Faction: Publicly Traditionalist; Loyalist leanings regarding the dwarven mine
Role: Head of the Carpenter’s Guild
Race: Gnome
Alignment: Neutral
NPC Type: Commoner

Appearance

Jilar appears to be in her sixties or older, though with gnomes it is hard to tell. Her long white-gray hair is tied in a messy bun high upon her head, pinned with bits of carved wood and brass.

She wears a worn leather carpenter’s apron over well-made clothes, with small tools tucked into neat pockets: awls, measuring cords, marking knives, chisels, and a tiny mallet polished from use. Several rings decorate each hand, some tasteful, some expensive, all deliberately chosen.

Jilar carries herself with crisp authority. Her snobbishness is real, but it is also armor. As a short-statured older woman commanding a guild of mostly male craftsmen, she has learned to make every word count. She knows the influence she holds in Saltmarsh, and she does not allow others to forget it.

At the Table

• Sharp-tongued, exacting, and impatient with fools.

• Hates small talk; wants people to get to the point.

• Everything revolves around the Carpenter’s Guild. If it affects the guild, she listens.

• Respects craftsmen and artisans, especially woodworkers.

• Reminds people of her influence when they dismiss her.

• Never raises her voice, but can become cold and stern.

Jilar works best as a gatekeeper to guild resources, a source of political pressure, and a keeper of information about wood, forests, craftsmen, and old local secrets.

Overview

Jilar Kanklesten has run the Carpenter’s Guild for as long as most folk in Saltmarsh can remember.

She is sharp-tongued, proud, particular, and increasingly snobbish, especially toward anyone who treats carpentry as common labor rather than skilled craft. Jilar knows the value of her guild and makes certain everyone else knows it too.

While she is neither noble nor council member, Jilar is one of the more influential figures in Saltmarsh. The guild repairs boats, builds barrels, shapes wagons, cuts beams, maintains docks, and now provides timberwork for the dwarven mining operation. Few in town can afford to offend her for long.

Jilar knows every carpenter, cooper, wainwright, boatwright, and woodcarver in Saltmarsh. Need a chest built, a wagon repaired, a fishing boat patched, a shield shaped, or a rare timber identified? Jilar knows who should do the work, who should not, and what it ought to cost.

She is also obsessed with rare woods. Adventurers who bring her unusual timber from the Hool Marshes, the Drowned Forest, the Silverstand, or the Dreadwood may earn both coin and her grudging respect.

Her reputation is simple: respected, fair, and guild first.

Faction Alignment

Jilar publicly remains a Traditionalist. She respects the old families, the older trades, and the independence of Saltmarsh.

However, she has sided with the Loyalists when the issue touches the dwarven mining operation. The mine brings too much work to the Carpenter’s Guild to ignore: carts, braces, crane frames, shaft supports, scaffolds, reinforced doors, and timber sheds.

She is friends with Eda Oweland, though the two often bicker publicly over the Loyalists and the dwarven mine. These arguments are rarely hostile. More often, they are a kind of political theater between two strong-willed women who understand Saltmarsh better than most.

Jilar often wins those arguments. Eda knows the guild’s importance and has no wish to appear openly anti-dwarf.

Jilar also keeps cordial relations with Mafera Ironhand of the Dwarven Anvil, whose craft and skill she greatly respects. The two occasionally share work, materials, and difficult commissions.

Hooks / Use

• Town politics; Jilar can sway working families and guild votes.

• Connection to Eda Oweland and Traditionalist politics.

• Occasional support for Loyalist interests tied to the mine.

• Source of information about the Drowned Forest, Silverstand Forest, Hool Marshes, and Dreadwood.

• Quest giver for rare woods, lost timber, strange trees, or missing woodcutters.

• Source of old lore involving forests, woodcraft, vanished artisans, or unusual carpentry.

• Can introduce characters to craftsmen, shipwrights, coopers, wainwrights, or woodcarvers.

Secrets

Jilar has a younger brother who is a druid and member of the Silverstand Rangers. She rarely speaks of him, partly out of family discretion and partly because the Rangers protect their identities and operations in the Silverstand, Dreadwood, and Drowned Forest. If Jilar trusts the characters and they are bound for Burle or the Silverstand, she may quietly provide an introduction.

On the second floor of the guildhall are two display cases: one holding a fine wood axe, the other a set of old wood chisels. These belonged to Jilar’s father, who was considered one of the finest wood artisans of the Silverstand. The tools are magical and grant a bonus to woodcraft when used. Jilar never reveals this, but if asked to craft something personally, she uses them.

The tools are protected by an invisible glyph of warding. Anyone who removes them without Jilar’s permission triggers the glyph. She keeps the tools in plain sight so others may admire their artistry, but they are her most prized possessions.

Jilar is broadly aware that some of Gellan Primewater’s cargo is not legitimate. She does not know the details and does not ask. Gellan is an important customer of the guild, and unless forced by extraordinary circumstances, she will not betray him..

Harben Tallow

Human Male, Neutral
Wainwright / Cooper

• Broad-shouldered, red-faced, and usually smelling of pitch, ale, and fresh-cut oak.

• Makes barrels, cart wheels, handcarts, fish crates, and wagon repairs.

• Loudly loyal to Jilar, though he grumbles about her prices every day.

Secret: He has been quietly selling extra barrels to smugglers, claiming they are for salted fish.

Elric Vann

Human Male, Neutral
Shipwright

• Tall, weathered, and half-deaf from years of hammering ribs and planks into place.

• Repairs fishing boats, skiffs, dock frames, and small coastal craft.

• Judges people by how they treat their tools.

Secret: He once built a hidden compartment into a boat owned by Gellan Primewater and still remembers exactly where it is.

Mava Quillcut

Halfling Female, Lawful Neutral
Fine Wood Artisan

• Patient, precise, and severe; speaks softly but expects silence while working.

• Makes strongboxes, shields, carved panels, puzzle locks, instrument cases, and delicate joinery.

• Keeps her bench spotless and her blades sharper than most knives.

Secret: She has been asked to build a false-bottom strongbox for someone on the town council.

Tork Bale

Half-Orc Male, Neutral Good
Mill Hand

• Young, strong, and always covered in sawdust.

• Hauls logs, works the saw, stacks planks, and keeps the mill running.

• Knows every creak, jam, and loose board in the guild hall.

Secret: He found strange black-stained wood hidden beneath the lumber pile and is afraid to tell Jilar.