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.

Settlement Creation Modes

Western Horizon supports three settlement creation modes, scalable by time and detail needs:

Who Participates

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

Essential Output

Every settlement generation should produce:

• ✓ 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) that explain current state
• ✓ Hand-drawn map showing districts, landmarks, resources
• ✓ Timeline of formative events
• ✓ Notable landmarks (at least 1 per faction)

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. This foundation shapes everything that follows.

Geographic Foundation (Major Terrain)

Start with the landscape. Roll on the Terrain–Geography table (Ex Novo p. 36) or choose based on regional context:

Terrain Features (Add Topographic Detail)

Roll 4 times on the Terrain–Features table (Ex Novo p. 37) to add specific geographic elements. Each feature should be drawn on the map and named:

Common Features: Rivers, lakes, forests, hills, cliffs, caves, springs, marshes, ravines, rocky outcrops

Example: Rolling "river" → Draw a winding river through the map → Name it "The Serpent's Flow" → "It's called that because it changes course during spring floods, leaving abandoned channels like shed skin."

Founding Location (The Key Resource)

Why did people settle here instead of somewhere else? Roll on the Purpose–Location table (Ex Novo p. 38) or choose based on adventure hooks you want:

Settlement Decision (Who Founded This Place?)

Roll on the Purpose–Decision table (Ex Novo p. 39) to determine the settlement's origin story:

Quick Founding (5 Minutes)

For background settlements or when time is short:

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 for later reference

Example: "Ironhearth (Village, Tier 1): Mountain settlement founded by exiled miners around rich iron deposits. Still defensive, insular culture."

Factions: Power in Motion

Factions in Western Horizon 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.

Starting Factions (The First Two)

Every settlement begins with two factions established during founding:

BF&B Community Roles as Faction Types

When you need more factions (medium/full generation), use these archetypes to create specific organizations:

Power Token Economy

Ex Novo uses a closed token economy to make faction influence concrete and zero-sum:

• Growth Pool: Unallocated potential (starts with tokens based on settlement tier)
• 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 to Growth Pool or move to rivals
When districts are destroyed: Population (citizens) returns to Growth Pool

Faction Landmarks

Each faction should have at least one landmark that physically represents their power. These become:

• Social hubs: Where faction members gather
• Power symbols: Visible reminders of influence
• Quest locations: Sites for faction-specific missions
• Combat zones: If faction conflict turns violent

Examples:

• Mages: The Crystalline Tower (research facility, library, arcane laboratory)
• Soldiers: The Ironwall Barracks (training grounds, armory, headquarters)
• Merchants: The Golden Scales (trading house, bank, auction hall)
• Thieves: The Velvet Door (hidden tavern, black market, guild hall)

The Seat of Power

The faction with the most power tokens controls the settlement's primary authority. They:

• Control the most significant landmark (town hall, fortress, temple)
• Set settlement laws and priorities
• Provide the default authority figures (guards, officials, judges)
• Determine what's legal/illegal, valued/scorned
• React to threats and opportunities first

Power Shifts: If another faction gains more tokens, the Seat of Power changes. This is a major campaign event—describe the transfer of authority, resistance from the old power, celebrations from the new.

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. The timeline becomes a chronicle of dramatic moments that created the settlement you see today.

How Many Events?

Scale historical depth to settlement tier:

Event Categories (Ex Novo p. 42-59)

Ex Novo organizes 108 events into 18 categories representing broad historical forces. Roll 2d6 for category, then d6 for specific event within category:

Event Procedure

Example Event Integration

Event Rolled: "A devastating plague strikes" (Natural Disaster category)

Interpretation: "The Red Fever swept through the harbor district during a humid summer, brought by foreign traders. The Merchants' Guild tried to suppress news of it, and by the time the Clerics could quarantine, half the district was infected."

Mechanical Consequences:

• Harbor district destroyed (remove from map, mark as ruins)
• Merchants' Guild loses 2 power (moved to Clerics for saving survivors)
• New landmark: The Fever Wall (quarantine boundary, still standing)
• Population decline: 1 citizen token returns to Growth Pool

Adventure Hooks Created:

• What caused the fever? Natural disease or magical curse?
• The harbor ruins are unexplored—what valuables remain?
• Merchants lost power—are they plotting to regain it?
• Clerics gained authority—are they abusing it?
• Some survivors never left the quarantine zone—who are they now?

