The story goes like this:

Not so long ago, within the span of a few human lifetimes, sailors returned to the ports of Belarra with tales of phantom ships. They appeared in the light of the full moon, distant and regal, trailing silvery foam and bone-white coral in their wake — or so the telling went. Such rumors had little time to take root before those foreign ships arrived in those Belarran ports, bearing wondrous goods in trade: vibrant blue cloth, metal masterworks, and salt.

Once, salt was thought rare on the continent of Belarra, but you have never known such a time. When the people of Aestus finally ventured beyond the shelter of the White Bay, they brought with them the goods at the heart of their civilization, and none was more dear or more abundant than salt. Indeed, the first diplomats to visit Aestus were astounded by what they saw: a river that flowed up into the mountains, salt encrusting everything it touched.

By the time of your birth, the salt trade had forged Aestus into a kingdom of immense wealth and influence, and explorers had begun seeking more direct routes into the region. One such explorer, Ixone, discovered a viable mountain pass for caravan travel just thirty years ago. This is the pass that you now journey through, seeking your own prosperity in the Saltlands.