Counting Sheep

 The Berreton Family

As we’ve been on this journey to create a small town, I’ve mentioned in each article that there are five founding families. Although I’ve only written up one of the families – the horse-loving Jaroths – I have named four of the five others and their field of expertise. Along with the Jaroths we have the wine-making Kalahan, the miners of the Merrick family, and the Llewellyn who made their fortune in lumber.  This week we’re going to add our fifth and final family, who raise livestock for a living, the Berreton family.

Farming in medieval Europe was in large part done by the serfs on the lands of nobles. Land was partitioned into plots for each peasant family to live on and tend, and although they weren’t slaves they weren’t really free either. All the crops belonged to the lord, a serf couldn’t sell his grain or his livestock without the lord’s permission. It wasn’t really until the 1800s and the enclosure system of farming that lands were divvied up to individual farmers and not used as communal farming, and that’s more of what we’re going with here in Nestletop.

The thing about these individual farms of the enclosure system is that a lot of the smaller farmers couldn’t raise much of their own livestock. Cows especially eat a lot of food, and sheep take up a lot of space for grazing. Larger families with more land, not quite nobles but definitely not peasants either, did a lot of the livestock raising because they had both the space to do it and the money to afford it.

The Berretons

The Berretons are one of the hardest working families among the five founders.  While the other families hire others to oversee the workers on their land and in their facilities, the Berretons take a hands-on approach. Even the current head of the family, Patreus, can be found in the fields with the shepherds or in the barn with the cows. His tanned skin and leathered hands speak of a man not afraid of a good day’s work.

Much like they did back on the other side of the mountains, the Berretons raise livestock. The foothills of the Earthspine mountains don’t leave a lot of space for raising large herds of cattle but it is ample for the animals the family does have. Their largest group of livestock is their flock of sheep, which supplies both food and wool for clothing. They also rear an assortment of goats and pigs on other parts of their land. They do keep a dozen or so cows both for milk and to sell the meat – mainly to the other founding families who can afford those prices.

Many of the shepherds with families live on small plots of land in one-room houses supplied by the Berretons. Unmarried workers share a communal bunkhouse closer to the barn. In general, the family is well respected by their workers who feel they are treated well – as far as medieval workers go.

The family also has a close relationship with Ableton Redrun of the Redrun Smithy, who performs a lot of the veterinary work for the family. He trains some of their workers so that he doesn’t have to go out there for every little thing, but he will come out to set a broken bone or treat a disease that is too much for the herdsmen. Rumor is that the eldest daughter of Patreus has taken a liking to Ableton, but he doesn’t seem to have figured it out for himself.

Patreus’ younger brother is well known for his love of dogs and he keeps a kennel of herding and hunting dogs behind the manor house. All of the current sheepdogs and collies that assist the shepherds were raise by Atrian. He even sells some of the trained dogs when the caravan comes through the mountains during the festival days. The canines are said to be well-liked back in the holy lands.

Who raises the livestock in your town? Do you use more of an early medieval model with serfs raising a lord’s livestock? Do you have free peasants who keep their own animals? Can they afford to keep large herds? Who tends to the animals’ medical needs? What kind of animals can thrive where your town is situated?

Creativity must be tended like a flock of sheep. If the CRB has provided you with what you need to spur your own creative side, please consider becoming a contributor to the CRB. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Long Arm of the Law

 Sheriff of Nestletop

This week we are going to continue with our slow building of the town of Nestletop. We’ve taken a look at one of the five founding families, the blacksmith, the tradepost, and the local tavern. Today I want to explore the role of law and order within the community. We’re going to look into how law worked in a medieval village and who represents the law in our small town.

The person who oversaw keeping the king’s peace in the time of the Normans was called a sheriff, a term we use to this day. But this came from an official position of the Saxons called a reeve, which was a senior official with local responsibilities under the crown. The reeve could be just about an official under the crown but was often a town or district magistrate. After the Norman conquest a reeve was appointed to every shire, and thus it was a “shire reeve”, which eventually got turned into sheriff.

During the reign of the Saxons, reeves were higher level court officials. When the Normans took to appointing their shire reeves they generally choose men from non-noble stock because they didn’t want to create an official with so much power they would become unaccountable to the king. They did, however, have to balance this by appointing men with sufficient standing as to allow them authority over local landed and military aristocracy.

While the shire reeves could have authority over a few counties, the Normans used lesser reeves which they called bailiffs for the feudal manor. Basically, while the sheriff oversaw the county’s needs, the bailiff had the equivalent role for feudal landlords. The sheriff would take care of administrative as well as judicial functions, and on the manorial level bailiff would make decisions that could concern mundane field management and not just legal disputes.

But where does that leave us with our town? How can we apply this knowledge to Nestletop?

First, we have to take into account that, although Nestletop may be an official part of the large Theocratic nation – which I haven’t really outlined at all yet – they are so far away from any part of that civilization as to be pretty much independent. The town also doesn’t really have nobility. The founding families were rich but they were not actually noble houses. At best they are non-noble aristocracy, but for all intents and purposes the rulers of the town.

Even though Nestletop is small it does have laws as created by the town’s council. These laws in some way need to be enforced and so – in my mind at least – Nestletop needs a law man, or in this case a law woman. The position shall be elected by the council which has representatives of the five noble families, the townsfolk themselves -- in this case the blacksmith AbletonRedrun -- and a representative from the elvish community as well. It is the belief that since no one person, and not just the founding families choose the sheriff that she will be beholden to the law and not just to a single group. Sheriff is a lifetime appointment in Nestletop, or until the current sheriff seeks to retire.

Sheriff’s Office/Jail

The Sheriff’s office is situated on the same side of Nestletop’s dirt road as the Cracked Anvil tavern. It is the only two story building on the street as the top floor is actually the apartment in which the sheriff lives. The bottom floor is made up of one large room that houses both the actual office of the lawwoman and the two small jail cells against the back wall.

Being as small as it is Nestletop doesn’t see a lot of crime, and the cells themselves are usually empty. Occasionally a rough night of drinking will see one of the cells occupied by one of the townsfolk who needs to sleep it off. Sometimes if things come to blows between folk they’ll need to be separated, hence the reason for two cells even if they’re rarely both in use.

The main office is little more than an open space with a desk and a few chairs. There is a bench along one wall with iron rings bolted into the sturdy wooden walls to attach manacles. A large locked chest contains a few sets of leather armor and some weapons – mainly short swords and light crossbows – on the incredibly infrequent occasion the sheriff needs to deputize some folks.

Katryn Windthistle

When the position of sheriff was created as a life time appointment most folks expected it to be a human lifetime. The elves keep mainly to themselves as long as the townsfolk to break any of their taboos. Katryn Windthistle is one of only a handful of half-elves born to the intermarriage between the local tribe of elves and the people of Nestletop. Most half-elves prefer to spend their lives with their elven side of the family but Katryn has always felt more comfortable with the human side.

Katryn’s father was a well-respected foreman in the mines of the Merrick family, Her mother found the human village far more interesting than the forest in which she was raised. She fell in love and even married the human man living with him on the Urduth estate. Idrin, Katryn’s father, was not a young man and died of old age before his daughter even reached what constitutes adulthood for a half-elf. Katryn’s mother elected to return to her people but the young half-elf stayed in town with her father’s kin.

Katryn was never the miner her father was and did odd jobs around the various estates and even for the dwarven couple who ran the tavern and the owner of the tradepost. When the dust-up from the arrival of the smith AbletonRedrun happened she help talk down the Urduths, who were quite unhappy at the time. In her many years she had become friendly with the young members of all the households who were now coming of age and taking over for their parents.

When the old sheriff retired and a new one needed to be elected Katryn’s name was at the top of the list. Well-liked by all, the then-current heads of the families as well as the general populace, she was an obvious choice. The elves thought she would make an excellent liaison between their tribe and the humans, especially since the last sheriff always seemed to side with townsfolk in matters of law.

Katryn’s time as sheriff has so far had little in the way of incident, which is more a testament to her good nature and even hand than a lack of possible trouble. She takes it as a matter of pride that she’s never had to deputize any of the townsfolk for any reason. Beyond her duties as enforcer of the law, she also trains the militiamen that guard the pass in case of wandering monster or barbarian attack from the Great Plains the people of Nestletop once traversed.

Who in your town defends law and order? Do the local nobles deal with their own legal issues? Or do they hire a bailiff to oversee them? Is your town part of a larger county or shire where a true sheriff presides over matters of law? Or is your town like mine,  small and out of the way with its own system of laws outside the greater nation, with its own sheriff to deal with infrequent infractions of jurisprudence?

Like the long arm of the law, the CRB reaches across the shire of the internet or bring you creative ideas. If today’s article has given you pause for thought please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Just Horsing Around

The Jaroths (A Founding Family)

Every other week we’ve been working on adding to the small town of Nestletop as an exercise in world building. The first three installments have been the tavern, the smithy, and the trading post. Each of these have also had a some discussion about the research I had done on the topic at hand. In some of the past entries I have mentioned five founding families, and these week I’m going to start by outlining one of those five.

Before we get into the five families I think we first need a little bit of history on this town. This whole thing started as a basic idea that I was going to use as the starting point for an adventure. I worked with my players to make their character and those characters added to the town as a whole. One player was an elven shaman, which is why I added the elven community living side by side with the humans.  Another player was a dwarf barbarian trying to find his heritage as a berserker, and so I added the one dwarven family to represent his disconnect from his ancestral heritage.

The idea of the small town in the middle of nowhere was the perfect opportunity to have characters who didn’t know much about the outside world. This way the players could explore the world through the eyes of their characters. Everything that was a first for their characters would also be a first for them.

Although the players influenced the town I still had some ideas of my own and one of those was that Nestletop was settled by five families who had money and some status but would never be power players where they were. So instead of being small fish in a big pond they set out to make their own pond where they would be the big fish. Of course others went with them looking for a new beginning, but we’ll get to those as we move forward. Right now we will learn about Nestletop and how each founder affects the town, one family at a time. And we will start with the family mentioned in the blacksmith’s write-up, the Jaroths.

The Jaroths

Of the five families that travelled to the farthest reaches of the wilds, the Jaroths were by far the richest and most powerful. Whereas the other families were still making their money through industry the Jaroths watched their wealth grow through investment. For the most part the family spent their time indulging in their other hobbies, chiefly the breeding and rearing of horses.

The Jaroth family are the ones who put forth the idea of leaving the greater civilization and heading out into the wider world. The then-head of the family, a man by the name of Kendrick, was known for his silver tongue. He managed to convince the other families that it would be in their best interest to sign on for his little excursion. And so the Jaroths led the other families to settle in what would become Nestletop.

When they stopped on the other side of the pass through the Earthspine mountains and decided to settle just there, the Jaroths, who had funded the largest part of the relocation, choose their plot of land first. They had brought with them a number of different breeding pairs of horses and need enough land for their equines to run. They originally lived in makeshift housing, much to the chagrin of younger family members used to the comforts of the city, but it was also the Jaroth’s manor which was built first.

The Llewellyns, who had made their money in lumber, had brought with them the tools and personnel to construct a lumber mill swiftly upon arriving. It was when they went to cut down their first tree that they encountered the elves of the region. The shamanic forestfolk had inhabited the area for many generations and although they weren’t openly hostile they took umbrage to the attempt at deforestation. Again it was eloquent Kendrick who stepped forward to negotiate, and a deal was struck.

The town settled and as they did the Joraths retained the unspoken title of the leaders of Nestletop. There was a council and part of the deal with the elves included a seat so that they could be a part of any decision making process that might affect them. But even on the council the voice of the Jaroths carried weight beyond anyone else’s.

The fourth generation of Jaroth leaders is now on the council. Kendrick Jaroth – named after his great-grandfather – is the head of the family. They live a comfortable life on their estate with the pastures for their horses. A number of the local farmers share their hay directly to the Jaroths, keeping the community thriving. Some of the youngsters of the local families looking to get away from the farming life are employed by this founding family as hostlers.

In recent times the family has had a bit of a contentious relationship with the Merrick mining family. When the new Redrun smithy opened the Jaroths starting using Abelton, not only for their smithing needs but also to sell their horses when the trading caravans came through. There are no outright hostilities but the Merricks have been voting against the interests of the Jaroths in council meetings.

And there you have it, adding a little bit of history to our growing town. We’ll add more as the weeks go on but for now I pose to you a few questions. Who founded the town you players characters are from? Why was the town founded in the first place? How do the leaders of your city interact with each other? And who doesn’t love horses?

Founding a town is no small feat, and neither is producing weekly content. If the CRB has give you thing to think about please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

One For a Penny

Trade in a Small Town

Last month we began the slow process of putting together a town piece by piece. In my first installment I spoke about the use of a foodhall/tavern as a center of social activity and laid out a tavern and its owner for our town. In the second piece I talked about the importance of the blacksmith to a town and wrote about our specific town’s blacksmith and his smithy. This week I’d like to talk about trade, both within the town and with outside sources.

Trade is ever important to a town’s survival. Towns would grow larger if they were on the path of an important trade route. But even small towns had to have a way for its citizens to trade with each other. Some towns would have a kind of general store, but more often they would have a kind of market where they would rent stalls to sell their wares.

Most towns, large and small, would have a trade day once a week. This was even a part of Roman culture when they had an eight day week – called a nundial cycle which you can learn more about here – where the eighth day was specifically a market day. Much of the trading in smaller towns wasn’t done with money as the peasants who traded were dirt poor and would exchange goods or even services that both parties needed.

Larger towns would have a fair which could last weeks and draw people from all over Europe to trade. Our town is both small and very far out of the way, so a weeks long fair is not something that is going to be going on for us. It is, however, something you should consider when making your own towns and their customs.

Most peasants grew their own food and had their own animals. These were usually smaller animals like sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs because larger animals cost too much to feed and care for. The items they would bring to trade were usually small things they would craft themselves during the year and the excess of whatever their crop was during harvest season. This allowed a farmer to grow a few crops and yet still have a variety of foods to choose from.

Harn’s Trading Post

The trading post in Nestletop is run by a man named Harn. It was run by his father, and his father’s father before him, and his father’s father’s father before that. The post has always been a family affair and that family is well respected.

Two separate areas constitute the post. The first is the actual shop where Harn sells goods he personally trades for. The second is a large open area which takes up the remaining of the side of the road that the post shares with the smithy. The open area is divided up into about two dozen stalls that can be rented on the weekly trading day to sell any goods you may have.

Harn’s payment for rental from the local farmers is usually a few of their wares. By keeping these odds and ends in stock it allows availability of an item if someone needs it outside of one of the weekly trading day, or if that seller is unable to come to market on a given week. This also means that Harn’s wares turn over frequently.

Anyone can rent a stall, and the elves who used to occupy these lands before the people of Nestletop came to settle make use of the post to trade as well. Occasionally some of the friendlier tribes of barbarians from the great plains will also come to trade. And although Nestletop is not on any major trading route, a caravan from the Divine Empire will traverse the plains to trade two times a year.

The caravan comes once in the spring and once in the fall after the harvest has come in. During the fall arrival Nestletop observes a week of celebration. There is a fair with food and drink and a week of trade which sees the townsfolk, the elves, and the foreign traders all come out in numbers. This is one of the few times when all the trading post’s stalls are rented out and the fair will sometimes need to spill over into the fields behind the post itself.

Harn Feedle

For a man with such a rough sounding name Harn is a very gentle soul. The name was his great grandfather’s, who started the post. Although his father went by Gwint, he felt that his son should keep the name of the post if he was to inherit it. Harn has always felt it an honor to be named after his grandfather and wears the name with pride.

The Postmaster is a small man, and slight. This is made even more obvious when he stands next to Abelton, the smith. The two are best friends and when business is slow Harn can be found in the smithy while Master Redrun works and the size difference is jarring.

Like Ableton, Harn is considered a fair and honest man. More likely to give one of the citizens a break then the smith is, but not the extent that he’d harm his own business much. A few of the townsfolk owe the Postmaster small debt, but everyone who has ever owed has paid in full.

Harn’s family came over with the original exodus from the lands of the Divine Empire. His great grandfather was a merchant of now small renown, but life in one of the larger cities was beginning to put a strain on him. With his wife having just given birth to their first son he wanted to be away from the bustle.

The Postmaster is one of the few people in town who has remained devoutly religious. Although he doesn’t push his views on anyone else, he does keep to many of the rites of the Divine Light. He keeps a small altar to the holy presence in the backroom of his shop. Occasionally when he’s had a bit to drink he’ll start singing hymns, which nobody would really mind except that Harn couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

How do the people of your town trade with one another? Is your town on a major trading route? Does does being or not being on a trade route affect your town? Would you use Harn and his trading post or something like it in your town?

Like Harn’s trading post a bring my wares of the written word to you weekly. If today’s article has give you pause for thought please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Stoking The Flames

The Redrun Smithy

Two weeks ago we started building our little town. I decided that I would begin with what I believe to be the center of a community; the place where they gather to eat and talk. Although the tavern might be the social center of a town – at least my town – it is not always the economic center of the town. In small hamlets and villages like the one we are making here the blacksmith is usually the economic powerhouse of the community. Today we're going to take a peek at what makes the blacksmith so important in general, and who the smith in our town is.

When most people think of a smith the first thing that pops into their minds is the image of a weapon or armor maker. But for most small town blacksmiths, weapon smithing was, in truth, a small part of their business. Sure they would have to make a sword or two for the local militia, but most of the people they were crafting for were farmers. The main source of their income would be both crafting and maintaining household items.

Farming implements were of the utmost importance to a local community. A smith would craft and maintain items such as plows, shovels, and rakes. The smith also made other items that were often needed in the household like knives and other utensils. Keeping the house itself in working order was helped by the smith who made hinges, locks, keys, and probably hundreds upon hundreds of nails.

Horseshoes were a major part of any good smith’s repertoire, but few know that the local blacksmith was also the local horse dealer. The smith was considered one of the most trustworthy members of a community,  and usually with good business sense, so the locals felt that he would only purchase and sell the best horses he could find.  Although most games of D&D are set in the medieval or renaissance styled eras, it is interesting to note that the decline of horse transport contributed greatly to the diminished role of the traditional town blacksmith.

One other role the blacksmith played even as late as the 19th-century was general medical practitioner. Many people thought that the blacksmith had magical abilities due to their iron working and knowledge of metallurgy. Smiths practiced a form of medicine based on some parts science and some parts local superstition. The smith would perform general medical procedures including dentistry and in some places even practiced veterinary medicine.

All in all blacksmiths held high social positions in medieval and early modern societies, despite the fact they were laborers who worked with their hands. They were considered wealthy not because of what they owned but because of what they knew. Most smithing was a closely held secret passed down through families. And smiths were often powerful figures in their towns.

Redrun’s Smithy

On the other side of the one dirt road that makes up the town proper from the Cracked Anvil tavern sits the Redrun Smithy. The smithy is actually a few buildings connected together to form one larger shop. The small wooden framed building that actually faces the town side of the road is the shop proper. When the proprietor is not working in the actual smith – which isn’t often – he can be found here, making sure the wares he keeps in stock are neatly organized. Most of the stock items are household implements such as utensils and cups, and basic farming implements like spades and hoes. There is an abundance of different sized nails in numerous wood bins, separated by length and then thickness.

Behind the shop, facing away from the center of town is the actual smithy. The building that contains the forge only has three walls so that the room itself doesn’t overheat. Everything in the room seems to have its own special place with a flow that allows the smith to get from one place to another without being hindered, all the while keeping anything he might need in reach. Beyond the forge the most noticeable pieces of equipment are the anvil, a large work table, and the slack tub for cooling down pieces.

Against one wall is a board on which hang various tools. There are a dozen different hammers and tongs, as well as vices of all different sizes and shapes.  About a quarter of the wall is taken up by files with varying degrees of abrasiveness. There are also assorted other handmade tools, most likely for special projects the smith once had.

To the side and slightly behind the shop appears to be a stable of sorts. It’s mostly just a large covering with open walls and a few separate stalls, as well as a hitch for horses that don’t need to be housed longer term. The stable stalls include stocks for keeping the horse still while horseshoes are applied to their hooves.

