Seawall Summit

Seawall Summit rises from the spray of Glasswater Bay like a jagged tooth. The lower district is a chaotic sprawl of salt rotted wood and barnacle crusted piers where trade never sleeps. Steep, winding paths climb the limestone hills to the upper town where stone manors and slate roofs offer a quiet sanctuary from the brine. This vertical divide defines every interaction, separating the wealthy elite above from the weary laborers who toil below.

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Coastal Trade Town

Seawall Summit

Where wealth sits on the ridge and the salt of the sea rots the foundation.

TypeCoastal Trade Town

Population1,200 souls

WealthModerate wealth with extreme local disparity.

GovernmentPlutocratic Council

ReadinessHigh on the wharf, moderate on the cliffs.

“A heavy mist often clings to the lower wharf while the upper cliffs enjoy a sharp, cold clarity. There is a palpable tension between the damp, claustrophobic alleys of the docks and the breezy, stone paved squares of the high ridge. Conversations stop when strangers walk by, and the sound of the lighthouse bell at midnight signals a town-wide retreat behind locked doors.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionThe Shivered Coast

ClimateTemperate maritime with frequent fog and harsh winter gales.

TerrainVertical limestone cliffs and rolling hills overlooking a deep, sheltered bay.

Travel Links

The King's Highroad to the northMerchant shipping lanes through Glasswater BayThe Winding Stair footpath connecting the districts

Culture

Survival depends on knowing your place on the hill. Lower town residents are resilient and superstitious, often seen wearing sea glass charms to ward off bad luck. Upper town society is defined by a polished veneer of naval tradition and merchant pride. There is an unspoken rule: never look into the bay after the lighthouse turns green, as the sea expects a private audience then.

Races

HumansDwarvesGnomes

Religions

The Provider (Goddess of Trade)The Deep Warden (Forbidden Sea Cult)

Arts & Entertainment

Lower towners gather for rowdy sea shanties and bone dice at the docks. The upper class prefers private string recitals and wine tastings at the Lighthouse Inn.

History

The town began as a smugglers' cove until the Seawall family erected the High Keep to tax the trade lanes. History books celebrate the Great Stilling of 1402 when a massive tidal wave miraculously retreated without damage, credited to the Proctor’s piety. However, the private logs of the first Dockmaster hint that a living price was paid to the deep to keep the waves at bay. That debt is now coming due.

Early SettlementThe Raising of the High KeepStone was hauled from inland quarries to create a fortress on the cliffs, establishing the class divide that exists today.

The Stilling EraThe Great StillingA rogue wave that should have wiped out the wharf stopped ten feet from the pier, marking the start of the town's unnatural prosperity.

The Current YearThe Vanishing of the Night WatchA whole patrol vanished from the docks in a single night, leaving only their wet boots behind on the wood.

Government

LeaderHigh Proctor Vane

Plutocratic Council

Key Laws

Curfew for lower town residents begins at the second bell.A ten percent tithe on all landed cargo goes to the Council's Private Fund.The use of unauthorized magic within sight of the lighthouse is strictly prohibited.

Problems

The Tithing of the Docks

Laborers are disappearing from the wharf at an alarming rate. Vane knows these people are being taken as part of an ancient blood debt to keep the seas calm, but he cannot stop the process without destroying the town’s harbor and economy. He is currently being blackmailed by Silas Vance to keep the sacrifices moving quietly.

Economy

Industries

Alchemical ProcessingWharf LogisticsShip Repair

Scarcity

Fresh water and fertile soil are limited due to the salt spray.

Wealth LevelModerate wealth with extreme local disparity.

Exports

Glow Kelp extractRefined saltHardened timber

Imports

Luxury silksInland grainRaw iron

Defenses

ReadinessHigh on the wharf, moderate on the cliffs.

Fortifications

The Limestone Wall surrounding the upper townTwo coastal ballistae positioned on the ridge

The Ridge Guard(50 disciplined soldiers)

Better equipped than the night watch, they primarily protect the upper town's wealth and enforce the council's trade laws.

Law & Order

crime Level: Low in the upper town, but rampant smuggling and occult activity plague the docks.
enforcement: Dockmaster Hobbs manages the understaffed Night Watch on the wharf.
typical Punishment: Fines for the wealthy, forced labor or 'the long walk' off the lower pier for the poor.

High Proctor Vane

NPC

Council Leader

A man in late middle age wearing heavy brocade robes that seem too warm for the seaside humidity.

Dockmaster Hobbs

NPC

Wharf Manager

Broad shouldered with a face like weathered leather and a heavy iron key ring always at his hip.

The Silver Scale Alchemical

Shop

Alchemist Shop

A cramped, three story building built into a natural cave in the hillside. The air inside is thick with the scent of ozone and drying seaweed. Beakers of neon green liquid bubble softly on iron grates, and the floor is covered in strange, salt stained blueprints.

Barnaby's Hull and Mast

Shop

Shipwright

A massive open air workshop on the northern edge of the wharf. The sound of rhythmic hammering echoing against the cliffs is constant. Half finished skeletons of trading cogs loom like beached whales under the grey sky.

The Lighthouse Inn

Tavern

Wealthy merchants, council members, and ship owners.

An opulent, stone building perched on a mid-level ridge. Its large windows offer a panoramic view of the bay. The interior features velvet curtains, mahogany tables, and a roaring central hearth that stays lit even in summer to combat the dampness.

The Brass Monkey Tavern

Tavern

Sailors, dock laborers, and low level smugglers.

A low ceilinged, barnacle encrusted den located directly under the main wharf. When the tide is high, seawater sloshes against the floorboards. It is dim, loud, and smells perpetually of stale ale and wet wool.

The Silver Gulls

Faction

Merchant Guild

A ruthless consortium of traders who believe profit is the only law worth following. They are currently pushing the Council to expand the Lighthouse Inn warehouse.

The Night Watch

Faction

Town Militia

A group of weary, underpaid locals led by Dockmaster Hobbs. They are caught between the angry populace and the secretive Council.

The Silent Pillar

Point of Interest

An ancient, brine stained obelisk at the center of the wharf that is said to vibrate before a major storm.

The Winding Stair

Point of Interest

A grueling three hundred step stone staircase that is the only physical link between the social classes.

Calendar of Events

1st of Autumn

The Festival of the First Wave

A day of masks and dancing on the piers to celebrate the Great Stilling and pray for continued calm.

The person wearing the most beautiful mask is traditionally drugged and used as the secret annual sacrifice.

Secrets

The warehouse behind the Lighthouse Inn contains a cavernous well that descends directly to a shrine on the sea floor.

Discovering this proves the Council is complicit in murder, likely leading to a bloody revolution between the districts.Characters may find the key in Silas Vance's office, or notice that water drips upward from the warehouse ceiling.

Rumors

Old Man Barnaby is building his boat out of stolen bones to make it unsinkable.

The High Proctor's serum is actually processed from the blood of the vanished watchmen.

There is a cavern beneath the Brass Monkey where the sea entity whispers to the drunks.

Plot Hooks

The Silent Shift

Dockmaster Hobbs offers the PCs a large sum to cover the night watch for three nights. He claims his men are just sick.

Guard DutyDockmaster Hobbs500 Gold Pieces and a pair of Boots of Elvenkind.

A Bitter Brew

Elara asks the party to steal a shipment of 'Sea Lilies' from the Lighthouse Inn warehouse that she says she needs for medicine.

ExtractionElara MizzensA set of customized alchemical bombs and a permanent discount.

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