TEXT: Sludge Harbour
  Necromunda Settlement Nominee
  By Alex ...
  The settlement of Sludge Harbour is on the edge of a vast (vast!)
  septic tank system which is fed effluent from up-hive. It is
  believed that Sludge Harbour was originally a farming
  settlement. The effluent from the septic tanks ensured a
  relatively fertile farming environment and fairly bountiful fungus
  harvests. Even today tiny farms and small holdings still make
  limited use of this 'natural' resource. As the farming communities
  grew larger, Guilder Caravans began to detour from older
  established routes to trade. The Caravans attracted outlaws and
  so the settlement grew more centralized for mutual defence and
  a small town sprang up where Sludge Harbour now sits though
  no one knows when the settlement was formally named. The
  settlement truly became an established trade hub when a local
  trader came up with the idea of providing safe transport for the
  caravans by ferrying them across the sludge, safe from outlaws.
  Extensive rebuilding of the 'seafront' area of town yielded
  workable dockyards and ferry-barges were constructed fairly
  easily, the Enforcers moved in and built the first Precinct House
  (now burned out rubble from a particularly
  nasty gas explosion) and then the second
  Precinct House (with better gas venting) as a
  bastion against outlaw predation. Similar
  seafront refurbishments were undertaken at
  other coastal settlements (amongst them, Port
  Stink, Slurry Docks and Slime Cove) and ferry-
  routes were established. These days, caravans
  that make it through to Sludge Harbour
  unmolested may feel relatively safe until they
  set off from the other side of the Sludge Sea. 
  GEOGRAPHY 
  Hazards: Due to the nature of the "sea", the
  atmosphere 
  near 
  the 
  coastline 
  is
  somewhat...robust. Although the locals are
  largely used to the smell, occasional methane
  pockets can pose quite a hazard. Testament to
  this is the wreckage of the first Precinct House
  the Enforcers built. Ignoring local advice, the
  precinct house was built strictly according to
  the standard template. Fortified and sealed
  against attack, the methane build-up was
  inevitable and the subsequent blast was
  severe when one of the prisoners, in a
  moment of relaxation, lit a cigarette. With this
  rather stark demonstration of the validity of
  local knowledge, the second precinct house
  was constructed with certain improvements
  to the template allowing for much better
  ventilation. 
  Methane pockets are not strictly a coastal
  feature and can extend as much as two miles
  from shore depending on the season and
  prevailing 
  wind 
  currents. 
  This 
  makes
  shootouts a decided risky prospect in
  enclosed areas though many gangers seem to
  be too brave (or stupid) to allow such a
  consideration to influence their more violent
  behaviors.
  Housing: The largest single building in the
  settlement is the Precinct House on the
  outskirts of the town. The traders market and
  the Guilders offices are right next to the
  dockyards to make best use of the slave pens.
  Between them and the precinct house is the
  normal mix of housing, rotgut dives and
  workshops that might be found anywhere in
  the underhive, all well ventilated of course.
  
  Landscape: Unsurprisingly, the main landscape feature is the
  Sludge Sea itself. The ferry docks, at first makeshift and
  temporary, have been re-made and repaired many times over the
  years. The settlements maintain a small boatyard for ferry repair
  and construction in the middle of the docks. The Guilder Tariff
  offices are moderate-sized but ostentatiously decorated (by
  comparison to the rest of the settlement) and situated adjacent
  to the docks and the traders market in order to keep tight reign
  on market prices and ferry fares. The traders market is much the
  same as such markets all across the underhive with traders
  offering booze, trinkets and any services a person could think to
  ask for.
  THE INFRASTRUCTURE
  The Law: The law in Sludge Harbour is currently kept solely by
  the Enforcers. There have been watchmen in the past, drawn
  from the local ganger populace, but the enforcers refuse to trust
  any of today's local gangers any further than they could spit,
  (mostly due to the increased frequency of caravan raids) so all
  law enforcement duties are performed by a precinct which finds
  itself stretched incredibly thin. (This in turn leaves more
  opportunities for unscrupulous gangs to take up caravan
  raiding.) 
  There have been no attempts to point out this vicious circle by
  the local populace who rather depend on the nearby Outlaw
  trading post to sell most products of the salvage diving which
  nearly everyone in town has a quiet interest in. 
  Civilian Life: Life here is much the same as elsewhere in the
  underhive for the average Joe, those that aren't employed in the
  various bars and workshops find employment on the ferries in
  some capacity or another or work the farm holdings to feed the
  settlement. Despite the dangers involved, there is a thriving
  cottage industry of salvage diving in an attempt to get rich off the
  artifacts from sunken caravan ferries and other trinkets lost
  overboard. Most people have friends or family who work on the
  caravan ferries and many such trinkets are 'accidentally' lost
  overboard at pre-arranged points to be retrieved later. These
  items will typically be sold at the nearby Outlaw trading post of
  Slayth End to avoid repercussions from irate guilders.
  Gangers and Outlaws: Gangs from all the major houses are
  active in Sludge Harbour. Many of them find employment as
  caravan guards and there is always work to be found in the ferry
  support industries to keep them going when no caravans are
  hiring. The caravans do represent the ultimate temptation for the
  cred-strapped gangs and more than one gang desperate for cash
  has needed to make a swift relocation to Slayth End after finding
  a caravan that was just too weakly guarded to ignore.
  Some few miles along the coast from Sludge Harbour is the
  Outlaw Trading Post of Slayth End. With its largely floating
  population the only permanent feature is the market itself which
  is fed from the proceeds of caravan raids and salvage diving from
  Sludge Harbour. Consequently, the local outlaws maintain quiet
  but cordial relations with their neighbours and confine their
  activities to caravans and gangs, leaving the settlement in peace.
  CAMPAIGN BASICS
  Gang Recruitment, Scenarios and Territories remain the same as
  in Underhive.
  CAMPAIGN GAME MECHANICS
  Methane Pockets and Salvage Diving
  Methane Pockets: Roll a D6 before each battle. On a roll of 1
  this battle is subject to 'Methane Gas' from the Treacherous
  Conditions table in addition to the effects of the normal
  Treacherous Conditions roll. (If the normal T.C. roll is Methane
  Gas then the luckless gangers under the template take two hits.) 
  Amateur Salvage: Any gangers or juves not involved in
  collecting income or going to the Trading Post or assisting a
  heavy may go salvage diving. Leaders and Heavies shouldn't try
  this; they have actual important things to do.
  Roll a D6
  1: The ganger dies horribly. Either eaten by some mutated
  monster or killed off by swimming into a particularly toxic area
  of sludge.
  2-4: The ganger finds nothing of value, but survives.
  5: The ganger finds something worth 10 credits
  6: The ganger finds something worth D6x10 credits
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Alex never gave his second name. However, we do know he is currently running a Necromunda campaign based on his Sludge
  harbour settlement and it’s all going very well!
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Necromunda/03 Necromunda - 2nd Edition (2003)/Settlements/sludge_harbor _ settlement.pdf