Ableton Redrun

Ableton is the town smith. He didn’t arrive with the original in founders of the town but arrived maybe fifteen years ago. One of the founding families had a smith on their staff who serviced the town’s needs before Ableton came, but his business fell off – a sore spot between the current smith and the family – when Redrun’s smithy was opened. The burly man from out-of-town proved to be an master smith, among other things.

Master Redrun doesn’t speak much of his past, not because he’s trying to hide it but because it is incredibly painful for him. He has told the story once or twice and the petitioner of the story invariably buys Ableton a drink at the Cracked Anvil for dredging up the memories. Even with his unfortunate past the smith is a fairly jolly fellow and makes his customers feel welcome.

Ableton lived to the way to the south of the holy city on the northern border of the great plains. He was a smith in his hometown, married and with a young son. As happens on occasion a despot thought to build himself an army and make a play for a swath of the holy empire’s land. Master Redrun’s town fell to the invading force and his wife and son were killed. As was common for smiths, Ableton was enslaved and conscripted into the army to forge arms and armor. But the smith was smarter than most gave him credit for and he escaped.

With no home and no family Ableton sought to get as far away from civilization as he could. He remembered tales from travelling caravans of towns on the other side of the great plains, and through the Stonespire mountains. He took what riches he stole and made his way across the barbarian infested plains and then travelled the edge of the mountains till he found a pass. On the other side of the pass, in the foothills, was the town of Nestletop.

Since making Nestletop home Ableton has made a name for himself as a honest businessman and a reliable human being. Although the founding families still sit on the council of the town the common citizens all put Ableton forward to become a council member and protect their interests. He was welcomed by most and sits alongside the head of each founding family as well as a representative of the elves who live in the forests alongside Nestletop.

The Redrun smithy provides for most of the daily needs of both the farmers and the founding families. The Jaroth family uses him to peddle their fine horses when trading caravans come through town two or three times a year. He also provides a number of basic medical functions – including dentistry – although the town goes to the elven druids and shamans when they have more serious illnesses.

After losing his family Ableton has not sought to start another one, which has led to the conundrum of how to pass on his knowledge. Smithing has been handed down from father to son in his family for generations and he has many secrets to impart, but no son of his own to teach them to. As Master Redrun isn’t getting any younger in the past year he has taken on an apprentice. The boy is the son of one of the original farming families that made the trek to Nestletop, staking their claim in the very beginning. The youngest of eight children, the boy seems to have a keen interest in the art of the blacksmith and a mind sharp enough to grasp what Ableton has to teach.

So hopefully we’ve learned a little bit about blacksmiths and their role in a medieval village. I have to admit there was a ton of stuff that was completely new to me, but I was lucky enough to have a friend who is keenly interested in blacksmiths and smithing in general. And now we’ve added a smithy and smith to our town as we slowly build it up one piece at a time.

Who are the blacksmiths in your world? Do they do more than just forge weapons and armor? What is their role in your world’s societies? Would you use the Redrun Smithy and AbletonRedrun in your campaign world?

Forging a new piece of a town is like crafting a nail to build a house, time consuming but well worth it. If today’s article has stoked the flame in your creative forge please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

In the Center of Things

The Cracked Anvil Tavern

In the past we’ve built a lot of stuff based on Golarion or we’ve used Golarion as a base to figure out how things work, as it is the example reference world for Pathfinder. I’ve even gone so far as to flesh out a city in Paizo’s game world that had very little information presented about it. This week we’re going to start a new segment where we look at building something from the ground up. In particular we are going to be looking at the underpinnings of a town.

Many campaign worlds begin from one town or city. This is the central location from which the players can move out and explore – and in some places help create – the world around them. Some of these places are huge sprawling cities, but a lot of adventures begin in tiny little towns. In this case I’d like to start with a little hamlet where we can flesh out most of the inhabitants.

When I did my line of articles on taverns as more than just a trope, I spoke about how the tavern was many times the center of cultural life. Now it may not have been called a tavern, maybe it’s called a feasthall  or an inn, or something else, but food and drink have a major importance in the life of population centers of all sizes. So determining what kind of central establishment there is where townsfolk gather and who runs it is integral to building the rest of your city.

