Saltwind Isle

“The Fisherfolk’s Home”

“The Aether provides. Cast your nets, trust the currents.”

Saltwind Isle - The Fisherfolk’s Home

Quick Reference

Overview

Saltwind Isle is a fishing settlement where families harvest Aether-Fish—strange creatures that swim through the Aether itself, providing protein to supplement Aetherium agriculture. The fisherfolk live simple lives: wake before dawn, deploy nets from small boats, haul catches, process fish, sell at market, repeat.

Their culture is distinct: maritime traditions adapted to zero-gravity Aether, superstitions about Aether-currents, and deep respect for the mysterious creatures they harvest. They view fishing as sacred partnership with the Aether—take only what’s needed, thank the fish, waste nothing.

Life is hard but stable. The community is tight-knit, multi-generational, and resistant to outside influence. They speak their own dialect, follow old customs, and maintain independence despite economic ties to larger settlements.

The island itself is a 400-meter disc of weathered stone and hardy vegetation, perpetually swept by salt-scented winds (hence the name). Wooden docks extend from its edges like fingers reaching into the Aether, where small fishing boats bob in invisible currents. The smell of smoked fish permeates everything. Nets hang everywhere, drying or being mended. Children run barefoot, learning to tie knots before they learn to read.

At dawn, the fleet departs—50 small boats spreading across the Aether like seeds on wind. By midday, they return with catches that shimmer and writhe in nets. By evening, the fish are processed, smoked, and packed for market. By night, the community gathers to mend nets, tell stories, and thank the Voyager for safe passage.

It’s a hard life. But it’s their life. And they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Key Features

The Docks

50 small fishing boats moored at wooden piers:

The Boats: Each family-owned - 6-8 meters long - Single mast with triangular sail - Reinforced hull (Aether-currents are rough) - Nets stored below deck - Named (tradition: never sail unnamed boat)

Boat Names (examples): - Salt’s Blessing (Captain Mara’s flagship) - Dawn’s Promise (Young Torven’s inherited boat) - Grandmother’s Net (oldest boat, 150 years old, still seaworthy) - Second Chance (rebuilt after storm damage)

The Moorings: Wooden posts and ropes - Boats secured when not fishing - Constant maintenance (wood warps in Aether) - Children’s job: Check moorings daily

The Launching: Dawn ritual - Entire fleet departs together - Prayers to Voyager - Children wave from shore - Return by midday (longer = worried families)

The Processing Sheds

Where catches become food:

Cleaning Station: First stop - Fish gutted, scaled, filleted - Waste composted (nothing wasted) - Blood and guts attract scavenger birds (Sky-Rats, Cloud-Hoppers) - Messy, smelly, essential work

Smoking Racks: Preservation method - Ironwood smoke (best flavor) - Takes 6-8 hours - Smoked fish lasts months - Most of catch is smoked (fresh fish is luxury)

Salting Vats: Alternative preservation - Fish packed in salt - Lasts longer than smoked - Less flavorful - Used for long-distance trade

Ice House: Rare luxury - Small amount of ice harvested from cold-current areas - Keeps fresh fish for market day - Expensive to maintain - Only for premium catches

The Workers: Mostly women and elders - Men fish, women process (traditional division) - Elders teach techniques - Children help (learning trade) - Everyone works (no idle hands)

The Fish Market

Daily commerce with outside world:

Market Day: Three times per week - Merchant ships arrive from Skyport Eos, Ironhold, Floating Market - Fresh and preserved fish sold - Prices negotiated (Captain Mara handles this) - Cash economy (coins, not barter)

Prices (current, Year 287 S.): - Fresh Aether-Fish: 2 coins per kg - Smoked Aether-Fish: 3 coins per kg (preserved = premium) - Salted Aether-Fish: 2.5 coins per kg - Rare species (Void-Whale meat, if caught): 20+ coins per kg

The Pressure: Guild wants lower prices - Claim fish too expensive - Threaten to source elsewhere - Fisherfolk resist (prices are fair) - Tension growing

Quality: Saltwind fish are premium - Fresh (caught that morning) - Well-preserved (expert smoking) - Sustainable harvest (population management) - Reputation matters

The Captain’s Hall

Community center and meeting place:

Structure: Largest building on island - Wooden construction (ironwood beams) - Central fireplace (always burning) - Long tables (communal meals) - Walls covered in fishing memorabilia

Functions: - Council Meetings: Captains decide community matters - Celebrations: Weddings, festivals, successful catches - Mourning: Funerals for lost fishers - Storytelling: Elders share wisdom - Net Mending: Evening communal work

The Captain’s Council: Democratic leadership - All boat captains vote - Captain Mara elected leader (respected by all) - Decisions require majority - Disputes settled here

