Bet-Marim

Type: Fishing Village
Region: Southern Canaan, Egyptian sphere of influence
Distance from Ashkelon: ~6 miles south along the coast
Population: ~150-200 people

Overview

Bet-Marim (Canaanite: "House of the Bitter Waters") is a small fishing village clinging to the rocky coastline south of Ashkelon. The village takes its name from a nearby brackish spring that emerges near the shore—undrinkable, but useful for certain preservation techniques and considered sacred to local tradition.

Too small to merit Egyptian administrative attention, Bet-Marim exists in the cracks of empire—Canaanite in culture and language, but shaped by proximity to Egyptian power. Its people know how to be useful without being noticed.

Geography

The village sits on a slight rise above a small cove with a rocky beach. A single dirt track connects it to the Coastal Road a mile inland. The coastline here is rockier than at Ashkelon, making it less suitable for large-scale trade but providing natural formations useful for drying nets and salting fish.

Key Features:

• The Bitter Spring - brackish water source, considered mildly sacred
• The Cove - small anchorage, suitable for fishing boats and small coastal vessels
• Drying Fields - racks and low stone walls for preserving fish
• The Headland - rocky outcrop to the south, good vantage point

Economy

Primary: Fishing—mostly smaller fish, some shellfish
Secondary: Salt production, dried fish for inland trade
Trade: Limited. A trader from Tel Ashdod comes through monthly; occasionally coastal merchants stop for water or minor repairs.

The village produces enough to feed itself with some surplus for trade, but wealth is scarce. Most families survive season to season. A bad storm or failed catch can mean hunger.

Culture & Governance

Bet-Marim is Canaanite in culture—language, customs, and religious practice. The people honor local gods and spirits, particularly those associated with the sea and the bitter spring.

Leadership: A council of village elders makes communal decisions. Respected families, successful fishermen, and the village's senior craftspeople form this informal body.

Religion:

• Small shrine to Yamm (sea god) near the cove
• Offerings at the Bitter Spring
• Occasional visits from priests traveling between larger temples
• Awareness of Egyptian gods through proximity to Ashkelon, but not primary worship

Campaign Role

Bet-Marim is the starting location for The Wine-Dark Sea - First Sessions Plan. The player characters are villagers—likely young adults or established fishermen—making their first venture into trade beyond the village's normal horizons.

Key Plot Points:

• PCs' first trading voyage will be to Ashkelon
• The village elders will discover an Egyptian shipwreck with valuable—and dangerous—cargo (including canopic jars from someone important)
• The village will look to the PCs to help dispose of these goods through their new Ashkelon contacts

The village represents home, safety, and innocence—before the PCs become entangled in the dangerous world of Bronze Age trade politics.

Notable NPCs

(To be developed during play)

The village elders and key family heads will emerge as the campaign begins.

Connections

• Ashkelon - 6 miles north, primary market town and trade destination
• Coastal Road - 1 mile inland, connects to larger trade networks
• Gaza - ~20 miles south, Egyptian administrative center
• The Wine-Dark Sea - parent campaign