Random Villages *

#1

Awhile ago I started a small list of random villages...I think many turned out to be plots, but thought I would throw them out here for fun.
1. Lost to abyss.

2. Village has a nearby natural substance that comes from the ground and burns when lit. They use it only locally and try not to let the secret get out.

3. On the outskirts of a poor looking village is a large mausoleum that is well kept and richly deserted. It has a marble walkway and bricked windows with beautiful ironwork adorning it. For grave robbers the look of the outside tells of untold riches on the inside. The crypt was created by a magician untold years ago to imprison a mighty Lich. If the place is plundered it will release the Lich once again on the world. The villagers only know that it must not be opened and a few that tried have mysteriously died sudden and Â sometimes violent deaths.

4. The village is actually a little known hideaway for villains of every sort. Kulas the Slayer, a well-known assassin, actually originally came from this town but nobody knows. After a job he usually comes back to this small village and hides. Criminals of some sort or people of low scruples hasve taken up most all of the village. Everybody here is corrupt and it can be very dangerous if they hang around.

5. The village is abandoned. Heavy tracks give the direction that a great many people departed in. The inside of the houses have been ransacked and everything of value stripped from them. The body of a middle aged man is Â found in a shallow grave behind one of the houses. Slave traders ransacked the village and all the villagers were taken chained to wagons towards the coast where they will be shipped to where they can be bought.

6. A man recently came through the village screaming of demon attacks and murderous insects. He was sweating and the village thought he was delirious and had a disease so quickly they chased him from the village. The party will come across a dead man a few miles outside town. If they go through his belongings they find a large golden necklace with square cut emeralds in it. The necklace is cursed and will draw demon attacks and insect attacks during the night. Eventually these attacks will kill them if they do not get rid of it or return it to its original site. Alternatively it could be some gold coins that carry the curse to make the cause less obvious.

7. Find a hidden cave. If searched with light they will find undecipherable runes drawn about them in a glorious display. Some mages and alchemists would pay a hefty sum of money to be given directions to view the described runes, if the party is smart enough to mention them to the correct people.

8. Nearby the village is a large lake said by the villagers to contain a water god. They tell the party that if they want good luck on their journey they should hire a boat and go to the center of the lake and give a donation to the god. Unscrupulous characters may realize that if people have been giving donations for awhile, there must be a fortune just sitting there under the water. The water may really be inhabited by a god, or perhaps just some dangerous water bound creatures, an elemental perhaps.

9. They come across a large tree with three young men hanging from it. Upon closer inspection they find that they are all naked and unconscious, a slight breathing in each of them can be detected. They are suspended by two ropes that are connected to a bone that is thrust through each of their breasts. Blood trickles from pulling wounds as they gently sway in the breeze. Smoke and some houses can be made out not too far away. If they release the men they will meet no resistance. Once the village find out it turns into a mob scene and they try to capture them. If caught they find out that they will be held until the three men are fit to see them. The men were going through a ritual to become warriors. They will not take kindly to their endurance test being interrupted. Unless the party can think of a good way to redeem the men or escape, the men will most likely take their lives in a substitute ritual to make them warriors.

A few villages

#2

1) Avalon is a small village burgoning into a town. The villages and the surrounding villages produce excellent wool and cheese. The area is quite idyllic. However, pilgrams and the curious come to Avalon. In a grove, on an island, just of the town's coast, is the Great Druid. The Great Druid is famous for his predictions and wisdom. He will answer one question for each person presented to him.

2) Fort Port: A village on the cliffs surrounding the mouth of the Antioch River. It is known to be a rowdy place where pirates and river brigands are known to stay. Since they never prey upon Imperial shipping or any clan shipping, they are allowed to stay; since they are quite an effective defensive force for Antioch.

3) Grendlee: This is a halfling village, a few hundred meters from the imperial road. If there wasn't a cairn on the road, and a packed dirt path, no one would know it was there. The homes are all underhill, mixed in with the roots of the great oak trees (giant coastal oaks). To the untrained eye, there is no village. Grendlee is a farming village.

4) Village 1: The local open house (not quite an inn or restraunt) is well known for its apple pie, cider, and jack. Strangely enough it is known as the Red Plum.

5) Village 2: The local villagers are tight lipped and secretive. The local Prince is quite the tyrant, who pushes everyone to make more of what they do and obey every law. The local inn is the hideout for "The Scarecrow" and the "Straw Men". They function as the local "Robin Hoods" for the locals (taking a bit more opperating expense from non local travellers).

