Villages of the Frontier Marches

Overview

Six villages sit within a long half-day by road - or a harder trail march - of Trevalkaan. They are spread across the edge-biomes of the Frontier Marches: lower-river reeds, karst ford-country, black-soil vale, briar thicket, escarpment stone, and old-growth timberland. Each is economically distinct: they produce different goods, face different pressures, and feed different parts of Trevalkaan's supply chain. The villages are not suburbs. They are independent communities with their own NPCs, work boards, local reputations, and problems that Trevalkaan's institutions cannot always reach in time.

Every new character begins in one of these villages, not in Trevalkaan itself. The village is the player's first home, first board, and first community. After completing the village's introductory arc, the character receives a Letter of Introduction and travels to Trevalkaan, where the full game opens up. See character-origins.md for the full character creation flow.

Villages have branch offices for both the Adventurers Hall and the Crafters Hall, staffed by a Branch Warden and a branch board clerk. Available order tiers are limited by the village's population and security context — typically F through C at launch. Higher-rank members from Trevalkaan may visit and take local orders, which often creates informal mentorship.

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Arujoki

Tagline: The river gives and the river keeps.

Location: ~12km east-southeast of Trevalkaan on the lower River Maren, where the channel relaxes into reed-backed sidewaters before turning back toward the city's bridge reach.

Economy: Freshwater fishing, net weaving, small-boat construction, smoked and salted fish.

Lore

Arujoki is thought to be the oldest of the six villages — the lower Maren bend it occupies was almost certainly the first place early settlers could reliably land and fish before Trevalkaan's walls existed. Upstream toward the city the river tightens and quickens through firmer banks; downstream of the village it spreads into reeds, eel water, and soft mud that punish anyone who does not know the channels. Arujoki grew up here because this was the last safe deep landing before the marshy lower reach.

The culture reads the river the way other villages read the sky. Flood season dictates everything — what nets go out, which boat routes run, what the smoke-house can take in. The oldest Arujoki families track the Maren's moods across generations: which bends silt up after a hard winter, which stretches carry the eel run in a good year, which pools hold pike when the water drops in late summer. This knowledge passes through families rather than through any formal codex, which is part of why Arujoki resists being absorbed into Trevalkaan's broader economy. What they know, no outsider has written down.

The naming tradition — Tamil roots meeting Finnish — reflects the two founding populations: a group that came upriver from a warmer coastal reach to the south, who brought preserved-food techniques and net-pattern knowledge, and an older Finnic-rooted people already working the upper Maren. Their different approaches to fish — fresh versus smoked, river versus estuary — are still visible in the village's dual economy. Nilmari's line descends from the older Finnic settlers; Pandaino's family came upriver later.

Trevalkaan Link: Arujoki is Trevalkaan's primary source of fresh fish and river protein. When Arujoki's supply falls below the stable band, Trevalkaan's Physician struggles to source certain medicines and the food ration price index climbs. The Mill Operator sometimes contracts with Arujoki's smoke-house for preserved goods during long seasons.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Nilmari	Village Elder; arbitrates disputes, holds local reputation ledger	Intro arc, standing unlocks
Fishmaster Pandaino	Manages the landing dock; issues fish quotas and boat assignments	Gather board, boat licenses
Netweave Anbukki	Runs the net shed; commissions net repair, cordage, and buoy work	Crafters Hall branch board
Branch Warden Tapaulo	Adventurers Hall branch; patrols river routes	Adventurers Hall branch board

Activities

Fishing Expeditions The river has three mapped zones with different fish stocks. Players take a boat assignment (from F rank), navigate to the zone, and gather stock. Yield depends on the zone's current pressure (overfished zones replenish slowly), time of day, and gear quality. A good rod and the Fishing skill at Practiced or above improve catch rate meaningfully.

Net Repair and Weaving The net shed always needs work. Torn nets come in from the boats; players repair or weave replacement sections using cordage materials. This is a low-intensity Woodcraft and Weaving commission that counts toward Crafters Hall rank.

Boat Racing Seasonal event. Two or more players race a marked river course from the eastern bend back to the Arujoki dock. No combat — pure navigation and boat handling. The winner gets a small coin purse and a favor token from Fishmaster Pandaino (redeemable for priority boat assignment for one week).

Eel Netting Night-only activity. Players set basket traps along the river bank at dusk and retrieve them before the morning inspection. Eels are a valuable reagent for the Trevalkaan Physician and sell well. Risk: rival trappers, occasional water predators near the deep bank section.

River Watch Security board work. Bandits and smugglers use the river as a low-visibility transit route, especially at night. Branch Warden Tapaulo issues patrol orders along the north bank. Players walk the route and report or intercept. Combat possible at D rank and above.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Arujoki starts near the water and knows the river's moods. They begin with starter familiarity in Fishing, a river contact (Fishmaster Pandaino), one cached boat route strip, and a smoked-fish supply kit.

