Riverbend

Exports: Smoked fish, river reeds, clay jugs, ferry timber, and dock rope.

Location: On the inner curve of the Zumkend River where it bends sharply south before turning east again. The hamlet clings to the bank on stilted foundations, its planked walks connecting homes, storehouses, and the small dockyard.

Atmosphere: Always humming with motion — poles knocking against boats, gulls wheeling above the water, and the smell of pitch, fish oil, and riverweed. Locals speak loudly to be heard over the current. Evenings bring music and laughter drifting from the tavern.

Notable Trait: A loud, lively dock where gossip floats faster than boats. Bargemen, traders, and ferrymen swap tales of storms, barge tolls, and the latest upriver prices.

Places to Go

The Bent Oar
Dockside tavern and common hall.

• A single-room structure of timber beams blackened by smoke.
• Nets hang drying near the hearth where locals mend them between drinks.
• Travelers find stew bubbling with smoked trout and river onions.
• A small loft above serves as modest lodging for passing crews.

The Smokehouse & Fishmonger’s Shed

• Run by Old Harra Wain, a tough woman with river-creased skin and a sharp wit.
• Handles all salting and smoking for trade goods bound downstream.
• Barrels of dried trout and eel are stacked in cool pits behind the shop.

The Ferry Landing

• Two broad rafts lashed together form the town’s ferry, poled by Bram Two-Poles, who claims to know the river’s moods better than his own wife.
• The landing doubles as a market square by midday, selling smoked meats, clay mugs, and reed-woven mats.

The Dockwright’s Loft

• Shared workshop where human carpenters and halfling ropemakers work side by side repairing boats and barrels.
• A weather-vane carved like a trout marks the tallest roof in town.

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Local Flavor

• Signature Drink: “River’s Turn” — a tart ale spiced with marsh-mint and aged in oak barrels.
• Common Rumor: Bargemen whisper of ghostly lights beneath the bend on moonless nights — said to be drowned miners from upriver.
• Seasonal Event: The Reed Fair at midsummer, when villagers decorate poles and boats with bright ribbons, racing the current for luck.