6) Village 3: Known for its springtime festival. There are three roads that meet the main road at and near the village. While the village is quite small most of the year, only a wide spot on the road for merchants and travellers, it swells to a huge tent city in the spring. The village boasts six inns (and no real farmers).

7) Village 4: a bland, boring, forgetable village without an inn. The farmers don't like strangers and strictly followers of the local religion. Unless you are a follower, you won't even get a barn stall to sleep in and there is nothing to buy here.

8) Village 5: The village looks like all the others, except around these parts, everyone has a slightly different accent than everyone else. This area of the world, in my campaign, has a US South accent. This area has a deeper more southern accent and slang, almost to the point to unintelligable.

9) Village 6: The village has a different genetic group. They almost all have blond, big blue eyes, fair skin, and thin of build. It is a sharp contrast to the other villages in the area filled with brown and black heads, with green eyes.

Appleton

#3

Appleton is nestled between rolling hills along a less inhabited stretch of The Great Road. The North Gap pass is not too far up the road, on the way to the Elven lands. It is a prosperous farming community, known for its orchards and apples. The Harvest festival is worth timing any travel along The Great Road to let you be in Appleton durring the Autumn Moon.

The Inn, The Appleton Inn, is good sized and can handle two moderate sized caravans at once. It is well staffed, well maintained, and has reasonable prices. It is also the last real inn along the road until you reach the Elven Lands. (There are two way stations along the way that people can stop at).

Random Villages

#4

The small farming village has no wariors or mages, you can't buy anything of any serious value. But once upon a time, a great mage grew up here, and he tought all the villagers some cantrips he made up specificly for them. (if you do 3e, that's a spellcraft check dc 30 for a unique magical effect)

These cantrips are largely harmless, used to make their steel stronger when the blacksmith is working, or to make their plats grow ever so slightly faster.

But some of their cantrips can be chanted in groups, and these are quite frightening. When they burn someone at the stake, there are no remains. When there are enemies aproaching the town, they can create a wall of dust which blinds and does minor damage to the attackers, but dulls their weapons and puts out their fires. They have other spells, which none have lived to see.

The funny thing is, they don't know they're working magic. They just have these rituals that they've allways done.

(most of this idea was stolen from annother thread)

Old gamer saying

#5

Bad GMs guess
They usually have no clue or too much ego, so they just throw stuff out there.

Good GMs adapt
They see things that are neat, and carefully change everything before putting things in their campaigns.

Great GMs steal without appology though they give credit.
They see things that perfectly fit their campaign and install them whole cloth or nearly so. They only change things so they fit into their campaign. So if you want Jonny Quest in your campaign, slap him in. (Note: This works well as long as you are not publishing the material).

So borrowing said inspiration from another post is perfectly okay. (See Asylum's thread)

Random Villages

#6

A small village full of healers and priests. When the PCs arrive they could be healing a bunch of orcs or some other evil type being. They could also be healing the party that the PCs just defeated perhaps.

Thing is, this village is a place of peace and healing and anybody is welcome no matter their background or race. They will help and protect anybody. The clerics and priests are powerful enough to stop almost any type of harm from coming against anybody that seeks their sanctuary.

May only be slightly known to the common folk but those in power have always known about the place and always have it watched. It can also be used as a neutral meeting place for different sides to mediate.

It is not a large village but the buildings in it are awe inspiring in their beauty and craftsmanship. Not huge, just perfect.

Random Villages

#7

Upper Lowerton and Lower Upperton are two villages in eternal strife. Some time ago they parted in dispute over some land, and now it is unsure which village is older. Both claim theirs. Travellers are often treated better or worse, depending on their percieved connection to the other village.

Old Mangyhousen is another boring bland village, where the people grow potatoes, and no entertainment is to be found. Boredom thrives here. It is actually cursed, when you try to leave, you end up back on the other side. The only way to escape is to help locals with something boring. Describe the feeling of boredom eating on their brains...

This village looks quite normal, but has a problem with a nearby living illusionist, and prankster. The mage performs at irregular intervals for the crowd, and somehow fails to notice they have enough. Any visitors are likely to be send with a message to him, and end up in a very silly adventure.

More people used to live here, but the local iron mine was closed after some humanoid raid. Villagers complain about how good everything was before, and how bad is it now. Some plan to reopen the mine, but have in fact done nothing for it. Dungeon possible.

