Sunday 5 August 2018

City States of the Elder Wastes















So for my new Eldrich age setting of wizards and barbarians I need city generators to create Bronze age style middle eastern city states. These are for typical cities. A few cities might be bigger. Towns from 150-1000 people are either capitols of barbarians or huge nomad camps or outposts of bigger cities. Villages up to 150 people are often surrounding a city in it's territory but also their are nomad and barbarian settlements. Nomads might camp in place for several years transporting houses folded up on animal backs or waggons. Barbarians might last for years and many will have log or earth walls. Civilized people have brick and stone walls and possibly moat works and canals and built forts. Simpler civilizations mostly have villages but might seasonally accumulate in temporary towns

Population Centres

Village 25-150 people
Town 150-750 people
City State d10 x 10000 family

Caste system
10% Temple class
10% Warrior class
10% Merchant class
40% Farmer class
20% Slaves
10% prisoners of war

d10 City Cult Structures (Main Ziggurat) 

1 Ancestral funerary cult with special prominence to the first ancestors
2 Ancestor god from time when city was tribal
3 City god  ziggurat dedicated to founding god of city
4 City god and partner share ziggurat
5 City god and partner and child share ziggurat
6 City god ziggurat with collection of lesser shrines
7 City god  ziggurat with temples of allied city gods
8 City god  ziggurat with shrines of family members
9 Twin ziggurat of city god and partner
10 City god ziggurat with two lesser ziggurats
11 City god 
ziggurat and shrine sanctuary recognising every god they discover
12 City god 
ziggurat and holy pricinct with many shrines and small temples

d12 Religion Cults
1 Fire 
2 Earth
3 Water
4 Air
5 Sun
6 Moon
7 Love
8 War
9 Fertility
10 Underworld
11 Sky
12 Vegetation
13 Beasts
14 Stars
15 Ruler
16 Healing
17 Death
18 Dragons
19
 Demons
20 Darkness

d12 Other Architectural Features
1 Extended wall beyond city protecting countryside

2 Garden complex sanctuary with running water
3 Huge statue of divinity
4 Great library collection of scrolls and scribe school
5 Great observatory for astrologers
6 Great alchemist school 
7 Great forging complex
8 Huge granary complex
9 Sprawling funeral complex
10 Huge brewery complex
11 Huge theater entertainment complex
12 Famous oracle complex

d12 Rulership

1 Ruled by high priest or priestess
2 Ruled by assembly of elders over 50
3 Ruled by assembly of wisest and holiest
4 Ruled by assembly of richest land own
5 Ruled by assembly priesthood
6 Assembly selects king* in time of crisis
7 Temple assembly appoints king* in time of crisis
8 Temple assembly appoints a king* who rules for one year
9 Temple assembly appoints a king* for 7 years then sacrifices them
10 Temple assembly appoints Priest king* or Queen as a figurehead  
11 Temple assembly appoints Priest king* and Queen as a figurehead  
12 Hereditary monarch took over old regime in a coup or conquest
*Some cults prefer queens or select most talented

d20 Other Important Persons

1 Head Astrologer
2 Court Wizard
3 Arch Druid (Gardener)
4 Great Sage
5 Tax Collector
6 General
7 Seer or soothsayer
8 Spy Master
9 Irrigation Inspector
10 Chief magistrate
11 Building Inspector

12 Court Bard
13 High Holy Healer
14 Foreign Minister
15 Granary Keeper
16 Royal Master
17 Trade Minister
18 Historian
19 Philosopher
20 City champion

d10 Quick City Troubles
01 Unrest
02 Economic
03 Agricultural
04 Military
05 Religious
06 Territorial
07 Wizards
08 Barbarians
09 Cults
10 Supernatural


