Adding to the Silent Sail
The Eye on the Realms article THE SILENT SAIL, written by Ed Greenwood and published in Dungeon 185(1) gives a bare bones description for six of the eleven members of a Marsember-based cabal of merchants, known collectively as the Silent Sail.
The entries were written this way so Dungeon Masters could expand them to suit the needs of their campaign. In order to help my fellow DMs, I have done the work of adding supplemental information to each merchant entry, along with edits for the sake of readability.
The Silent Sail cabal of Marsember can be used in pretty much any era of the Realms. They all have known each other for years, and each runs at least one fleet of merchant vessels (several of which are conveniently registered under false Sembian ownership). The six listed below are the most dominant of the eleven merchants who are members of the Silent Sail trading cabal. None are noble. None hail from rich, old-money families.(2)
Omborr “Moonbelly” Moumbelrow
A fat, stupid-looking man (his face looks like that of a child—a very sleepy child) with massive shoulders and forearms and two dangling wisps of mustache. He has become very wealthy by following his firm belief that coin is best made by improving wares: the nicest packaging, the right amount, the attached accessory (if selling a powdered spice, include a tiny scoop for dispensing it; if selling wine-flasks, make sure they have an attached drinking-cup). Omborr lives on the mainland portion of Marsember and rarely travels to its islands, preferring to send trusted agents or errand runners instead. Omborr envisions a small fleet of luxuriously appointed vessels for ferrying guests to ports of call in Sembia. He thinks such a fleet could serve as lucrative (if temporary) rooming houses in the winter months.
Naskbryn Hallort
A thin, quiet, and spartan man with sad-eyes and a droopy mustache. Naskbryn has mastered looking tired and beaten, and can shift from the role of proud, influential wares trader to down-to-his-last-coin merchant in an instant. He believes in patiently growing richer by achieving little concessions in every deal (I sell you X for Y coins and get access to Z, or: I’ll sell you A for B coins if you let me buy your C and sell them to no one else located in Selgaunt). Naskbryn banks these extra coins in Morningmist Hall for safekeeping. He owns three hulking boats useful for bulk shipping common goods no pirate would care to steal.
Drarra Jamrathrar
A wrinkled and stooped onetime beauty who began as a bedmate-for-hire and later made much coin procuring and pandering. She believes making patrons feel favored is the road to riches, and works to build loyalties so clients always turn to her first. Her fleet of trading cogs ship mustard and ales to Inner Sea ports, and return with raw materials for Cormyrean crafters. Those same vessels depart with mistresses and brightlads who’ve fallen out of Drarra’s favor or incurred her wrath. Drarra’s factors (trade agents) are tasked with finding “that which is yearned for most” by her clients. She rewards her factors handsomely when they return to Marsember with such an item. She never asks how they obtained it.
Targrith “Tightcoins” Ambarthen
A balding merchant, with a long, straight nose, bristling black brows, and hard-staring black eyes. A swift-witted, cunning man who thinks ahead and looks for the unseen factor or the new angle or wrinkle. Taciturn, but a dominant man, a leader. Targrith is primarily interested in infiltrating Cormyrean and Sembian inspectors and courtiers before the Silent Sail gets investigated. To that end, he has placed agents inside the King’s Tower and is working to install his spies in the Royal Court, in Suzail, and amongst Sembian tax officials (called
scrutaars) in Saerloon. Targrith believes there is coin to be made in matchmaking couples, but has made no headway in convincing the other members of the Sail to pursue his idea further.
Ruldragon “Ruldo” Sammurth
A red-haired, restless, handsome, jovial and loud merchant. Ruldo is always merrily chasing young lasses, gambling (small, carefully-limited amounts), and buying flashy new clothes to wear. His laughter and flamboyance hides a calculating and ruthless mind; he likes to be swift and decisive. Ruldo keeps a small, secret-even-from-the-Sail band of professional killers who work on improving poisons at the same time as they develop new scents and sauces. Ruldo believes the future lies in scents that can temporarily adorn the skin with hues and “sheens” (sparkles, etc.) when applied. His fleet imports all manner of ingredients for making and mixing the cooking sauces and perfumes he sells by the crate to eager buyers in Suzail, Arabel, and the Dales.
Sacrask Hammerslyn
A nasal, snapping, sarcastic pessimist who is swift to mock and mimic. He never forgets a name or face, and knows most active merchants in the Dragon Coast region. Sacrask believes big money is to be made not by selling specific goods but by mastering timing: always have the right wares for sale in the right place at the right time, so prices can be high while buyers remain grateful and not complaining of being “purse-tugged.” Unfortunately, Sacrask has thrice been beaten by rivals with faster boats (and, Sacrask suspects, better information). He’s actively searching for spies among the Silent Sail, but hasn’t (yet) found out which of the other ten members have betrayed him. His ships ply the waters of the Dragonmere, fast-sailing cargoes to market in Teziir and Westgate. They take on stolen cargo, then “burnish” it by altering or erasing merchant marks, foil stamps and brands, and forging manifests (so a crate belonging to one merchant appears to be owned by another) for the return trip to Marsember.(3)
I hope this article is of use to you, be it for your D&D campaign or for your own headcanon. Thanks for reading.
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1
Wizards of the Coast mistakenly published the December 2010 issue of Dragon Magazine as number 184.
2
For DMs playing in 1479 DR or later, any one of these merchants could secretly be a member of the highly influential Spice Lords of Marsember.
3
By way of comparison, here is Sacrask’s original entry:
A nasal, snapping, sarcastic pessimist who is swift to mock and mimic. Never forgets a name or face, and knows most active merchants in the Dragon Coast region. Believes big money is to be made not by selling specific goods but by mastering timing: always have the right wares for sale in the right place at the right time, so prices can be high but buyers grateful, not complaining of being “purse-tugged.”
