ocean. The official report blamed shoddy masonry, but old-timers claim the cliff itself shuddered and pulled away from the stone as if it were moving intentionally. This event established the Admiralty's martial law.
Secrets
1 secret · 3 rumours- Secret 1 · GM only
Rumours
Plot hooks
2- 1The Missing Bone-LotCaptain Barnaby hires the party to find a shipment of missing whale ribs. He suspects 'Salt' Sarah, but the trail leads to the Governor's own manor.
Investigation · Starts with Captain Barnaby · Reward: 1,500 GP and a permit to trade tax-free in the Marrow.
- 2The Silent MillThe Shoreline Brethren want the party to stop a specific grinding stone in the Main Mill. They claim it is grinding a human artifact that shouldn't be touched.
Sabotage · Starts with A masked Brethren member · Reward: A pouch of high-quality pearls and a strange coral key.
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