The Walls: History in objects - Nets from first catch (207 years ago) - Harpoons from legendary Void-Whale hunt - Names of lost fishers carved in wood - Maps of best fishing grounds (secret, guarded)

The Sea-Shrine

Chapel dedicated to Constellation of the Voyager:

Structure: Small but beautiful - Open-air (roof but no walls) - Facing east (toward Bright Reaches) - Altar made from driftwood - Constellation symbol carved everywhere

Services: Weekly and special occasions - Dawn prayers before fishing - Blessing of the Nets (annual festival) - Funerals for lost fishers - Thanksgiving after good catches

The Priest: Elder Salis (75) - Former fisher (retired after injury) - Knows every prayer, every tradition - Respected spiritual leader - Worried about declining catches (sees it as divine warning)

Offerings: Fish-related - First catch of day (returned to Aether) - Nets (old nets hung as offerings) - Carved fish (children make these) - Prayers for safe passage

Other Features

The Homes: Simple but sturdy - Wooden construction - Small (families are close) - Shared walls (warmth, community) - Roofs weighted (wind is constant)

The Schoolhouse: Basic education - Reading, writing, arithmetic - Navigation, knot-tying, weather-reading - Taught by Elder Marna (former teacher from Eos) - Most children leave school at 12 (join fishing crews)

The Smokehouse: Community facility - Larger than processing sheds - Used for bulk smoking - Shared resource - Maintained collectively

The Cemetery: Small plot - Few graves (most fishers lost at sea) - Memorial stones for the lost - Flowers planted (rare, precious) - Quiet place for reflection

Notable Residents

Captain Mara Windnet

Age: 55
Role: Fleet leader, elected Captain of Captains
Boat: Salt’s Blessing

Background: Born on Saltwind, third-generation fisher. Inherited boat from father at 18. Became captain at 30. Elected fleet leader at 45 (unprecedented—first woman to hold position).

Skills: - Knows Aether-currents intimately (can predict fish movements) - Expert negotiator (handles all merchant dealings) - Respected leader (fair, firm, wise) - Master net-mender (teaches technique)

Personality: - Calm under pressure - Protective of community - Suspicious of outsiders (Guild especially) - Deeply traditional but pragmatic

Current Conflict: Declining catches threaten community survival. Guild pressures for lower prices. She must balance tradition with adaptation.

Quote: “The Aether provides. But we must listen when it speaks.”

Young Torven Saltborn

Age: 16
Role: Apprentice fisher
Boat: Dawn’s Promise (inherited from grandfather)

Background: Orphaned at 12 (parents lost in storm). Raised by community. Inherited grandfather’s boat at 15. Youngest boat captain in Saltwind history.

Skills: - Natural navigator (instinctive understanding of currents) - Brave (reckless, elders say) - Quick learner - Curious (dangerous trait for fisher)

Personality: - Restless, ambitious - Questions traditions - Wants to explore beyond traditional grounds - Doesn’t understand why elders are cautious

Discovery: Found strange structure in deep current (artificial? Pre-Shattering? Dangerous?)

Conflict: Wants to investigate structure. Elders forbid it (too dangerous). He’s considering going anyway.

Quote: “The old fishing grounds are dying. Maybe the answer is out there, where no one’s looked.”

Old Salt (Kaelis Deepwater)

Age: 83 (oldest resident)
Role: Storyteller, historian, retired fisher
Former Boat: Grandmother’s Net (now sailed by great-grandson)

Background: Born Year 204 S. Fished for 65 years. Retired at 80 (arthritis). Remembers when catches were twice current size. Witnessed three mega-storms. Lost two children to the Aether.

Skills: - Living history (remembers 60+ years of fishing) - Storyteller (keeps oral traditions alive) - Weather-reader (can predict storms by smell) - Wise (experience teaches)

Personality: - Melancholy (seen too much loss) - Protective of youth - Worried about future - Believes in old ways

The Deep Schools Legend: Claims massive fish schools exist in dangerous deep currents. No one believes him (senile old man, they say). But he insists he saw them, 40 years ago.

Prophecy: “The fish will leave. Then we all starve. The Aether is warning us. We’re not listening.”

Quote: “I’ve seen the Aether give, and I’ve seen it take. Lately, it’s taking more than giving.”