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Talmaes

Tagline: Slow work, full stores.

Location: ~15km south-southeast of Trevalkaan in a broad black-soil vale ringed by orchard rises and bee meadows, where warm air pools and late frosts break weakly.

Economy: Grain farming, orchards, beekeeping, dairy, and small livestock. The valley's soil is the most productive farmland within a day's walk of Trevalkaan.

Trevalkaan Link: Talmaes is the principal grain supplier to the Trevalkaan Mill. Without Talmaes harvests, the Mill Operator cannot process enough grain for rations. When Talmaes output is disrupted by weather, pests, or raiding, Trevalkaan's food band drops within two settlement ticks. The Outer Fields district of Trevalkaan draws heavily on Talmaes labor relationships.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Headman Bathrys	Village head; issues field licenses and seasonal work permits	Intro arc, harvest boards
Miller's Agent Narwen	Books grain deliveries to Trevalkaan; manages the weighing house	Delivery commissions
Beekeeper Enkwen	Manages the hive rows; issues honey and wax orders	Gather and craft board
Branch Warden Boldwyn	Adventurers Hall branch; handles field pest and raider patrol	Adventurers branch board

Activities

Harvest Expeditions Seasonal rush work. When the grain ripens, Headman Bathrys opens a time-limited board of harvest gather orders. Players move through the fields collecting grain before a weather event or pest surge arrives. Yield-per-hour matters; slow or distracted players lose out to the field clock.

Pest Defense Vermin swarms — field rats, blight beetles, weevil surges — are a recurring threat. Branch Warden Boldwyn issues cull orders whenever a field reports infestation. These are F through D rank Adventurers Hall orders and count toward Hall advancement. The swarm type rotates seasonally, giving the encounter variety.

Village Market Day Every 7 real days, Talmaes holds an open-air market. Traveling merchants and players from other villages show up. Prices fluctuate based on current supply pressure — a scarce harvest makes grain expensive; a good year floods the market. Players who know how to read the price signals (or who have been watching Trevalkaan's index) can buy low and sell high, or source ingredients unavailable in Trevalkaan.

Beekeeping Rounds Beekeeper Enkwen sends players out to tend, inspect, and defend the hive rows on a weekly cycle. Honey is a craft ingredient for Provisioning and Alchemy; wax is used in sealing and finishing. Defending the hives from a bear incursion is a recurring Elite-tagged encounter for B-rank Hall members.

Animal Herding Livestock that escape their pastures must be rounded up before they reach the road or get into the grain stores. This is a low-combat escort-type task — no weapon drawn, just patience and positioning. Some players find it quietly satisfying. Counts toward Adventurers Hall F and E orders.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Talmaes knows what a bad harvest looks like before it happens. They start with familiarity in Herbalism (applied to farming and orchard work), and one food processing recipe. Their starter contact is Headman Bathrys, who can issue field access passes. Starting kit includes a field tool and preserved ration supply.

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Rumiarr

Tagline: Stone remembers. Ore doesn't forgive.

Location: ~16km north of Trevalkaan on the southern face of the Northwall escarpment, where quarry roads climb out of the marches into wind-cut stone. The village clings to a shelf above the main extraction face.

Economy: Stone quarrying, iron ore extraction (a modest but consistent vein), gem sorting, and charcoal burning to fuel the forges.

Trevalkaan Link: Rumiarr feeds Trevalkaan's Blacksmith and the construction projects in Forge Row. Without ore and stone deliveries, town infrastructure projects stall and gear repair prices climb. The Quarry site listed in regions.md is the outer face of Rumiarr's mining claim — players reach it through Rumiarr.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Quarrymaster Intiker	Runs extraction operations; issues dig permits and ore quotas	Gather board, permit access
Assayer Amareneko	Evaluates ore grade and gem quality; certifies yields	Knowledge tasks, gem appraisal
Shaft Foreman Qorxabi	Manages underground sections; issues shaft maintenance orders	Crafters branch board
Branch Warden Killaitzi	Adventurers Hall branch; handles cave creature threats	Adventurers branch board

Activities

Deep-Dig Expeditions The mine has surface, mid, and deep sections. Surface digs are F-rank and produce common iron and stone. Mid sections require E-rank and yield higher-grade ore and occasional gemstone clusters. The deep section is C-rank access only — the ore is richer, the creatures more dangerous, and the paths poorly mapped. Deep-dig expeditions feed the gem market and the advanced crafting tier.

Ore Cart Runs Loaded ore carts need to travel the northern road from Rumiarr to Trevalkaan. This is a delivery expedition — the player takes charge of a cart, walks the road, deals with road hazards (potholes, bandits, cart damage), and delivers to the Trevalkaan Blacksmith's loading bay. Counts as an Adventurers Hall escort order.

