This is a continuation of my series on How to Make a Caravan Crawl! It's taken a bit longer than expected to finish the sample Caravan Crawl I started in part one and partially finished here, but below you'll find the next settlement. I've got two more settlements written but needing cleaning up, one I'm halfway done with the initial process, and one I haven't started. I post this hoping it's useful, but also as motivation for myself to keep the work up!!
A: Ingalls: Bustling, Dreary & Rainy.... + Coffee, Leather (from demon), Water, - Luxury Goods.
Overview of Troubles
5 The Alligator: Marv’s Magical Emporium is closed. The main attraction, Carl the Dancing Alligator, has escaped! They say he disappeared in a cloud of smoke during a show, shocking Marv Templeton, his trainer, and hasn’t been seen since. That hasn’t stopped people, led by Carl’s biggest fan / local breadmaker, Margie, from searching the nearby swamp, where Carl came from in the first place. Unbeknownst to all, Margie used magic to teleport Carl into her basement, where he is slowly starving to death. Patron / Job. Marv / Find Carl. A year’s pay in a day, plus lifetime free admissions to his show. Tiela, swamp dweller / Get everyone out of the swamp. Doesn’t care how you do it, pays in rations. 5 per party, mostly alligator meat. Sissy, local housewife / Kill Carl. “He’s a danger to society!” Pays in gold. Her deceased husband’s gold teeth. 24 of them.
20 The Werewolf: An old children’s song, “One night healing, the next mirth, then justice. All he touches becomes like him. There goes the wolf made a man.” Two nights ago, a beautiful, silver-haired man was seen entering old Madge Ferguson’s house. The day after, she was able to walk again. Last night, that same man turned a barrel of water into wine and served it at Harry’s bar, and in the ensuing party, everyone swore they had never been so happy. However, this morning, the man was gone, and so was Madge Ferguson. Instead, in her house was a ravenous wolf that could walk on its hind legs. Tonight, the man will return, bringing justice. Patron / Pay / Job. Claude Storenstein, railroad baron who knows the song and has been treating his workers very poorly / price of a chicken per party member / defend him from the man overnight. Bob Ferguson / gratitude / find his wife, Madge. No, not the wolf, his real wife! Doctor Ekmo, resident mad scientist / 16 gold teeth / capture the silver-haired man, alive, for experimentation.
25 The Demon: add two resources in excess to this settlement. Last year, this settlement was attacked by a group of bandits. Even with a much smaller force, the settlement won out. This year, they had the best harvest they’ve ever had, building new buildings and negotiating favorable trade agreements. Outside the settlement, two guards loiter outside a cave. The leader of the settlement regularly comes to visit the cave, and then returns to town, with all of the big decisions being made a visit. Within the cave, a heavily built humanoid that would measure at least 8 ft tall, lying prostrate visibly covered in festering wounds. With horns like a goat, one eye gone milky white and the other barely able to open from swelling, this creature introduces itself as Saint. It is close to the end of its incredibly long life, and now spends its dying days helping this settlement dominate all those around it. If left unchecked, within one year, this settlement will conquer all those within 10 weeks travel. Within 5 years, it will have conquered the entirety of the world, just as saint passes away. Patron / Pay / Jobs. Saint / eternal life / Has a list of people in other settlements. “Tyler Givens, a revolver that never misses. Jon Harris, a holy symbol that emits light. Sarah Simons, the fastest horse in the land.” Kill all three, take what they have. Father Adelard / a blessing granting +1 to an attribute / help him locate the unholy energies in this settlement and banish it.
IN TOWN Bustling, Dreary & Rainy, Trolley
Bustling: Carts and people moving every which way. A sense of enthusiasm and optimism; obviously new buildings everywhere.
Dreary & Rainy: Constant cloud cover, deep brown mud topped with lush green grass.
Trolley: An electric trolley line connects Harry’s Bar, the Rail Station, the Light of Our Lord Church and the Situation Room in a circle.
--- Harry’s Bar colorful, anxious, crowded
Colorful: tapestries adorn the wall, a piano rests unplayed in a corner, fun trinkets and bud vases with fresh flowers adorn the tables.
Anxious: rushed, whispered conversations “it's just an old nursery rhyme, right?” made much worse by Terri Smith (Bob haircut, attention seeking, always remembers what's going on in your life), who floats around to the various tables repeating things she's heard other people say.
Crowded: everyone from town was in here last night, partying with a beautiful silver-haired man who turned water into wine. Everyone from town is back after they heard Madge Ferguson was turned into a werewolf. Everyone is afraid that they're going to be turned into a werewolf too. Doing everything but actually order drinks. Harry Harriet (bearded, awkward, lanky), the owner, is trying to calm people down, so he can get back to making money. It's not going well.
--- Rail Station: road and rail, banner, trade
Road & Rail: covered station hosting the rail line and paved road headed to Tsentral in the mountains. Honestly, both are very nice. Passenger line unloading, along with boxcars of ice. One car is always armored; word on the street is the ice guild pays in bearer bonds. This is, in fact, true. The armored car is guarded by two men, and inside, there are 1000$ in bearer bonds.
Banner: “railroad and road. courtesy of Mayor Peter Cavendish. Join us as we build to the heavens! Ad Astra Eternis!”
Trade: booths. One for train tickets, one labeled for the Rye Brothers Ice Guild, manned by Jenson Rye (shrewd, prominent neck tattoos, glad-handing), and a variety of other goods dealers. Plenty of wheeling and dealing, lots of information to be had about prices throughout the whole region.
Also, Jim Morris (stoic, scarred, multiple firearms), looking to hire guards to help him keep an eye on Claude Stornstein's house. Won't tell specifics of why they want more guards, but pays $1.50 a day per guard, with a $1 bonus if they have to actually fight.
And, Tyreek (merchant, wheeling and dealing, tall), trying to offload 25 sacks worth of leather at 25% off typical prices. Word was this place needed more leather, so Tyreek bought, and it didn’t exactly pay off.
Finally, Stitch Markus (leather apron, binder, spectacles), interior designer, is attempting to furnish a few of the new buildings around town. Would pay double price for power line, telegraphs, lightbulbs, and anything else that screams, “New!!”.
--- Madge Ferguson’s House and Observatory cottage core, husband, tracks, telescope
Cottage Core: embroidery, rugs, upholstered chairs, the whole nine yards. Over it all, star charts and models of the solar system.
Husband: Jerry (wheelchair-bound, hard of hearing) absolutely distraught. Believes this is all a cruel prank, that his wife has been kidnapped, and that someone placed a giant wolf able to stand on its back two legs in his home.
Tracks: lead off into the woods, where Madge Ferguson in wolf form can be found devouring a chicken.
Telescope: Out back, a metal dome. Inside, a large, twenty lens telescope, measuring 15 feet from end to end. Jerry used to be into this kind of thing.
--- Light of Our Lord Church first, simple, confession.
First: plaque, telling that this was the first building constructed in this settlement. Dust on the pews indicate it is much less well attended today.
Simple: unpainted wood, A-frame, reasonable steeple. Icon at the front, depicting the Descent of the Light.
Confession: despite the dust on the pews, often, a line waiting to offer confession with Father Adelard (wise, strong-willed, kind), who bears a holy symbol of a sun that can emit bright light 1/day. He is painfully aware that he cannot solve all the problems facing him at once. Wants to uncover and destroy the silver-haired man who has been visiting town, find the source of demonic influence that he's been sensing within the settlement, and also perform an exorcism on a woman in the tent at the nearby crossroads. He believes the werewolf is most likely coming from the standing stone circle just outside of town, and will enlist parties to go destroy the circle, believing it will stop the werewolf.
--- The Situation Room coffee, holding court, 10 year plan, law
Coffee: cowboy style, grounds and water boiled in a metal kettle without a filter. 15 c a cup.
Holding Court: Mayor Peter Cavendish (suave, moustachioed, type A), surrounded by coffee farmers, bankers and merchants, discussing the weather, interest rates and the recently invented sport of golf. Genuine and infectious hope for the future lifts the spirits of all within the room.
10 Year Plan: wood cuts show each year of the 10 year plan. Year 1 was the railroad and road to Tsentral, along with the defense of the settlement during the wars between the Republic and Empire. Year 2 shows the settlement joining hands with the Rye Brother’s Ice Guild, with the ice guild standing two steps below them. Year 10 shows the mayor either sharing coffee beans with the whole region, or ruling the whole region. Really hard to tell.
Law: Tracy (stoic, bald, black), a gray warden, offers a price of 25$ for the capture (alive) of any of the Bixby brothers for robbery. They were last seen outside Tsentral. No one here seems to like Tracy.
--- Margie’s Photography swamp, creepy, basement
Swamp: Right near Town Center, there's a patch of ground significantly more muddy than the rest of town. It's in a perfect circle around Margie's Photography studio.
Creepy: Exterior is plain. Interior, the normal stuff, like a camera, different backdrops, and costumes. But also, it’s covered in memorabilia of Carl the dancing alligator (see W: Marv’s Magical Emporium), to a very, very creepy extent. In one corner, a basement door, locked.
Basement: cut into the ground beneath the crawl space of the house is a mud bowl filled with water. An underground spring feeds it, and seeps into the ground, creating the swamp effect near the house. All along the walls, ritual, symbols, blood, and trails, and various magical artifacts. Within the water, Carl the dancing alligator kidnapped by his biggest fan, and slowly starving to death.
Surrounding Areas
V: Swamp stone, gators, Tiela
Stone: at the center, a stone protrusion, square-shaped, stretching 10 ft above the swamp. Moss and lichen dare not grow on it. On its top, arcane symbols. If the fresh entrails of water dwelling creatures are thrown on the symbols, it allows the casting of enlarge once per day.
Gators: 20 of them. Three are immediately visible from the edge of the swamp, lurking and attempting to prey on those who get too close. The rest are disguised amidst moss and reeds. Carl, the dancing alligator is not here.
Tiela (elderly, wispy hair, talks to herself a lot): Hut, balanced atop a few logs in the swamp. Hates the search parties that have come through this way. Will pay in magical charms granting +1 to a roll once per day to get everyone out.
W: Marv’s Magical Emporium & Doctor Ekmo’s Hut
--- Marv's magical emporium search party, empty ring, gift shop
Search party- a number of faithful fans of Marv's shows, gathered with water bottles and lamps. They plan to travel to the swamps, to try to find Carl. Led by Margie (overbearing, very funny, handmade sign says “ Carl's number one fan”).
Empty ring- large tent surrounding a show ring, set into the ground with a water feature along with a number of slides and ramps. Inside, nothing. Outside, a large sign saying “Carl, the dancing alligator”
Gift shop- close up magic sets, flash powder, trick decks of cards, and rigged dice. Inside, Marv (eccentric, charismatic, business-minded) inconsolable. He truly loved Carl as one would love a favorite dog, and is offering ridiculous sums of money (100$+) to anyone who promises to find him. He can't actually pay more than $40.
--- Dr. Ekmo's Hut straw, smoke, creatures
Straw: makes up the roof in the walls, over a simple wicker frame. Surprisingly effective at keeping in warmth and keeping out cold. For those who look closer, woven into the straw is a significant quantity of hair.
Smoke: a fire burns in the center of the Hut. The rest of the space is occupied by room to sit around the fire, a simple cot in one corner, and a table with books, tools, and cooking equipment. Around the fire is Dr Ekmo (wild haired, tattooed, otherworldly intelligence). They say this new science is almost like magic. Ekmo believes the two are the same, and is obsessed with both magical tradition and scientific knowledge about the fusion of the primal and the human. He aims to find ways to meld wild beasts with each other, and ways to imbue human beings with the best qualities of wild beasts. He believes Carl's ability to understand humans would make it easier to transfer his other qualities to a human. He will pay $50 for Carl, with a $10 bonus if he's caught alive. He does not want Marv to know that he's making this offer, as they are old friends.
Creatures: hanging from the rafters or creatures that look like they should not exist; ones with five legs, far too many eyes, or the right number of parts, but in very much the wrong places. Each of the creatures has been skinned and hung to bleed above the fire.
X: Claude Storenstein’s House plantation, walls, art
Plantation: massive footprint. The single largest coffee farm in the area. It's the perfect climate for it, and Claude makes a killing by loaning people money, forcing him to work on his property to pay it off paying his employees next to nothing, and refusing to let them leave until they pay off their debts to him. In the fields, hard at work, is Jameson (grizzled, beer belly, sunburn). After 15 years here, and has now cultivated sufficient relationships to stage a breakout. There are three barracks buildings holding 12 workers each, usually overseen by 2 guards per building with shotguns. The breakout will take place in 3 days, and if he sees visitors that he suspect might be friendly, he will attempt to enlist their aid.
Walls: much newer than the building they surround, made of brick. Two gates, one at the front and the other at the back, both wide enough to accommodate a coach. Two guards watch each gate. The front is the entrance for guests, the back is the entrance for supplies.
Art: the building itself is simply beautiful. Three stories, wrap around porches on each story, and an inside decorated as a Victorian mansion. The front-facing room on the third floor is Claude’s (cut throat businessman, cowardly person, silk bedrobe) bedroom, and since he heard about the silver haired man, he has refused to leave that floor. There's one main spiral stairwell that connects all three floors, as well as an elevator which leads down to the front foyer. He's increasingly drawn guards out of the plantation to keep watch from the walls.
Y: Cave guards, Shadow, Saint
Guards. Rick (tall, y'all, kind) and Stephen (tubby, thoughtless, sarcastic) are the mayor's cousins. They get paid to camp outside this cave and make sure no one but the mayor goes in. He visits every other day around noon. They're quite happy with the arrangement, and take turns leaving to go hunt.
Shadow: cave entrance is cast in a perpetual twilight, even when it looks like light should penetrate the entrance. Radius of light cut in half.
Saint: if standing upright, Saint (confident, scheming, dying) would be 8 feet tall and heavily built. Instead, he lies prostrate on the ground, consumed by rot. One eye is milky white, the other is swollen shut. He is at the end of his incredibly long life, and seeks to help the mayor conquer this region. He has blessed their coffee output, and gave the mayor the 10 year plan found in the Situation Room. However, he sees obstacles - three people with magical resources. Saint is looking for a party to eliminate three people: “Tyler Givens, a revolver that never misses. Father Adelard, a holy symbol that emits light. Sarah Simons, the fastest horse in the land.” Tyler is at the crossroads, Father Adelard is in this settlement, and Sarah lives in D: Tal’ne.
Z: Standing Stones clearing, circle, spirit
Clearing: 50 ft wide, ovular.
