02 - Settlements

II. Settlements on the Horizon

Settlements in Western Horizon are living palimpsests—layered documents where history is visible in the present. They’re generated responsively when players declare intent to visit or establish a new location, using a combination of geographic foundation, factional dynamics, and historical events.

Settlements as Story Engines

A settlement isn’t just geography—it’s contested space where factions compete for resources and power. Every landmark tells a story. Every district bears historical scars. The map itself becomes a visual timeline that generates adventure hooks organically.

Tier	Level Range	Settlement Type	Guild Presence	Ex Novo Scale
1	1-4	Village	Bulletin board, local contact	Nestling-Budding (6-9 regions)
2	5-10	Town	Small branch office	Grown (9-12 regions)
3	11-16	City	Full guild hall	Aged-Elderly (12-18 regions)
4	17+	Capital / Metropolis	Regional headquarters	Ancient (20+ regions)

Settlement Creation Modes

Mode	Duration	When to Use	Output
Quick	5-15 min	Background settlements, mid-session discovery	Geography + founding resource + 2 factions + name
Medium	30-60 min	Notable towns, between-session prep	Founding Phase + 3-5 historical events + key landmarks
Full	90-120 min	Session zero hometown, campaign hub	Complete Ex Novo generation with development phase

Partial Definition is Intentional

Even “full” settlements leave 50-70% undefined. Blank spaces aren’t failures—they’re breathing room for future development. The undefined spaces invite player-driven discovery.

Who Participates:

• Quick Mode: DM alone (5 min between sessions)
• Medium Mode: DM + interested players (async or live)
• Full Mode: Whole table as session zero activity

Essential Output for every settlement generation:

• Geographic foundation (terrain type, major features, founding resource)
• 2-5 active factions with power relationships
• Settlement name (and optional secondary/local name)
• 3-8 historical events (scaled to tier)
• Hand-drawn map showing districts, landmarks, resources
• Timeline of formative events
• Notable landmarks (at least 1 per faction)

The Map is Your Primary Artifact

Don’t spend hours on elaborate keyed locations. The hand-drawn map with labeled districts and landmarks is your working document. Detailed location descriptions come later through Beak, Feather & Bone and Street Magic when players actually visit.

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Founding: Why This Place Exists

Every settlement begins with geography and purpose. The terrain explains why people would settle here, and the founding resource explains what keeps them here.

Geographic Foundation (Major Terrain)

Roll on the Terrain-Geography table (Ex Novo p. 36) or choose based on regional context:

2d6	Terrain Type	Character
2	Mountains	Defensible, isolated, harsh climate
3	Plateau	Elevated, wide vistas, exposed
4	Valley	Hidden, sheltered, fertile
5	Deep Forests	Mysterious, resource-rich, dangerous
6	Hills	Rolling terrain, varied resources
7	Plains	Open, vast, vulnerable
8	Riverland	Trade routes, fertile, flood risk
9	Coastal	Trade hub, weather extremes
10	Peninsula	Isolated but accessible, strategic
11	Island	Truly isolated, self-sufficient
12	Special	Underground, floating, unusual

Draw the Terrain Shape

On your settlement map, sketch the major terrain feature covering about a quarter to a third of the space. This isn’t about art—it’s about establishing spatial relationships.

Terrain Features (Add Topographic Detail)

Roll 4 times on the Terrain-Features table (Ex Novo p. 37). For each feature: roll or choose, draw it on the map, name it, ask “What makes this feature significant?”

Founding Location (The Key Resource)

Roll on the Purpose-Location table (Ex Novo p. 38):

2d6	Resource	Adventure Hook Potential
2	Ruins of former settlement	What happened to them? What’s still buried?
3	Travel route	Who else travels here? Border conflicts?
4	Trade route	Bandits, tolls, exotic goods, smuggling
5	Valuable natural resources	Gold, gems—greed and danger
6	Useful natural resources	Timber, ore—who controls extraction?
7	Abundant edible plants	Farmland—who was displaced?
8	Abundant edible animals	Hunting grounds—territorial conflicts
9	Defensible location	What threats does it defend against?
10	Strategic location	Chokepoint, high ground—military importance
11	Favorable climate	Who wants to preserve it?
12	Culturally important location	Holy site, ancestral claim—competing faiths

Place the resource on the map, name it specifically, mark with 2 power tokens.