Cave Creature Bounties The mine's active sections push into areas where cave goblins, burrowing vermin, and stone constructs nest. Branch Warden Killaitzi issues bounties for creature types that have been confirmed in a current work section. These are E through B rank Hall orders; the creature roster escalates with mine depth.

Gem Assaying Assayer Amareneko runs a knowledge-based mini-activity: players examine gem samples and attempt to grade them by cut, clarity, and mineral type. Higher Appraisal skill (Tinkering family) improves accuracy. Correct grades earn a certification token worth more coin than raw ungraded gems. Mistakes lose the gem's certification bonus.

Shaft Shoring Maintenance crafting work. Wood beams and iron brackets need to be fitted into stressed sections before a shaft collapse occurs. This is a Woodcraft and Forging commission issued by Shaft Foreman Qorxabi. Rushed or poor-quality work can trigger a mine event that blocks the section for two settlement ticks.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Rumiarr reads rock and knows the difference between a safe ceiling and a collapsing one. They start with familiarity in Mining and Endurance, and one ore-grade identification codex entry. Starter contact is Quarrymaster Intiker. Starting kit includes a miner's lamp, a pick, and a basic stone sample kit.

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Polheen

Tagline: Everything comes through here eventually.

Location: ~13km west-northwest of Trevalkaan at the limestone narrows where the River Maren pinches shallow over bedrock shelves before losing itself in the western karst. An inn, ferry stage, and permanent market cluster around the last reliable ford.

Economy: Ferry operation, goods transit, appraisal services, inn trade, and a small rotating market for travelers. Polheen does not produce much — it moves things.

Lore

Polheen is not a village in the traditional sense — it is a crossing that grew structures around itself. The ford exists because the River Maren compresses through a bedrock shelf here, running broad but shallow enough in most seasons for loaded animals to wade it. West of the village the water begins to break apart into swallow-holes and limestone cuts; east of it the channel still holds together as a navigable river. Someone recognized that this hinge point mattered long before the village existed and started charging for the knowledge. The inn, the market stall, the customs point — all of it grew from that original transaction at the ford.

Because Polheen's reason for existing is transit rather than production, it has always attracted people passing through rather than people putting down roots. This creates a village with less inherited identity than the others. Polheen residents are pragmatic about origin — they are as likely to have come from Rumiarr to avoid the escarpment's winters, from Arujoki after a bad flood season, or from entirely outside the Frontier Marches. The crossing does not care where you came from; it only cares whether you have a crossing fee or a cargo worth appraising.

The Cornish-Tlingit naming blend is the most cosmopolitan mix of the six villages, which is fitting: Cornish-origin coastal people who moved inland along rivers and treated waterways as commercial highways, meeting Tlingit-rooted peoples for whom the ford was already a known exchange point. Neither group built the ford. Both recognized that whoever controlled it would matter.

Trevalkaan Link: Polheen is the primary western gateway to Trevalkaan. All caravan traffic from the western marches passes through it. The Caravan Master in Trevalkaan maintains a staging agreement with the ford's Ferry Manager. When Polheen's crossing is disrupted, caravan board orders dry up within a tick.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Ferry Manager Jagaan	Controls crossing licenses and caravan staging	Intro arc, delivery orders
Innkeeper Senaax	Runs the crossing inn; collects and sells travel rumors	Rumor board, intel tasks
Customs Warden Lowaan	Checks cargo for contraband; issues inspection permits	Security board
Branch Warden Piraax	Adventurers Hall branch; ford security and escort staging	Adventurers branch board

Activities

Ferry Operation Players licensed by Jagaan can operate the ferry crossing on the quiet eastern loop. Passengers pay a crossing fee; the player keeps a cut. Larger or heavier cargo requires a cargo float certificate (D rank Hall minimum). This is a low-risk income activity that can be done between expeditions, rewarding patience and uptime.

Goods Appraisal Traveling merchants often want a quick read on what their cargo is worth before they reach Trevalkaan's market. Players with Pack Handling or Trade skills (both Utility family) can offer appraisal services at the inn. Accuracy matters — a reputation for honest appraisal brings repeat clients; a reputation for low-balling dries up the flow.

Rumor Gathering and Selling Innkeeper Senaax maintains a private rumor ledger. Players who buy a drink and ask the right questions (knowledge-based task: spend coin and have minimum Herbalism or Tracking at Practiced) can unlock a rumor entry — a clue pointing to an unmapped resource site, a hidden expedition modifier, or an upcoming event somewhere in the Frontier Marches. High-value rumors are one-time; Senaax only tells each one to the first player who asks correctly.