Random Villages

#8

Hawkton - This is a regional capital, though still very small. It was once the seat of the noble Hawke family, but they have long since disappeared. Now the village comes under the watchful eye of the neighboring lord. Places of interest include the abandoned (and some say haunted) Hawke manor, and the great cliffs nearby.

Haven - This isn't a village so much as it is a permanent encampment. It is located in the caverns and catacombs beneath the greater city. Haven is the seat of the Court of Thieves, and all thieves are welcome in Haven. Authorities are not. The entrance to Haven is a closely guarded secret.

Skyway

#9

This little village is perched on the side of a mountain, just at the level where clouds float by. There is a good road leading upto this village, the kind one would expect for a major caravan route. Yet the road ends with Skyway. The locals live in the rarified air and cold making a living escorting others through the mountain passes and herding.

Long ago, when magic was much more plentiful, Skyway was an gatepoint for mystic trods to the SummerLands. It was the last mortal stop on the way to the Great Fey City of Avalon. Many of the older buildings have fey marks on them. Family heirlooms in these parts are all fey treasures handed down from the ages. Fey blood still runs strong in these people, so when they weild magic, they do so with power.

Random Villages

#10

Village is, to no matter who comes to it (exept locals), totally foreign. This could be random (travellers tell tales of "a strange nomad village" a few miles to the North... but wasn't that where you found that odd Amazon village?), or set for the party. They could additionally have strange meals or customs to eat- although this could just be to see what a foreigner will eat, before breaking out the sausages-and-mash (yes, that is sto- borrowed from the game "Let-us-see-what-the-infidel-will-eat" in Jingo).

The Flat City of ClearWater

#11

The ClearWaters are a delta area at the mouth of a mighty river and a calm, nearly tropical sea. The fishing here is good, as the nutrients from the river feed the creatures of the sea. In fact, most people here make a living from the waterways, either fishing, moving cargo, or crewing ocean vessels.

There are two (and a half) moderate sized cities at the mouth of the River. Red Cliffe, SwarrrenRoe (from the Lyrans who used to live here), and Pointe Fort (an abandoned Lyran fortification that has expanded into a life of its own). While there are poor in the cities, living there is expensive as there is less land than people who want to live there need.

The Poor River Folk and those that find themselves less than welcome in the various cities, live on the ClearWaters on rafts and boats. Many of these rafts and boats have been lashed together in one of the shallow eddies of the ClearWaters (where active boat traffic seldom passes). This has become the "flat city", the raft city of ClearWater. Many of these rafts and craft have been docked together for decades. Some have been built up or even replaced in situ.

It is an odd place to live, and an odder place to visit. Your neighbors are also your walkway to the next boat over. The boats and rafts have been built up in places, being two or even three levels of pathways and rooms. There are now dozens of bars and restraunts here, some frequented by the more darring of the city folk.

Caraguis

#12

Caraguis is an idylic little village, deep in the wine country. It is like the traveller was walked into a Maxwell Parish picture. It is on what was once a main road, but the newer road takes you to the important places quicker. Yet if you are taking in the beauty of the hills and valley or avoiding people on the main road, you will encounter Caraguis.

Other than an Inn which seems larger than one would expect, the village is what you would expect. The plaster covered buildings, in their pastel colors, with tile roofs house farm workers, winesmiths, and other crafters. The village has not suffered much from the lack of travellers, over the last few decades. It supports itself upon it own crops. While the wines are not the best, they are certainly a far cut above the norm, thus consumed by nobles and rich merchants alike.

Being somewhat centrally located, Caraguis is the place where the local harvest festival is held. Once a year, after the bulk of the grapes have been harvested, people gather together to drink wine and talk about the year. Once a year, the inn overflows as do most of the houses (as relatives come and stay). It is a time full of laughter and good cheer, in a place which has more than its fair share the whole year long. It is a good time of the year to be passing though.

Not too far out of town is a nice villa. The Don (Big One) is what the locals call him. His real name is... well you don't need to know his real name. If you heard it, you would know it. He is known for heroic deeds. He has saved the King numerous times. He stopped great Evils and slowed the advance of armies to a halt. He is a man of legends (and legendary abilities). People from other lands and languages have heard of him. He is now taking his ease in this quiet town.

Now he lives a desperately quiet life in a quaint villa. He is with his third wife, having lost several loves along the way of his adventerous life. She is quite a bit younger than he (but still older than most people), but she fell for him on one of his last escapades. His son from a pervious marriage is the spitting image of the Don, but without the bold adventurous will of his father. Their daughter has all of her mothers incredible beauty (which as faded a touch over the years) and her father's passion and will. She is quite the problem child.

Old companions and heroes of other times quietly make their way here to visit and tell tall tales (since they were there... they know what happened). Younger adventerous sorts occasionally find there way here (requiring the direction of an older adventurer or special sage) to get advice from the great one. They are told to be quiet and secretive in their travels.

The Don lives in quiet desperation. He lives in fear that one of his old foes (or their children or minions) will come for him and destroy this idyllic place in the process.

Wet Drock

#13

Wet Drock is a small, mostly uninteresting village, lying on the banks of the River Thop. It is composed mostly of small, thatch and stick houses without windows. The people there are farmers or fishermen, and are very poor. All of the men go to the Market-Day in the nearby town of Opethion.
Wet Drock's name comes from Whej-Dawharoxash, a name which, in the tongue of the Urwhor, means "Seven Dwellings". A tribe of Urwhor dwelt here before the Men came, and to this day, some of the people have strangely reptilian features.
Across the river, in the marshy forest, there dwells Uxomwhak, the last of Urwhor in the region. Uxomwhak has found a strange artifact in the woods, a blackened skull that speaks to him, and he has taken this as his master. In return, it has sustained his lifespan far longer than an Urwhor's usual 60 years. Uxomwhak has done many deeds at the behest of the skull, including kidnapping a child from nearby Wet Drock.

Vit

#14

Northmen settled the isolated black sand coast a few centuries ago, but the first geographical document describing the northern seas was written by a monk named Darius, two centuries ago

The Northmen came to the lands because of internal struggles in their homeland. The Mad King drove his enemies and the former rulers of their lands all the way to the these shores. Keeping a low profile to protect certain bloodlines, they founded Vit.

About 300 people live in Vit, and about 200 live in the surrounding countryside. All though the history of this place goes back a few centuries, it wasn't until the last 75 years that that the first merchant settled to sell products such as flour, salt, sugar and vegetables. Eventually there were five stores in Vit and two slaughterhouses. The little village with a handful of people grew larger as time went by. It became a meeting place for farmers and a place where locals met to hear the latest news.

The Temple in Vit was built about fifty years ago at a time when people needed something to believe in. War had destroyed all their trading partners and the town fell upon hard times. It may explain why they decided to build the temple on the highest hill. Everyone could look up to the temple with its beautiful view.

The Temple is white against grey and brown hills, with a red tile roof that seems so out of place in this barren area. It's most notable feature is its tall tower, which houses the priest and his family and offers the best view of the coastside anywhere. The Temple here is known for the good fortune it brings upon those that worship here. Thus many people travel great distances to worship here. People come back to Vit to get married in the church that they once visited.

People also come to see the black volcanic beach with its cliffs that reach out into the sea. Unfortunately, the shoreline is decreasing every month. The ocean is slowly eating its way ashore, and sooner or later, something will have to be done. They are talking about building a dam to protect the village, but for now it stands on its own with the green mountains surrounding it on one side, and the ocean on the other.

The seven halls of Umthane

#15

At the edge of the Karru mountain range lies the lake of Um, its clear and smooth surface interrupted onlz by six waterfalls, for the lake is a cascaded one: the uppermost one is called the Lake of Welcome, as it is the first to reflect the rays of the rising sun. The next lake is called the Sounding lake, for one of the structures built there is a tall bell tower that signals the statrt of the working day for all inhabitants, the clear sound of the heavy bell echoing far and wide. The third is the Lake of Rebirth, where the ceremonies including ritual cleansing of the body and spirit are held.
The fourth is the PeopleÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s Lake, for most of the inhabitants dwell in buildings on an island in its centre. The fifth is the Noonstar Lake, for the sun in its magnificent glory and full might is reflected both on its surface and crystals in the deep. The sixth is the Stained Lake, for strangers and warriors, stained by the blood of fallen enemies, dwell there. The seventh lake is the Market Lake, or Lake of Farewells - each time traders come to Umthane, they offer their wares from their ships, as the falls prevent them from venturing upstream. This is the lake most venturing off depart from, and the last one graced by the rays of the setting sun.
According to social standing, the people are separated in the city: the ruler dwells in a hall supported by pillars in the midst of the uppermost lake, while the nobles and the clergy dwell on the second lake, connected to the rulerÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s hall by but a single bridge two steps wide.
The third lake holds the public buildings, so that both citizens and nobles have easy access. The fourth lake holds the main portion of the town, while the fifth is not inhabited except by holy men and women who have been granted the ability to live underwater by the gods. The only structure there is the bridge and tairs connecting the fourth and sixth lake, and a sole temple. The sixth lake also holds residential structures on pillars, in the cliffs or on tiny islands, while the seventh holds no permanent structures at all except for the docks. The dispossessed dwell on its shores in makeshift huts and holes in the earth.

Bridgekin

#16

The large and powerful river narrows a bit in these parts. Here they have built a bridge to cross it, to assist in cross country trade. Before the bridge there were two tiny villages at the narrowing, one on each side. Travel was done by a ferry, pulled accross by ropes and horses. But the river was so rough and swiftm that frequently the ferry was swamped and trade goods were lost. Since the bridge has come, the tiny villages at the narrowing have become small villages on their way to becoming small towns. They have renamed the villages Bridgekin.

Technically they have built three bridges to cross it, two rocky outcroppings in the middle of the river are anchor ends for the bridges. The bridge are made of wood, with side rails and covered roofs. It is a miracle that these bridges survive here. Previous attempts at bridges here have all failed. But this set of bridges survive.

The secret here is the people in the villages here. They have made a blood deal to feed a set of bridge trolls, and their descendents (up to 12 at one time, the villagers thought ahead to avoid the trolls setting up a town under there) who inhabit the underside. They protect the bridge and make sure it survives the water here. For their efforts, they get one livestock per troll per moon. Someday, there won't be enough and someone will want to substitute a traveller or criminal.

Portus

#17

It seems like a normal village with an inn. The villagers grow local peppers that are hotter than any others. The local cuisine is pretty darn spicy.

It does not seem like much but it is. If one is not use that sort of thing, it can be pretty debilitating a day or so down the road. Sometimes travellers stay an extra day, tended by the healer.

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In the middle of nowhere

#18

1) Most of the fields around here grow plants that are used to make fabric (or feed the critters that make fabric). There is often a cloth festival here once a year, so the locals can show off their wares and traders can pick them up.

1b) The town seems pretty deserted: windows are shuttered, people are peaking out of cracks, people hustle quickly and hide when you approach. It seems two packs of rogues are vying to "run the town". (Used to be one big boss, then when he was going to give the territory to his son, his number one man split off to take what he thought was his). They hang out at inns at the opposite end of town. There are enough thugs on both sides to give the adventurers pause (and a few top dogs in both packs that are just good enough to be dangerous to the adventurers). The peasants and merchants in the town are living in fear of the violence between the two gangs. The only person happy about it is the cooper, who is making a killing on caskets.

Note: the town is so far out of the way, that there are no civil forces to appeal to).

1c) The local official who administers this area for the crown/ local noble is very well dressed, fairly cultured, and has the finest things including a carriage. As you might guess, he is a bit more corrupt than you would normally expect. As long as he gets his cut from the rogues, he does not alert the outside world to their presence here. He also takes bribes to lessen tax burdens on the businesses and traders. Even the peasants get into the bribery act.

Random Villages

#19

Hacienda Solfatara Built on top of geothermal hotsprings, Solfatara is a popular resort community. Well known for its heated baths and theraputic springs, the wealthy and powerful come here often. The entire community was chartered by a well known and respected fire mage who is now the First of Solfatara, a position analogious to a mayor, or a lord. Solfatara is located in the desert, and it is a hot place to live. Many lords have winter homes here.

Hacienda Flamingo Chartered in a small bay, Flamingo is best known for its psuedo-Mexican atmosphere, and the large flocks of pink flamingos who wander the shallows of the bay. It is a chartered community similar to Solfatara, but is Firsted by a hydromancer/swordsman who is actually an associate of the First of Solfatara. There is a very laid back, anything goes attitude to H. Flamingo.

Sedon Originally an army siege camp, but the siege lasted so long, that the camp became permanent, and once the siege and war was over, real houses and buildings were raised in place of tents and makeshift homes. No Sedon is an outlying community of a larger city.

Avalon - Arth Village

#20

Avalon is set among the beautiful green rolling hills of the biome. The homes here are right out of a Maxwell Parish or Thomas Kincaide painting, little Tudor styled cottages and a quaint temple. They cluster around the central plaza, which is really just the intersection of three undertravelled Imperial roads (South to Antioch, East to the Villages, NorthEast of GreatRidge road).

Avalon would be known for its sheep and goats. It produces fine wool products and excellent cheeses. However, it is the presence of the Druids that make it stand out. First a bit of geography. To the west, is the coastline. Between here and there is a band of green called the Coastal Forest. It is here the bulk of the Druids (humans who dedicate themselves to Mother Arth or the Green Lady) live in a manner similar to the Elventi... embedded in the Green using magic to assist their lives. They still need humanti goods, but much of their lives is spent in magical communion with The Green.

On a small island off the coast, called Emerald Island, lives the Grand Druid (and a large number of other druids). It is unclear if the Grand Druid is immortal (or nearly so) or just a title passed on. In addition to being the leader of the Druids, he is known to have supernatural wisdom. He is known to answer ONE question a year for every supplicant. The questions can even be about the future. If the need is great, the answer is straight foreward. If the need is not great or it is about a future event, the answer is a complex riddle. The amount of riddle implies the importance to the World and the Druid.

The Druids (and Villagers) make a living off the supplicants. There is a steady trickle of those who wish to know The Truth. Each one is to give a gift of note to the Druids (a sliding scale, two copper for a peasant or a major magic tool for an Imperial Noble). For that gift, the Druids will bring you (in small groups) through the sacred Greens, walk you across the water (on stones that raise or lower), and though the mysts that protect the island (and back again). You get an audience in the temple of the Green, a temple made of interwoven evergreen trees. The Great Druid sits in a wooden throne that seems grown. There is great pomp and ritual to the asking of questions and the answers. After the questions are answered, everyone is escorted back to the village.

Villages 3, GreenePark, MorePark, and ParkMore.

#21

The GreenePark was once a Noble/ Royal preserve. It was a vast green hunting area which had excellent game. That was a generation or three ago. It is now regular land. The village of GreenPark is based around the great hall, which was once the Royal Lodge. The village has been there as long as the Lodge, as it was the people who supported the Lodge. The Great Hall is now a public house/ inn, called The ParkPlace.

There used to be only one road to GreenePark. It led from The City to GreenPark. Now expanded, it is now called the GreeneWay. It extends from The City to the Towers of Wall, spaning the entire GreenePark forest.

Long ago, when GreenePark was still a preseve, the GreeneWay was extended a bit deeper into the park. There a small set of cottages were set up as a special place for those of the Prince's favor. The Prince deemed the place "MorePark". The cottages have blossomed into a village since then. Once the road went through, it became a required stop on the way through the GreenePark forest.

Since the GreenePark forrest is no longer a royal preseve, another village has sprung up between GreenePark village and The City. In a spat of humor, the village was dubbed ParkMore (which makes no sense until you travel down the GreeneWay and reach MorePark). While GreenePark is a good day's ride from The City, ParkMore is a solid half days ride or a casual full day's ride.

A village called Astraton

#22

In a village called Astanton, a quaint little place in the middle of noplace (south of nowhere) on the coast, every male is called Jaz. It is not a nickname, all their first names in the ledgers are Jaz. Jaz BlueBoat, Jaz BreadSmith, Jaz NetCrafter, and so on. Nobody knows why this is, it has been happening for so long.

Oh the people here are a secretive and cautious lot. They talk oddly, heavily in a fishing orriented slang. Most importantly, they don't like Outers in their decks (outsiders in their business).

Players will see this with modern eyes on some legal document and think back to Buckeroo Bonzai or the Xfiles. They will be paranoid. They will be looking for the illegal, immoral, alien, or paranormal. When in reality, it is just an odd little fishing village.

Of course, if your players have probably read this post, change it up and have it really be a world threatening invasion from beyond the pale.

Aadaabaanaabaanaa

#23

Aadaabaanaabaanaa lies in the midst of the (insert name) Forest. It is secret and unknown to outsiders, except for one trader, who periodically enters to provide supplies and trade goods to the inhabitants.
The reason that Aadaabaanaabaanaa is secret is that all of its inhabitants are tiny pygmies. They have reddish-brown skin and no body hair. They all also have great magic power.

White Rock

#24

The village is unremarkable except for one white rock. The village green is still in the center of town. In the center of that grassy area is a huge white rock. It is half a man's height tall and wide, and a man's height long. It is traditional for a Headman to stand on the rock when doing anything official. The local priests have taken to the same habit.

