Communities provide a great resource for roleplay, by giving the Cadre a context for the encounters they will face. Often, a Director will need to flesh out the people, and the context for those encounters. This list, as with all Passages lists, is far from comprehensive, but it does go the distance in providing backdrops and conceptualization resources for your game sessions, series, and sagas. Being able to determine what kinds of communities the encounters occur can give inspiration as to the kinds of Treatises and Skills that might be attainable, as well as the kinds and numbers of specific Stuff that might be found nearby.
Resource Centers and Mystical Loci
Anywhere that resources can be pooled together, people will gather. Farmlands and Ranges draw farmers and ranchers; Coastlines draw fisherfolk. In places where the mineral resources offer steady access to valued materials, mining will be a primary occupation. And valuables drawn from the ground are always a staple in stories of oppression and greed. Trade rates will be capricious, and though the riches can be highly valued, there are constant risks of nefarious swindlers and slavers in such areas. The power of Magic can draw followers and servants alike. The population might agree with the agenda of the mystical masters or adhere strongly to the philosophy of the Religious Elite. Or, the domination of the wicked is maintained by terrible forces that spew forth from the Tower (or Cave, or whatever) Either way, the community is held in sway by a benevolent or malevolent force with a focused agenda.
Monasteries or Communes
Religion leaves its mark with locales that focus on faith and the expression of devotion. Insular in nature, these concentrations of population inevitably lead to intrigue and not a little mystery behind them. These can be dedicated to a single Entity or to a whole pantheon of Gods, and range from simple adherents to aggressive evangelists, spreading and fomenting their particular brand of religious fervor. The concept of the Hermitage is taken to the extreme. Usually insular and defensive against outsiders, the concept of the “Hometown” is at once intriguing and terrifying. This town isn’t open to outsiders' thoughts or actions.
Hospitals, Necropolis, and Burial/Tomb Complexes
The mind and the body often need care, and there are those who dedicate their lives to recovery and recuperation. Often, the weary traveler can find solace in the storms in such places. The very existence of such begs the question – what fell beasts or terrors require such a dedicated resource? Is there a tyrannical governor? Monstrous raiders? A holey Grahl? Where risks are high for death by disease, disaster, or dangers unimaginable, the very rites and processes for dealing with death can result in active sites where the living must tend to the dead. Perhaps there is a plague that prevents the dead from resting eternally. Perhaps there are those who are merely plundering ancient burial mounds or exhuming the dead for other reasons.
Military or Mercenary Encampment
Governments must protect and define the areas they control, and garrisons of soldiers make for important positions along a nation’s frontiers. This might represent the edge of a wilderness or a position of contention among nations, but the intrigue and conflict the waypoints represent can be dangerous or interesting at the very least. Armed bands of mercenaries often offer their aggressive arms to high bidders and can find themselves in unfamiliar lands, fighting for causes they don’t support. When these occupation forces become disenfranchised, they become conduits for dissension and open rebellion against national leaders. Mercenaries, like Circuses, draw the runaway and the roguish to their number.
The Open Bazaar or Marketplace
Even local populations need to trade their wares for necessities. Often at crossroads or other convenient locales, a marketplace can be a useful starting point for a Story, a place to liquidate treasures or simply rest and retool. In highly verdant areas, the open market is a way to trade food and locally gathered assets for necessities and the goods necessary to continue life. In areas of great hunting and gathering, these can represent both the booty and the prosperity of the community. Perhaps the city prospers through robbery and piracy. In these cases, the bazaar can be even more dangerous and challenging.
Cities and Metropolises
In areas where resources are particularly galvanizing, leadership usually falls to a strong and unrelenting committee. Trade is stilted, and the local population turns blind eyes to mishandling and impropriety. The community benefits from the arrangement, even as it lines the pockets of the unscrupulous leadership and burdens the locals. Ports and border crossings into the interior of nations tend to be prosperous – and opportunistic communities. Bring wares to trade, coins to spend, and your stay will go well. Come seeking fights and conflict, you are sure to find them. The usual limits to community taboos are lifted and ignored, and for most, the Port is the place where literally anything can and does happen.
Oppressed Hamlets or Refugee Camps
Under the thumb of a nearby despot, the denizens of such villages have more to lose, and less to gain, for helping the CADRE. It doesn’t mean help is unavailable, just that such aid will most likely come with a price. Low costs, quick and lackluster haggling are signs of this kind of community and are usually backed up with evidence of tyranny-based pressures, constant searches, and confiscations, as well as the occasional “disappearance” of Recurring or Story Characters.