Players can also sell intelligence back to Senaax. A player who discovers a coming event through early warning from high Village Standing, deep-zone exploration, or botanical cataloguing can sell that intelligence as a verified rumor. Senaax pays a fixed coin rate for confirmed unique intelligence — the amount scales with how far ahead of the event going public the information is delivered. Once bought, Senaax adds it to the purchasable rumor pool. The selling player's identity is not attached to the rumor, preserving anonymity. Players who build a track record of accurate intelligence get a higher per-rumor rate from Senaax and are privately flagged as a preferred source.

Caravan Staging When a caravan is preparing to depart from or arrive at Trevalkaan, Polheen is often the muster point. Players can sign on as guards before the caravan moves. Staging jobs are F-E rank Hall orders and pay better if the player has an escort-type board relationship with the Caravan Master in Trevalkaan.

Contraband Watch Customs Warden Lowaan issues inspection orders when cargo volumes spike. Players board waiting cargo boats or rummage through staged carts looking for flagged goods. This is a C-rank knowledge task — the player needs the ability to recognize what is on the prohibited list and distinguish it from legitimate goods. Failure to catch contraband is a conduct mark; wrongly flagging legitimate cargo damages the player's local standing with Customs Warden Lowaan.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Polheen has heard more stories than most and knows how to price a rumor. They start with familiarity in Caravan Handling, and a river crossing codex entry. Starter contact is Ferry Manager Jagaan. Starting kit includes a cargo ledger, a ferry token, and a mid-quality travel pack.

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Metsadu

Tagline: The forest gives; the forest also takes back.

Location: ~14km northwest of Trevalkaan at the southern mouth of the Briar Thicket, where two spring-fed streams cross a fog-prone clearing rich in herbs and wet-soil fungi.

Economy: Herb gathering, medicinal reagent production, wild game trapping, and a small distillery producing botanical tinctures.

Lore

The clearing Metsadu sits in is not natural — it was opened by the village's founders, and maintaining it against the Briar Thicket's constant pressure is ongoing work. The thicket grows aggressively on the northwestern side; left uncleared for two or three seasons, the first buildings would have saplings pushing through their floors. Metsadu residents are acutely aware of this. The boundary between village and thicket is not a fixed line — it is a negotiation, and the thicket sometimes wins a few meters in a wet year.

The two herb-rich streams that cross the clearing are the real reason Metsadu exists where it does. They carry mineral-rich runoff from the escarpment's western face and create a moisture gradient that supports species found nowhere else within easy reach of the city. Herb Elder Tapiosel's codex lists more than sixty named species in the clearing's immediate zone; another forty or so inhabit the thicket interior at varying risk levels. The botanical knowledge Metsadu holds is not duplicated anywhere else — even Archivist Gwydnila holds only what Metsadu has been willing to share.

The Finnish-Tamil naming blend reflects the village's character precisely: Finnish forest-knowledge people who understand cold-climate plant cycles, slow growth, and the patience required to work with rather than against a living forest; and Tamil-origin spice-trade and botanical-tradition people who brought classification frameworks, preservation techniques, and a knowledge-economy instinct. The distillery is a direct product of that second influence — the idea that knowledge of plants is worth monetising through refinement, not just through raw harvest.

Trevalkaan Link: Metsadu supplies the Trevalkaan Physician with the bulk of her medicine-band reagents. When Metsadu's output falls, the Physician's recovery band drops from Fine to Standard and injury recovery times lengthen. The General Merchant also sources certain cooking spices from the village distillery.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Herb Elder Tapiosel	Village matriarch; holds botanical codex and reagent certification	Intro arc, codex unlocks
Trapmaster Kaisanila	Manages the trap circuit routes; issues and inspects trap licenses	Gather and trapping orders
Distillery Keeper Helviarul	Runs the tincture operation; commissions reagent batches	Alchemy crafters board
Branch Warden Sisumur	Adventurers Hall branch; forest predator patrol and herbalist escort	Adventurers branch board

Activities

Foraging Circuits Named herb zones surround Metsadu at varying distances and risk levels. Close zones are F-rank and accessible without Hall credentials. Mid zones have animal hazards (E rank minimum). The deep-thicket zones along the goblin-pressure corridor require C rank. Each zone produces different reagent types that rotate with a simulated seasonal cycle — the right herb is only harvestable in the right zone at the right season.

Trapping Rounds Trapmaster Kaisanila issues trap licenses and assigns trap routes. Players set basket or leg traps at dusk, check them in the morning, and return pelts and small game to the trap shed. Pelt quality feeds the Weaving discipline. Rare pelts (silver fox, marsh mink) are high-value Alchemy reagents. Occasionally a trap catches something too large to handle at F rank.

Predator Hunting As Metsadu's gatherers push deeper into the forest, larger predators become a consistent threat. Branch Warden Sisumur issues bounties on wolves, large cats, and forest boars that have been confirmed on an active gather route. These are E through B rank Hall orders and often require bow or polearm loadouts for best matchup results.

