About Environments

The game can take place in many types of environment. In this chapter we describe what they can look like and what can happen there.

Basic description

First describe the basic view of the place to the players. Mostly they will be able to imagine it, but it may be important whether there are trees or stones and how many. You cannot hide in a flat meadow without bushes, and in a forest without stones you cannot pick up stones and throw them.

Also describe what is different or suspicious at first sight.

Points of interest

If you often travel through the same environment, such as a forest, there is no point describing it every time. To keep the journey from becoming dull for the players, you can liven up the narration with some interesting place (they come across a huge, ancient tree or a glade where everyone feels sleepy) or an encounter (the hut of a drunken woodcutter, a wandering singer).

Settled countryside

The land around towns and villages is usually cultivated. Here we find fields, meadows, beehives, pastures with herds of cows, sheep and other animals, and working country folk will be everywhere. The land is crisscrossed by field roads and paths used by the locals. We also come across lone homesteads or farms outside villages, more or less fortified depending on how safe the surroundings are.

Orientation

The land is woven with a network of roads, lanes and paths connecting towns, villages, farms, fields and settlements.

Game

Wild game appears only rarely and is a source of fear or hatred for the locals - no farmer welcomes a herd of boars or a pack of hares in his field. More dangerous animals are even rarer, and if they appear, the locals will look for a way to get rid of them.

Enemies

Even at night the land is not very dangerous, although it may lure beasts or highwaymen to an unexpected visit. That too is one of the reasons why it is not wise to camp away from dwellings - the locals may mistake travelers for highwaymen.

Villages

A village is the most common settled place where you can meet inhabitants. It usually consists of a few cottages with farm buildings. You can decide why the village came to be here - good soil, a natural crossroads, a mine and the like. The reason also says a lot about the behavior and occupations of the inhabitants: farmers, herders, miners, hunters, gatherers

At night the village is dark, as few people have the money to keep a light burning all night.

Buildings

The look of the buildings depends on the culture, local customs and the focus of the village. Dwellings are simpler and more practical than in towns. They usually have just one common room where people work, sleep, cook, eat and give birth, often all at once.

Richer and more advanced peoples have more rooms in their houses, and we find gardens there. Further we find farm buildings such as barns, stables, cowsheds, henhouses and the like. In mining villages there are ore stores, smelters and smithies instead.

A village may have its own defenses, for example a palisade, an earthen or even a stone wall. Villages below a castle rely on the castle's protection and take refuge in it in times of danger.

Inhabitants

Mayor / Reeve

The chief person is usually the mayor (often the richest farmer), who represents the village in dealings with the lords and is responsible for running it.

Simple villagers

Villagers know each other and know everything about one another. As a rule they love gossip and slander. Their attitude to strangers varies, as does their attitude to the lords (depending on their experience and situation).

Villagers can make a living in the fields, by raising cattle or by one of the crafts.

Farmer

A villager who owns fields or rents land from the lord is a farmer. If he has a larger farm that he cannot manage with just his family (or during the season), he hires farmhands or maids.

Farmhand, Maid

These villagers do not have enough means to have their own farm, so they work for others, either farmers or the lord. A farmhand can hope to earn enough money to have a farm of his own.

Innkeeper

A larger village may have its own tavern, run by an innkeeper. He can be an excellent source of information. Often he is also the village shopkeeper.

Shopkeeper

In a village the only merchant is usually the shopkeeper, who sells everything from food to weapons.

Blacksmith

Besides the shopkeeper, the blacksmith can offer his services to adventurers - from shoeing horses and repairing weapons to selling new weapons.

Miller

A very important person in the region is the miller. A mill is a very profitable trade, as grain is brought to it from far around (the mill itself costs a lot of money). A mill can be driven by water (then only on a stream or a millrace), by wind or by animal power.

Butcher

A richer village with enough inhabitants and enough livestock may have its own butcher. He is usually well-off and respected, and often holds the office of mayor.

Apprentices, journeymen

Individual masters have apprentices learning the trade or journeymen working for them (often their sons or relatives). If they do not inherit the business, they hope to earn enough money, get a license and set up their own business in another village.

Priests

A village may have a small shrine with one priest (priestess), who often has another profession as well. Larger temples are found in villages only rarely.

