Sandmar: Harbor to the Plains

Sandmar is a harbor town at the north of the Lantear Plains, lying at the mouth of the Sandmar River where fertile fields meet the sea. To the south and east stretch the town’s arable lands, rich with wheat and vegetables, while to the west lie broad marshes where rice is cultivated in abundance. Equal parts fishing harbor and farming hub, Sandmar helps feed much of the island and has earned its reputation as a town that thrives on both river and sea.
 

Setting & First Impressions

Sandmar sits snug against the river’s eastern bank, its red-roofed houses climbing gently from the harbor quays toward the fields beyond. Fishing boats crowd the docks, their nets drying on racks, while barges laden with rice and grain float downriver toward the markets. The air smells of salt, smoke, and earth, and the cry of gulls mingles with the calls of farmers working the riverbanks. From the hills of the Geldcrass Ridge, the town gleams like a patch of warm brick against the green and gold of its fields.
 

Life & Trade

The harbor sustains Sandmar with herring, mussels, and river fish, but agriculture defines its wealth. East of the river, broad fields provide grain, beans, and vegetables for market. To the west, the marshes are lined with rice paddies, tended by entire families and their hired workers. Sandmar’s merchants are practical and plainspoken, their stalls filled with both fish and grain, often traded directly to passing caravans bound for Lantear or Geldcrass. Barges link the town to inland farms and hamlets, while sea routes carry goods to other island ports, or beyond.
 

Notable Places

Sandmar Abbey: A towering stone abbey overlooking both river and sea, where many aged Defenders of the Mother and clerics of Bune retire to spend their final years in prayer, study, and quiet service by the fresh salty air. Its bells carry across the plains, reminding townsfolk of the faith’s enduring presence.
The River Quay: Sandmar’s busiest dock, where fishing boats, barges, and merchant vessels all jostle for space.
The Grain Market: an open-air square where wheat sacks and rice bundles are weighed and tallied.
The Sandfields: sprawling rice paddies west of the river, where narrow raised paths wind between flooded fields.
 

Rhythms & Customs

Each dawn begins with the ringing of the river bell, calling both fishers and farmers to work. Rice planting and harvest festivals are marked by music, dancing, and lanterns set afloat on the marsh waters. Families bless their fishing nets and plowshares, offering a handful of grain or a silver fish as token sacrifice.
 

For the Storyteller

Sandmar is a place of contrasts – fertile plains and treacherous marshes, saltwater and river trade, fishermen and farmers bound by the same tides. Smugglers sometimes slip through the marsh channels, and rumors tell of strange shapes in the reeds at night. Northern traders heading inland often pass through here, making Sandmar both a peaceful breadbasket and a point of intrigue at the edge of the plains.
 

Encounters

When traveling through or around Sandmar, roll d10 for possible encounters…

  1. A group of 1d4 rice farmers trudging home from the marshes, carrying baskets of seedlings. They share local gossip freely over cups of watered wine.
    Farmers: AC 10, HP 7, pitchforks (1d6), no armor.
  2. A barge arrives downriver at the quay, overloaded with grain sacks. One bursts open, revealing something strange hidden inside (merchant goods, contraband, or worse).
    Bargemen: AC 11, HP 9, clubs (1d4).
  3. A pair of elderly Defenders of the Mother from Sandmar Abbey walk the market square, handing out bread and blessing those who will listen.
    Defenders: AC 13, HP 12, mace (1d6), leather armor.
  4. A traveling merchant praises Sandmar’s rice and grain, offering to buy surplus from adventurers – or to sell suspiciously cheap salted fish.
    Merchant: AC 12, HP 11, dagger (1d4), no armor.
  5. A fisher at the river quay hauls in a net tangled with bones – human bones, at least a season old. They whisper of smugglers or something darker in the reeds.
    Fisher: AC 11, HP 8, knife (1d4).
  6. A band of 1d4+1 smugglers trying to slip contraband upriver by barge. They bribe freely, but fight if cornered.
    Smugglers: AC 13, HP 14, shortsword (1d6), leather armor.
  7. A group of children playing along the raised paths of the rice paddies dare each other to leap the ditches. One falls into the mud and risks drowning unless helped.
    Children: AC 10, HP 3, no weapons.
  8. A novice from the Abbey approaches adventurers nervously, asking help delivering medicine to an isolated marsh hamlet.
    Novice: AC 10, HP 7, staff (1d6), robes.
  9. At dusk, marsh lanterns flicker on the west bank. Some are harmless festival lights – but one leads to a hidden meeting of smugglers or cultists.
    Cultists: AC 12, HP 11, daggers (1d4), robes.
  10. A sudden summer storm floods the lower quays. Crates drift into the river, and in the chaos, thieves attempt to make off with valuables.
    Thieves: AC 13, HP 9, dagger (1d4), leather armor.
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