Botanical Cataloguing A knowledge expedition. Herb Elder Tapiosel sends players to a designated zone with a blank field sheet. The player must identify and sketch (mechanically: correctly select from a list based on visual + terrain clues) every herb species present. A complete and accurate catalogue unlocks a new recipe in the Metsadu codex. Mistakes reduce the catalogue's value but do not fail the expedition.

Remedy Preparation The Distillery Keeper commissions batches of standard medicines for delivery to Trevalkaan. These are Alchemy commissions counting toward Crafters Hall rank. Batch size matters — a short batch fails the order; an oversupply is accepted but noted. The Physician in Trevalkaan pays a small standing bonus to players who deliver on time during a medicine shortage.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Metsadu knows the difference between the herb that heals and the one that harms. They start with familiarity in Herbalism, and one botanical codex unlock. Starter contact is Herb Elder Tapiosel. Starting kit includes a gathering satchel, a field identification guide, and two doses of a basic restorative reagent.

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Coedwair

Tagline: The trees are old and they know it.

Location: ~18km northeast of Trevalkaan beneath the first wall of deep-growth timber, where the old forest climbs into the northeastern ridge and the light dies early under the canopy.

Economy: Lumber extraction, rough woodworking, charcoal burning, and log transport. The village is rough and direct — people come here to work, and they mostly do.

Lore

Coedwair is the furthest village from Trevalkaan and the most self-contained. The forest it works is old-growth — trees that have stood for centuries, whose canopy is dense enough that the forest floor is a different world: dim and quiet, with its own ecosystem of fungi, mosses, and shadow-adapted fauna. This is not a forest that forgives carelessness. A logging team that loses the path back to the main road in failing light can spend a genuinely dangerous night before they find their way out.

The village exists because Trevalkaan's construction appetite exhausted the nearer timber long ago. The Briar Thicket's edge was cleared first; then the middle-growth east of the Maren bends; then the stands along the North Road. By the time the first Coedwair loggers entered the deep forest, there was no nearby alternative. They went further than anyone wanted to and built a camp that became a village because returning to Trevalkaan every night was not practical. That origin gives Coedwair a particular character: it is a village that exists because of necessity and persists because of stubbornness. Its residents are not isolated by accident.

The Welsh-Quechua blend is the village's naming heritage: Welsh forest-tradition people with a long history of working old-growth timber for construction, who understood how to read a large tree for quality and grain before cutting; and Quechua-rooted high-country people who came down from the escarpment's northeastern slopes and found the deep forest more navigable than the exposed ridge. Both groups brought patience — neither culture cuts a tree without reading it first.

Trevalkaan Link: Coedwair supplies the bulk of Trevalkaan's structural timber. Carpenter and Cooper Qorwyn sources all framing lumber from Coedwair's certified felling operations. Blacksmith Gwayra depends on Coedwair charcoal for sustained forge heat. When Coedwair's supply drops, both construction and smithing operations in Trevalkaan slow within two ticks.

Key NPCs

NPC	Role	Board Relevance
Log Boss Gwydinti	Runs the lumber operation; assigns felling teams and log quotas	Gather board, felling permits
Charcoal Burner Branwayra	Manages the kiln yard; issues kiln run assignments	Production orders
Carpenter Caikilla	Village craftsperson; commissions woodwork and teaches joinery	Crafters branch board
Branch Warden Rianumaq	Adventurers Hall branch; logging road security and forest patrols	Adventurers branch board

Activities

Lumber Felling Expeditions The forest has three logging zones. Near-edge zones are E-rank and produce common lumber. Mid-forest zones are C-rank — the timber is older and more valuable, but the creature density is higher (wolves, large boars, territorial constructs from an old quarry). The old-growth zone at the forest's heart is B-rank access only: the timber there is rare hardwood worth four times the common price, but the creatures are fully elite-tier and unpredictable. Felling is a multi-phase expedition — cut, section, and haul — and failing the haul phase wastes the cut.

Charcoal Kiln Management Kiln runs are production tasks: load a kiln with cut wood, manage the burn cycle (a timed mini-task requiring occasional interaction to maintain correct temperature), and extract charcoal when the cycle completes. A well-managed kiln produces premium-grade charcoal; a rushed or neglected kiln produces low-grade output that the Blacksmith accepts at a reduced price. This is a Provisioning or Woodcraft commission depending on how it is categorized.

Logging Road Security The road between Coedwair and Trevalkaan is prone to bandit ambush, especially during heavy timber transport. Branch Warden Rianumaq issues road security orders that pay per patrol leg. Players can also sign on as a log wagon escort — a longer-paying variant that covers the full road from forest edge to Trevalkaan's Forge Row loading dock.

