Carpenter's Guildhall The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Carpenters’ Guildhall of Saltmarsh stands near the busy waterfront, its towering timber frame overlooking the damp streets and creaking docks of the harbor district. The structure itself is considered one of the architectural wonders of the town, built entirely without the use of a single nail. Every beam, brace, and support has been carefully joined through intricate woodworking techniques passed down through generations of craftsmen. Even seasoned sailors and merchants often stop to admire the building’s craftsmanship, especially during stormy evenings when lantern light glows warmly through its tall windows.

The guildhall is overseen by Jilar Kanklesten, a snobbish yet undeniably talented female gnome who runs the organization with strict standards and little patience for incompetence. Though often curt and dismissive toward those she considers unrefined, Jilar possesses an unmatched eye for quality wood and fine construction. She expects perfection from her workers and guild members alike, and those who fail to meet her expectations rarely remain employed for long. Despite her difficult personality, the guild prospers under her leadership, largely because everyone in Saltmarsh knows her work is among the finest in the Viscounty of Salinmoor.

Business at the guildhall is constant. Carpenters labor from dawn until late evening constructing homes for wealthy merchants, assembling sturdy fish barrels for the fleets, repairing storm-damaged docks, and crafting wagons, furniture, and ships’ fittings. The salty air of Saltmarsh quickly rots untreated wood, ensuring there is never a shortage of repairs and reconstruction work. The sounds of sawing, hammering, and shouting laborers echo from the open workshops throughout the day, while the scent of fresh-cut lumber hangs thick in the air.

Jilar’s true obsession, however, lies not in ordinary carpentry but in the pursuit of rare and exotic woods. She believes certain trees possess unique qualities that can elevate woodworking into an art form. As a result, she frequently hires adventurers, scouts, and woodsmen to venture into dangerous regions in search of unusual timber. Among her favorite hunting grounds are the murky Hool Marshes, the haunted depths of the Drowned Forest, and the shadowy reaches of the Dreadwood. Few locals willingly travel into these places, for each is filled with deadly beasts, lurking bandits, and ancient terrors best left undisturbed.

Those who return successfully with rare lumber are rewarded handsomely. Jilar pays in both gold and favors, and she often commissions special handcrafted items for adventurers who impress her. Some whisper that hidden chambers within the guildhall contain enormous collections of preserved wood samples gathered from across the Flanaess. Others claim she secretly seeks a legendary tree said to grow somewhere deep within the Dreadwood, a tree whose black heartwood can never burn or decay. Whether such stories are true remains uncertain, but they continue to attract fortune-seekers eager to earn the gnome’s approval.

Adventurers seeking employment can usually find work at the Carpenters’ Guildhall with little difficulty. Jilar maintains a constantly changing list of tasks ranging from simple delivery jobs to dangerous expeditions into the wilderness. Characters looking for opportunities may be asked to escort lumber shipments, investigate missing woodcutters, recover rare saplings, or retrieve ancient timber from ruined settlements swallowed by the marsh. When the party approaches the guildhall seeking work, the Dungeon Master may roll a d8 and consult the table below to determine what task Jilar currently requires assistance with.

1) The branch of a tree used to hang a murderer
2) Splinters from a tree struck by lightning
3) A shard of a treant's bark, given freely
4) A wooden stake used to impale a vampire
5) Tendrils harvested from a shambling mound
6) Deck planks stolen from a pirate ship
7) Log taken from the Hool Marshes, transported in swamp water
8) Wood from a shipwreck

Ruined Tower of Zenopus The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Just over 100 years ago, the sorcerer Zenopus built a tower on the low hills overlooking Saltmarsh. The tower was close to the river that runs into the Azure Sea just west of Saltmarsh and, appropriately, next door to the graveyard that has been unused for many years.

Rumor has it that the wizard made extensive cellars and tunnels underneath the tower. Saltmarsh is located on top of the ruins of a much older city, a city dating back centuries. Zenopus was said to have excavated beneath his former tower in search of ancient treasures but this is just a rumor talked about in taverns.