The Cracked Anvil

The Cracked Anvil is a long, squat building. Unlike many of the other buildings in town it is made from stone and not wood. The masonry work is of fine craftsmanship as befits the heritage of the owners. The ever present features are the chimney, which is constantly putting out a stream of inviting wood burnt smoke, and the etched wood sign depicting an anvil that has been cleaved in two over the front door.

The interior has a homey feel with massive wood beams supporting the stone ceiling from which hang assorted knick-knacks meaningful to the townsfolk over the years. Below where the chimney extends from the stone slab is a large circular fireplace that is the centerpiece of the entire establishment.  Surrounding the fire pit is a ring of wood benches and a few comfortable chairs. Past this inner ring of seats are about a half dozen long wood tables and seating for as many as a small family.

When the place is busy most of the townsfolk sit around the pit and enjoy each other’s company, but there is still a bar back by the kitchen area. If someone needs some time with themselves, they’ll sit here and the rest of the patrons will know to leave them to their quiet internal contemplation. The bar itself is sturdy and at one point fully varnished, although years of people's food and drink resting on it have left scuffs that mark the enjoyment of a pint or one of the proprietors famous pot pies.

The Cracked Anvil sets dead center In the one road town and has, since its construction, acted not just as a place to eat and carouse, but as a central meeting place. Gatherings to discuss any important goings-on happens in the establishment, and even the mayor is more likely to take a meeting at the Cracked Anvil then in his own office across the street. The town comes here to both celebrate and mourn. The announcement of engagements, blowing out of birthday candles, and the sharing of a pint over a lost friend are all commonplace around the warmth of the fire pit.

The Proprietors

The Cracked Anvil was built by the hands of its own proprietor. Thedrick Irontoe and his family are the only dwarves in town, and he crafted a building to remind him of home. Thedrick breaks the stereotype of the dour dwarf. He is always quick to a smile and offer a kind word. In trying to make a place that was homey to his own family he created an atmosphere that is welcoming to all the residents of his community.

Like many dwarves, Thedrick is a master craftsmen but his ability to create goes far beyond just masonry and woodwork. Thedrick is a near wizard in the kitchen. Although he doesn’t much like to talk about it ,he was a company cook in the dwarven army before retiring away from his people. Sometimes he jokes that the dwarven palate was wasted on his creations, which is why he moved away, but no one knows if this is true or not.

Thedrick lives in a stonework basement of the Cracked Anvil with his wife Henrett and their son Thurgard. He tends to the kitchen – although he comes out to talk to the patrons often – while Henrett mans the bar and serves up the food. Thurgard helps out but his interest his dwarven heritage means he can more often be found talking off one patron or another’s ear about the great dwarven berserkers.

The Irontoe family is very close and they’re not afraid to show their affection for each other. This attitude helps make the Cracked Anvil feel like a second home to those come to visit. Patrons get treated like extended family, and even the few travelers who pass through comment on a feeling of home so far from their own.

Fare

The Cracked Anvil carries a wide assortment of food and drink. Wine is bought from the vineyards of the Kalahan family, one of the five founding families of the town. Many of the farmer brew their own whiskeys and beers, which Thedrick will purchase and sell at the Anvil. Thedrick himself brews a few potables himself, one in particular that uses mushrooms in the brew is very popular.

The food that Master Irontoemagics up in the kitchen is usually rich and hearty. Then menu changes with the season as the out of the way farming town rotates through different crops. Deer is a popular meat as the abundant forests see the hunters bringing in a fair amount of deer meat for sale. But the specialty of the house areThedrick’s pot pies.

Each pot pie is individually crafted on request. The meat and veggies that stuff the flaky crust are fairly easy to recognize. It is the flavor of the pastry that is Chef Irontoes big secret.  He says he grows some dwarvish spices in a small dirt plot in the basement.  No one quite believes him as dwarvish food is known to be bland and utilitarian, and no one has ever heard of dwarvish spices.

So there you have it, a center of social life in a town with a few notes on things that may help us expanded the rest of our farming village. Little bits can be changed if you’d like to fit the Cracked Anvil into your own town, which you can feel free to do.

What does the center of social life look like in your town? Do you use a tavern, inn, or feasthall? What is the major eating establishment where your players live? What kind of person runs your local bar?

The CRB aims to be one of the centers of your gaming world. If you’ve found this article useful please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.