Testing Settlements - Coldwater Bend Part 2

Getting Swans In A Row.

I'm testing my settlement system by telling the story of Coldwater Bend, a brand new hamlet built by a party of ex-adventurers by the riverbend teeming with trout. You can read Part 1 here.

Turn 4

Income consists of 1 River Trout, 2 Coin (Trade went up to 2 last turn thanks to Zofia), and 1 Morale. Residents gathered 2 Wood to prep for building a lumber mill, and they managed to trap 1 Rabbit for food. I rolled an Exodus event, so 3 people left (the refugees went back to the city to the rest of their family, bringing the population down to 10), causing Morale to drop by 2 (it hurts to say goodbye).

I was planning on building a lumber mill this turn, but with Morale running in the negative, it's time for a Festival (1 PP) to cheer people up, plus foraging for more food to keep everyone fed. Zofia sold off the River Trout for 1 Coin, and everyone had rabbit stew to keep their bellies full. Upkeep also included 2 Coin (1 for Size and 1 for Zofia, bringing us down to 1) 1 Morale (bringing us to -2).

Testing Settlements - Coldwater Bend Part 1

They probably have cows.

I've got enough structure built for the Settlement System to give it a whirl, so let's try an alpha test by starting with a brand new settlement.

A few definitions to navigate what's happening might help. Basic stats are Size (governs the scale of everything), Trade, Culture, and Militia. Each of those except Militia corresponds with a more volatile stat that potentially changes every turn, namely Population, Coin, and Morale. Settlement Turns are how often Income, Events, Projects, and Upkeep happen; I'm using a week per turn, but for a more casual experience a month per turn should work (and probably make more sense).

Settlements have Resource Income, which generate Food, Raw Materials, and Luxury Goods for consumption or trade, with extra Resources persisting between Turns in the Warehouse. Infrastructure tracks settlement buildings and Specialists are notable people in the settlement, and both can impact settlement stats. Projects allow the citizens to build and do things, and Events happen randomly every Turn to help or hinder the settlement's progress.

With all that as prologue, let's follow along as six ex-adventurers found a tiny settlement named Coldwater Bend.

Hallowe'en (Promptober 2025 #31)

Dead guy? Ho hum.

Most sages agree that the veil between the living world and the land of the dead is thinnest on Hallowe'en. Expect to see spirits and ghosts haunting the places they lived and died in life as you wander around. Haunted places show the most activity, but maybe that's because people seek out haunted places on that one specific night.

But what if Hallowe'en thinned the veils between all the planes?

We would still get ghosts, sure, but what about devils? Almond-eyed and long-fingered fey creatures? Shadowy forms intent on stealing the warmth and strength of living people? Dust devils and floating candle flames as tiny elementals escape their home planes and wander?

What makes Death so special?

Harvest Festival (Promptober 2025 #30)

Many cultures celebrate the end of the harvest season with festivals. Ionians have Meditrinalia, a wine-soaked party and feast dedicated to Meditrina, the recently-named goddess of wine and longevity. Dunhill still celebrates Samhain, a more sober festival featuring spirits walking the waking world and ushering in the darker half of the year. The Cappadocia region in Okular boasts many varieties of grapes, so their Üzüm Hasadı Festivali lasts for a week slightly earlier in the fall. The Alfinwald holds their Amaro Emel'glir, literally the Festival of Singing Hearts, raising their voices to thank nature for providing for the elves' needs, and as a promise to protect and nurture plant life, especially as the plants slumber the winter away.

But what about Fellport?

The city proper has some green space, primarily Highgarden, the meditation gardens and labyrinths surrounding the Divinity Sanctum, the quad at the heart of the College, the gardens in the public square near the Council House, the Penny Chestnut, and the smaller Brinemist Preserve closer to the harbor. Some homes have smaller gardens growing in containers or in their tiny yards, and a few abandoned houses in Talltown have been overrun with weeds. But you need to leave the city proper to find any large-scale agriculture.

Fey Flowers (Promptober 2025 #29)

Foxglove in the wild.

Foxglove's purple, bell-shaped flowers remind people of tiny hats worn by fey creatures. Some think they denote where fairies have rested, doffing their hats and flying off in the morning without them. Wizards have taken this folklore to heart and enchanted foxglove flowers to step between the worlds for a moment.

Fey Flower

Wondrous Item, uncommon

Commonly found in groups of 2-12 in a cloth pouch, these still-fresh purple flowers prove surprisingly resistant to jostling. When held between a finger and thumb and snapped as a bonus action, they briefly tear the fabric of reality into the Fey Realm, allowing the snapper to misty step to a location they can see within 30 feet. The flower explodes in a puff of purple mist when used.