Fifty years ago, on a cold wintry night, the wizard's tower was suddenly engulfed in green flame. Several of his human servants escaped the holocaust, saying their master had been destroyed by some powerful force he had unleashed in the depths of the tower.

Needless to say the tower stood vacant for some time after this, but then the citizens of the settlement of Saltmarsh began to complain that ghostly blue lights appeared in the windows at night, that ghastly screams could be heard emanating from the tower at all hours, and goblin figures could be seen on the tower roof in the moonlight.

Finally, the authorities of Saltmarsh had a catapult rolled through the streets of the settlment and the tower along with its nearby structures was battered to rubble. This stopped the hauntings, but the townsfolk continue to shun the ruins. The entrance to the old dungeons can be easily located as a flight of broad stone steps leading down into darkness, but the few adventurous souls who have descended into the crypts below the ruin have either reported only empty stone corridors or have failed to return at all.

Other wizards have visited Saltmarsh since the towers destruction but the site of the old tower remains abandoned. Whispered tales are told of fabulous treasure and unspeakable monsters in the underground passages below the hilltop, and the story tellers are always careful to point out that the reputed dungeons lie in close proximity to the foundations of the older, prehuman city, to the graveyard, and to the sea.

Saltmarsh is a small but busy settlement linking the caravan routes all along the coast. Mostly humans inhabit this quiet town that but it is sprinkled with a dwarf or two and possibly a gnome.

At the Green Dragon Inn, many stories and rumors circulate about this ruined tower, "some true, some not" but regardless, the stories are enough to peak the interest of those foolish enough to explore the towers underground complex, if it even exists.

The Companions The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Hordus, son of Farin, is one of the last surviving founders of the shattered Kilthdûûm Clan, whose ancestral fortress of Dorob Kilthdûûm fell over eighty years ago after a brutal, drawn-out siege by the Orcs of the Flayed Skull under the warchief Gruk-Grak. Once a stalwart defender who commanded the lower ramparts in the fortress’s final days, Hordus still carries the memory of screeching steel, blood-painted banners, and the bitter retreat through hidden tunnels that left many of his kin behind. The loss haunts him—his sleep plagued by nightmares so vivid he cannot rest in darkness without light—driving him into a life of wandering exile in the wilds near the Kron Hills, where he seeks solace in hardship and quiet acts of aid. Gruff but approachable, he finds peace in woodcarving, shaping order from chaos as a small defiance against the ruin of his past. Though he lives as a solitary traveler, Hordus has not abandoned hope; he quietly nurtures a vow to one day reclaim his fallen home, knowing it will take allies, patience, and perhaps the favor of the gods to see the gates of Dorob Kilthdûûm opened once more.

Elora Dawn awoke in a muddy ditch along a lonely road in southern Keoland with no memory of who she was or what had happened, surrounded by the burned remains of three wagons, several dead travelers, and slain goblins. The only clue to her identity was the name “Elora Dawn” engraved on her coin pouch. After making her way to the coastal town of Saltmarsh and staying at the Green Dragon Inn, she discovered a journal among her belongings that revealed fragments of her personality and past ambitions. From its pages, Elora learned she was intelligent, logical, outspoken, fiercely loyal, and deeply driven to prove herself despite hidden insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. She possessed a strong love for nature and exploration, having apparently left her former home behind to seek knowledge and purpose, though the journal never revealed where that home was. Though troubled by the mystery of her lost memories, Elora eventually found peace traveling the lands around Saltmarsh with newfound companions, embracing both adventure and the teachings of Wee Jas while searching for the truth of who she really is.

Oweland House The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Oweland family has owned this sprawling mansion for generations. Despite the family’s wealth, the building is a sprawling collection of new construction, expansions, and additions. Each generation of the family has added to the building to accommodate the clan’s growth. The family takes in fishers who have fallen on hard times, sharing their wealth with others until they can recover.

The sprawling, mazelike interior of the Oweland house has spawned rumors of hidden passages and secret chambers within it. A lifelong resident of Saltmarsh, Eda Oweland has been elected to the council three times and owns three large fishing boats.