Historical Event Table (Quick Reference)

When you need an event immediately, roll 2d6 or choose from this condensed list:

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 (fashion/art changes, new district character)
8. Leadership Change (Seat of Power shifts, faction alliance changes)
9. Arrival (refugees, strangers, new faction appears)
10. Construction (major landmark built, district develops)
11. Depletion (resource runs out, economic crisis)
12. Miracle/Omen (unexplained event, shifts beliefs)

The Timeline as Reference

Your settlement timeline should be visible during play. Format options:

• Index card: Simple checkbox list with brief descriptions
• Separate sheet: Full sentences describing each event
• Wiki page: Digital chronicle with links to affected locations/factions

Minimum Format:

□ Founded by exiled miners (20 years ago)
□ Deepvein Shaft discovered, brought prosperity (18 years ago)
□ Merchant guild established trade routes (15 years ago)
□ Red Fever destroyed harbor district (10 years ago)
□ New defensive walls built after bandit raids (5 years ago)
□ Present day
    

Districts: The City's Anatomy

Districts are the settlement's functional zones—residential, commercial, industrial, or specialized areas that hold population and define local character. They're abstract rather than precisely mapped, providing framework without over-detailing.

What is a Region/District?

Ex Novo divides settlements into regions—abstract spatial units defined by lines on your map. When a region is developed, it becomes a district with population and character.

District Types

When creating or expanding districts, consider these functional categories:

District Character

Beyond function, each district should have sensory identity. Use Street Magic principles:

• Sights: Building styles, colors, signage
• Sounds: Ambient noise (hammers, music, crowds, silence)
• Smells: Industry, cooking, flowers, sewage
• Feel: Crowded vs. spacious, safe vs. dangerous

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

Historical events create temporal layers in districts:

• Founded: Original character from settlement founding
• Expanded: Grown beyond original boundaries
• Transformed: Major event changed its nature (fire, prosperity, invasion)
• Abandoned: Disaster or depletion left it empty (becomes ♠ Past building source)
• Reclaimed: Previously abandoned, now being rebuilt

Population & Density

Ex Novo uses citizen tokens to represent population abstractly. Use Ex Novo's density guidelines (p. 22) if you need concrete numbers:

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

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 Landmark Procedure

Creating a landmark takes 5-10 minutes of collaborative discussion. Each landmark needs three elements:

Quick Landmark Creation

When you need a landmark right now (during session or quick prep):

1. Title (30 seconds): First thing that comes to mind
2. Address (1 minute): How do you get there from somewhere players know?
3. True Name (2-3 minutes): Discuss sensory details until something clicks

Building Purposes & Temporal Frames

Buildings serve different roles in the community across four temporal frames. When defining buildings, consider their relationship to time:

Generating Rival NPCs

Some buildings automatically generate named NPCs through faction rivalry. When a building serves an important purpose (major landmark, Seat of Power candidate), create a rival from an opposing faction:

Example: The Mages control a research laboratory. The Clerics oppose it.

• BEAK: "Brother Aldus is known throughout town as a voice of moral clarity, warning against dangerous experiments."
• FEATHER: "A stern, elderly cleric with ink-stained fingers from years of scholarly debate, always carrying a leather-bound tome."
• BONE: "Once a mage himself, Aldus saw a ritual go wrong and kill his colleagues. He switched to the cloth to prevent others from making the same mistakes."

Faction-Controlled Landmarks

Some landmarks represent faction power physically. When Ex Novo tells you to add a landmark for a faction, consider:

Integration with Other Systems

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

Creating a resident takes 5-10 minutes through collaborative vignettes. Each resident needs:

Speed Variant: Dictated Vignettes

If you need NPCs quickly, use dictated vignettes instead:

• The DM (or player creating the resident) narrates the scene alone
• Takes 2-3 minutes instead of 5-10
• Still provides the same character glimpse
• Good for minor NPCs or when time is tight

Quick NPC Creation

When you need an NPC immediately (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: Where do they work/live?

