21. The Wharf Pier of Nulb

Gateway of Smugglers, Pirates, and the Temple’s Shadow Trade

The Wharf Pier is the beating heart of Nulb’s river trade, a long, weathered timber structure jutting out into the slow-moving Imeryd's Run. At all hours, boats of questionable registry sidle up to its slick planks — shallow-draft smugglers’ skiffs, pirate cutters flying false flags, and broad-beamed merchant barges that prefer to avoid official harbormaster scrutiny. On the surface, it is a place of commerce and fishing; beneath, it is a key artery in the Temple of Elemental Evil’s covert logistics network, the meeting point where the Velverdyva’s lawless river traffic meets the shadow road into the Temple’s dungeons.

• Structure: A creaking dock of dark, tar-stained planks, supported by barnacle-crusted pilings. Cargo cranes lean like skeletal arms over the water, and the air is heavy with river silt, stale fish, and pitch.
• Activity: Fishermen mending nets alongside pirates unloading casks of liquor, shackled prisoners hustled under tarpaulins, and Temple agents exchanging sealed packets in shadowed corners.
• Control Points: Small watch shacks and storage sheds line the pier, all nominally controlled by Madame Selentis’s dock stewards but routinely infiltrated by rival agents.

History

Once a humble fishermen’s dock, the Wharf Pier transformed after the fall of the Temple in 569 CY. Pirate captains and brigand lords rebuilt it as a neutral smuggling hub, where coin could purchase discretion. Since the Second Rising in 579 CY, it has been absorbed into Hedrack’s supply web — though not without resistance from Belsornig’s Water Temple and the independent captains who value their autonomy.

Geography and Strategic Value

The pier’s position allows access to both upriver smuggling toward Verbobonc and downriver traffic to Dyvers and the Nyr Dyv. It sits in deep enough water for cargo craft, but with enough shoals and reed-choked inlets nearby to hide from patrol boats. From here, captives and contraband are transferred either overland via the Wainwright’s Depot or across the bridge to the Old Mayor’s Manor, then to Gefreid Patris at the Hunting Cottage and into the Temple’s tunnel network.

Society and Culture Around the Wharf

The Wharf is not just a dock — it’s a marketplace of vice.

• Tavern Runners ferry casks to the Boatman’s Tavern and Waterside Hostel.
• Rhennee Rhenn-folk Bargemen swap rumors in their riverside tongue, taking coin to carry word up- or downstream.
• Pirate Crews drink hard, fight harder, and occasionally vanish on “special runs” for the Temple.
• Assassins and Informants blend in with the laborers, listening more than they speak.

Trade and Merchant Activity

Despite its lawless reputation, the Nulb wharf bustles with economic activity. The trade here thrives on contraband, stolen goods, and barely legal shipments, making it a haven for those who prefer to avoid Verbobonc’s tariffs and regulations.

Many of these goods exchange hands inside the 4: Boatman’s Tavern and Nulb Market , where cutthroat merchants negotiate deals over flagons of mead. Deals are often sealed with bloodstained handshakes rather than ink and parchment.

"The docks of Nulb ain’t just for fish and trade—blood gets bartered here more often than coin."

— Captain Tolub, Pirate Enforcer

Politics and Faction Influence (579 CY)

Hedrack’s Greater Temple

• Uses the Wharf as a primary entry point for supplies, captives, and messages from Dyvers and beyond.
• Orders Madame Selentis (Nysera Krivaltis) to coordinate with Feldrin’s men for overland transfer, bypassing the elemental prophets.

Feldrin (Logistics Commander)Feldrin

• Ensures dock cargo bound for the Temple passes into his custody at the Hunting Cottage.
• Distrusts Selentis and has spies among the dock laborers.
• Deliberately blocks shipments tied to Alrrem’s Fire Temple agents.