Most people avoid standing on the rock, even children avoid playing on and around it. The only time regular folk stand or sit on the rock is when public oaths are sworn.

So of course a wary traveller will sit on the rock for a moment clearing the muck off their soles. It will cause quite the outrage.

Sticks

#25

It seems like a perfectly normal village. The local priest used to be a powerful manipulator of events in the Church. He was outmanuvered and sent out to Sticks as the country temple priest. He has lost some of his power and prestige in the church, so he is not currently a "big player" there. (Though he is slowly manipulating things to get back into favor). His skills have allowed him to take over the local area and the bumpkins inhabiting it. Now he has a powerbase beyond the clerical. Perhaps he will make himself a noble.

The players might encounter some mighty or powerful temple players on the road to and from the Sticks.

Baycrest

#26

In a somewhat sheltered little bay upon the coast is the small village of Baycrest. It is a pretty place, where the pines and evergreens of the nearby mountains practically reach the warm sandy beaches. The water is cold, but not icy like most of the water along the coast. There is a little fishing here, as well as a little farming. There is a monastery here, with a library of some note. It is a place where regional high clerics come to retreat, meditate, and plan. In short, a very quiet place.

Someday, when society becomes more sophisticated and "fun on the beach" becomes a summer time drive, this little town will burgon into a resort town. But for now, it is a pretty and sleepy place.

Blue Shallows

#27

The village lies close to the sea (hence its name), and naturally does fishing.

The peculiar thing is the obsession with time of the locals: anything must be done at the right moment, and there is a right moment for everything. From the early morning, the schedule decides what when to do. Visitors are likely to be ignored until the evening, when the work is done, and it is time to speak with guests and be social.

Locals get nervous if anythings disturbs their peaceful and organized existence, and are at pains to change the plans. If desired, there could be a reason beyond mere beliefs to live like this.

Stish

#28

Stish is a village in a wetlands adjacent to a wide river. All the various huts are on stilts, so they are a cubit (2-3 feet) above the highest tide they have experienced. The villagers get around on boats and on floating "paths" (linked reed and plank floating upon barrels/ air bladders). The village smells odd. It is a local incense used to keep the bugs away. (It also covers up the fact they use dung and peat as fuel).

Why would anyone live here, when there was good land not that far away? The locals practice "wet" agriculture for rice. Their crop yields here are two to five times that of the dry farmers. This way they are close to their crops. (And the hunting and fishing isn't bad either.)

ClearBreeze

#29

ClearBreeze is a small village where the locals build around the trees instead of clearing the land. Their cottages of stone and wood (and waxed paper windows) are built at odd angles and are never perfectly square or rectangular. The local common house is actually build around a large tree. It was like the Humans here took a page from the Elventi on how to build homes

note: The fields a little ways outside the village are cleared of trees.

Pakasang

#30

Pakasang is a small village of farmers in the hills beneath the volcanic Mt. Budang. It is surrounded by forests, which frequently encroach on it's rice paddies and maize fields, and there is only one road, which goes from Pakasang to the nearby garrison town of Ta'te.
Pakasang is completely unremarkable but for one thing- in the center of the village, there is a large pit. This pit seems to be bottomless. Nothing ever comes out, and if something drops in or enters, it/they never return. Illumination dropped into the pit falls into darkness, a very long way. The people of Pakasang say that the pit is an entrance to the Underworld. A former sage of the Brotherhood of Wisdoms who lives nearby says that it is merely an entrance to a very deep cave.

StoneWalk

#31

The country in these parts are green and filled with rolling hills. In addition, the ground around these parts is filled with stones. Every field being plowed brings up more and more stones. The boundries of every field and each person's properties is surrounded by a piled stone fence. Many of the cottages have stone foundations, or stones building up half their walls.

Unknown

#32

A bit off the beaten path the travellers will see a road leading off to the left. If that road is followed, it will lead to a village. You can see it in the distance, the village is good sized, good for about 75-100 people. As you get closer, the village is obviously in serious disrepair. It has been abandoned a number of years ago, (if not ten to twenty). There is no indication as to why, but what ever it was happened quickly (you can find a table set, a prayer blanket laid out. However, there are things strewn about clothing and such, but that could be the work of animals.

Oh and what ever happened has made the local squirrels omnivores.

