The Port of Four Barons

The Port of Four Barons

⚠️ Spoilers. Stop reading if you are a player. There are heavy spoilers below and it may damage your game experience.

Campaign Premise

Veyhollow, the Sea Gate of Tarsus, and the second biggest city in the kingdom, is too important to leave leaderless. The city’s wealth feeds caravans from Zahara, fleets from the sapphire isles, and the King’s coffers in Velbrann. With the crown distracted by the succession crisis, four ambitious claimants rise to claim the title of Baron of Veyhollow.

Each comes armed with fleets, allies, spies, or pirates — and each seeks legitimacy not only from the Twelvefold Covenant, but from the merchants, sailors, and guilds who truly keep the port alive. The Salt & Sale League, pirates, inquisitors, and even the Sultanate itself weigh in.

Only one can prevail… or perhaps none, should chaos consume the harbor.

⚖️ The Four Claimants

Baroness Galiena Sondheim – Sondheim Barony (House Carverson)
German Themed
A merchant-queen with ledgers deeper than any arsenal. Ruthless efficiency in trade, order, and taxation; promises prosperity through mercantile dominance. Backed by Carverson’s coffers and mercenary fleets, she quietly deals with the Hollow Lanterns to ensure contraband passes under her nose when profitable. Her stern manner hides a calculating pragmatist.
Strengths: Wealth, mercenaries, guild influence.
Weaknesses: Seen as cold and grasping; House Morlathen resists fiercely, fearing Carverson encirclement.

Baron Fenyang Namerta – Namerta Barony (House Lanford)
Egyptian Themed, Sultanate-backed
A southern noble statesman, styled in Zaharan silks and ceremony. He courts the Sultanate openly, appealing to their gold and ships, while claiming his honor will bring stability. Pledges to cleanse the port of piracy and heresy, leaning heavily on the Twelvefold Covenant to anoint his rule. Noble in bearing, but whispered to be a Zaharan pawn.
Strengths: Religious legitimacy, foreign gold, naval honor.
Weaknesses: Distrusted for Zaharan ties; his “knightly” chivalry feels foreign, more pharaonic lord than Tarsian baron.

Baroness Katheline Sinnoach – Sinnoach Barony (House Cerovante)
Irish Themed
A spymistress draped in chartreuse and moss-green. She promises order through eyes in every tavern and whispers in every counting house. Partners with House Santiage’s raiders, striking Zaharan caravans to display zeal for the Twelvefold Faith. Favored by the Inquisitors of the Chain, who see in her a willing blade against heretics across the desert.
Strengths: Espionage, inquisitorial backing, ruthless pragmatism.
Weaknesses: Resented as a spymaster; merchants fear her order would strangle free trade.

Captain Apollon Alexatos – Alexatos Barony (Independent)
Greek Themed
A charismatic fisher-lord turned “free baron,” beloved in the docks. He courts the Salt & Sale League, claims to speak for sailors and common folk, and secretly thrives on pirate coin from the Widow’s Blades and Crimson Corsairs. A toastmaster, fighter, and liar in equal measure.
Strengths: Popularity, pirate support, dockside loyalty.
Weaknesses: Unstable allies, no noble legitimacy, prone to excess.

🌍 Wildcards

  • Jannad Rivergrove – A halfling peasant, beloved by commoners. Charms guilds with speeches of independence; could make Veyhollow a city-state if backed. No chance without PCs’ intervention. He would make a powerful voice if brought to the side of a candidate.

  • Manox “Two Cannons” – A half-ogre enforcer and pirate champion employed to ensure Apollon “remains competitive.” His brawls disrupt peace and can be used to sabotage rivals.

🌍 Key Locations

  • Moonstone Court (Clifftop Ward): Noble villas, counting houses, halls of intrigue.

  • Saltmarket District: Guild bazaars, riot-prone.

  • Veyhollow Gate: Fortified harbor island, controlled choke-point of steel chain towers.

  • Catacombs Beneath the Sea Wall: Oathbreaker cult haunt, flooded chambers, whispered sacrifices.

  • Basilica of Chains (nearby Mesa): Inquisitors’ iron presence, weighing heavily in city affairs.

🕵️ Factional Stances

  • Salt & Sale League (Master Althion Mareve): Pivotal power — whichever claimant secures them gains decisive advantage.

  • House Morlathen (Ser Trahaearn Morlathen): Opposes Carverson’s Baroness Sondheim, fearing encirclement; might back Jannad Rivergrove.

  • Twelvefold Covenant (Deacon Malovar Estenne): Inclined toward Fenyang Namerta for his faith, but distrust Zaharan ties.

  • Inquisitors of the Chain (Inquisitor Domingo Cominero): Back Katheline Sinnoach, eager to see raids carried into Zahara as “holy fire.”

  • Pirates (Widow’s Blades & Crimson Corsairs): Back Apollon Alexatos loosely, but prone to betrayal.

  • Sultanate of Zahara (Envoy Samira al-Rashid): Pour gold into Namerta’s coffers, viewing him as their agent in Tarsus.

⚔️ Arc Structure

Act I – Storms in the Saltmarket
Candidates announce bids; guild disputes, street fights, and pirate disruptions spread chaos. PCs may act as envoys, bodyguards, or secret agents.

Act II – Chains of Faith
The Twelvefold Covenant and Inquisitors begin weighing in. Public debates in Moonstone Court are interrupted by assassins and pirate brawls. PCs navigate faith trials, duels, and sabotage.

Act III – Blood in the Water
Pirate fleets blockade the harbor. The Sultanate bankrolls Namerta openly. A riot in the Saltmarket turns deadly. PCs can turn the tide: hunt Oathbreaker cultists, secure the Salt & Sale League, or uncover conspiracies in the counting vaults.

Act IV – The Barony Contested
One candidate pulls ahead, but rivals unleash last gambits: inquisitorial purges, Zaharan assassins, pirate mutinies. PCs may guard coronations, lead raids, or unravel Oathbreaker plots threatening all sides.

Act V – The Price at the Gate
A Baron emerges… or the city descends into anarchy. Stability, pirate dominion, a faith-driven crusade, or independence — the fate of Veyhollow reflects the PCs’ choices.

🌑 Adventure Seeds

  • A half-ogre pirate enforcer smashes a Carverson warehouse — PCs must stop him before guilds riot.

  • A Zaharan envoy disappears in the catacombs, sparking threats of invasion.

  • An inquisitor of the Chain demands PCs “escort” them into Moonstone Court, exposing corruption.

  • A Santiage raid on Zaharan caravans drags Sinnoach into diplomatic scandal.

  • A Salt & Sale League vote hangs by one family’s decision — bribery, rescue, or intimidation needed.