Romag (Earth Temple Prophet)Romag

• Sees the Wharf as critical to undermining Belsornig’s pirate stranglehold.
• Uses Dick Rentsch’s informants to monitor arrivals.
• Plans to replace Selentis’s dock overseers with Earth Temple loyalists.

Belsornig (Water Temple Prophet)

• Holds the strongest natural advantage here, employing pirate captains like Tolub and Marad Vesrek.
• Smuggles slaves and contraband upriver under false manifests.
• Bribes Wharf workers to delay rival faction cargo.

Wat (Fire Temple Spy)Wat

• Moves quietly among dockside taverns, pressuring Skole and other informants to report Fire Temple shipments.
• Occasionally intercepts small cargoes before they reach Feldrin’s men.

Smigmal Redhand (Outer Defenses Commander)Smigmal Redhand

• Monitors Selentis’s shipments under her elven disguise.
• Uses Tolub’s crew to bring in rare poisons and assassination gear through the pier.
• Keeps assassins embedded among dock crews.

Motivations of Key Players at the Wharf

• Hedrack – Maintain central control over river-to-temple logistics, prevent any elemental faction from owning the pier outright.
• Selentis – Protect her position as Nulb’s civilian logistics overseer; keep all shipments flowing through her hands.
• Feldrin – Control prisoner transfer and smuggling without interference.
• Belsornig – Dominate the pirate trade and choke rival factions’ river access.
• Romag – Use the Wharf as a wedge to weaken the Water Temple.
• Smigmal – Keep tabs on all cargoes, ready to sabotage if Falrinth’s plans demand it.

The Crimson Reapers

This feared bandit organization, led by Commander Feldrin , uses the docks as a supply point for stolen goods and captives. They frequently move their loot and prisoners under the cover of night, using Sahl’s Cottage and other backwater hideouts as transfer points. They are the primary muscle controlling access to the deeper waters of the Imeryd’s Run.

"Aye, we move a fair bit of cargo through the wharf—mostly stolen, sometimes still breathin’."

— Brark, Smuggler Crimson Reapers

The Temple’s Agents

"Nulb Bay stinks of fish, sweat, and lies. But if you know the right hands to shake, you’ll make a fortune before the river washes you away."

— Rentch of the Waterside Hostel

"The Temple’s got eyes at every pier, ears in every tavern. If you think you’re safe, you’re already marked."

— Jorn the Drunk, Washed-Up Mercenary

The Pirates and River Merchants

Captain Tolub "The Red Knife"

A ruthless and cunning river pirate, Captain Tolub commands The Iron Dagger , a sleek, fast-moving sloop favored for ambush raids on slower merchant vessels traveling from Dyvers. He is known for his red-stained knives—each one belonging to a captain or officer he has personally slain. Tolub frequently deals with the Temple’s Earth and Fire factions, trading stolen supplies for gold and safe harbor in Nulb. His crew, the Red Daggers, are some of the most feared brigands on the river.

Captain Marad Vesrek "The Hollow Smile"

A corsair whailing from the Wild Coast, Vesrek captains The Crimson Trader, a slaver ship posing as a merchant. He regularly sells captives to the Temple’s slavers and runs black-market goods through the smuggling tunnels under the Waterside Hostel. Vesrek has a deep rivalry with Tolub , and if one is in Nulb, the other rarely stays long.

Brave (or Foolish) Merchants Who Trade in Nulb

Few merchants dare risk the waters near Nulb, but for those who are cunning—or desperate enough—there is coin to be made. The Temple’s need for supplies ensures that those willing to barter with its agents can turn a hefty profit.

Captain Relmar "The Grey Fox" (Human, Neutral)

A smuggler with a network stretching from Dyvers to the Wild Coast, Captain Relmar commands The Silver Current, a heavily reinforced barge designed for hauling bulk goods. He deals in everything from grain and livestock to barrels of black powder. Relmar is careful, keeping his hands clean of slavery and directly avoiding the Temple’s religious zealots, preferring to negotiate with mercenary factions like the Earth Temple’s quartermasters.