Woodcarving Commissions Carpenter Caikilla runs an ongoing order board for smaller carved and fitted items: tool handles, wheel spokes, barrel staves, furniture joints. These are Woodcraft discipline commissions for the Crafters Hall. Lower-rank work is rough and dimensional; higher-rank commissions require fine fitting and proper grain orientation.

Bark Stripping and Curing A processing task that pairs with lumber felling. Stripped bark yields tanning reagents and rope fiber. The curing process is multi-day: strip, rack, apply curing agents, check at intervals. Players who do it correctly produce leather-tanning reagents at a significant margin over raw bark prices. Negligent curing (missing the check window) ruins the batch.

Starting Character Flavor

A character from Coedwair is built for sustained effort in rough conditions. They start with familiarity in Woodcraft, Endurance, and one lumber-grade identification codex entry. Starter contact is Log Boss Gwydinti. Starting kit includes a felling hatchet, a splitting wedge, and a logging road pass.

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Village State Model

Each village tracks two state bands independently of Trevalkaan's supply system. These are simpler than Trevalkaan's per-category reserves — a village is small enough that a single security reading and a single supply reading describe its condition adequately.

Security Band

Band	Label	Meaning
3	Secure	Normal patrols, no active threat. Branch board runs routine orders.
2	Strained	Confirmed threat activity nearby. Branch Warden elevates patrol orders. Prices for escort work rise.
1	Threatened	Active incursions occurring. Branch board suspends non-combat orders. Trevalkaan Hall escalation triggers.
0	Under Siege	Village is under sustained attack. All non-emergency board activity halted. Trevalkaan generates a Relief Force order.

Supply Band

Band	Label	Meaning
3	Stable	Normal production and inflow. NPC services run at standard prices and quality.
2	Scarce	Production disrupted or deliveries missed. NPCs reduce service quality or raise prices.
1	Critical	Severe shortage. Key NPC services partially suspended. Delivery orders become urgent and pay premium.
0	Failing	Village cannot sustain itself. One or more NPC services go offline. Trevalkaan supply band affected within two ticks.

Daily Settlement Tick

Each daily tick the village:

1. Checks inflow: player deliveries completed since last tick + village NPC production (baseline, calibrated to hold Stable without player help)
2. Checks security: patrol and combat orders completed since last tick; if none and a threat event is active, Security drops by one band
3. Applies active event modifiers (see Events and Threats)
4. Writes band values to the board system, which updates order urgency, pay rates, and NPC dialog
5. Propagates supply changes to Trevalkaan if the band crosses a threshold (see Trevalkaan Escalation)

Villages cannot auto-recover from Threatened or Critical through NPC production alone. Player action is required to move back up.

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Events and Threats

Events are probabilistically generated each tick based on current band state: lower bands increase the chance of additional events. Events last until resolved by player action or until the tick deadline passes and a consequence fires.

Universal Event Types

These can occur at any village.

Bandit Raid A bandit group is confirmed operating near the village. Security drops to Strained immediately on generation. If not resolved (combat orders completed, bandit camp cleared) within two ticks, drops to Threatened and one supply delivery is stolen (Supply drops by one band).

Generates: Adventurers Hall orders — patrol, bandit camp clearance, escort of stolen goods recovery. Rank range: E to C.

Monster Incursion A creature group from the surrounding wilderness pushes toward the village — wolves, goblins, boars depending on the zone. Security drops to Strained on generation. If not resolved within one tick, escalates to Threatened and the Branch Warden issues a standing emergency cull.

Generates: Adventurers Hall orders — cull, area clearance, creature bounty. Rank range: F to D (E to C if the creature type is elite-flagged).

Plague Outbreak A disease moves through the village population. Supply band (specifically medicine inflow) drops to Scarce immediately. NPC services in the affected district slow. If not resolved (medicine delivery from Trevalkaan Physician's supply + crafted remedy commissions completed) within three ticks, drops to Critical and one service NPC goes offline for two ticks.

Generates: Crafters Hall orders — remedy batch production, medicine delivery. Adventurers Hall orders — quarantine patrol (prevent movement of infected goods), fetch rare reagent. Rank range: E to B (reagent fetch may be C or above depending on source zone).

Supply Route Disruption The road between the village and Trevalkaan is blocked or actively threatened. No player delivery missions can complete until resolved. Supply band holds but does not improve; any tick without inflow moves it toward Scarce.

Generates: Adventurers Hall orders — road clearance, escort (restoring the route), scouting to identify the blockage source. Rank range: D to B.

Structural Damage A weather event, fire, or attack damages a key building (barn, dock, shaft entrance, kiln). One NPC service is suspended until Crafters Hall repair commissions are completed. Supply band drops by one band if the damaged building was production-critical.

