Marleaux Coastal Municipality

Marleaux Coastal Municipality is a windswept stretch of Verrowind’s southern shoreline, defined by its rugged cliffs, quiet coves, and fishing communities bound together by tradition and secrecy. Once a thriving maritime hub, the municipality has seen its golden era fade. Tourism has dwindled, maritime trade is a shadow of its former self, and smuggling — an old undercurrent of the region — has found new life. Today, the municipality balances fragile economic stability with an unspoken code of self-reliance, even as the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) begins to take an interest in its hidden dealings.

The City of Marleaux

At the center of the municipality lies Marleaux, a city of 40,000 residents that carries the melancholy air of a coastal retreat past its prime. Seafront Promenade, once lined with bustling resorts and seafood restaurants, now sits quiet, its pastel façades faded by salt winds. A few family-run eateries hold on, catering to locals and the occasional traveler. Fisherman’s Wharf remains the beating heart of the city, where tight-knit crews bring in the daily catch and guard their waters fiercely against outside interference. Clifftop Estates, a neighborhood of grand homes with sweeping ocean views, tells a different story — many of its mansions now stand empty, repurposed into boarding houses or left to crumble.

Politics in Marleaux are tense, with local leadership caught between attracting outside investment and appeasing long-standing community networks. The SCU’s presence is met with cautious neutrality; while some quietly hope their investigations might curb organized crime, others worry about the disruption to entrenched local systems.

Surrounding Towns and Coastal Villages

Saltmere
A small fishing village of just 1,200 residents, Saltmere is known for its salt pans, lantern-lit nights, and annual Salt Harvest Festival — a celebration blending work, superstition, and community pride. Folklore speaks of sea spirits who bless the harvest, and many locals still follow the old rituals before each season. While generally supportive of the SCU if it means reducing smuggler influence, villagers are wary of anything that might harm their delicate fishing economy.

Driftwood Cove
Nestled in a secluded bay, Driftwood Cove’s population of 900 lives by the tides and the stories carried on them. The village is steeped in shipwreck lore and rumors of pirate ancestry, with workshops dedicated to boatbuilding and annual memorials for lost sailors. Residents are fiercely self-reliant, often keeping their affairs private from outsiders. Publicly neutral toward the SCU, local leaders quietly resist external investigations that might unearth old secrets.

Blackharbor
Built into the cliffs, Blackharbor is a hard-edged port town of 2,200 people with a reputation for defiance. Known for its black stone quarries and the unsanctioned Blackrock Regatta — a dangerous, high-stakes boat race — the town thrives on a mix of legitimate trade and whispered maritime deals. Its annual “Night of No Lights” sees the entire harbor plunged into darkness to honor seafarers lost at sea. Locals are openly hostile to SCU involvement, preferring to settle disputes on their own terms, no matter how murky.

Economy, Politics, and Social Fabric

Economically, Marleaux relies on Saltmere’s seafood production and discreet coastal trade with Driftwood Cove. Tourism lingers in small forms — seasonal bed-and-breakfast stays, coastal hiking, and heritage tours — but the dominant economic forces are fishing, quarry work, and, unofficially, smuggling routes that trace back generations. Politically, Saltmere pushes for environmental protections to preserve its waters, Driftwood Cove keeps to itself, and Blackharbor maintains a defiant independence. Festivals and seafaring traditions bring the communities together, fostering bonds that transcend municipal politics.

Law and Order

Law enforcement falls under the Marleaux Coastal Constabulary, a small, maritime-focused police force operating with outdated equipment and limited manpower. Their jurisdiction covers Marleaux, Saltmere, and Driftwood Cove, but their authority is often challenged by informal community “codes.” Superintendent Corentin Faure treads a careful line between cooperating with the SCU and avoiding backlash from influential local figures tied to the coast’s shadow economy.

Media and Public Voice

The Verrowind Herald, a province-wide newspaper known for its anti-corruption reporting, covers the municipality’s larger controversies, while local gossip and coastal news are shared informally at harbors, markets, and festivals. No dedicated municipal newspaper exists, and much of the area’s public discourse flows by word of mouth.

Infrastructure and Landmarks

The municipality is connected by Coastal Route C2, a winding road that links Marleaux to Driftwood Cove. While there are no rail lines, maritime travel remains vital for trade and commuting. A prominent landmark is Fort Blackmoor, a decommissioned military fort perched above Marleaux Bay, long rumored to be a stash site for smugglers. The surrounding coastline offers dramatic cliffside views, hidden inlets, and beaches that shift with the tides — some of which have never been charted on official maps.