Captain Selka "The Witch of the Velverdyva" (Elf, Chaotic Neutral)

A former noblewoman from Celene , Selka abandoned her highborn status to seek freedom on the river. She captains The Mist’s Embrace, a ship with a ghostly reputation, rumored to vanish into the river fog at will. Unlike the pirates who openly revel in bloodshed, Selka’s crew are mercenaries who will deal with anyone for the right price. Though she has no love for the Temple’s cruelty, she recognizes its wealth and often provides fine cloth, rare wines, and spell components to the highest bidder.

Jorrun “The Toad” Skelt (Dwarf, Neutral Evil)

A burly, crass dwarf merchant who commands The Soggy Coin, a squat river vessel designed to carry metal goods. Jorrun has longstanding trade ties with Verbobonc’s underworld and uses his Temple contacts to move stolen dwarven-made weapons from the Kron Hills. He openly mocks the Temple’s worship of dark gods, but he has no qualms about profiting from their conflicts.

The Fishing Cottages of Nulb Bay

On the north and south banks of the bay, decrepit fishing cottages dot the landscape. These homes belong to the poorest of Nulb’s inhabitants, who survive by fishing the river’s murky waters. Among these shanties is 52. Sahl’s Cottage , the residence of Sahl Bruckner and his son Derrik, who have been approached by the Crimson Reapers to smuggle slaves and loot across the stream.

While many of the fishermen keep their heads down and avoid the affairs of the temple, they are keen observers of the criminal dealings at the wharf. Information flows through the fishing cottages almost as well as the river itself, and a shrewd adventurer might be able to glean valuable intelligence if they earn the trust of the locals.

"You don’t survive in Nulb by bein’ brave. You survive by knowin’ when to keep your head down and when to slit a throat."

Adventures and Points of Interest

Below are drop-in hooks tuned to current politics: Selentis runs the civilian side of the docks; Belsornig leans on pirate muscle (Tolub, Vesrek Feldrin (Temple logistics) pulls cargo south by overland to the Hunting Cottage; Romag tries to pry control away via Waterside informants. Use the Wharf to kick parties toward Boatman’s, Waterside, the Stables, Wainwright, and the Cottage.

1) Three Bells, One Crate (Intrigue • Heist)

Premise: A sealed crate lands at midnight and vanishes by dawn. Selentis blames Belsornig’s pirates; Feldrin thinks it was skimmed before his men could take custody.
Objective: Reconstruct the crate’s path (dock → tavern runner → yard cart) and decide: expose the thief, frame a rival, or keep it.
Complication: Two competing “claim forms” appear—one stamped at Boatman’s, one at Waterside.
Payoff: Proof of the overland chain (docks → south run) earns favors with the Constable or Mother Screng.

2) Blue-Hemp Flags (Sabotage • River Games)

Premise: Water-Temple ships fly blue-hemp immunity cords; a bundle of counterfeits just arrived.
Objective: Swap a real cord for a fake (or vice-versa) to steer inspections and seizures.
Complication: Tolub’s spotters know every frayed fiber; getting close will require a diversion in Boatman’s.
Payoff: Belsornig owes a boon—or swears vendetta if you cross him.

3) The Shackled Bargeman (Rescue • Disguise)

Premise: A Rhennee deckhand begs to be smuggled off a pirate barge before Selentis’s men hand him to Temple couriers.
Objective: Hide him through Waterside → Stables → south hedge path, or fake a dockside “pressing” into another crew.
Complication: A Water-Temple tallyman counts heads twice.
Payoff: The Rhennee’s kin share whispers about upriver movements and safe landings.

4) Letters in the Bilge (Heist • Paper Trail)

Premise: Romag’s people are slipping writs through the Wharf to undercut the Water faction.
Objective: Lift, copy, or rewrite a saddle-letter before it rides south.
Complication: Botch it and Romag blames Selentis—expect knives in accounting.
Payoff: Leverage over Earth-vs-Water squabbling; advantage when dealing at the Waterside.