Other Notable Residents

Elder Salis (75): Priest, former fisher, spiritual leader

Elder Marna (62): Teacher, from Skyport Eos originally, educated the children

Young Kira (14): Torven’s friend, wants to be first woman captain (after Mara)

Harvin the Mender (50): Master net-maker, best in Aetherium

Dara Saltwind (28): Processing shed leader, efficient, no-nonsense

Society

Culture and Traditions

Maritime Heritage: Adapted from pre-Shattering coastal cultures - Boat-naming ceremonies (never sail unnamed vessel) - Net-blessing rituals (before first use) - Storm-prayers (Voyager protection) - Fishing songs (work rhythms, passed down generations)

Superstitions (taken very seriously): - Never whistle on boat (summons storms) - Always thank first catch (return to Aether with prayer) - Mend nets by constellation-light only (daylight mending = bad luck) - Never speak of good catch before returning (jinx) - Red sky at dawn = stay in port - Three Cloud-Hoppers circling = someone will be lost

Family Structure: Multi-generational - Boats inherited (father to child, usually eldest) - Extended families live together - Community raises orphans - Elders respected, consulted - Children work from age 8

Social Organization: Egalitarian but hierarchical - Captain’s Council makes decisions - All boat captains have equal vote - Fleet leader (Captain Mara) coordinates but doesn’t command - Disputes settled by council - Wealth relatively equal (no one rich, no one starving)

Gender Roles: Traditional but evolving - Men typically fish, women typically process - Exceptions exist (Captain Mara broke tradition) - Children learn both roles - Competence matters more than gender (pragmatism)

Economy

Primary Income: Fish sales - 3 market days per week - Merchants from Skyport Eos, Ironhold, Floating Market - Cash transactions (coins) - Prices negotiated by Captain Mara

Income Distribution: Communal system - Each boat keeps 60% of catch value - 40% goes to community fund - Community fund pays for: Maintenance, supplies, support for sick/injured, festivals

Standard of Living: Modest but stable - No one wealthy - No one starving (community supports all) - Simple homes, simple food - Wealth measured in boats, nets, reputation

Trade Relationships: - Skyport Eos: Primary customer (largest market) - Ironhold: Secondary (military needs protein) - Floating Market: Occasional (exotic goods trade) - Guild: Tense (pressure for lower prices)

Challenges

The Decline: Most serious threat - Catches dropping 5% annually for 20 years - Total decline: ~65% from peak - Cause unknown (theories: overfishing, Aether changes, Rot, fish migration) - Community survival threatened

Youth Exodus: Young people leaving - Opportunities elsewhere (Eos, Ironhold) - Fishing life is hard - Declining catches = uncertain future - Community aging (fewer young fishers)

Market Pressure: Guild economic warfare - Demands lower prices - Threatens to source fish elsewhere - Claims Saltwind prices too high - Fisherfolk resist (prices are fair, barely profitable)

Isolation: Geographic and cultural - Distant from major settlements - Insular culture (outsiders not trusted) - Traditions clash with modern Aetherium - Risk of being left behind

Secrets

The Deep Schools

Old Salt’s legend: Massive fish schools in dangerous deep currents.

His Story: 40 years ago (Year 247 S.), storm blew him off course. Found himself in deep current, far from traditional grounds. Saw schools so large they darkened the Aether. Fish everywhere. Paradise.

The Problem: Current was violent, nearly killed him. Barely escaped. Never found it again.

Community Response: Dismiss as senile old man’s fantasy. But some wonder: What if he’s right?

Torven’s Interest: Wants to search for Deep Schools. Elders forbid it (too dangerous).

The Decline

Catches dropping 5% annually for 20 years. Total decline: ~65% from peak.

Data: Meticulously recorded - Year 267 S.: Average catch 100kg per boat per day - Year 287 S.: Average catch 35kg per boat per day - Trend: Accelerating

Theories:

Overfishing: Community harvesting too much - Problem: Catches declining despite reduced fishing - Fisherfolk practice sustainable harvest - Doesn’t explain acceleration

Aether Changes: Currents shifting, fish migrating - Problem: No evidence of current changes - Fish populations declining, not relocating

Rot Influence: Corruption affecting fish - Problem: No Rot near Saltwind - Fish show no corruption signs

Natural Cycle: Fish populations fluctuate - Problem: 20-year decline is long for cycle - No historical precedent

Something Eating Them: Predator population explosion - Problem: No evidence of increased predators - But Torven’s structure discovery raises questions

Truth: Unknown. Community terrified.

Torven’s Discovery

Young Torven found strange structure in deep Aether-current.

Description: Metallic, geometric, artificial - Not natural formation - Not Sky-Island fragment - Covered in strange symbols - Emits faint hum (felt, not heard)

Location: Deep current, 20km from Saltwind - Dangerous to reach - Violent currents - No one else has seen it

Questions: - Pre-Shattering technology? - Something else? - Connected to declining fish? - Dangerous?

Torven’s Plan: Return with equipment, investigate properly

Elders’ Response: Absolutely forbidden (too dangerous)

The Conflict: Torven will go anyway. Everyone knows it.

In-World Documents

Fisher’s Prayer (Dawn Ritual)

Voyager of endless paths,
Guide our boats through Aether’s depths.
Grant us fish to feed our kin,
Bring us safely home again.

We thank the Aether for its gift,
We honor fish that we will lift.
We take only what we need,
We waste nothing in our greed.

