<em>Desolate and abandoned, the evil alchemist's mansion stands alone on the cliff, looking out towards the sea. Mysterious lights and ghostly hauntings have kept away the people of Saltmarsh, despite rumors of a fabulous forgotten treasure. What is it's sinister secret?</em><br/><br/>Saltmarsh is a sleepy fishing town in the southwest of Keoland, near the Hool Marshes. It has a small town council of three members, and a small militia, currently led by Corporal Will Stoutly. Many of the local militia are on loan to Seaton as our adventures begin, as there have been some bullywug incidents near Seaton that require dealing with. It is a quaint bayside town, with the colors of many of the homes and shops faded due to the constant wind and salt spray blowing across the town.<br/><br/>The majority of the town's inhabitants are either fishermen, related to the fishing industry, farmers or craft folk. The town is a rustic, sleepy coastal town in all other aspects. Up the road a few days is the much larger town of Seaton, where a lot of trading with Saltmarsh originates. The west and south of Saltmarsh lie the Hool Marshes, parts of which are extremely dangerous, and rumors indicate that lizardmen and sahuagin have made homes in the area around the marshes.<br/><br/>Those who are new arrivals to Saltmarsh have no trouble identifying fishing as the major economic activity in town. The large wharf has dozens of fishing vessels docked, and there are numerous fish mongers that work along the wharf as well. Many of the shops have fish motifs in their signs or names, and the smell of the fishing industry is ever present. Arrivals to the town note that there are three inns, the Merry Mermaid, The Traveller's Rest and the Full Moon Inn. The Traveller's Rest caters mainly to those from out of town, and as such, is the nicest, cleanest and also the most expensive, but as far as inns go overall, it's pretty cheap. All three are located a few blocks from the wharf.<br/><br/>Life here is slow and idyllic, although the current buzz is that strange occurrences have been reported by the locals to the constabulary regarding the old Alchemist's mansion, ranging from weird lights being seen moving about the property, to unnatural fog shrouding the old place, to weird sounds emanating from it. Locals apparently have stopped going near it after dark.<br/><br/>Out front of city hall, a rather strapping human lad, about twenty or twenty one years old, wearing armor and carrying weapons is pinning a sheet to a signpost.<em>Hear Ye, Hear ye, by decree of the Saltmarsh Town Council, be it noted that the council has authorized Corporal Stoutly to hire and deputize three individuals to investigate the goings on at the Mansion to the northwest of the town. Those interested should inquire at the Constabulary.</em><br/><br/>The Constabulary sits in the middle of town, roughly two blocks from the Town Hall, and is the only completely stone building in town that is not a temple.