Herbalist

Of great importance for the village is the herb-wife, who is skilled in healing diseases, helping at childbirth and tending wounds.

She knows her way around herbs or other practices

The village fool

A fool can be born so, or become one because of some terrible event, e.g. he saw his parents murdered, saw a demon, or someone cursed him. Nobody usually takes a fool seriously, so he can come by very interesting information.

Others

The number of people who do anything other than farming is minimal - otherwise they could not make a living.

Wealth and equipment

There is not much money in villages. Mostly the locals make everything themselves or barter for what they need; they keep money mainly for occasional purchases at markets.

Few have any better weapon, but they are good with “natural” weapons - pitchforks, flails, whips, slings (herders). The exceptions are hunting settlements or places in the wilderness, where they have better equipment to survive.

Law and order

Guards or soldiers

If the surroundings are dangerous or there are shady elements around, the village may have its own local guard or a permanent military garrison.

Night watchman

For greater safety a night watchman may be appointed, who keeps watch at night and calls out the hours.

Foreigners

If the characters are strangers, they should be careful and not offend the villagers. These can be vengeful and take the law into their own hands. If the villagers cannot handle the strangers, they can ask their lord and his guards for help.

Robber baron

The village lies in the domain of a robber baron who fleeces travelers with various tolls and taxes.

Situations

Traveling merchant

If there is no merchant or shopkeeper in the village, a merchant with a wagon may visit it from time to time.

Market

In larger villages a market may be held from time to time, attended by people from the surrounding villages. It is most often held once a week or once a month.

Harvest

Harvest is the busiest time, and at its end there are great festivities.

Tax collector

A tax collector arrives in the village, accompanied by soldiers.

Arrival of the lords

The village is visited by its lord or an important noble.

Pig slaughter

The villagers have just slaughtered a hog and are preparing a feast.

A death

Someone in the village has just died. Since the village is small and everyone knows each other, the whole village mourns.

Arsonist

— Someone burned down a rich farmer's new barn out of envy.

— Someone set fire to the granaries right after the harvest. The village has no food for the winter.

Poisoner

— Someone poisoned the breeding bull of a rich farmer or of the mayor.

— Someone poisoned the well, and several villagers are poisoned and need help.

Crop Failure

Times are hard and the harvest was poor. The villagers fear hunger, cannot pay their taxes and are gloomy.

An evil event

Something bad has happened. The well has dried up, a herd of cattle suddenly died, someone important was killed near the village, there was a fire, a strong wind tore off roofs ...

Starving wolves

Starving wolves roam around the village, attacking cattle and lone people.

The forbidden building

Near the village or right in it stands a building that nobody dares to enter; at its mere mention the locals avert their eyes and fall silent (a mill, an abandoned shrine, a burned-down farm).

Witch burning

The characters arrive in the village just as the locals are burning the local wise woman (or a wandering sorceress) as a witch. The reason will be the usual superstitions such as a lost child, a bad harvest, less milk from the cows, a disease in the village.

It can also be interesting if the villagers want to burn one of the characters.

The burned village

Already from afar rising smoke can be seen, and it does not come from a hearth or a campfire. As they come closer, the characters smell burning, fear and death. Who burned the village? Did anyone survive? And where are the attackers - are they not hiding somewhere nearby?

Towns

A rich region can afford to support whole towns. Each town has many surrounding villages that supply it with food in exchange for things that cannot be obtained in a village.

Most towns lie on a river or a lake to have enough water; otherwise they must dig wells. Towns are protected by walls, so the houses tend to be small, to fit as many as possible under their protection. In times of danger the villagers from the surroundings take refuge here (unless they prefer to hide in the forests or mountains).

Houses and streets

Towns can differ greatly from each other, especially if they belong to different cultures or climates.

A town protected by walls will have smaller houses pressed against each other (walls are an expensive matter).

Towns that often face threats will also be built so that individual houses can be defended. They are certainly not pretty, but attackers have to fight their way from house to house.

Houses may have one or two rooms with a black kitchen (black because it has no windows, only a chimney).

Towns in warm lands will have airy houses with a habitable roof.

Expensive houses may have their own gardens and defensive walls.

Depending on the character of the town, streets can be narrow, wide or true promenades. In some towns there are no streets and they are replaced by passages leading straight from house to house.