d100 City Problems
01 Slaves are disgruntled and higher ups unsure if need to be charitable or cruel
02 Prisoners of war working in mines plan to revolt and take over
03 Criminal guilds have emerged undermining the economy
04 Courtiers are plotting to overthrow the leader
05 Ruler is trying to increase legal powers
06 Poor are demanding food
07 Commoners demanding more housing
08 Commoners concerned about insult from rival city
09 Commoners want barbarians on borders dealt with
10 Heretic has aroused an angry mob
11 Metal has become in short supply and state is stockpiling for essential purposes
12 Silver mine has started running out worrying those who know about it
13 Foreign gold has become popular and is devaluing local goods
14 Extra tithes are being made to repair the great monuments and walls
15 Barbarians have been attacking trade routes
16 Shortage of fuel for fire has become a problem
17 Grain stockpiles have become dangerously low
18 Rival cities have made economic alliance damaging the city trade income
19 A shortage of skilled craftsmen has caused some problems
20 Treasury has had corrupt officials pilfering wealth
21 Shepherds are feuding with farmers for land and water 
22 Farmers are demanding better water management and more rights
23 Crops have been performing poorly
24 Enemies have been raiding herds and killing shepherds
25 Feuds over irrigation rights with other growing cities have caused tension
26 Droughts have been making farming tough
27 Farmers want to try some new crops but priests are conservative
28 Someone tries to bring farming innovation but locals angry about change
29 Monster in water has bothered irrigation workers
30 Beastmen or monster raiding herds
31 Military plotting to over throw the current rulers
32 Preparing for war with rival city
33 Military demand improved privileges
34 Military made a secret treasonous deal with barbarians to take over
35 Enemy army has been on maneuvers on the border lands
36 Building a strategic outpost to watch for invaders on frontier
37 A rival city has made several improvements in weapons 
38 Someone has been stealing stockpiled weapons
39 A new martial cult has become popular among the troops
40 The city champion has become arrogant and is bothering the rulers
41 Dangerous cult has emerged and is bothering the official church
42 A rival god of another city has been provoking war
43 A idol of a vassal god is held in the city and it's home city want it back
44 Priests are negotiating a sacred marriage with a foreign city to forge an alliance
45 A popular sect among commoners wants to upgrade their shrine into a small temple
46 A vile omen has the clergy concerned, the gods need atonement
47 Priests are looking for a unblemished virgin to take up a important ceremonial role
48 The gods need a pilgrim to visit gods shrine in a foreign city to make a delivery
49 Pilgrims from other cities are visiting local shrines and sharing new ideas
50 Sacred tablets have been stolen
51 
Governor of a colony town wants to join territory of rival city
52 Important delegation sent to create alliance vs enemies
53 Youths demand a new colony is established
54 Nomads want to join city as herders but some upset
55 Diplomats plan a alliance with several cities to dominate region
56 Several evil cities have united under blasphemous schemes of demon cults
57 An enemy city is stockpiling new lighter two man chariots
58 A rival city has developed new military tactics that has locals worried
59 A distant city has proclaimed all cities should be their vassals in a new empire
60 Military caste are hoping for extended emergency powers
61 A wizard in the wilderness has been carving out a territory
62 The city has ordained a new wizard to serve the temple but some are suspiscious
63 Wizard on the frontier has been creating monsters for some reason
64 Unlawful sorcerers and wizards have been burned and drowned recently
65 A wizard has started a frontier cult with fanatic followers against the gods
66 A black mesa from the dark age of wizard kings has become active again
67 A wizard has threatened the city for refusing to hand over valuables
68 An undead wizard king has been rebuilding a ruined city from the age of black magic
69 Someone has been recruiting best and brightest scribes for a secret wizard school
70 Wizards have been operating from a secret black school hidden somewhere
71 A barbarian horde has assembled to destroy a allied city

72 Barbarians have been uniting under a king and has city states wary
73 A barbarian warband has been demanding wives from the city
74 Barbarians have destroyed a former allied city
75 Barbarians have conquered a allied city and are preparing for more more war
76 A barbarian tribe have been worshiping chaos and denouncing the gods
77 Barbarians have been claiming the grazing lands are traditionally theirs
78 A military leader wants city to bribe a barbarian tribe to attack enemies
79 A wizard has begun advising a barbarian tribe and all are concerned
80 A missionary visiting barbarian tribes and some pilgrims now wish to visit city temples
81 Robed heretics are hiding in the country side or even the city
82 Some say a cult has important civic leaders under it's thrall to ruin the city
83 A cult has been digging up buried tablets from the forbidden ruins
84 Cultists have been seen digging up ancient graves and crypts
85 Cultists have murdering and kidnapping borderlands farmers
86 Several priests has been murdered recently some blame forbidden cults
87 Shepherds have been gossiping about strange haunting in some lonely ruins
88 A village has been reporting witchcraft and many are outraged
89 Terrible weather has been ruining crops and locals blame witch cults
90 Robed cultists and strange beasts have been seen in the wastelands
91 Undead have been seen in the graveyards
92 A wizard was seen being chased by demons who dragged him to hell

93 Shepherds have seen a strange naked wild goddess in the hill country
94 Bad spirits have been menacing common folk and villagers
95 Strange omens have been seen and have everyone gossiping

96 Odd constellations have astrologers concerned
97 An evil wind has brought plague to some villages and many are on edge
98 Many commoners report strange dreams warning them of disaster
99 A strange new animal has been seen, many believe it is supernatural
100 A prophet reports they were spoken to by a terrible fiery being in the mountains

4 comments:

  1. Welcome to mysterious Vitreledonella, City-State of the Incirrate Octolord. Behold the famous glass-works, the majestic mother-of-pearl decorations, and the half-flooded city port where anything can be bought or sold. But beware, danger lurks under the guise of this friendly cosmopolitan metropolis, for the distant city state of Rhyolitic and it's obsidian-armed Jagged Warriors have declared that all shall bow down to their expanding empire.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow
      these sound more like decadent remnants of the old age who need a good burning

      Delete
  2. Definitely need a 1d100 City Walls Table that outlines different sorts of walls, moats, and other defenses in line with the setting.

    ReplyDelete

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