Generates: Crafters Hall orders — building repair, material sourcing for reconstruction. Adventurers Hall orders — temporary guard of the damaged site during repair. Rank range: E to C.

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Village-Specific Events

Each village has additional events tied to its economy and location.

Arujoki

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
River Surge	Seasonal; random tick	Flood risk closes fishing zones for one tick; dock NPCs issue emergency boat-securing tasks	Adventurers: secure cargo; Crafters: boat repair
River Creature Incursion	Security ≤ Strained	Large aquatic predator moves into fishing zones; fishers cannot operate	Adventurers: creature bounty (D–C rank)
Net Blight	Random; worsens if Supply ≤ Scarce	Aquatic parasite degrades stored nets; Weaving output halved until new nets commissioned	Crafters: emergency net weave batch (E–D)
Smuggler Cache Found	Random	Customs irregularity; Trevalkaan Customs Warden (via Polheen link) issues inspection orders	Adventurers: contraband investigation (C rank)

Talmaes

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
Locust Swarm	Seasonal; random tick	Grain fields at risk; time-limited harvest orders open before swarm arrives	Adventurers: swarm cull (vermin, F–D); time-gated harvest gather
Drought	Extended tick without rain event	Supply band drops one; grain delivery to Trevalkaan Mill paused	Crafters: water hauling and irrigation repair; no direct combat orders
Bandit Grain Theft	Security ≤ Strained	Grain store raided; Supply drops one band immediately	Adventurers: recovery chase (D–B rank), grain cart escort
Feral Livestock Escape	Random	Livestock loose on roads; disrupts one road segment temporarily	Adventurers: roundup (F–E rank, low combat)

Rumiarr

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
Mine Collapse	Random; worsens if Crafters repair orders are backlogged	A shaft section collapses; ore output halved until shored	Crafters: emergency shoring (D–C); Adventurers: rescue any trapped workers (D–B)
Toxic Gas Pocket	Deep-dig zone only	Players in the deep section suffer an expedition penalty; Physician NPC in Arujoki or Trevalkaan generates treatment orders	Crafters: ventilation shaft repair; Adventurers: extract affected workers
Claim Jumpers	Security ≤ Strained	Armed group moves into the outer quarry claiming mining rights by force	Adventurers: eviction (C–B rank, organized-opposition combat)
Gem Theft Ring	Random	High-value gems disappearing from the assay house; investigation order opens	Adventurers: investigation and interception (C rank)

Polheen

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
Ford Sabotage	Security ≤ Strained	Crossing damaged or booby-trapped; all delivery missions through Polheen paused	Crafters: ford repair (D–C); Adventurers: saboteur hunt (C–B)
Caravan Ambush at Crossing	Security ≤ Threatened	Ambush during a crossing; cargo lost, escort order emergency-flagged	Adventurers: recovery escort (C–B rank), bandit pursuit
Smuggler Network Exposed	Random	Customs Warden discovers a larger contraband operation using the ford	Adventurers: network investigation (B rank, multi-stage)
Ferry Fire	Random; worsens with Supply ≤ Scarce	The ferry is damaged; crossing capacity halved until rebuilt	Crafters: ferry repair (E–D); Adventurers: guard crossing during repair

Metsadu

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
Predator Surge	Security ≤ Strained	Large predator group moves into herb-gather zones; foraging expeditions suspended	Adventurers: predator cull (D–C rank)
Blight on Herb Patches	Random	A named herb zone yields nothing for two ticks; Physician in Trevalkaan generates alternate-source orders	Crafters: alternate reagent sourcing; Adventurers: find unaffected zone (exploration order)
Poacher Ring	Security ≤ Strained	Illegal trappers stripping the circuit routes; Trapmaster Kaisanila's board halts until cleared	Adventurers: poacher eviction (D–B rank)
Forest Disturbance	Random	Unexplained creature behavior pushes into the village perimeter; cause unknown	Adventurers: investigation expedition (C rank); may lead to a secondary event once cause found

Coedwair

Event	Trigger Condition	Effect	Orders Generated
Wildfire Threat	Seasonal; dry-tick condition	Fire risk on a logging zone; all felling suspended, firebreak construction commissions open	Crafters: firebreak earthwork (D–C); Adventurers: watch patrol on forest edge
Illegal Logging Gang	Security ≤ Strained	Unauthorized fellers operating in the old-growth zone, triggering creature aggression	Adventurers: gang eviction (C–B rank); creature follow-on orders likely
Forest Creature Surge	Security ≤ Threatened	Elite-tier forest creatures pushed toward the village by a deeper disturbance	Adventurers: elite bounty (B rank minimum)
Logging Road Blocked	Random; worsens with Structure Damage	Landslide or felled-tree barricade blocks the road to Trevalkaan	Crafters: road clearance (D); Adventurers: road guard during clearance

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Trevalkaan Escalation

Village events do not stay local. When a village band crosses a threshold, the Trevalkaan main boards react.