Walls and gates

Many towns have town walls that protect them from attackers, but also from uninvited visitors. People traveling to the town pass through the town gates, often guarded, where the guards keep an eye out for dubious individuals and overly armed visitors.

Stables

Since many visitors arrive on horseback or by wagon, and many inhabitants have their own riding animals, we can find stables by the walls where an animal can be left.

Inns and taverns

A town offers travelers lodging in inns, taverns and lodging houses (see also Inn).

Commercial buildings

Besides houses, a town has many shops, workshops, pawnshops, bazaars and other buildings used for trade and production.

Trade

Most craftsmen and sellers do not have a shop of their own, but sell directly in their workshop, in the street or at a stall. In richer towns, and especially at major crossroads or ports, we can however also find specialized merchants who make nothing but live by selling. Their shops contain mainly rooms for quiet negotiation, as well as rooms for scribes and documents, and also a safe place for money.

Such shops are among the best-guarded places in town, and few thieves dare to rob them.

Warehouses, granaries

A large number of people requires a large amount of supplies. So in a town we find many warehouses and granaries.

Fortress

Part of the town or its surroundings may be a fortress where important persons take refuge in times of direst need. Should the walls and the garrison fall, they can hold out in a well-fortified and easily defended fortress with its own well.

Barracks

If the town has a military garrison, the soldiers will probably be quartered in barracks.

Prison, place of execution

Justice of course does not forget those who disregard the law. A prison awaits them, often with a torture chamber, and also a place of execution for especially dangerous criminals.

Castle, chateau or palace

The lord of the town must have a lavish seat to show his standing and wealth. It is his seat that is considered the center of the town; the nobility and rich burghers live around it, and the paupers live by the walls.

It is very unlikely that beginning adventurers would get in here other than as prisoners or servants. Only once they win fame may the rulers themselves take an interest in their services.

Town hall, city hall

The town hall or city hall is the seat of the mayor, the Council and the officials who take care of the town's ordinary affairs. In smaller towns it also serves other roles such as a court, a guard post and more.

Forum

A town governed by its citizens needs a place where everyone can meet, debate and vote. Such buildings are found especially in republics and city-states.

Court

A richer town can afford its own court building, which is a sign of great progress and importance of the town.

Temples

Cults find the best ground for their activities in towns. Often we find several cults here at once - they may fight each other for power and followers.

Baths

In large towns in cultivated lands adventurers can find bathhouses offering baths (sometimes healing ones), barber services or steam baths.

Sewers and underground

More advanced towns have sewers; in less equipped ones the sewage is poured straight into the street. The sewers are home to many unwanted inhabitants - rats and the dregs of society.

Underground there can also be catacombs, tombs, cellars, but also secret passages and escape exits.

School, academy, university

Towns are often centers of learning, so here we can find schools and teachers, but also universities and scholars. Having a university in the town is considered enormously prestigious, and only a truly rich and prosperous town can afford it.

Theaters, amphitheaters

A progressive town does not forget artists either, who can practice their craft in a far grander place than the street or the market. A rich town may have its own theater or amphitheater.

Monument

A town may have its distinctive feature - a monument (or several) - for example a huge statue, a triumphal arch, an unusual building, or a magical or mysterious place.

Ornamental spaces

Open towns or towns of cultured peoples contain many ornamental spaces such as parks, fountains, gardens, etc. On the other hand, we meet them less among wilder peoples or in threatened places, where behind strong walls every bit of land is valued and there is no room left for ornament.

Government and the town elite

Lord of the town

Depending on how the land is organized and on the town's privileges, the town may be the fief of a noble. In that case this noble is the sovereign lord to whom all inhabitants are subject. He usually takes care of matters of security, safe-conducts and laws, and has a steward or mayor for everyday affairs.

Mayor and councilors

The mayor is the most important person in the town. Together with him the town's affairs are managed by the Council, over which the mayor presides. The councilors and the mayor are either appointed by the ruler, or may be elected or gain their privileges as members of guilds.

In a town subject to a lord, the mayor is a rather less important person. He deals with matters of running the marketplace, the sewers, public order, night lighting and the like.

Nobility

Even in a free town we meet the nobility, but it does not hold such a privileged position there. It has its privileges, but the town is governed by free citizens (the Council).