Protect us from the storm and fall,
Return us to our loved ones all.
By your eight-pointed star we swear,
To fish with honor, skill, and care.

Captain Mara’s Log

Day 134, Year 287 S.

Another poor catch. 28kg total. Barely enough to cover costs.

The Guild merchant offered 1.5 coins per kg. I refused. He threatened to source elsewhere. I said good luck finding fish this fresh.

He’ll be back. He always comes back. Our fish are the best.

But how long can we hold out? Catches keep dropping. Prices stay the same. Costs rise.

Old Salt says the fish are leaving. Young Torven says we need to search new grounds. Elder Salis says it’s divine punishment.

I don’t know what it is. But I know this: if catches keep dropping, Saltwind dies.

We’ve survived 207 years. We’ll survive this. Somehow.

The Aether provides. It has to.

Torven’s Journal

Entry 47, Year 287 S.

I found it again. The structure. Same location, same hum, same symbols.

I got closer this time. Touched it. Cold. Metal, I think. Definitely artificial.

The symbols… I’ve never seen writing like that. Not Old Luminar. Not Star-Script. Something else.

And the fish. There were fish near it. Lots of fish. More than I’ve seen in years.

What if Old Salt is right? What if the Deep Schools are real? What if they’re near this structure?

I have to investigate. I have to know.

Captain Mara will forbid it. The elders will forbid it. Everyone will say it’s too dangerous.

But if I don’t try, we all starve anyway.

I’m going back. With equipment. With witnesses, if anyone will come.

If I don’t return… tell Kira I’m sorry.

Old Salt’s Story (Told at Captain’s Hall)

Gather ’round, children. Let me tell you about the Deep Schools.

Forty years ago, I was young. Stupid. Brave. A storm caught me, blew me far from home. Deep currents, violent, terrifying.

I thought I’d die. But then… the Aether cleared. And I saw them.

Fish. Everywhere. Schools so large they darkened the void. Thousands. Millions. Paradise.

I filled my nets in minutes. More fish than I’d caught in a year. Then the current shifted, and I barely escaped with my life.

I’ve searched for 40 years. Never found it again.

You think I’m senile. Maybe I am. But I know what I saw.

The Deep Schools are real. And if we don’t find them, we die.

That’s my story. Believe it or don’t. But remember: the Aether gives, and the Aether takes.

Lately, it’s taking more than giving.

Fishing Song (Work Rhythm)

Haul the nets, haul them high,
Silver fish beneath the sky,
Thank the Aether, thank the sea,
Bring them home for family.

Pull together, pull as one,
Work until the day is done,
Strong our backs and strong our hands,
Fisherfolk of Saltwind lands.

Storm may come and storm may go,
Currents shift both high and low,
But we endure, we always do,
Salt and wind and Aether blue.

Quest Hooks

1. The Deep Schools Expedition: Guide Old Salt and Torven to legendary fishing grounds. Dangerous currents, uncertain destination, community’s last hope.

2. The Decline Investigation: Determine why catches are dropping. Research mission, interview fishers, analyze data, discover uncomfortable truth.

3. The Price War: Mediate between fisherfolk and Guild. Economic conflict, both sides have valid points, resolution affects community survival.

4. The Monster Hunt: Unusually large Aether-Fish attacking boats. Hunt it down, protect fleet, discover why it’s aggressive.

5. The Structure Mystery: Investigate Torven’s discovery. Pre-Shattering technology? Dangerous? Connected to declining fish? Answers might be worse than questions.

6. The Storm Rescue: Fleet caught in unexpected Aether-Storm. Rescue mission, time-sensitive, lives at stake.

7. The Blessing Festival: Participate in annual Blessing of the Nets. Cultural immersion, meet community, witness traditions, potential quest hooks emerge.

8. The Poacher Problem: Stop illegal fishing in Saltwind waters. Black Sky Cartel involvement? Protect community resources, navigate dangerous politics.

9. The Migration Tracking: Fish populations shifting. Track movement, determine destination, possibly relocate community if necessary.

10. Old Salt’s Prophecy: “The fish will leave, then we all starve.” Is he right? Can it be prevented? Time is running out.

Related Topics

• The Bright Reaches - Region where Saltwind is located
• Outland Clans - Fisherfolk culture
• Aether-Fish - What they harvest
• Constellation of the Voyager - Patron constellation
• Sky-Guild - Economic pressure source
• Skyport Eos - Primary market

“The Aether gives, the Aether takes. We just try to catch what passes between.”
—Captain Mara Windnet

“The old fishing grounds are dying. Maybe the answer is out there, where no one’s looked.”
—Young Torven Saltborn

“I’ve seen the Aether give, and I’ve seen it take. Lately, it’s taking more than giving.”
—Old Salt (Kaelis Deepwater)