Resources Create Conflict

The founding resource isn’t just background—it’s the original source of power in the settlement. Factions will compete to control it. Historical events will threaten or enhance it.

Settlement Decision (Who Founded This Place?)

Roll on Purpose-Decision table (Ex Novo p. 39):

2d6	Decision	Implications
2	Accident	Stranded travelers—scrappy, adaptive culture
3	Exile	Outcasts, refugees—suspicious, strong bonds
4	Escape	Fleeing oppression—valuing freedom
5	Individual vision	Founder-hero worship, descendants still prominent
6	Group consensus	Democratic traditions, town meetings
7	Economic opportunity	Gold rush mentality, wealth disparity
8	Noble decree	Planned settlement, class hierarchy
9	Military orders	Fortress origins, martial culture
10	Cultural expansion	Colonial outpost, identity tension
11	Sacred duty	Temple origins, religious authority
12	Divine command	Prophetic founding, zealous population

Create the first district: draw it on the map, name it, mark with 1 citizen token.

Quick Founding (5 Minutes)

For background settlements:

1. Geography: Pick terrain type (or roll 2d6)
2. Resource: Pick founding resource (or roll 2d6)
3. Name: Combine terrain + resource + suffix (Rivertown, Deepvein Hold, Thorngate)
4. Note: One-sentence description

Expand Later

Quick-founded settlements can be fleshed out with full Ex Novo generation if players express interest. The five-minute version gives you enough to reference it in play.

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Factions: Power in Motion

Factions are organized power structures competing for influence over resources, districts, and landmarks. They’re not demographic categories—they’re interpretive lenses that create meaning and conflict.

Factions as Dynamic Forces

Ex Novo teaches us that factions aren’t static. They rise and fall. They gain and lose power. They physically manifest through landmarks. Each faction has a symbol, a paradigm, and power tokens.

Starting Factions (The First Two)

First Faction — The Paradigm: Roll on Power-Paradigm (Ex Novo p. 40):

2d6	Paradigm	Nature
2	Clan	Family/tribal bonds, hereditary authority
3	Guild	Craftsmen/merchants, economic power
4	Faith	Religious authority, spiritual guidance
5	Council	Democratic assembly, elected leaders
6	Cabal	Secret society, hidden influence
7	Corporation	Business monopoly, economic control
8	Warband	Military force, martial authority
9	Nobility	Aristocratic bloodline, traditional rule
10	Commune	Collective ownership, shared resources
11	Syndicate	Organized crime, black market
12	Cult	Zealous believers, radical ideology

Name the faction specifically (not “Mages” but “The Crystalline Order”). Choose a symbol. Mark 2 power tokens.

Second Faction — The Relationship: Roll on Power-Relationship (Ex Novo p. 41):

2d6	Relationship	Dynamic
2	Opposition	Direct rivals
3	Complement	Symbiotic
4	Subordinate	Serves the first
5	Parasite	Exploits the first
6	Schism	Broke away
7	Independent	Coexist without direct interaction
8	Reform	Seeks to change the first
9	Rival ideology	Same methods, different values
10	Upstart	Newer, challenging established power
11	Alliance	Formal partnership
12	Merger threat	Absorbing or being absorbed

Guild Integration

In Western Horizon, the Adventurers’ Guild is always at least a minor faction. For starting settlements, make one of your two factions the Guild.

Beak, Feather & Bone Community Roles as Faction Types

Role	Focus	Natural Conflicts
Mages	Magic, knowledge	Clerics (faith vs. reason), Elders (tradition vs. innovation)
Miners	Resources, underground	Farmers (destruction vs. cultivation), Clerics (sacred ground)
Farmers	Agriculture, food	Miners (land use), Ranchers (territory), Merchants (prices)
Ranchers	Livestock, trade	Farmers (land), Hunters (wild vs. domestic)
Thieves	Crime, shadows	Soldiers (law vs. chaos), Merchants (theft vs. profit)
Soldiers	Defense, order	Thieves (order vs. liberty), Elders (military vs. civilian rule)
Merchants	Trade, wealth	Elders (profit vs. tradition), Thieves (legitimate vs. black market)
Elders	Tradition, wisdom	Merchants (tradition vs. progress), Mages (wisdom vs. knowledge)
Clerics	Faith, healing	Mages (faith vs. reason), Miners (sacred vs. profane)
Strangers	Outsiders, mystery	Anyone (outsider vs. insider tension)
Hunters	Survival, wilderness	Miners/Farmers (expansion), Ranchers (wild vs. domestic)

