Session Prep Bundlesettlement-starter

A since long forgotten land, that recently a new small settlement have been built. but the land and enviroment isnt kind, and there is a large monster prowling in the surrounding land. the settlement is called Hollmen

Recipe: Settlement Starter

Contextual Narrative

Echoes in the Bitter Thaw

Hollmen is a cluster of shivering timber and soot-stained stone huddled against the wind. Built upon the bones of a forgotten civilization, its citizens are exiles, dreamers, and the desperate, all clinging to the hope that this gray frontier might yield a future. The air here tastes of wet iron and ancient dust, and the silence is often broken by the rhythmic, subterranean thrumming of something massive moving beneath the permafrost. The horizon is dominated by jagged peaks that seem to watch the settlement like hungry teeth. To live in Hollmen is to acknowledge a simple, brutal contract: work until your hands bleed, speak softly to avoid the attention of the wild, and never, ever go beyond the palisade after the red moon rises. Somewhere out in the swirling mists, a shadow larger than a merchant's cog waits for the unwary.

Jorgan Hollmen, Founder

“We didn't come here because it was easy. We came because the rest of the world stopped looking for us, and the ground here—harsh as it is—doesn't care about our pasts.”

Settlement

Hollmen

Hollmen is a brutal cluster of timber shacks built atop ancient, heat-radiating basalt slabs. The settlement is organized in concentric circles around the central watchtower. Most structures are half-sunken into the permafrost to preserve warmth, while the perimeter is defined by the massive Wall of Bells. This defensive line consists of heavy iron chimes that vibrate continuously, casting a permanent, low-frequency hum that vibrates in the teeth of every resident.

240 pioneers and laborersPopulation

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Tavern

The Last Gasp

The tavernkeeper throws a pinch of salt into the fire every hour to ward off the monster's howl, and the murals seem to change position when viewed in peripheral vision.

TavernView →

Shop

Sledge's Scavenged Iron

Sledge talks to his main anvil, calling it 'Betsy,' and refuses to sell any item unless the buyer first demonstrates they can lift his heavy smithing hammer. He has a habit of spitting on the floor every time the local 'monster' is mentioned.

Shop

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Region

Ashen Reach

RegionView →

Enemy Presence

The Gore-Horn

A gargantuan prehistoric hybrid of a woolly rhino and an ankylosaurus that hunts by sound and vibration in a desolate ruin.

TypeMonstrosity

HabitatDeserts, ruins, or volcanic wastes.

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Key Personas

Jorgan Hollmen

He is a man of rigid contradictions; he will personally oversee the repair of a widow's roof but refuse to join the village feast. He is fiercely protective of the settlers, viewing them as his final chance at redemption, yet he remains emotionally distant to avoid the pain of the losses he expects are coming. He speaks with a blunt pragmatism that hides a core of simmering self-loathing. He values discipline above all else, believing that once the routine fails, the settlement dies.

Elara Muck

Elara is a woman of calculated warmth; she is exceptionally friendly to those who spend coin but treats her regular patrons with a cutting, maternal cynicism. She often uses gossip as a currency, offering secrets to the downtrodden while hoarding the truly valuable information for those she deems 'investments.' While she claims to hate the isolation of Hollmen, she possesses a strange, protective loyalty to the muddy ground of the settlement that borders on religious fervor.

Kaelen the Silent

Kaelen is a creature of absolute silence who finds the vocalizations of the Hollmen settlers to be abrasive and offensive. They are deeply empathetic toward the local megafauna, viewing the beast not as a threat but as the rightful master of the land. They are patient to a fault with nature but prone to sudden, shivering bouts of irritation when forced to interact with civilization. They treat the settlers like doomed cattle, watching them with a mixture of pity and clinical detachment.

Bundle Contents

08Items

Generated entities

Regional Effect

Subterranean Tremors

The massive monster prowling the outskirts moves with such weight that it creates localized seismic shifts.

Mechanic

Any creature attempting a long rest must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or gain no benefit from the rest due to the unsettling vibrations.

Connections

Jorgan Hollmen

GOVERNS • Hollmen

Elara Muck

OPERATES • The Last Gasp

Kaelen the Silent

TRACKS • The Gore-Horn

The Last Gasp

LOCATED_IN • Hollmen

Sledge's Scavenged Iron

LOCATED_IN • Hollmen

The Gore-Horn

STALKS • Ashen Reach

Quest Objectives

The settlement's only source of iron, a shallow dig-site to the north, has gone silent. Recover the tools and find the missing miners.

The iron supply is restored, and the PCs are granted 'Founder' status, earning them free lodging.

The settlement runs out of metal for repairs; the palisade weakens, making the town vulnerable to the prowling beast.

Kaelen the Silent believes the prowling monster is attracted to a specific ancient pylon buried beneath the tavern. Dig it up and deactivate it.

The tremors subside and the monster moves further into the wilderness.

The pylon is damaged, emitting a pulse that drives the monster into a territorial frenzy, leading to a direct assault on the village.

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