Eda Oweland

Eda Oweland

Eda Oweland is the current head of the Saltmarsh Town Council and the owner of several fishing boats.
A staunch Traditionalist and advocator for Saltmarsh's substantial fishing population, Eda quickly rose to local prominence for her no-nonesense attitutde about serious matters and her approachable demeanor.

History

Eda was born in Saltmarsh in 1464 to fishermen parents, and quickly joined them at their work when she was old eough. Always outspoken, Eda rose to town prominence when she led the charge demanding paid compensation for a fisherman that died in an accident that wasn't being paid by by the man's employer, Petra Solmor. Thanks to Eda's efforts, the man's family was paid, and Eda continued advocating for the fishermen and collective action.
By the early 1490s, Eda had been appointed to lead the town council, the youngest leader of the council in its history. During this time, Saltmarsh had been repeatedly targetted by the pirate Sea Princes. Though Eda had no desire to make Saltmarsh subservient to anyone else, she acquiesced to Neverwinter's proposal to garrison members of the Neverwinter Guard in town for protection, which did drive off the priates, it left the town in a difficult position, indebted to Neverwinter as they are. Some of the demands Neverwinter made for their assistance, such as the establishment of the Saltmarsh Mine, seemed to endanger Saltmarsh's traditional way of life, and Eda advocated for more distance from their northern neighbor, but due to Neverwinter's agents staying above board legally, there was little Eda could functionally do.
In 1496, Eda continued to sit as the head of the town council, and was thus intimately involved in leading Saltmarsh through the Banesmark Crisis. Eda agreed with the recommendation of the Heroes of Saltmarsh to join the Dunwater Alliance and stayed behind to guide the town during the Battle of the Spire, overseeing the arrest of Anders Solmor by the B-Team. When Neverwinter sent a request to the town council to join the Neveren Alliance, Eda led the majority in declining the request. 
Eda was one of the few leaders of Saltmarsh to not be inflicted by a Banesmark, but was kept out of the loop regarding the mark by the Heroes to prevent the aboleth S'gothgah from discovering their plans.
Following the end of the Banesmark Crisis, Eda remained the head of the Saltmarsh Town Council, using the town's newly gained prestige from its Heroes to continue advocating for keeping the town out of the Neveren Alliance.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Though a traditionalist, Eda has a strained relationship with Gellan Primewater, the other Traditionalist leader on the council, due to the open secret of his involvement leading the town's smugglers. Though the two work together when necessary, Eda believes the smugglers are ultimately bad for Saltmarsh's businesses.
Though friendly with Anders Solmor before the Banesmark Crisis, the effect of the Banesmark on Anders' mind made him increasingly violent in his anti-Neverwinter rhetoric, leading to a falling out once Anders was arrested whlie most of the Marshers were fighting at the Battle of the Spire. Eda remained staunchly opposed to Anders' continued incitement of violence for the rest of the crisis. Once the crisis ended, and Anders' mind appeared slightly broken from his ordeal, Eda instead began to pity the young man.
Eda had a near rivalry with Manistrad Copperlocks, another council member until her return to Neverwinter in 1497, as the two were nearly diametrically opposed on every council matter concerning Neverwinter. Though they both respected each other, they did not get along.
Eda mostly got along with the various members of the Heroes of Saltmarsh, particularly with Necian Arrzen, who joined the council following Anders' arrest. In Necian, Eda saw someone similar to herself when she was young. When Necian left town without a word following the end of the Banesmark Crisis, Eda was furious and harbored a grudge against him for years.

Current Location

Saltmarsh

Species

Human

Date of Birth

1464

Birthplace

Saltmarsh

Sex

Female

Eyes

Dark brown

Hair

Short brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned olive

Aligned Organization

Saltmarsh Town Council

Ruled Locations

• Saltmarsh