Power Token Economy

• Growth Pool: Unallocated potential
• Faction Power: Influence over settlement decisions
• Resource Power: Control over key resources
• Landmark Power: Physical manifestation of influence

When factions gain power, tokens move from Growth Pool or other factions. When factions lose power, tokens return. Zero-sum.

The Seat of Power

The faction with the most power tokens controls the settlement’s primary authority. They control the most significant landmark, set laws and priorities, provide default authority figures, determine what’s legal/valued. If another faction gains more tokens, the Seat of Power changes — a major campaign event.

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Development: History Shapes the Present

Settlements gain depth through historical events that explain their current state. Each event adds layers—new districts, destroyed landmarks, shifting power, arriving factions.

History as Adventure Seeds

“Twenty years ago, a plague destroyed the harbor district” becomes: What caused it? Who profited? What’s still buried in the ruins? Is it truly over? Events aren’t just backstory—they’re mysteries waiting to be explored.

How Many Events?

Tier	Settlement Age	Events	Time Span
1 (Village)	Nestling-Budding	3-5	5-20 years per event
2 (Town)	Grown	5-8	10-30 years per event
3 (City)	Aged-Elderly	8-12	20-50 years per event
4 (Capital)	Ancient	12+	40-100+ years per event

Event Categories (Ex Novo p. 42-59)

Category	Themes	Typical Results
War & Conflict	Violence, invasion	Districts destroyed, factions weakened
Discovery & Innovation	Technology, magic	New resources, cultural changes
Natural Disaster	Floods, quakes, fires	Districts destroyed, refugees arrive
Trade & Commerce	Economics, markets	Merchant faction gains power
Religion & Faith	Spirituality, prophecy	Cleric faction rises, temples built
Crime & Corruption	Thieves, scandal	Authority challenged, secrets revealed
Cultural Shifts	Fashion, art, customs	District character evolves
Leadership Change	Succession, coups	Seat of Power shifts

Event Procedure

For each event:

1. Roll on Event Table (2d6 for category + d6 for specific) or choose
2. Interpret the prompt in context of existing elements
3. Perform mechanical actions (add/remove districts, shift tokens)
4. Update the map
5. Record on timeline
6. Optional: Draw up to 2 tokens from Growth Pool

Responsive History Generation

You don’t need to generate history chronologically. Work backwards from present need:

1. Start with what exists now (“Mining town with abandoned harbor district”)
2. Roll 3-5 events that explain it
3. Arrange them chronologically
4. Fill gaps during play

Quick Reference: Historical Event Table

1. War/Battle (district destroyed, faction weakened)
2. Plague/Disaster (population decline, district abandoned)
3. Discovery (new resource found, technology advance)
4. Trade Boom (merchants gain power, district expands)
5. Religious Movement (clerics rise, temple built, schism)
6. Crime Wave (thieves emerge, corruption revealed)
7. Cultural Shift (new district character)
8. Leadership Change (Seat of Power shifts)
9. Arrival (refugees, strangers, new faction)
10. Construction (major landmark built)
11. Depletion (resource runs out, economic crisis)
12. Miracle/Omen (unexplained event, shifts beliefs)

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Districts: The City’s Anatomy

Districts are the settlement’s functional zones—abstract rather than precisely mapped, providing framework without over-detailing.

District Types

Type	Function	Common Buildings
Residential	Where people live	Houses, apartments, manors
Commercial	Trade and services	Markets, shops, taverns, inns
Industrial	Production and craft	Workshops, forges, mills
Administrative	Governance and law	Town hall, courts, archives
Religious	Worship and spirituality	Temples, shrines, graveyards
Military	Defense and training	Barracks, armories, walls
Cultural	Entertainment and gathering	Theaters, parks, libraries
Specialized	Unique to this settlement	Academy, arena, observatory

District Character

Beyond function, each district should have sensory identity (using Street Magic principles): sights, sounds, smells, feel.

