Cove: Village on the Shallows

Cove is a small fishing village tucked into a wide tidal bay on the north shore, where the sea is shallow and retreating tides leave wide stretches of mudflats. Though modest in size, it sustains itself on fishing, shell-gathering, and salt harvesting, with boats drawn high onto the beach each evening to escape the tide.
 

Setting & First Impressions

Cove clings to the water’s edge, its stone cottages weathered by salt air and storms. Nets hang drying on every wall, and the scent of brine mixes with woodsmoke from hearths burning driftwood. The bay itself is quiet but treacherous; shifting sands catch the unwary, and only locals know the safe channels to row or pole through at low tide.
 

Trade & the Oaty Pie Route

The village links inland to Oatcrass, and through it to Bersh and Lantear, forming the circular farm-and-fish trade path known as the “Oaty Pie.” Fish and salt from Cove are exchanged for grain, beans, and wool, while surplus barrels of pickled herring and mussels sometimes find their way to Lantear’s markets. Travel is light but steady, and Cove relies on its neighbors to carry goods further inland.
 

Notable Places

The Salt Pans: shallow clay pits where seawater is trapped and dried to produce coarse salt.
The Jetty: little more than a timber walkway, but the heart of the village where boats are launched and gossip traded.
Salts Shrine: a weathered stone cross where fishers leave offerings of shells and sea salt before putting out to sea.
 

For the Storyteller

Cove is small, quiet, and unassuming – but secrets slip ashore with the tides. Smugglers may use the mudflats to land goods unseen, strange relics occasionally wash up from deeper waters, and the villagers whisper of lights moving across the bay on moonless nights. For adventurers, Cove offers a humble beginning or a hidden path into greater intrigue inland.
 

Encounters

When traveling through or around Cove, roll d6 for possible encounters…

  1. A fisher mending nets on the jetty offers to sell 1d4 barrels of pickled herring at a bargain, grumbling about Lantear’s “greedy brokers.”
    Fisher: AC 11, HP 8, knife (1d4).
  2. A child points excitedly at the bay – a pod of dolphins is visible in the shallows, but one has a harpoon lodged in its side. Locals beg for help to free it.
    Dolphins: AC 12, HP 22, ram (1d6).
  3. A small group of smugglers unloading crates in the mudflats at night. If approached, they offer coin for silence – or blades for interference.
    Smugglers: AC 13, HP 14, shortsword (1d6), leather armor.
  4. An old salt tending the Salts Shrine sprinkles offerings of sea salt and mutters about “lights dancing on the water.”
    Old salt: AC 10, HP 6, staff (1d6).
  5. A sudden squall sweeps in off the sea, forcing boats back to the jetty. Amid the chaos, a crate washes ashore containing something strange – a relic, bones, or contraband.
    No combatants unless developed.
  6. A wandering trader from Oatcrass stops in town with a cart of grain and mead, eager to barter for fresh fish and salt.
    Trader: AC 12, HP 12, dagger (1d4), leather armor.
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