West Docks

"Cargo, crates, and the part of the river that bites."

Known For: heavy freight, ship repair, long-haul barges, rough labor, fewer questions
Vibe: harsher than South Docks, louder, and more openly transactional

West Docks is where Turnbuckle moves weight. Bigger barges. Heavier loads. More muscle. Less ceremony. The water smells different here—more oil, more rot, more riverweed crushed under hulls. If South Docks is about arrivals, West Docks is about extraction.

This district handles the freight that keeps the town running: timber, stone, ore, salt, barrels of lamp oil, crates of dried food. It’s also where things get “lost” on the ledger. Not because the workers are sloppy, but because the system was built to allow it.

West Docks is rough on outsiders. Adventurers sometimes come here looking for cheap passage, cheap labor, or cheap trouble. They usually find all three. But there’s competence here too. The best boatwrights in Turnbuckle can patch a hull in a day. The strongest crews can unload a barge in an hour. And when West Docks says the river is unsafe, it usually is.

If the Dewmist River has teeth, West Docks is where it shows them.

Landmarks - The freight cranes (creaking wood and loud commands) - The dry yards (boat repair and tar smell) - The Barge Inns (cheap drinks, tougher patrons)

Rumors & Hooks - Dockworkers are disappearing during fog surges—one per week.