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

Faction Leaders as Residents

Each active faction should have at least one named leader. Use the resident procedure, but emphasize:

• Their faction landmark: Where they hold court/meet followers
• Their power level: Reflected in how others treat them during vignette
• Their agenda: What they want for their faction (shows in their actions)

Integration with Other Systems

Recording Residents

Each resident becomes a wiki page with:

• Title & Pronouns
• True Name (the key details from vignette)
• Affiliated Landmark (where to find them)
• Faction (if any)
• Relationships (connections to other residents/factions)
• Session Appearances (when players interacted with them)

Settlement Threats (Optional)

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

When to Generate Settlement Threats

• Always: For session zero hometowns (creates immediate campaign hook)
• Sometimes: For major settlements (adds regional danger)
• Rarely: For minor settlements (not everything needs a threat)
• On Request: When players want built-in adventure hook
• From History: Historical events often create lingering threats

Threat Generation Procedure

After defining factions and some historical events, identify which faction action attracted the threat:

Example Threat: The Deepvein Horror

Catalyst Faction: Miners Guild
Action: "Seeking rare crystals for profit, broke through into sealed chamber beneath mountains"
Historical Event: "Discovery of the Deepvein" (15 years ago) brought prosperity but awakened something

Threat Elements:

• Appearance: Stone elemental incorporating mined crystals into its body as armor
• Behavior: Seeks to seal the breach and reclaim all stolen minerals
• Want: Return of ore taken from the vault, closure of the mine
• Ability: Causes earthquakes when angered, can sense its crystals
• Weakness: Can be reasoned with if miners return what was taken (but they won't)
• Connection: Each stolen crystal embedded in its body makes it stronger
• Effect: Mine collapses are increasing, tremors felt in town

Adventure Hooks:

• Miners want it killed (protecting profits)
• Clerics want negotiation (respecting ancient guardian)
• Can party broker peace by returning crystals?
• What's in the sealed chamber?
• Other creatures awakening from disturbances

Threat Scope & Resolution

Settlement threats don't need immediate resolution:

• Campaign Arc: Threat looms over multiple sessions (increasing pressure)
• Background Danger: Consequences of ignoring it accumulate (more collapses, attacks)
• Faction Shift: Resolving threat changes power balance (Miners lose influence if mine closes)
• Regional Impact: Unresolved threats can spread to adjacent hexes
• Multiple Solutions: Combat is one option, but negotiation/appeasement/banishment also work

Faction-Threat Matrix (Quick Reference)

Practical Workflow Summary

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

1. Setup (5 min): Choose Village or Town tier, determine region count
2. Founding Phase (30 min):
   • Roll geography (2d6) and draw major terrain
   • Roll 4 terrain features, draw and name each
   • Roll founding resource (2d6), place on map with 2 power tokens
   • Roll settlement decision (2d6), create first district with 1 citizen
   • Roll first faction paradigm (2d6), name it, 2 power tokens, add landmark
   • Roll second faction relationship (2d6), name it, 1 power token, add landmark
   • Name the settlement collaboratively
3. Development Phase (40 min):
   • Roll 5-10 historical events (based on tier)
   • For each: interpret, perform actions, update map, record timeline
   • Draw tokens from Growth Pool as settlement expands
4. Detailing (20 min):
   • Use BF&B or Street Magic to add 2-3 landmarks per faction
   • Create 3-5 key NPCs (faction leaders, Guild contact)
   • Optional: Generate settlement threat
5. Document (10 min):
   • Photo/scan the map
   • Type up timeline
   • Create wiki stub with factions and NPCs

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

1. Quick Founding (15 min):
   • Choose or roll geography and founding resource
   • Draw simple map with 1 district
   • Create 2 factions (paradigm + relationship)
   • Name settlement
2. Key Events (15 min):
   • Roll 3-5 events that explain current state
   • Arrange chronologically in timeline
   • Update map with consequences
3. Adventure Hooks (15 min):
   • Add 1 landmark per faction
   • Create 1-2 key NPCs
   • Note obvious faction conflict
   • Optional: Brief threat concept

Background Settlement (5 min, Quick Generation)

1. Choose terrain type
2. Choose founding resource
3. Create name (terrain + resource + suffix)
4. Note: 2 factions, brief description
5. Add to regional map

Expand if players visit: Use Medium Generation procedure before session

Integration with Other WH Systems