Harga Pass

#33

This small village huddles at the bottom of the sharp Harga Pass that runs through the Sun's Walk Mountains. The town itself has no name, as such, but everyone calls it and the region Harga Pass.
The village is unremarkable, in most respects, but heroes will find that he people tend to be very reserved and mistrustful, and suspect that outsiders are witches. In the past, they have had trouble with a witch who dwelt in a tower at the top of the Pass (she recently died), and have no desire to have such troubles again.

Buthet

#34

Buthet is a tiny village consisting of fourteen small huts clustered around a pond. It has six inhabitants (not enough to take up all the houses). They live in constant fear of a huge thing that comes and takes them in the night.

However, if any people in the nearby region are asked about the huge thing, they will be informed that Buthet is used as a disposal area for their mad-folk, and that the insane people are probably just wandering off.

Ios

#35

The entire village is built upon the Boulder Hill, an huge tapered rock, some 50 strides tall (3 feet) and 250 across at its widest point (which is roughly an oval).

At the very top is a square white building, that is nearly a perfect cube. This is a temple to a local diety. (Insert holy place for a given religion). Something miraculous was said to have happened at this place.

Every other building in Ios is built in a similar style, it is blindingly white, square with square windows, with one to three rooms per level. Most of the village buildings are two story tall. The path between these buildings is narrow, but wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The Boulder Hill is an island in the sea of grain fields around Ios.

Random Villages

#36

Jerd's Farm

Another of the less friendly villages (will there be an end to this?), locals are suspicous of strangers, and not above asking who they are, what they want, and if they stay for long.

There has been quite a bandit activity in the last few years, the villagers have lost a large part of their crops, the local militia came always too late. Sceptical of adventurers (they had too little money to hire any), they took it in their own hands. Most houses have now small openings serving as arrow-slits, crude crossbows are hidden inside, and the villagers train with their makeshift weapons regularly. You better don't make them mad...

(And by the way, Jerd's Farm was the first settlement here. Having five daughters, most locals are descendants of Jerd. The village is some 150 years old.)

Great Circle

#37

Great Circle is a remote village in a vaguely defined corner of the borderlands. The village is mostly unremarkable- a circle of small, cord-walled huts surrounding a central green. The people are poor, and live on subsistence farming. Crops are grown by the whole village; no one villager has his own field. Great Circlers are not overly suspicious or rude; in fact, they are very glad to see new people, being as remote as they are.
Just on the outskirts of Great Circle is its namesake, however. Surrounded by the fields, there is a small hillock, and on top of this hillock there is a circle of gigantic stones, encircling the top of the hill like a wall. One can walk among the gaps of the stones to the center where there is a curiously-stained altar. The people of Great Circle regard the megaliths with a certain suspicion in that people have sometimes disappeared there, but they generally consider to be just an oddity that belongs to them.

BlueCliff

#38

BlueCliff is a village that covers most of the small island it is on. This island is just off the coast. The island has the only natural harbor on this stretch of coast. So the locals, who make their living off their boats, took to living on the island. Now there are no villages on the coast, as everyone has moved to BlueCliffs. It gets its name from the fact that most of the island shore has small whitish cliffs (about the height of the man) that look blue given the sea and the sun.

Skywater

#39

Skywater is actually a region of four villages, all of which call themselves Skywater. The natives will always keep calling their village Skywater, though if pressed they might be called North, Sunnyside, Nightside (west), and Lakeside Skywater. Why anyone cares is that Skywater produces some the most magnificent pears. It is not the seeds of said pears or the type grown here, it is something in the very soil here that makes the pears better here than anywhere else in the world.

Erlick

#40

Erlick is the village that exists in the large craggy ravine north of Portspointe called Erline. It is a farming community, where terraced fields have been tended by Erlick Folk since forever. There is no village as most people would call it. The village is distributed between the various ledges and terraces in the Erline Ravine. These various buildings (and small grouping of buildings) and fields are linked by a complex set of rope bridges and stone carved stairs. The entire ravine looks like a huge mass of spider webs from a distance, as lines of all sorts link the various spots on the side of the ravine.

Why do people go to such extremes to farm around here? Portspointe is the only natural port between the two great trading states. While there is a great deal of traffic here, the people of Portspointe do not wish to be dependent upon food being brought in. While exploring the area, they discovered the ruins of the terraced farms (and their water resevoir and irrigation lines) in the Erline. Taking their cue from the now lost neighbors, a few workers began to farm here. The use of ropes from the ships makes travel here so much easiser.