A strangely shaped tower looks out across the Docks. This is the domain of the Dockmaster (male human). This individual—he is known by no other name—maintains all crew and cargo manifests, inspection reports, and ship information that pertains to any craft that enters or leaves Blackrock's Underdocks. When a vessel docks alongside one of the piers or drops anchor offshore, the captain must report to the Dockmaster. Likewise, an officer must check in with him when they are ready to leave. When a merchant delivers a shipment of goods to the Docks, it must be inspected before it can be loaded onto a ship, and cargo must be inspected before being off-loaded. Imperial customs agents conduct these inspections and deliver their reports to the Dockmaster’s Tower. The Dockmaster has the power to refuse any cargo coming or going and can turn away any craft or deny a ship permission to leave. He can even order the Watch to detain any crewmember or officer on board a ship docked in Blackrock for any reason. The Dockmaster is also in charge of the lighthouse on Beacon Island and the staff there.
A severely obese man, the Dockmaster never leaves the top of the tower. He transfers paperwork and messages via a basket on a string outside one window. For anything requiring more, he has a small girl named Secki, age eight, who works for him, delivering messages and bringing him food. Only Secki is allowed into the top of the tower—no one else is permitted. Many people worry that there is something unwholesome about the relationship between the Dockmaster and Secki, but any such suspicions are false. She was a homeless waif when he took her in a few years ago. Now she is well treated and happy.
Campaign Use:
Player characters looking for a specific ship, crewmember, captain, or passenger can come to the Dockmaster’s Tower and, for a small bribe (2 to 5 gp), find out the location of their quarry. Likewise, if PCs need details about any cargo or facts about past comings and goings in the Docks, they can get that information here too, but it requires a larger bribe (probably 10 to 20 gp).