Example: The Forge Quarter: blackened stone buildings, constant hammering and furnace roar, smell of hot metal and coal smoke, uncomfortably warm even in winter

Districts Through Time

• Founded: Original character from settlement founding
• Expanded: Grown beyond original boundaries
• Transformed: Major event changed its nature
• Abandoned: Disaster left it empty (becomes instant dungeon site)
• Reclaimed: Previously abandoned, now being rebuilt

Abandoned Districts as Adventure Sites

When an event destroys a district, don’t erase it—mark it as ruins. Collapsed buildings to explore, squatters or monsters move in, lost treasures buried, faction efforts to reclaim.

Population & Density

City Size	Low Density	Medium Density	High Density
Village	100	250	500
Town	150	500	1,500
Small City	200	1,000	5,000
Medium City	350	2,000	10,000
Large City	600	5,000	25,000
Metropolis	1,500	15,000	100,000

But mostly: Don’t worry about exact population. The number of districts and density feeling is sufficient.

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Notable Buildings

Buildings are defined through faction claiming and three-layer description—each location gets personality through reputation, appearance, and hidden truth. This can be done collaboratively (session zero) or by the DM (between sessions).

The Three-Layer Description

Every building gets three sentences that create depth:

• BEAK (Reputation): What do locals say? The rumor, the common knowledge
• FEATHER (Appearance): What does it look like outside? Visual hooks for players
• BONE (Reality): What’s it really like inside? The truth, often contradicting the rumor

This technique from Beak, Feather & Bone works for ANY location in Western Horizon.

How Many Landmarks?

• Session Zero/Full: 2-3 per active faction (5-10 total)
• Medium: 1 per faction (3-5 total)
• Quick: Just faction headquarters (2 total)
• During Play: Add more reactively as players explore

The Landmark Procedure (5-10 minutes)

Title: What do locals call this place? Examples: The Gilt Rose Inn, Temple of Smoke and Mirrors, The Stormwatch Tower

Address: Where is it within the district? Can be literal (“17 Saltmarket Street”), relative (“Three blocks from the fountain”), poetic (“At the crossroads where the pilgrim trail ends”), or vertical (“In the undercity, below the aqueduct”).

True Name: The sensory essence that makes the landmark unforgettable. Ask: “What do you see, smell, hear, feel, or taste when you walk in?”

Creating True Names

Close your eyes. Imagine walking into this place. What’s the first thing you notice?

• The Gilt Rose Inn: “sawdust floors smell of pine, firelight dances on copper mugs, laughter from the kitchen”
• Temple of Smoke and Mirrors: “incense thick enough to taste, reflective obsidian walls, whispered prayers echo”
• The Counting House: “scratch of quills on parchment, smell of ink and dust, golden abacus clicks rhythmically”

Building Purposes & Temporal Frames

Frame	Purpose	Examples
Hearts Social	Present community function	Taverns, meeting halls, active temples
Diamonds Financial	Present economic role	Markets, workshops, banks
Clubs Future	Preparation, aspiration	Construction sites, academies, arsenals
Spades Past	Historical, abandoned	Ruins, sealed temples, old fortifications

Temporal Balance

Settlements feel lived-in when they have buildings across all four frames. Heavy Past = settlement in decline. Heavy Future = growth focus. Use Past buildings as instant dungeon sites or mystery hooks.

Generating Rival NPCs

When a building serves an important purpose, create a rival from an opposing faction using natural conflict pairings (Mages/Clerics, Miners/Farmers, Soldiers/Thieves, Merchants/Elders, Strangers/Anyone).

Create the rival in three sentences: BEAK (reputation), FEATHER (appearance), BONE (true motivation).

Example: Brother Aldus opposes the Mages’ research laboratory.

• BEAK: Known as a voice of moral clarity, warning against dangerous experiments.
• FEATHER: Stern elderly cleric with ink-stained fingers, always carrying a leather-bound tome.
• BONE: Once a mage himself, saw a ritual kill his colleagues. Switched to the cloth to prevent others from making the same mistakes.

Rivals Are Quest Fuel

Each rival provides: named NPC with clear position, faction quest hook, information source, investigation angle. Don’t default to combat. Rivals create political opposition, not necessarily violent conflict.

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Key NPCs

Street Magic creates NPCs as Residents—characters associated with specific landmarks. This ties every important NPC to a location, making them easier to remember and giving players clear places to find them.

The Resident Procedure (5-10 minutes)

Title & Pronouns: What do people call them? The Lamplighter (she/her), Brother Moss (he/him), Sena Three-Coins (she/her)

Affiliated Landmark: Where do they work/live? Creates findability.

True Name (via Collaborative Vignette):

1. DM starts: “Let’s see [Name] in their element. Where are they and what are they doing?”
2. Players contribute: “I see them…” / “I hear…” / “They’re holding…” / “I notice…”
3. Build together until you can see this person clearly
4. Extract the true name from the details

Example Vignette:

DM: “Let’s see The Lamplighter. Where is she?” Player 1: “She’s on the corner of Saltmarket at dusk, lighting the street lamps one by one.” Player 2: “Her hands are always smudged with lamp oil, and she hums old mining songs.” DM: “She gives a gap-toothed smile, then moves to the next lamp without breaking her rhythm.”

True Name: “oil-smudged hands, hums mining songs, gap-toothed smile, moves like ritual”

Quick NPC Creation (mid-session)

1. Title & Pronouns (30 seconds)
2. Skip the vignette—just pick one defining trait
3. Minimal True Name (1 minute): One sensory detail + one quirk
4. Note landmark

Example: Jorn the Smith (he/him), always sweating, never finishes sentences, works at the Forge Quarter

Recording Residents

Each resident becomes a wiki page with: Title & Pronouns, True Name, Affiliated Landmark, Faction (if any), Relationships, Session Appearances.

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Settlement Threats (Optional)

Some settlements have unique threats that emerge from faction actions. Unlike random encounters, these threats are consequences of political choices.

Consequences, Not Random Encounters

A settlement-specific threat isn’t “there happens to be a dragon nearby.” It’s “The Miners dug too deep seeking profit, and awakened something they shouldn’t have.” The threat exists because of faction choices, and resolving it will change the faction balance.

Threat Generation Procedure

1. Identify Catalyst Faction — Most power or most dramatic action
2. Describe the Action — What specific thing caused the threat?
3. Collaborative Threat Design — Everyone contributes one aspect: appearance, behavior, what it wants, special ability, weakness, connection to the inciting action

Faction-Threat Matrix (Quick Reference)

Faction	Hearts Social	Diamonds Financial	Clubs Future	Spades Past
Mages	Summoning ritual	Magical theft	Experiment disaster	Curse awakened
Miners	Worker uprising	Dug too deep	Unstable excavation	Broke sealed vault
Clerics	Mass worship	Temple wealth curse	Zealot prophecy	Heresy punishment
Thieves	Stolen sacred item	Guild war violence	Heist preparation	Wrong tomb opened
Strangers	Outsider knowledge	Introduced parasite	Portal opened	Brought old enemy

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Practical Workflow Summary

Session Zero Starting Settlement (90-120 min, Full)

1. Setup (5 min): Choose tier, determine region count
2. Founding Phase (30 min): Geography, terrain features, resource, factions, name
3. Development Phase (40 min): Roll 5-10 historical events, update map for each
4. Detailing (20 min): Add landmarks (BF&B/Street Magic), create key NPCs, optional threat
5. Document (10 min): Photo map, type up timeline, create wiki stub

New Settlement During Campaign (30-60 min, Medium)

1. Quick Founding (15 min): Geography, resource, 2 factions, name
2. Key Events (15 min): Roll 3-5 events, arrange chronologically
3. Adventure Hooks (15 min): 1 landmark per faction, 1-2 key NPCs

Background Settlement (5 min, Quick)

1. Choose terrain and founding resource
2. Create name
3. Note 2 factions, brief description
4. Add to regional map — expand if players visit

Integration with Other WH Systems

After Ex Novo…	Next System	What It Adds
Settlement map with factions	Street Magic	Specific buildings, sensory details
Faction landmarks	Beak, Feather & Bone	Three-layer descriptions, rivals
Historical timeline	Microscope/Chronicle	Deeper historical context
Faction power balance	Kingdom	Crossroads and developmental choices
Abandoned districts/ruins	Ex Umbra/RISE	Dungeon generation within settlement