"People need bread, whether they live in the Free City or a humble berg like ours. Everybody's gotta eat." - Old Man Whit, Baker
Some services are so essential for survival that nearly every settlement has them. In smaller hamlets, services are often run out of the proprietor's home, while in larger towns and cities, the service may have its own location in a dedicated market space.
In addition to the services below, most services have a handful of others specific to their resources. A city on a coast or river might also have a fishery, net-maker, even a humble shipwright, though they likely don't work on anything much larger than a two-man rowboat.
Local Goods
Even in a village too small to have storefronts, things are available for sale.
The Market
Medieval communities didn't depend on commercial supply as much as we do. Most people grew their own food, sewed their own clothes, and brewed their own medicine. But that doesn't mean every community member is fully independent. Citizens traded and sold various supplies regularly in
The Market.
The market is like a farmer's market or craft fair today. Larger bergs likely have a dedicated space, while smaller communities might simply assemble in the town square, or send their goods off with the village carter to be sold in another town's market. They could also instruct the carter to spend a portion of their profits on other goods while they're there.
Towns that don't get a steady traffic of adventurers (which usually only happens if they are near a famous and inexhaustible adventure location) likely don't have adventuring equipment available. These folk have little use for grappling hooks, potion bottles, arms or armour. People who do have complex equipment such as the hunter's bow or the smith's whetstone don't keep spares, and likely don't have the means to manufacture new ones if their own break beyond repair. They'd have to send for one from another town's market day, which takes time.
Instead, they make what they need for everyday life on an as-needed basis. Things that require difficult-to-construct, large, or expensive resources such as an oven or cows are usually handled by one citizen who sells to their neighbours. A common morning sight is the village children trooping to the baker and then to the ranch to pick up bread and milk for the day, maybe carrying eggs, produce, textiles, or other wares as payment.
The Carter
Other names: General Store, Grocer, Adventuring Gear
Most towns have a carting service, however infrequent. This is a person who has a cart or carriage, and who carries goods from the town or outpost to trade with neighbouring settlements. They often double as a courier service. They collect goods from the locals and sell or trade them in another town's market in exchange for part of the profits. People who send things away with the carter usually authorize the carter to spend some of the seller's cut on other items while they're there.
What the carter can get depends on the resources available to the towns they travel to. The carter's most valuable asset is their negotiation and social skills; this person must have a good relationship with various artisans, and can fetch a better deal than a stranger could. Depending on how densely populated the area is, their circuit may include several townships.
Local Services
Outside of market day, people still need help from each other. Most times, services are run out of the practitioner's home.
Apothecary
Other names: Healer, Herbalist, Pharmacist, Potion-maker
Most households have the folk knowledge necessary to craft cures for simple ailments like fever, colic, muscle aches, etc. Some communities might have one member who is especially proficient at these arts, and is called on for aid when home remedies don't suffice. Actual magical potions are exceedingly rare. Using local remedies restores 1d2 hp and grants a +2 bonus on saving throws versus non-magical poisons and diseases so long as the creature continues to take their medicine.
Church
Other names: Temple, Shrine
Most everyday worship is done in the home, so very small communities may not have a dedicated religious building, and the religious buildings present are certainly not representative of all religions practiced within the township. If there is a dedicated religious site, its facilities and appearance depending on the religion. It may not look like a traditional church at all; for instance, communities which primarily revere Beory commune with her in unspoiled nature.
In small communities, this site may be maintained by a single priest, but larger communities will have additional acolytes and resources. The priest can cast minor spells, usually in exchange for a donation or service. These spells may not be impressive to adventurers, but given that 4hp of healing can bring a Commoner back from the brink of death, the locals are plenty impressed.
Reeve
Other names: Sheriff, Police, Guard, Watch
Regions too small or remote to have a dedicated guard force elect a citizen to represent them to higher powers and lead the local militia. This individual usually has more martial capability than the average peasant, and has the power to make arrests and enact small-scale justice, though more serious issues are usually escalated to the local lordship. The Reeve usually has their office in a central location to their appointed region.
If the Reeve doesn't live here, the party might have to wait for someone to fetch them. In the meanwhile, the townsfolk will rely on their own authorities, such as the village head or the local expert or the wishes of the wounded party, if any. Especially fair-minded (or persuaded) citizens might advocate that the Reeve be summoned, but they don't summon the Reeve for every problem.
Carpenter/Stonemason
Other names: Mason, Bricklayer
These houses got here somehow. These workers are often supplemented by woodcutters/quarries, as importing these heavy materials is difficult and expensive.
Accommodations
Most towns don't have a dedicated building just for hosting visitors, unless the village is located on a major trade route. Small inns are extensions of the innkeeper's house. The poorest and most basic are like hostels, with multiple beds for different guests in a shared room. Inns with more regular income may offer disparate rooms. A common-room and meals may be provided, but food is extra and the party likely does not get to choose what they eat.
In most cases, these facilities run on bed-and-breakfast presumptions. The innkeepers do not expect to host their guests all day, and are unlikely to be home all day, themselves. They are unlikely to trust a group of adventurers with unsupervised access to their home, and will politely tell the PCs that they need to occupy themselves elsewhere for a while.
On a related note, only large towns and cities have dedicated bars and taverns. Most smaller bergs drink in the home of whichever member of a given social circle can best accommodate guests. These people can likely function as a barkeep in terms of the local rumours-expert, but they likely need to be made Friendly first.
