In my previous post about Inkarnate, I mentioned Silversand, the fictional realm where my D&D campaign takes place. It’s in Faerun but not part of the official canon, it’s my creation for a low fantasy D&D 5e setting, inspired by the medieval Italian city-states and the Mediterranean region.
Silversand is a city-state on the Sword Coast, with a seaport and trade routes to the continent, named after its white sand of the seaside that sparkles like silver in the moonlight. It’s not as big and famous as Baldur’s Gate or Neverwinter, but prosperous, wealthy, relatively safe and well organized.
The city-state is ruled by the Doge, who is elected by the Council of Fifteen, the most influential representatives of local noble families, merchant houses, churches and guilds. There is an ever-changing balance between these rivalling forces, based on old alliances, feuds and interests. They work with a very practical approach: influence and prestige are defined by the financial contribution to the city’s wealth and by the size of the army one can muster. No-one’s position can be taken for granted in the Council: should an ancient noble family’s power fade, they will lose their seat and influence to a more ambitious and affluent merchant.
Every noble family, guild, merchant or organisation have their insignias or distinctive marks: it might be a badge, a coat of arms, a unique piece of jewellery or garment, but every member is bound to wear it all the time. These insignias identify the individuals as a member of a group, they will enjoy the prestige and the protection of the group, but also show that their organisation is responsible for the deeds of the individual. Anyone without such insignia or mark is either a traveller or an undercover agent up to something that no-one will want to take responsibility for.
The people of Silversand are relatively tolerant and enlightened. Thanks to the busy port and the trade routes to the continent they have seen people and cultures who are different and as good traders, they know that they can trade not just goods but knowledge, ideas and skills. Individuals from other lands are welcome – if they follow the local rules and are skilled in their trade, they can make their fortune here.
Religion is very important, Silversand is massively influenced by a strong theocracy. Almost every deity’s followers and temples are present, but there is no tolerance for demonic cults and religions that require human or humanoid sacrifices. The Inquisition has a fearful reputation, it’s agents are recruited from the most powerful and talented champions of the churches. There is a strong competition in which one can assign the biggest number of inquisitors and who can capture the most heretics. The Inquisition has a huge network of informers. Their symbol is a hammer – “Malleus Maleficarum” or The Hammer of Witches. Due to their fiendish heritage, tieflings are seen with strong suspicion and sooner or later end up in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Magic is welcome in Silversand but the practitioners are closely watched by the Inquisition, many of them work under their supervision and questionable rituals or practices would immediately draw their attention.
Silversand has a long-standing treaty with its Northern neighbour, Nordgulf. The reason behind this is the Inquisition that is equally strong in both states. Nordgulf is more militant than Silversand, because of the frequent raids and campaigns of the barbarian Nordic tribes and the Orcish threat from the East.
On the other hand Bergamsy, the Southern neighbour is more problematic. For some reasons, the Inquisition is not present in Bergamsy and there are rumours of an emerging cult that is very popular among the local nobles.
Silversand has regular conflicts with Bergamsy, a decade of peace is very unusual in this region. The latest larger scale confrontation ended less than a year ago. After almost three years of fighting on land and sea, Bergamsy has lost the mining town of Kahlberg and Silversand has lost the fortified port of Saltbay. After the considerable losses, neither side wanted to invest more into warfare – at least not for now. No formal peace treaty has been made, it’s merely just an unspoken armistice, with guards patrolling the main roads, but the borderland often sees raiding parties.
It’s a fragile peace, a temporary balance of powers, full of tensions and hidden conspiracies. This is where the players have to prove themselves.
Next time, I’ll write more about the history of Silversand and its notable locations.