Greyharbour

Greyharbour is a port town on western coast of Etraia, and the only truly permanent town in the Kalrashi lands. Nestled among towering, slate-grey mountains at the head of a natural harbour, the settlement is predominantly Kalrashi in culture but has a significant transient population of Ost and Embari sailors, traders and merchants. It is an important trading hub, particularly for the landlocked country of Emberglow to the north east.

The town is governed by the Capo, a position roughly equivalent to a mayor. It is currently held by a Kalrashi woman named Kostaya.

History
The natural harbour has been known to Kalrashi nomads for hundreds of years, though it is difficult to accurately determine the date of its discovery from Kalrashi folk histories. Ships sailing to and from the mouth of the Sweetsmile river have been using the harbour as a safe anchorage for at least one hundred years, protected from storms by a series of headlands to the west and the tall mountain peaks to the north and east.

Greyharbour's existence as a settlement is much more recent. The first known reference to permanent buildings in the area was made by the Sweetwater harbourmaster Ordell in SR 532, who made a passing comment in his log books about warehouses "newly raised" at the time. By SR 554 there were around fifteen wagons considered to be im odihna around the harbour, already a significant settlement in Kalrashi terms. It was around this time that the position of Capo was formally created in recognition of the settlement's potential. The position was granted to a Kalrashi woman named Zaod, who oversaw the continued growth of the town until she left to continue her travels in SR 568. Kostaya was granted the position by popular consensus; her father had been one of the founders of the settlement.

Current Day
In recent years Greyharbour has grown significantly as the port's popularity with Ost and Embari merchants has increased - at least 200 Kalrashi are semi-permanent residents, with another 200 Kalrashi, Embari and Ost passing through at any given time. Greyharbour's location at the mouth of the Sweetsmile makes it particularly important for Embari and Kalrashi ships travelling along the river - there are no safe places to land between the coast and Sweetwater, several days upriver. It is said that all manner of fell creatures skulk within gnarled trees of the Forest of Evernight, which fully enclose the river on both sides.

Greyharbour also maintains strong links with the Oster ports of the Reichsmeer, situated on the far eastern shores of Etraia. The majority of Kalrashi and Ost vessels are suited to coastal trade and rarely venture out into the open sea, though the coastal passage is well mapped and quite safe for small ships. A significant proportion of goods bound for Ostmark from Greyharbour are actually of Embari origin, despite the two countries sharing a land border; it is far easier to transport bulky materials by sea on Kalrashi ships than by cart over land, and the Kalrashi are more than happy to oblige - for a small fee.

Piracy is not unheard of in the area. While there is no official policy for ships leaving Greyharbour, ship captains will often organise their schedule around those of other ships with similar destinations - the town waymark often features lists of vessels seeking companions to sail with. On occasion an ad-hoc fleet will form, with 3-5 ships with similar trade routes remaining together for several weeks of different journeys, but these are generally short-lived.

The town is currently governed by Capo Kostaya. A large warehouse has been converted for her council, which has no strict schedule and simply convenes when matters of importance arise. It is responsibility of the capo to ensure that good will is maintained between the various dock masters and traders of Greyharbour; as such, the capo must be adept at smoothing over minor cultural misunderstandings.

Kostaya is held in high esteem by the residents and visitors of Greyharbour alike for her inclusion of the entire town in her councils. She maintains no permanent board of councillors but elects whichever individuals are most qualified for the situation in hand on an ad-hoc basis, in true Kalrashi custom.

Greyharbour's spiritual needs are met by the Greenwife, who lives a few hours journey inland from the town. She is very rarely seen and even more rarely consulted, but it is her voice that speaks of the moods, needs, and desires of the spirits in the area.

Crisis of SR 571
For more information, see Chapter Eight

During the spring of SR 571, a sickness enveloped Greyharbour and its surrounding area. It was accompanied by a cold and withering presence that seemed to permeate the very air itself. None seemed immune to the sickness and before long the whole town had succumbed, each person afflicted with a pallid-skinned weakness. Even the plants and animals were affected, with grasses and trees becoming brittle and brown and the scurrying and scraping of the warehouse rats ceasing completely.

The cause was revealed when six travellers arrived by ship from the east, led by the noble Loras Justinian. As the group introduced themselves to Capo Kostaya and offered their assistance, two floating, diffuse entities of force erupted from the ground and made to attack the townsfolk. The entities seemingly had the power to drain the warmth and light from around them, and Wisdom Anaerion identified the creatures as denizens of the dark planes of unlife, anathema to all that lives, and capable of consuming the very essence of vitality from any being that they touch.

With significant effort the travellers from the east were able to dispatch the creatures, though not all escaped unscathed from the withering effects of their touch. Even with the entities gone the sickness remained – the young wizard Torben suggested that such creatures would not naturally occur and had to be called by another.

Still eager to assist the town, and upon the advice of Kostaya, the party made into the decaying forest to consult with the Greenwife, an authority on spiritual matters. The travellers returned to Greyharbour the same evening, but were confronted with the impossible: skeletal revenants with glassy black bones ravaged the town. Again, Loras and his party dispatched the monsters - and with a curious grace that they did not seem to possess before.

The travellers, seemingly healed of the sickness brought by the fell entities that morning and appearing much bolstered by their journey, brought knowledge granted by the Greenwife: that the affliction had been brought forth by the wrath of the Mournful Queen, a spirit residing on the Greymount to the north and newly awakened by events in the east. A solution existed on the nearby island of Hirit'a, the Kraken's Maw, and an expedition was to be organised.

Council was convened by Kostaya and passage for the travellers was organised. Lexi, captain of the seafaring ship Last Kiss and daughter of Kostaya, volunteered to convey Loras and his party to the Kraken's Maw while the rest of the town evacuated to the Reichsmeer. Lexi and her crew made the journey to Hirit'a, fending off a colossal turtle-dragon in the process, and a week later the travellers were able return to Greyharbour with an artefact of great power, claimed from the summit of Hirit'a. They believed that it held the ability to cleanse the land of the sickness.

In their absence, that sickness had grown ever more destructive. Dark, shimmering pillars had thrust up from the ground in Greyharbour, destroying buildings and homes, and a shadow was draped across the land, centred on the Greymount. Kostaya, seeming even weaker than before, reported that the affliction had claimed three lives in the time since the travellers left for Hirit'a.

Upon Kostaya's advice, Loras' party took the eastern path to the mountain. The hours passed, the skies continued to darken, and the oppressive force drew ever tighter. Then, without warning, the crushing malaise was lifted as a wave of golden light bloomed from the summit of the Greymount. A few hours later the travellers returned from the mountain, appearing quite exhausted from their trials, to report that the land was cleansed. The forest would not recover until the next spring, but the corruption was gone, and the Mournful Queen released from her suffering.

The travellers returned to both Hirit'a and the mountain several times in the course of the next fortnight, aided by Lexi, but the sickness did not return. Kostaya sent word to the Reichsmeer that Greyharbour was safe once more, and slowly the town returned to normal. Loras and his party returned to the east shortly after, carried once more by the Last Kiss, with a new and altogether different duty set before them.

People of Greyharbour
Kostaya - Current capo of Greyharbour and mother of Lexi, knowledgeable in the ways of trade and diplomacy.

Lexi - Experienced and capable captain of the seafaring vessel Last Kiss.

The Greenwife - Seer, and occasional spirtual advisor to the people of Greyharbour.

Lars Umbric - Kalrashi sailor and captain of the Unending Storm, a merchant vessel that often makes the voyage between Greyharbour and Sweetwater.