She is gruff, pragmatic, suspicious of Manistrad's dwarven mining operation and doubts its success, and is particularly interested in expanding the town's fishing industry with the building of more dock space.

Her graying hair is cut short and her face shows the lines of a woman who has spent much of her life outdoors. She sticks up for her people, swears like a sailor when angry, and flattery only worsens her opinion of you. She is community-driven and the first to volunteer to help anyone in town, loves Saltmarsh and its inhabitants, and while suspicious of outsiders, she's loyal and trusting to a fault of those familiar to her.

She resides in Oweland House, a mansion made of a menagerie of additions and expansions to accommodate the family's growth and have space for the downtrodden or fishers who have fallen in hard times, giving them a place to stay and eat until they can get back on their feet.

The mazelike, haphazard interior gave rise to rumors of hidden passages that are actually true: sprawling out of the cellar are secret tunnels leading to various points outside of town used in the past by the family for smuggling.

Sharkfin Bridge The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

This single large bridge spans the river, with shops and homes along its length. The bridge predates the city and is large enough for laden carts to pass two abreast. Elves and fey folk feel vaguely nauseated when they cross the bridge, owing to an ancient curse placed on it long before Saltmarsh rose to existence.

Primewater Mansion The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Kiorna Kester (LN female human commoner) is the stern but respected owner of Saltmarsh’s renowned tannery, a sprawling workshop perched near the edge of town where the salty sea air mingles with the sharp scent of curing leather. Though plain in appearance and practical in demeanor, Kiorna has built a profitable trade through years of relentless discipline and exacting craftsmanship. Sailors, hunters, mercenaries, and even visiting nobles seek her goods, for few artisans along the coast can rival the quality of her cured hides and leatherwork.

Inside the tannery, racks of stretched hides hang from heavy beams while vats of oils, dyes, and preserving agents line the stone floor. Apprentices labor from dawn until dusk scraping hides, treating leather, and polishing finished goods beneath Kiorna’s watchful eye. The workshop produces everything from sturdy boots and belts to weatherproof cloaks, saddles, waterskins, gloves, and finely embossed armor pieces. Her leather is especially prized for its smooth texture and vibrant colors, which range from deep ocean blues to rich crimson and forest green.

Kiorna’s true fascination, however, lies in exotic materials. Ordinary cattle hides hold little excitement for her anymore, and she constantly seeks rare beasts whose skins possess unusual textures, patterns, or magical properties. Rumors say she keeps a private collection of samples taken from strange creatures brought in by adventurers over the years: scaled hides from marsh drakes, sleek black pelts from shadowy predators in the Dreadwood, and even fragments of strange amphibious creatures dragged from the Hool Marshes.

Because of this obsession, Kiorna frequently hires adventurers willing to brave dangerous wildernesses in search of valuable trophies. She pays handsomely for intact hides taken from beasts and monstrosities of challenge rating 3 or higher, offering a fee in gold pieces equal to one hundred times the creature’s challenge rating. Such rewards can tempt even seasoned sellswords, especially when coin grows scarce during Saltmarsh’s quieter seasons. Many local hunters view her contracts as among the most lucrative opportunities in town.

Recovering a usable hide is not always simple. Kiorna insists that the carcass remain largely intact, as excessive damage ruins the leather and lowers its value dramatically. Harvesting the hide requires careful work, sharp tools, and at least an hour of effort. Adventurers who rush the process often discover they have accidentally spoiled the very prize they fought to obtain. Those who succeed, however, may earn not only gold but Kiorna’s rare approval, something few townsfolk ever receive.

Despite her cold professionalism, Kiorna possesses a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and quietly admires those who demonstrate patience, skill, and perseverance. She has little tolerance for boastful adventurers who exaggerate their deeds, but she respects individuals who bring back genuine trophies from the dangers lurking beyond Saltmarsh. Over time, some successful hunters even develop an ongoing partnership with her, returning regularly with exotic hides that Kiorna transforms into remarkable works of leather artistry sought after throughout the Viscounty of Salinmoor.

Ready For Content The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Ready For Content The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Ready For Content The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Dwarf Runesmith The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Dwarf Runesmith

Runes

Ready For Content The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax