Playthings of Mad Gods

5 Strange and Isolated Settlements to Sprinkle Into Your Campaign

Everyone who runs a session with an overworld that the players wander through has ran into the problem of finding various hexfills. Seek no more, as I will provide you with a bunch of places that have their own strange peoples, whom you may put onto your maps wherever you like!

1. Brighthold

A small town of ~200 hidden tall in the mountains, Brighthold is a place that is impossible to reach without flying or specialist mountaneering equipment. It is set on a plateau, that is completely covered in various crops - the climate is cold but stable, with crops being grown throughout the whole year. The people cut their teeth, and live in fear and reverance of "The Masters Below", almost god-like beings who live in a great cave system below the plateau. Every sunday, a group of these "Masters" emerge from the caves, demanding food in return for items made out of black, glass-like metals and bones, as well as clothes out of spider-silk - their craftsmanship is incredible, and these items would be incredibly valuable to any city - in Brighthold, however, they are normal. The "Masters" are xenophobic, and will order the folk to cast any interlopers out, unless offered a stable supply of food, which is scarse so deep underground, where they live.

2. Eternal Love

A town of ~400 people, of various ethnicities, nationalities and species, all intermixed. It is ruled by a forest nymph, who has decided that she will create a utopia - she believes that through her love she may create eternal peace - she has good intentions, but doesn't really understand people. She has gathered various travellers from the surrounding lands over the years, sending them on recruitment missions. She is bound to a great oak tree in the middle of the town, which is covered in various geometric patterns, carved into it by the town's Wizard, which are meant to protect her and give her good luck. The townfolk manage to feed themselves by foraging in the surrounding forests, as their leader forbids them from farming as it would harm the forest - thus, while often hungry, they are all great survivalists and have filled the forest with various traps to deter anyone, who could be dangerous to their "Queen" - they will not do ambushes, however, as she prohibits any violence in her lands. If anyone harms her or her tree, however, they will face their fury. Various rare herbs may be bought, if one manages to convince the townfolk that they are not a danger to their Queen, but anyone who wants to buy them must take care not to look at the Nymph who often wanders through the town.

3. Pearly Reef

A village of ~100 people, it is built in the skeleton of a giant whale. It is a bit cramped, but the bones are so strong that they provide scaffolding for their communal housing. The town is named for the nearby coral reef, which is full of pearl-bearing oysters, as well as corals that look like mother of pearl. This, and a strong fishing industry provide this village with everything it needs for existance. The only issue is - the nearest forest is three days away, and the boats are often damaged by the coral. There are also no rivers going through the village, which forces the people to dig wells. One can exchange wood for pearls here, if they just find a way to provide enough wood for the new boats that the people need.

4. Colony IKSDE2137

A mining village of ~120 Yellow and Tall people, living on a large flatland and mining it for gold. The people of the nearby villages avoid it, as there are often falling stars that seem to aim at it which they see as a bad omen. Thus, most people never learn the truth of this place - namely, that the people living here are aliens, and the falling stars are ships that come by to get gold, and trade other resources in return. The local people mostly hide their technology, prefering nano-tech and psionics to overt uses of engineering, although they have a few emergency blasters stashed in their small houses. They have no leaders, as they are ruled by a psionic construct created by the subconscious consensus of the citizens of the village.

5. The Twin Towns of Hedon and Dolor

Hedon and Dolor are two towns of ~300 people that inhabit the same space - they just don't inhabit the same time. Every sunset they switch places, with one town being placed into stasis, while the second town returns. Furthermore, each town sees the other one as previously existing in its place, but now being only ruins. In fact, both have old ruins left in their towns, which seem to prove their version of past events, with events from the other town changed into old legends. The people of Hedon are pacifist, while Dolorians are warlike. The people of Hedon are focused on trade, while Dolorians are focused on animal husbandry. Every aspect of the town seems to be an inversion of the other one, and each one claims that the other's "flaws" are what caused them to fall.

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