Settlements

This section gives advice on the creation and population of settlements and cities by the GM. An entire campaign may occur in a single city, or the players might avoid all signs of civilization whatsoever. Either way, settlements will likely factor into a campaign in some fashion, and the depth in which they need to be built and described is up to the GM.

**Small Settlements and Villages**

The smallest settlements will be primarily farming communities, gathered around some communal center. While some farmers may live further out in farmsteads, the interest of safety often has these communities arising, as the world is dangerous, and there is safety to be found in numbers. There will likely be only one or two professionals in the community, likely a blacksmith and some kind of general store, with all other items made by the farmers themselves for their own consumption. There might be a proper inn, or one farmer might open their house and their own homebrew to friends and travelers for some extra coin. None of these people will have much in the way of treasure or riches, and will likely not care much for adventurers staying long, unless there is some problem that needs to be dealt with. Settlements of this size might be walled if they are near the edge of civilized territory, but more often are internal, and so go without walls. They will swear allegiance to some petty local lord, who lives several days travel away, and who never visits, but merely sends representatives once a year to collect taxes. These settlements consist of 20-50 inhabitants.

Proper villages are slightly larger, and have more amenities. They likely have a town wall, and a handful of guards, most of whom are also peasants themselves. The farmers mostly live inside the wall, and work plots of land near the town center; with those living outside being able to retreat within for protection in the event of an attack. The villages in more civilized areas are less likely to be so centralized, but many will still have walls behind which most of the population can retreat. The town will have an inn, a blacksmith, and possibly several small stores or professionals, such as a brewer, miller, or vintner. A village of this size is under the protection and nominal rule of a lord, but the lord likely does not live there. Villages of this size will usually have one temple, and a full-time cleric who works there. Some of the wealthier residents in the town might have stashes of gold, but their personal troves will generally not exceed 500 gp. These settlements consist of 60-300 inhabitants.

The largest villages are those directly connected to or surrounding the keeps of minor lords. The village is likely walled, and might be entirely contained within the confines of the curtain wall of the lord’s keep. This village is ruled directly by the lord of the keep, and has many more amenities due to the presence of the keep. There will be an inn in the village, but visitors of great importance may be invited to stay in the keep itself. The village will include a blacksmith, a temple, one or two inns, a merchant’s guildhouse if it is located on a trade route, a bank, and several other kinds of merchants, like those listed above. This village will have a guard force provided by the lord. Villages of this size can also occur as mining settlements, and are built above or adjacent to the active mine. Mining settlements might or might not have a lord and keep, and will sometimes import food. Settlements of this size have between 300 and 800 inhabitants.

**Towns**

Mid sized settlements such as towns have more people in them than villages, and almost always have nobility of some kind living in them. Towns will have a wider variety of merchants living in them, and will often have a minor industry of some kind, such as a mine or fishing. A town will boast numerous merchants, and a variety of inns, which will differ in class. The party might be able to buy or sell some rare items here, depending on which merchants live there or pass through. There will be a merchant’s guild-house in town, and there can be a thieves’ guild as well. Towns will have a permanent, professional guard, and many will have defensive walls of some kind. Towns have between 1000 and 10,000 inhabitants.

**Cities**

Cities come in varying sizes and types, based on the species and cultures which inhabit them. Some things are common between them though, and these are presented here to use as a basis for building cities. Nobility, especially high nobles, will live in cities, and the ruler of a land will reside in the capital city. Cities will usually boast every kind of shop, and here rare and expensive things may be bought and sold. The city will have agriculture of its own, and will also likely have several industries, such as large foundries or breweries. A city will have a guard force, and may also serve as an army base. There will be various persons in the city with class levels, and the city will likely boast numerous guilds and other institutions, a sampling of which may be found below.

Alchemists Guild: From this association all manner of potions and often technological contraptions may be purchased. Avoid buying property near the guild house. The guild is usually too involved in their own pursuits to care much about independent practitioners.

Assassins Guild: When flowers just won’t cut it, an assassin may do the trick. A guild of assassins will regulate prices, and ensure that services which have been paid for will be carried out. While they won’t interfere in personal affairs, anyone attempting to sell assassination services without being part of the guild will be dealt with harshly.

Bardic College: A school for the training of bards and minstrels. The inns nearby are usually quite merry places, although the students can get fractious at times.

Government Offices: The offices not located in the palaces or halls of nobles; the ones which deal with the riff-raff and petty cogs of bureaucracy. Those wishing licenses, needing to pay taxes (or bribes), or who need to deal with minor official matters will inevitably come here. While the bureaucrats are not much to look upon, they are inevitable in any complex society.

Mage’s College: A school for the training of wizardry, and for the research purposes of advanced wizards. The inns near these are usually of ill repute, and drunken wizards can make them hazardous places. These colleges are often supported by the nobility of a city to ensure that the mages will aid in time of trouble.

Merchant’s Guild: While not as frightening as other guilds, the guild of merchants is often the richest and best connected, and its members make up the middle class of a city.

Temple District: All of the temples of the major deities are often located in the same area of the city, though this of course varies based on city and god. Smaller temples will grace individual neighborhoods, but the major temples will cluster together.

Thieves’ Guild: A thieves’ guild controls crime in a city, and attempted robbery will bring their wrath near as much as that of the guard. They operate with varying degrees of openness depending on the corruption in the city.

Town Watch: Some corrupt, some scrupulous, always existing in some form, the purpose of the town watch is to maintain order and to make sure the criminals remember their place (or at least pay their bribes in a timely fashion). Most watches will maintain a small elite squad to deal with particularly dangerous individuals, with ordinary guards being relatively weak.

**Noble Rank**

Nobles exist in various cultures, and here is a presentation of the ranks of nobility, with comparisons between different cultural terms. Noble titles may be awarded to the players by a grateful monarch, or seized via rebellion, or various other means.

Imperial Titles: Emperor, Imperator, Caesar, Tsar, Huangdi, Samrat, Tenno

High Royalty: King of Kings, Shahanshah, Lugal-gal, Mansa, Khagan, Devaraja, Ard Ri

Royal Titles: King, Rex, Basileus, Melech, Mansa, Wang, Raja, Ri, Khan, Omukama, Lugal, Pharaoh, Shah, Sultan, Oberjarl, Tlahtoani; Queen, Rani, Shahbanu, Sultana, Malka

Princely Titles: Prince, Dumu-Lugal, Morza

Ducal Titles: Duke, Duchess, Despot, Sheikh, Emir, Bey, Jarl, Tecutli

Lower Titles: Margrave, Landgrave, Count, Earl, Sardar, Baron, Lord

The use of noble titles in a campaign should be deliberate; as an attempt to add flavor to different kingdoms or cultures. Mixing titles with no concern for consistency can be done, but does not lead to a sensible stylistic whole.