Winterhaven Capsule Hotels

[hong]

Of course, they could always seek shelter inside the town, but then the farms should huddle close to each other just outside the walls.

Maybe they do.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I also noticed that the walls around the town seem to be made of stone and they are pretty *thick*. Now, I wouldn't mind if this was a city or metropolis, but to me it seems a bit odd if these 900+ people have actually built a true fortress-town among the wilderness. It would suggest that the people live in a truly dangerous region, which begs the question: if most of the people are farmers living in outlying farms, how do they survive? Of course, they could always seek shelter inside the town, but then the farms should huddle close to each other just outside the walls.

The farms can't really huddle around the city, since the farmers will have to tend to farmlands. You could surely put the buildings close to the walls, but that would probably be very impractical for tending the land itself. The farms will have to stay further away, opening the danger of enemies raiding the buildings before the farmers can retreat to safety. But that's just a risk they cannot avoid. But the fortress-town ensures that anyone that survives is safe and only very determined attackers can take down the village.

I suppose that Goblin, Kobold or Orc raiders roaming the area will from time to time attack the farms, take what they can get in food and riches, and then retreat, without dealing permanent harm. This way, they can "harvest" the village several times, without destroying it. Peasant life is not pleasant life...

 

[Pale Jackal]

Here's how it breaks down:

40-50 Merchants and townsfolk (in the 17 buildings)
100-150 Farmers and their families in the outlying area

800 cultists of Orcus in the sewers and catacombs beneath the town.

That was pretty awesome.

 

[vagabundo]

Some rough calculations on land area:

- It takes somewhere between one and two acres of land to feed one person for one year. It depends on techniques used and the quality of the land (nowadays it takes about a 1/3 of an acre).

- So for 977 people that is between 977 to 1954 acres. That is equal to 1.5 to 3 square miles of arable land.

I'd expect to see around 80+ thatched cottages from the town walls with a patchwork of surrounding fields growing all sorts of crops and with grazing animals.

linky: http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123 13 Society.htm

 

[hong]

An area of land 2 miles across sounds quite plausible as a "point of light". Heck, I'd up it to 5 miles across, because I'm generous.

 

[Voss]

The map is up on the may preview. And... tiny.

The 'homes' are about 10' x 10'
And here is the description

interhaven
Village, Population 977
The rutted King's Road leads to the foot of a broad hill that holds the walled village of Winterhaven. The village is nestled in the southern foothills of the Cairngorm Peaks. The walls are weathered stone topped by defensive palisades. Small thatched homes stand around Winterhaven, each fronting a small piece of farmland or pasture. Beyond the farms to the west and south lie dark woods, and to the north, tall mountain peaks.

small thatched homes (presumably identical to the 10 x 10 boxes in town, and small pastures and farmland. Yeah. Cut that population to about 350 and we'll talk.

The evil keep is about a mile and a half up a twisting road and a kobold lair is less than a mile away. So when the kobolds feel like it, they've got exactly one usable road.

 

[arscott]

Typo, Maybe?

97 seems a little low, but far more reasonable than 977.

 

[vagabundo]

The map is up on the may preview. And... tiny.

The 'homes' are about 10' x 10'

Agreed, everything is a little tight. But I assume that the buildings inside the walls are at least two story. I can see a busy cramped little village.

small thatched homes (presumably identical to the 10 x 10 boxes in town, and small pastures and farmland. Yeah. Cut that population to about 350 and we'll talk.

The evil keep is about a mile and a half up a twisting road and a kobold lair is less than a mile away. So when the kobolds feel like it, they've got exactly one usable road.

I dont think you would need to cut the population down. The proximity of the kobold could be a problem, it depends on whats in the adventure, and why they are there.

I've shaded a two square mile square around the main town. This land would be populated by farm houses and small roads, around 800 people.

It seems very close to the Kobolds, so it really depends what they are doing there.

 

[hong]

It seems very close to the Kobolds, so it really depends what they are doing there.

So that's where Meepo was hiding!

 

[Bagpuss]

I've shaded a two square mile square around the main town. This land would be populated by farm houses and small roads, around 800 people.

It seems very close to the Kobolds, so it really depends what they are doing there.

Erm didn't we establish earlier that one square mile of farmland supports about 180 people. So you need to more than double the area you've shown, and that doesn't look like particularly great farmland from the map.

The kobold lair and even the keep would be within the area of the outlying farms. If you just assumed a circle from Winterhaven. But the farms are more likely to spread out along the roads.

Still the population seems very high for the small area shown.