5) Silent Net (Assassination Intercept)

Premise: Smigmal’s killers plan to cut a target during an off-load brawl.
Objective: Learn the “net time,” catch the hit, choose: save the mark, let it happen, or swap the victim.
Complication: The assassin is disguised as a fishmonger’s daughter.
Payoff: Smigmal’s attention—favorable or fatal.

6) Coin Against Current (Crime • Zilchus Play)

Premise: A hush-warded coffer from the Gilded Shackle reaches the pier—blood-ink contracts inside bind pirate captains.
Objective: Steal or rewrite one clause to redirect payments (Selentis <-> Belsornig).
Complication: Breaking the seal risks the Brine’s Drag curse (air turns to water in your lungs).
Payoff: Pirate loyalties tilt for a tenday; Doors open in the Shackle’s back office.

7) “Fresh Hooves” (Stakeout • Pursuit)

Premise: A night convoy arrives light and quiet; Feldrin’s runners will ride the cargo south before midnight.
Objective: Shadow the hand-off through town to learn the real route; hit the column or mark it for later ambush.
Complication: Bugbear pickets sweep crossroads ahead of the riders.
Payoff: A clean line from Wharf → Durnic’s Stablehouse → Hunting Cottage you can exploit later.

8) Smoke on the Pilings (Defense • Set-Piece)

Premise: Fire-Temple scouts plan to torch a rival’s dock shed to hurt Water’s grip.
Objective: Stop the arson—or help it burn—without drawing Feldrin’s wrath.
Complication: Oil bladders, smoke pots, and a backup team with river hooks.
Payoff: Save the shed and Selentis grants easier access; burn it and Belsornig staggers for a night.

9) The Hollow Smile (Infiltration • Wild Coast Past)

Premise: Vesrek moors the Crimson Trader and retires ashore; his cabin holds scarlet-threaded ciphers.
Objective: Board, beat the wards, get the scrolls (or plant a fake).
Complication: Elvanna’s crawlspace from the Brothel to the warehouse makes pursuit immediate.
Payoff: Proof of Brotherhood ties; sell it to Selentis or parlay with Belsornig for “blue-hemp” immunity.

10) Red Daggers, Redder Water (Skirmish • Choice)

Premise: Tolub’s crew claims the night berth; Vesrek’s men arrive early. Knives or coin—your nudge decides.
Objective: Tip the scales with a bribe, sabotage a mooring line, or feed a false harbormaster note.
Complication: Pick the wrong side and you inherit their enemies.
Payoff: The winner owes you—berths, cargo space, or a future favor on the Run.

Fast Table: Where each hook points next

• Boatman’s Tavern/Market: 1, 2, 10
• Waterside & Stables: 3, 4, 7
• Gilded Shackle (Zilchus): 6
• Hunting Cottage (tunnel hub): 7
• Old Mayor’s Manor (Selentis HQ): 1, 4, 6, 9

Tone cue: keep it damp and knife-quiet. The pier smiles like rotten wood—looks sturdy until a boot goes through.

Conclusion

The Wharf Pier of Nulb is a lawless expanse where piracy, smuggling, and illicit commerce thrive under the watchful eyes of the Temple’s agents and bandit lords. Merchants from all walks of life—from honest trappers to villainous slavers—use the docks as a crucial gateway for goods, both legal and forbidden. Beneath the surface, powerful forces vie for control of the trade, each using the docks as a stepping stone for greater ambitions.

For adventurers, the Wharf Pier presents both danger and opportunity. It is a place where secrets are whispered in dark corners, fortunes are made or lost over a single wager, and alliances are forged in blood. Whether they seek to undermine the Temple’s hold on the docks, disrupt the Crimson Reapers’ operations, or simply navigate the treacherous currents of Nulb’s economy, the wharf is a stage set for intrigue, betrayal, and adventure.

Fens of Tor by 3orcs