Justice

Watchmen

Order in the town is kept by the town watch. It may consist of professional soldiers or mercenaries, or a mere militia or hired mercenaries.

Army

Especially in a lord's town we meet a regular army, subject to a noble or even the king. Rather than keeping order inside, it takes care of security against enemies from outside. Soldiers who would watch over order inside the town are not very welcome among the inhabitants.

The army is most often quartered in barracks (if the town has them), in a fortress near the town or in a camp outside the walls.

Judge

Free towns in particular have their own judge who settles disputes; often it may be one of the Councilors. Much depends here on the customs and powers of the court, as capital crimes are often within the competence of the nobility.

Intelligence service

The bigger the town, the more enemies of the government hide in it. The ruling person or group needs someone (something) that can fight organized crime, foreign spies and rivals from among neighbors and friends. The higher the taxes and the worse the situation, the firmer the hand with which the lord of the town must rule, and the more useful an intelligence service is, carrying out many tasks quietly, discreetly and above all without an official trial.

Common inhabitants

Merchants

Towns are centers of trade and are as important to merchants as a pond to a carp. Thanks to the large number of inhabitants and above all visitors, enough business takes place here to support specialized traders.

They may offer their goods at marketplaces or designated places; the wealthier ones (and in better towns) have their own shops.

Craftsmen

Just as trade thrives, so do the crafts in towns. In a small village a specialized cabinetmaker would probably starve, but in a town he makes a comfortable living. The same goes for all other crafts and specializations

— cabinetmaker

— blacksmith, armorer

— tailor

— builder

— goldsmith

— potter

— tanner

— moneylender

— alchemist

Food trades

The inhabitants must also see to their nourishment. So in a town, besides food sellers and vegetable stalls, we also find specialists such as:

— bakery

— butcher's shop

— smokehouse

— distillery

— brewery

Journeyman, apprentice

But not everyone is skilled or experienced enough to have a business of their own. A craftsman always starts as an apprentice to a master from whom he learns the craft (often his father). Once he reaches the level where he can work on his own, he becomes a journeyman. A journeyman already gets wages, but still cannot have his own business, so he works for one of the masters until he obtains his own license.

Guilds

To protect themselves from competition, so that there are not fifty of them in one small town, members of a particular craft found guilds. At first these are weak and have little influence, but over time they gain considerable privileges, until they can rival the nobility in importance. Representatives of the guilds then represent the town in the Council. Without the guild's consent nobody can run a business or even sell their goods.

Services

In a town we find countless people offering all kinds of services, whether in the street or in a house:

— barber-surgeon

— guide

— herb-wife

— healer

— porter (of goods, people, water, ...)

— bootblack

— courtesan

Petty vendors

Especially at markets we can meet petty vendors, men and women, who sell everyday goods such as food, baskets, ropes, small animals and much more. These vendors certainly do not have the wealth of merchants, the fame of craftsmen or the power of guilds, but their prices are favorable.

Peasants

Even in town there live peasants who farm the surrounding fields, orchards or vineyards.

Servants

Many inhabitants make their living as servants in noble residences, but also with rich merchants, craftsmen or officers of the guard or the army.

Artists

Towns are also centers of culture, where artists gather from far around, even from all over the world. Here we find:

— bards

— jugglers and performers (jugglers, tightrope walkers, fire-eaters, ...)

— painters or sculptors

Beggars and the dregs

Many town inhabitants are out of work, whether by their own choice or through someone else's fault. They then try to make a living any way they can. Some beg, others try to earn a little with odd jobs, and some take the path of crime.

Street Knowledge and Negotiation

In a town the characters can hardly do without the Street Knowledge skill, and Negotiation will help them a great deal too. Burly and invincible brawlers can be robbed by nimble hands in the street or in a tavern, or stripped naked in a game of dice. Without the ability to communicate (Negotiation) the characters will hardly buy or obtain anything or find out information.

Law and order

When running a town, do not forget that the local forces of order know all the tips and tricks the characters may come up with. It of course depends on how far the characters go. A petty theft at the market is forgotten as soon as the fleeing thief vanishes into the crowd, but the theft of a larger sum or even robbing an important person will not let the forces of order sleep. Extremes such as murder or arson will be pursued with bulldog tenacity until the criminals are found and punished.

Players sometimes lose their judgment, because they do not act for themselves but for “someone else”, and so they do not fear punishment as they should.