Security Escalation

Village Band	Trevalkaan Adventurers Hall Response
Strained	A "regional patrol advisory" appears on the board. Optional D-rank orders, better pay than routine.
Threatened	A "village support" order appears. C-rank minimum. Pay at 1.5× standard rate. Urgent tag.
Under Siege	A Village Relief Force order appears. B-rank minimum, multi-player eligible. Pay at 2× standard rate. Emergency tag. If not completed within two ticks, one village NPC service goes permanently offline until a Crafters Hall repair commission is completed.

Supply Escalation

Village Band	Trevalkaan Response
Scarce	The village's corresponding Trevalkaan NPC (Blacksmith, Physician, Miller, etc.) raises prices by one band. Crafters Hall generates delivery commission at 1.3× pay.
Critical	Trevalkaan NPC reduces service quality (e.g., Physician moves from Fine to Standard medicine band). Crafters Hall generates urgent delivery at 1.6× pay. Adventurers Hall generates supply convoy escort.
Failing	Trevalkaan NPC suspends one service entirely. The Board Clerk posts a town-wide notice. Supply band in Trevalkaan's corresponding category drops by one band on the next settlement tick.

Cascades

Some village supply failures cascade to other villages through the shared economic web:

• Rumiarr Failing → Trevalkaan Blacksmith offline → Coedwair cannot get iron fittings → Coedwair's shaft shoring falls behind → Coedwair mine event risk increases
• Arujoki Failing → Trevalkaan food band drops → Talmaes sees price spike → Talmaes grain runs increase → Talmaes road traffic up → Polheen ford traffic increases

Cascades are not guaranteed — player action at any step breaks the chain.

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Recovery

Band Recovery Rates

Villages do not auto-recover. Each band requires specific player action.

Band	Recovery Condition	Ticks to Recover One Step
Security	Combat orders completed (cull, clearance, bounty) at or above threshold	1 tick per qualifying completion batch
Supply	Delivery commissions completed (player brings goods from Trevalkaan or gather zones)	1 tick per delivery batch meeting the volume floor

A village that has been at Under Siege or Failing for three or more ticks enters Damaged State: one NPC service goes offline and does not return until a dedicated Crafters Hall repair commission is completed, regardless of band recovery.

Village Standing

Players who complete orders during a village event earn Village Standing — a per-village reputation score separate from Hall rank.

Standing unlocks: - Discounts on local NPC services - Access to village-exclusive items (Arujoki smoked eel kit, Rumiarr assay token, etc.) - Early notice of incoming events (the village Elder sends a board message before the event fires publicly) - Invitations to village-exclusive seasonal activities

Standing decays slowly with inactivity (same grace-period model as S-rank guild points, but lower stakes). It cannot go negative.

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Economic Web

The six villages do not operate in isolation. They form a supply ring around Trevalkaan, and disruptions in one can cascade through others.

Village	Primary Supply to Trevalkaan	Primary Input From Trevalkaan
Arujoki	Fish, preserved protein	Salt, nets, boat fittings
Talmaes	Grain, honey, dairy	Processed tools, cloth
Rumiarr	Iron ore, stone, gems	Food rations, timber for shoring
Polheen	Caravan transit, appraisal	Market goods from Trevalkaan merchants
Metsadu	Reagents, herbs, pelts	Salt, containers, coin
Coedwair	Timber, charcoal	Food rations, iron fittings

When a village's primary supply band drops below stable, Trevalkaan's corresponding NPC (Blacksmith, Physician, Miller, etc.) shifts behavior within one settlement tick: prices move, quality drops, or board orders become urgent. Players who track this can profit from targeted delivery runs or preemptive gather expeditions.

Guild Branch Offices

Every village has: - Adventurers Hall Branch — Staffed by a Branch Warden. Offers F through C rank orders (D through B if the village is under active threat). Cannot issue Qualification Trials or S-rank orders; those require the Trevalkaan Hall. - Crafters Hall Branch — Staffed by a branch clerk. Offers F through C discipline commissions. No licensed workshop (players use the village's community tools or personal equipment). Cannot issue Masterwork Commissions or Cross-Discipline endorsements.

Branch records synchronize with the main Hall in Trevalkaan at each daily settlement tick. Rank advancement earned in a village registers in the main Hall on the next sync.

Related Documents

• character-origins.md — Village starting points in character creation
• regions.md — Trevalkaan and the Frontier Marches overview
• ../systems/world-state/town-simulation-and-supply.md — Town economic bands and NPC behavior
• ../systems/guilds/adventurers-guild.md — Adventurers Hall rank system and work orders
• ../systems/guilds/crafters-guild.md — Crafters Hall rank system and commissions