When creating a fantasy world, there are things that you always need to remember when plotting out any settlements. Those towns, villages and grand cities, they were all put there for a reason. Something attracted those former nomads to their new home. So, here is a short list of things you should bear in mind when creating your settlement.
First thing; Water. The thing all budding civilizations need is access to fresh water. It’s vital for survival. To drink, for crops, for livestock. Life cannot exist without water. Whether it be a lake, or a river, water must be close by. If you look at a map of any country, every major city in every country in the world is usually built on a river. London, New York, Paris. All are built on rivers.
Where there’s a choice, choose river over lake. Rivers flow into the sea, which would give them the ability to expand and develop trade routes throughout the world, which, whilst it isn’t a necessity, is highly recommended for the longevity of a civilization.
Second thing; Religion. The site where your former nomad travelers built their home could bear some kind of religious significance. Whether it be the site of some kind of event, or merely a secluded place away from the world, religion can play an important part in the location of a settlement.
Three; War. Ok, so you’ve got your city. And it’s great, life’s good. But then someone else builds a city. And now you’re fighting over that prime bit of farm land. And they’re two day’s march away. What do you do? Build a base one day’s march away. And where there’s people, there’s trade. A small village forms around the encampment. And now you win the war or maybe you lose, but the wars over, and the roads are safe, but the threat of future war is still there, so the military base remains, so the village remains and grows, and before you know it there’s a small town beginning to form.
It’s worth noting, that outside of war, this kind of settlement would not flourish and would probably exist with extreme poverty.
Four; resources. And finally, raw, natural resource. Coal, wood, iron, gold. There are many natural resources, like the aforementioned water, that civilizations thrive on. Whether they are used within for building, burning, hunting or any other activity required of a self-sustaining settlement, or whether they are used for trade with other settlements for goods and services that cannot be provided from within, the source of these resources will create jobs. Mining, milling, and various other trades will be created. Workers and their families will live close by, and within reasonable travel distance to the main settlement.
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