So try to draw them into the atmosphere of the town, for example with a well-placed gallows by the gate, an execution in progress or a pillory where a criminal suffers.

Crime

The more people and money, the more people there are who want to get rich on the work of others.

In towns you cannot be surprised to come across thieves, cheating gamblers, but also murderers and thugs. The poorer the quarter, the more dangerous the air, and ugly accidents can befall the uninvited. Few find justice and redress here. On the other hand, in richer quarters crime does not pay and the guards are always at hand.

Criminal organizations

Criminals organize into guilds and gangs. In large towns there may be several organizations, competing with each other or banding together by specialty (the assassins' guild, the thieves' guild).

The organizations often extort protection money from honest merchants and craftsmen.

If the characters want to take the path of crime, they must watch out not only for the arm of the law, but also for the local criminals - these do not like competition and can deal with them quickly.

Underworld boss

Such an organization is led by one boss (who may go by various titles) who has several lieutenants. If there are several organizations, each may be “in charge of” a certain district or a certain type of crime (the assassins' guild, the thieves' guild, the moneylenders' guild).

Enforcer

The enforcer is the muscle the organization has at its disposal against those who do not pay or against unwanted competition. They are usually very skilled both with and without weapons.

Pickpocket

Essentially the classic representative of the underworld is the pickpocket, who specializes in robbing people, but also in burgling homes.

Assassin

Assassins tend to hold an exclusive position, and few want to get involved with them.

Beggar

Even begging can be made a profitable trade if it is well organized. Naturally, the boss or his lieutenants profit the most; the beggars themselves have just enough to survive. Beggars are also valuable informants.

Informant, tipster

The underworld needs information about potential “clients”, but also about events in the world “above”. An informant can be a beggar, a prostitute, a merchant, an innkeeper, but also someone highly placed, someone who for money will not hesitate to betray even their own family.

Prostitute

This trade too is usually under the “protection” of the underworld, which for its “protection” takes the lion's share of the earnings of these women (and sometimes men).

Moneylender

If you are out of money, you can borrow from a moneylender (but woe to you if you cannot repay the debt!)

Situations

Gate guards

In many towns fees or taxes on goods are collected at the entrance. In front of the gate stands a squad of guards who oversee the collection, check weapons and look out for wanted persons.

Markets

In towns we find markets and fairs (sometimes permanent, sometimes occasional). Here we can buy many goods that are not found in a village - clothes, jewelry, perfumes, spices, salt, weapons and armor, horses and cattle and much more. This is a great opportunity to shop, as merchants come from far away and bring many goods that are otherwise hard to come by.

Stop, thief!

Suddenly this cry rings out, followed by the stamping of feet. A small figure slips past the characters, followed by a red-faced merchant and his bodyguards. What will the characters do?

A character suddenly feels a tug at the belt and catches only a glimpse of a hooded figure vanishing into the crowd. They instinctively reach for their sword, but the spot at the belt is empty!

Holidays

General holidays are celebrated both in towns and in villages. Towns may also hold celebrations of the anniversary of the town's founding, the birthday of the town's ruler or the birth of his heir, as well as religious holidays.

Tournament

The whole town lives for the Event. A tournament is being held! Knights from all over the land have gathered in the town to fight for honor and the chance to court the count's daughter. All around are artists, jugglers, food sellers and a joyful crowd that cannot wait to hear the neighing of horses and the breaking of wood and bones.

Gladiator fight

For the entertainment of the ruler and the people, gladiator fights to the death are held. It is said that a capable fighter can earn decent money if he stands up in a fight to the death.

Wanted criminals

In a town we often find notices about the forces of order searching for dangerous criminals.

The whole town is plastered with posters of a man with a small mustache and a crooked smile called the Black Lotus. He has struck for the fifth time in a row, and every time all he left behind was an empty treasury and a lotus flower in place of the money.

Wanted: Vee called Quickfinger, guilty of countless thefts of property and horses, the ravishing of maidens and the dishonoring of nobles.

A search is on for the leader of a group of enemies of the state called the Night Owls, who rob law-abiding citizens and incite revolt.

Execution

By the town gate, about half a dozen corpses with pecked-out eyes sway on the gallows.

