Scurvytown

If some of the stories told elsewhere about Freeport were true, visitors would be gutted like fish the moment they strode down the gangplank of an arriving ship. And while newcomers soon learn that Freeport is far more than just a collection of bloodthirsty pirates, one place fits the city’s image like a glove: Scurvytown. This district is officially named the “Freebooter’s Quarter” in documents, but no one uses that name. The decrepit condition, lawless population, and grinding poverty of the place earned it the nickname Scurvytown decades ago, and the name stuck.

Scurvytown is home to a class of people who have given up or have no other place to go. It’s a squalid hellhole with appalling living conditions; those marooned here suffer the worst Freeport has to offer, quite literally. In the rainy season, water runs down the hill from Old City and the Eastern District, turning Scurvytown’s unpaved streets into muddy, piss-soaked, mosquito-infested swamps. In the dry season, the heat dries and cracks those same muddy streets, and dust rises in choking clouds when carts and wagons go by. The stench from the fishery and the other aromatic industries in Scurvytown rises to unholy levels.

Very few people make their home in Scurvytown voluntarily. Crime is higher here than anywhere else in Freeport, especially violent crime. Most days begin with a couple of corpses found face down in the gutter or bobbing in the waters of the harbor. Unless the victim is rich or influential, little effort is made to find the perpetrator. Other forms of crime—theft, mugging, smuggling, and drug dealing, are just as common. In the warren called the Beggar’s Market, lowlifes from around Freeport come to buy illicit items and substances. Criminals on the run use the flophouses and decaying buildings of the district as hideouts, and the neighborhood called the Pit hosts a variety of the least savory thugs in the city (not to mention occasional supernatural menaces).
Scurytown is mostly run by the Helkerna Mob Family who run protection through most of the businesses. However despite their reputation of being one of the major crime families they are quite popular amongst the citizens of Scurvytown. They are seen more as protectors then oppressors. This has led to some friction between the other powers that lie within Freeport, however no open combat has been observed leading to what most average citizens believe is a cold war between the factions. Those in the know, know differently. Assassinations, bribery, kidnapping and ransom. All is fair behind the scenes between rival gangs.

Alternative Name(s)

Freebooter's Quarter

Location under

Freeport

Included Locations

• Horus's Leap
• Old Whore
• Sweet Dreams Gambling House

Owner/Ruler

Glajren Helkerna

Owning Organization

Helkerna Mob Family