Settlement Template

Settlement Template

🏙️ Settlement Name: [Insert Settlement Name Here]

🌍 Region: [Nation / Continent - e.g., Vinyamar / Asmora / Ebreth]

🏰 Settlement Type: [Hamlet / Village / Town / City / Capital]

Population: [Approximate number]
Age: [Years established or relevant historical context]

👑 Leadership & Governance

• Ruler / Governor / Baron / Mayor:
  [Insert Name] – [Brief personality, background, and goals]
• Advisors & Council Members:
• Military Advisor: [Name] – [e.g., “Captain Rorrick Grayhelm, stoic veteran"]
• Religious Advisor: [Name] – [God they serve, influence on politics]
• Arcane/Magical Advisor: [Name] – [Role in magical affairs, if any]
• Economic Advisor: [Name] – [Taxation, trade, or Master of Coin]
• Public Voice/Guild Leader: [Name] – [Represents citizen/guild interests]
• Ruler’s Family (if applicable):
  [List names and influence]
• Are there rival factions or political opponents?
  [E.g., merchant guild, rebellious nobles, foreign agents]
• Style of Governance: [Hereditary, elected, military rule, divine right, council-based]

🛡️ Law, Order & Defense

• Captain of the Watch / City Guard: [Name]
• Guard Size: [1 guard per X citizens]
• Known Traits: [Brutal, lazy, efficient, beloved, corrupt]
• Militia Commander: [Name]
• Militia Size: [~5–10% of population]
• Training Level: [Basic drills to veteran-led campaigns]
• Are watch & militia the same force? [Yes / No / Partial overlap]
• City Defenses:
  [Walls, towers, magical wards, canals, town bell alarm, etc.]
• Bounty Board, Town Crier, Public Trials?
  [Include if relevant]
• Organized Crime:
• Group Name: [e.g., “The Silver Rats”]
• Leader: [e.g., “Maza the Quiet”]
• Level of Influence: [Low / Moderate / Dominant]
• Criminal Activities: [Smuggling, racketeering, assassination, information trade]

🧾 Economy & Trade

• Master of Coin / Tax Official: [Name]
• Local Taxes:
• Entry Tax: [None / Cost]
• Market Fees: [Per day/week]
• Adventuring License: [Cost and duration]
• Hearth/Property Tax (residents): [Brief detail]
• Currency Used: [Local or standard coinage—do they accept foreign coins?]
• Merchant Purchase Limits:
  [Up to % value for mundane/magic goods – which merchant or guild has deep coin?]
• Main Exports: [3–5 goods: wood, pearls, crops, hides, etc.]
• Main Imports: [3–5 goods: wine, arcane reagents, metals, luxuries]
• Are there active guilds or trade unions?
• Berylbranch Logistics & Transport (BL): [Yes / No]
• The Grand Consortium: [Yes / No]
• Who controls the major Trading House? [BL, Grand Consortium, or Local Guild]
• Is the Adventurers Guild present? [Yes / No – how prominent are they?]

⛪ Religion & Spiritual Life

• Religious Character of the Settlement: [Devout / Tolerant / Apathetic / Fanatical]
• Primary Pantheon Worshipped:
• [☐ Dawn Pantheon ☐ Twilight Pantheon ☐ Triad Pantheon ☐ Open to All]
• Most Influential Deity (if applicable): [e.g., Solara, Lior, Karne, etc.]
• Religious Institutions & Leaders:
• Major Temple/Shrine 1: [Name / God / Style / Attendance]
• Major Temple/Shrine 2: [Name / God / Style / Attendance]
• High Priest/Priestess of [God]: [Name – influence on politics or healing?]
• Are other pantheons permitted or suppressed? [Describe openness or discrimination]
• Do church leaders advise settlement leadership? [Yes / No – names if applicable]
• Local Festivals / Holy Days:
  [E.g., Lantern Tide, Dawnfire, Longest Night Vigil]

🧙 Magic, Education & Knowledge

• Attitude Toward Magic: [Tolerated / Feared / Celebrated / Licensed Only]
• Magical Laws or Taboos: [List forbidden schools, public casting rules, etc.]
• Chantry / Magical School / Enclave:
• Name: [e.g., The Arcane Veil]
• Leader: [Archmage, Enchanter, or Circle]
• Specialty: [Illusion, Elementalism, Healing, Historical Magic, etc.]
• Are magical services (healing, enchantment) widely available? [Yes / No / Expensive]
• Common Education: [Literacy rate, school presence]
• Schools / Scriptoriums: [Yes / No – public or religiously controlled?]
• Libraries or Knowledge Centers:
  [How large, who can access, arcane or mundane?]

🎭 Culture, Life & Aesthetics

• General Mood of the People: [Hopeful / Suspicious / Proud / Downtrodden]
• How do locals greet each other? [Phrases, hand signs, bows, titles]
• Fashion & Dress:
  [Materials, common colors, marks of wealth]
• Cuisine:
• Signature Dishes: [List 2–3]
• Drinks: [Ale, wine, mead, infusions?]
• Is the water safe? [Yes / No – explain if magical]
• Cleanliness & Vermin Presence: [Filthy alleys or pristine cobbles?]
• Noise & Smell:
  [Tavern music, forge ringing, incense, sea breeze, rotting fish, etc.]
• Architecture: [Stone, timber, domes, skybridges, hanging gardens, ziggurats?]
• Do locals grow food within the walls? [Community gardens, chickens, etc.]
• Common Pastimes: [Bard shows, dueling, gambling dens, public debates]
• Local Festivals / Entertainment: [List a few if not above]
• How do locals treat outsiders or the strange?
  [Are they feared, avoided, welcomed, scorned?]

⚠️ Tensions, Threats & Adventure Seeds

• Major Problem(s):
  [Disease, monsters, cults, famine, rebellion, divine silence]
• Factions in Conflict:
  [Nobles vs Guilds, Church vs Mages, Crime vs Law]
• Local Legends or Hauntings:
  [Cursed wells, undead ruins, divine relics]
• Rumors the Players Might Hear:
• "[Short quote-style rumor]"
• "[Another one]"
• How can adventurers leave their mark here?
  [Restoration, power grab, prophecy fulfillment, etc.]

👁️ Player Sensory Snapshot

When your players arrive, describe the following:

• What they see: [Architecture, traffic, banners, watch patrols]
• What they hear: [Bell tolls, markets, barking dogs, chants]
• What they smell: [Salt air, spices, unwashed masses, incense]
• How the people react to them: [Wary glances, open admiration, shunning]
• Any lingering “mood” in the air: [Celebration, fear, tension, anticipation]