Criminals are being brought to the square. The reeve reads out the charges. The prisoner looks hopefully at the palace window, but the hand pointing thumb down brings him to tears, which end only with the swish of the executioner's axe.

Sacrifice

In most lands sacrifices are offered in honor of the gods. If the deities are gentle, these are mainly offerings of crops or mere religious gatherings, animal sacrifices or voluntary sacrifices. Otherwise these will be involuntary sacrifices, often even on a mass scale. A sacrifice can stand in for an execution.

Crowds and theft

A crowd is a true blessing for thieves. If the characters are not on guard, they easily lose their money and valuables.

Streets at night

Richer towns may have night lighting, but often only in the main streets and the better quarters.

At night the town becomes a dangerous place. Especially in the poor quarters a traveler cannot be sure of his life, let alone his property. In particularly wild places, robberies happen even in broad daylight.

Fire

A fire can engulf a single house, but it easily spreads to the wide surroundings and can cause unprecedented damage.

In the middle of the night a fire breaks out. The inn where the characters are sleeping is also in flames. Everyone runs for their lives. People scream, animals bellow and chaos reigns all around.

Morning reveals the cruel truth. The whole quarter has burned to the ground and people have nowhere to lay their heads. Who started the fire? Will attention not turn to the strangers who spent the night at the inn?

The closed town

The characters arrive at a town that is closed. Outside, many others who were not let in mill about in confusion. Nobody knows what is going on. Is an army approaching? Has the plague broken out in the town? Has there been a coup?

The situation can be the reverse: suddenly there are lots of soldiers all around. People say the town is closed and a night curfew is in force. What is happening? Are enemy armies approaching? Is a dangerous criminal being hunted? Has the plague broken out? What will become of us?

Martial law

Martial law has been declared in the town. Gatherings of larger numbers of people are forbidden, as is going out after dark; nobody may carry a weapon or have their face covered.

Plague

Our worst fears have come true. The whole town has been struck by the plague. The gates are shut, all around are clouds of smoke, and the wind carries the blows of hammers nailing doors shut. Nobody may leave the town. Looting is immediately punished by death. People cower at home and hope the plague will pass quickly.

A murderer on the loose

Dread has fallen on the town. Word spreads that a horror creeps through the nights and kills. How many victims has it been? Ten! Today someone else will die - will it be me? Probably every inhabitant asks himself that.

What is the murderer after? Are the murders connected, or are they just the work of a madman? Even the town watch is afraid to walk the streets at night, and if they do, then only as a whole squad in full armor.

Raised to a town

The local village has prospered greatly of late, especially thanks to a trade route and a recently opened mine. The number of inhabitants has tripled and the sovereign has raised the village to a town.

Grand celebrations are being prepared, and construction of new walls is planned too.

Arrival of the sovereign

The town awaits the arrival of the sovereign. The mayor and the whole council can hardly wait. Preparations are peaking and the town waits with bated breath for this grand event. Will everything be ready? Will the sovereign not be disappointed?

Night specters

Ghosts of the dead roam the town. Anyone they catch outside is found dead in the morning with bluish lips and nails. What do they want? Is it a curse? Or are they the ghosts of the former lords, who were murdered on the orders of the current mayor, and seek revenge?

Death in the sewers

An unknown monster is rampaging in the sewers. The thieves' guild is frightened, as it has lost its safe hideout and its headquarters has been taken over by an unknown enemy. Who or what hides underground? Is it a dangerous monster? A demon summoned by a mad wizard? Or just a rival gang that wants to take control of the underworld?

The forbidden building

A strange building stands in the town. Nobody talks about it, nobody goes there. The houses around it are abandoned. To direct questions the locals do not answer and act as if they heard nothing.

Is it the temple of some forgotten god? Or the seat of a dark mage? Or was blood spilled here and the house is cursed?

Graveyard

Something strange is happening in the local graveyard. Even by day it feels oppressive, but at night not a living soul dares go there. Do dark forces dwell there? Or do members of a notorious band of smugglers just gather there and kill inconvenient witnesses?

An evil event

Something bad has happened. While opening the new marketplace, the mayor suddenly fell dead to the ground. Everyone sleeps badly and has nightmares. People go missing. No caravan has arrived for several weeks. Birds attack people out of nowhere. From the neighboring forest people flee and seek refuge in the town.