Broadwater
Broadwater, a thriving crossroads town of more than 2,000 citizens, marks the lower end of Eamonvale and the point where the River Eamon, having frothed and plunged its way down from its mountainous origins, finally becomes navigable by watercraft. The river, the Eamonvale Trade Road, and two other busy trade routes meet in Broadwater, bringing with them trade goods, foreign travelers, fighting men, ambitious merchantmen, fortune seekers, intrigue, and adventure. The walled town contains a maze of twisting streets, crowded markets, and whitewashed sandstone walls, and is divided into four quarters. Of late, additional communities have sprung up outside the gates.
The town of Broadwater also represents the extent of the influence of the Angus clan, where the rule of the Lord of Eamonvale gives way to the authority of the Northmarches of the Grand Duchy of Reme.
Like Dun Eamon, Broadwater sits at a key position on the trade corridor of the foothills of the Stoneheart Mountains. From its walls, four gates open to the world. One gate leads up to Eamonvale along the Trade Road to the Grey Citadel and the mining operations beyond. Another opens to the vast grasslands of the Marches of Reme. A third gate opens to the pontoon bridge that crosses the River Eamon and provides access to the road that winds its way along the back hills of the Stonehearts. The fourth gate opens to the Docks of Broadwater where waterborne trade crosses from Eamonvale to the capital in Reme.
Broadwater is built partially on top of a high sandstone bluff and partially below it on the banks of the River Eamon. The upper portion of the city is referred to as High Town. It is the location of the Mercantile quarter where representatives of the numerous trade emporiums maintain a presence throughout the year.
It is here that agents of Lord Angus operate a customs warehouse for oversight and taxation of trade in the region, a part of which is tithed to the overlord in Reme. High Town also holds a fort known as the Militant Quarter that holds a garrison of Lord Angus’ troops who are there to safeguard the mouth of the valley.
A variety of mercenaries and roustabouts occupy the city’s Adventurers’ District and offer their services as sell-swords working river and caravan traffic. Bandits and river pirates are a common occurrence in the region.
Low Town is found closest to the River Eamon and is the location of the Artisans’ District, which produces various items for trade. The district’s wares typically include goods and services that apply to the shipping industry and include everything from wagon wheels to saddles, bridles, bits, and horseshoes. For shipping, yards manufacture and repair keelboats and barges, and a plant manufactures pitch and tar for chinking boats that navigate the waterways.
The Paupers’ Quarter in Low Town is home to a variety of beggars, thieves, and scoundrels. Rundown pleasure houses and gaming halls are found here in abundance, servicing the needs of the rough-and-tumble drovers and barge-folk.
Here too are the docks known as the Flotilla and the notorious Broadwater Corral that is maintained throughout the year by various plains Loreclans under a treaty devised to keep the peace.
The town of Broadwater also represents the extent of the influence of the Angus clan, where the rule of the Lord of Eamonvale gives way to the authority of the Northmarches of the Grand Duchy of Reme.
Like Dun Eamon, Broadwater sits at a key position on the trade corridor of the foothills of the Stoneheart Mountains. From its walls, four gates open to the world. One gate leads up to Eamonvale along the Trade Road to the Grey Citadel and the mining operations beyond. Another opens to the vast grasslands of the Marches of Reme. A third gate opens to the pontoon bridge that crosses the River Eamon and provides access to the road that winds its way along the back hills of the Stonehearts. The fourth gate opens to the Docks of Broadwater where waterborne trade crosses from Eamonvale to the capital in Reme.
Broadwater is built partially on top of a high sandstone bluff and partially below it on the banks of the River Eamon. The upper portion of the city is referred to as High Town. It is the location of the Mercantile quarter where representatives of the numerous trade emporiums maintain a presence throughout the year.
It is here that agents of Lord Angus operate a customs warehouse for oversight and taxation of trade in the region, a part of which is tithed to the overlord in Reme. High Town also holds a fort known as the Militant Quarter that holds a garrison of Lord Angus’ troops who are there to safeguard the mouth of the valley.
A variety of mercenaries and roustabouts occupy the city’s Adventurers’ District and offer their services as sell-swords working river and caravan traffic. Bandits and river pirates are a common occurrence in the region.
Low Town is found closest to the River Eamon and is the location of the Artisans’ District, which produces various items for trade. The district’s wares typically include goods and services that apply to the shipping industry and include everything from wagon wheels to saddles, bridles, bits, and horseshoes. For shipping, yards manufacture and repair keelboats and barges, and a plant manufactures pitch and tar for chinking boats that navigate the waterways.
The Paupers’ Quarter in Low Town is home to a variety of beggars, thieves, and scoundrels. Rundown pleasure houses and gaming halls are found here in abundance, servicing the needs of the rough-and-tumble drovers and barge-folk.
Here too are the docks known as the Flotilla and the notorious Broadwater Corral that is maintained throughout the year by various plains Loreclans under a treaty devised to keep the peace.
People
The folk of the region are predominantly human of Foerdewaith descent, though the lunar cycle brings members of The Plains’ Loreclans who manage and maintain the corral. Ethnically, the folk of Broadwater have a distinct cast to their features that is common among the folk of Eamonvale and differs slightly from the broader population of Waymarch and the Grand Duchy of Reme in general. The folk of Broadwater are, in general, hard workers, though they have a strong element of corruption and a thriving criminal undercurrent that feasts upon the trade from Eamonvale to Reme.
Trade
Trade in the city is closely monitored on several levels. Overseers at each gate inspect every wagon, cart, and handbarrow that enters the city. The only streets wide enough for dray traffic lead to the trade grounds where additional agents review and tax the cargoes passing into the market. All other streets are intentionally narrow to prevent merchants from sneaking goods around the local tax collectors to avoid paying the tariff. For this reason, the criminal activity in black market and smuggled goods is higher than the average town of its size as the grift on trade is much smaller when dealing with the thieves’ guilds than it is in dealing with the government. Unfortunately for the folk of Broadwater, it is the merchant league that is taking the lion’s share of profit from the city. The denizens of Broadwater are beginning to bare their teeth against the yoke of the council. Many hope that Earl Angus comes to Broadwater for an audit of profits and exchanges and throws the whole lot of the council in stocks until their behavior improves.
Government
The government of Broadwater is ostensibly administrated via a charter between the earl of Eamonvale and his extended allegiance to both the duke of Waymarch and the grand duke of Reme. In truth, the city is run by a series of corrupt officials of the various trade houses who manipulate one another as an oligarchy of distrust and avarice. None of the noble powers that be seems to take much notice or pay much attention to the situation in Broadwater as long as their own tithes are always paid on time and in full.
Threats
Threats to Broadwater come in the form of bandits, politicians, and river pirates who brazenly raid merchants almost as soon as they leave the city, returning to the very city of Broadwater itself to resell the goods that had only recently passed through customs.The various council members are constantly attempting to sabotage one another, which destabilizes the local economy and threatens the general peace as they hire rogues and mercenaries to attack one another’s caravans.
Furthermore, an active slave trade within the city is unknown to all but a very few. Newcomers and travelers who go missing often end up in the slave pits of the Underbluff.
Furthermore, an active slave trade within the city is unknown to all but a very few. Newcomers and travelers who go missing often end up in the slave pits of the Underbluff.
Settlement
Broadwater, Town of
Type
Town
Owning Organization
Comments