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Mindseye
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 00:22:49
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So I'm wanting to have a stereotypical small village that the players start out in, but want to have more control over the npcs than starting in Hommlet or Shadowdale or anywhere else that's already been done.
Is there an area of Faerūn where I could plop down a Small village or two and it wouldn't be crowding somewhere else, or is all the territory already spoken for?
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3286 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 00:32:09
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| The Border Kingdoms! |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Mindseye
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 01:30:21
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The Border Kingdoms? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the map well enough to know where that is. Is it on the east side of the Sea of Stars?
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 01:30:49
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It honestly depends on when you are playing.
If you are like me, and only use the Old Grey Box, then there are literally dozens of places to put your own village in.
The "later" you play the less space becomes available honestly.
To me, if you want to put a small village in, I would need to know more of where you were wanting to play before I could even start to make a good suggestion. |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 01:47:58
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Depending on what you mean by 'stereotypical', wide swathes of the Realms qualify.
Very, very few places in the Realms are mapped in such detail that every little village is marked.
A village of 100-200 people can be placed anywhere with decent farmland and no other settlement within about 10 miles.
When the Forgotten Realms were first published, Sembia was left undeveloped as an area where GMs could put their own stuff. Even now, Sembia is still mapped lightly enough so that I assume that there are dozens of towns and literally hundreds of villages unnamed and unmarked. While the urban areas of Sembia are more mercantile (and Early Modern) than standard stereotypical fantasy, the rural areas are likely to be very close to standard images of European fantasy.
The Border Kingdom, as noted, are provided as a playground for GMs, where the political situations change rapidly enough so that GMs can plop down their own royalty, nobility and even large towns without disrupting anything.
On the other hand, the fact that the Border Kingdoms are located to the south of the Sea of Fallen Stars means that the climate might be warmer than much stereotypical fantasy. Think Greece more than England, in terms of what kind of agriculture goes on.
Also, the people in the Border Kingdoms are more ethnically diverse than in many 'stereotypical' kinds of fantasy, with the majority of them probably qualifying as 'non-white' in real-world terms. The local inhabitants are related to Shaaran nomads and a lot of people from the Lake of Steam in general are descended from people from Calimshan, so people in the Border Kingdoms are likely to look like people with Indigenous / First Nations / Native American blood and/or North African / Middle Eastern heritage.
If you are looking for more of a Western European stereotypical, I'd look toward Sembia, or simply add a small village anywhere the map of the Western Heartlands, Cormyr or the Dalelands seems to have good agricultural land, but no settlement within 10-20 miles. |
Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!
Forgotten Realms fans, please sign a petition to re-release the FR Interactive Atlas
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 02:05:58
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Small village? It depends a lot of what you consider small. A population of 200 can be fit into almost any place. A few miles away from known towns or villages for something very small.
The larger you might want it the greater distance would tend to be the result. At minimum I would guess for every 100 people at least one mile away from other towns and villages. Depending on the area it could be much more.
There also is type of community the Village is based on, a farming, mining, crafts, fortification, etc. The land surrounding the community also effects it size and nature. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Mindseye
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 02:08:19
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Yeah I'd found a map and noticed it was further south than I was expecting. My head was thinking something between France and Germanyish.
As far as time period, I was wanting to use it with 5e so 1492 or whatever the year is currently?
Sembia might work though. There's access to the internal sea, woods around, Capital city for mid level shenanigans if wanted. And yet Baldur's Gate isn't THAT far away. :D
Sembia looks pretty good to me!
Thanks for the directions.
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shades of eternity
Learned Scribe
288 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 02:40:29
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Sembia was originally designed to be the default generic kingdom that you could make your own.
Even if it has become more merchantile over time, it still works as a default to remake as you will. :) |
check out my post-post apocalyptic world at www.drevrpg.com |
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Mindseye
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 04:08:33
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So Addendum:
Looking at placement near the Archwood. Does anyone know if the river that runs from the River Arkhen in the south to the Glaun Bog in the north in some maps has a name?
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6643 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 09:55:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Mindseye
So Addendum:
Looking at placement near the Archwood. Does anyone know if the river that runs from the River Arkhen in the south to the Glaun Bog in the north in some maps has a name?
Yeah, I'm not sure the maps who show that are "legit". Which map are you looking at?
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Mindseye
Acolyte
USA
27 Posts |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 21:25:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Mindseye
http://www.candlekeep.com/images/sitegfx/dalelands-patrakis.jpg
This one from the Candlekeep archives.
I can understand if the cartographers are mistaken. On the other hand, how big does a river actually have to be to show up on a map?
That is a fine map, and one of my favorites; but it does give a bit more territory to Archendale than it deserves 
Archendale's "territory" ends, for every source I've encountered except this map, at the edge of the Archwood.
I've never seen another map with the river you are talking about. |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
Edited by - Dalor Darden on 31 Oct 2019 21:25:55 |
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It's a lovely little town
