This deck has 40 location cards: evocative art of a

point of interest on one side, and several charts of

random ideas for that place on the card’s back.
There are also 10 trait cards–each side of the card
has more charts that fit a theme such as “Criminal El-
ement” or “Guild Base”. These inspire further detail.
The deck wraps up with 5 cards: charts for town at-
tractions, street names, ideas for jobs in town, etc.
Development & Writing (#1-50): Andrew Shields
Concept & Writing (#51+): Joe Wetzel
Art: The Forge Studios
Editing: Adam Dahlheim
Example Location Card Back (Top 1/3)

Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.

Arid Trading City 01
City
d6 Ruler Faction Wealth Source Biggest Threat
1 Warlord Aquifer below Sand monsters
2 Aristocracy Magic glass Nomads
3 Wizards Mercenaries Infighting
4 Undead Stolen plunder Outsider army
5 Elementalists Unique silks Rival empire
6 Scholars Exiled nobles Sinking in sand
Famous Pastimes in the City
1. Combat arenas. You can make money…if you
win. Recruiters watch for talent.
2. Flight of Vices. Many dens bring an escalating se-
lection of psychedelics, you lose 1d6 days.
3. Skiffing. Race and explore on sand or air skiffs.
4. Shopping. There are hidden shops and open
bazaars that sell rare and unique goods.
5. Scholarship. Gain access to private libraries and
museum galleries by networking with nobles.
6. Explore. Beauty and wealth lurk behind stone.
Best Trading Partners
1. Nomads bringing rare plants, animals and relics.
2. Cities across the desert on a trade route.
3. An underrealms civilization accessing the surface.
4. A port, they fall back here when attacked.
5. A merchant guild, always trying to take over.
6. Dimensional gates connect to outsiders.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Guild City 02
City
d6 Ruling Guild Worst Threat Famously
1 Commerce A curse Fond of drink
2 Espionage Internal strife Delayed
3 Prognostication Corruption Ruthless
4 Salvage Feuding nobles Dynastic
5 Shipwright Robust vermin Secretive
6 Arcane Nearby war Hierarchical
Most Ambitious Underdog Faction
1. Plumbers. Lead will be in everything soon!
2. Lawyers. Contracts are fertile ground for misun-
derstandings, and without lawyers, that’s costly.
3. An apocalyptic cult ushering in a new age.
4. Mercenaries who came to the city organized a
guild and are now positioned for leadership.
5. A minor branch of the ruler’s family has settled
in to grift, draining guilds (and clients) of wealth.
6. City Watch, determined to dig out the corrup-
tion and crime that has become commonplace.
Recently, There Has Been Good News
1. The city readies a party for a local hero’s return.
2. A drought broke, or flooding rains ceased.
3. Finally, the city paid off a debt to a local lord.
4. Diplomats have brokered a new trade deal!
5. A local feral faction has finally been crushed.
6. An unpopular ruler was jailed! It is a new day!
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Progressive City 03
City
d6 Watch Out For Neighbors Are
1 Surprise fees Keen to curry favor
2 Anti-magic laws Wary of the blasphemy
3 Street riots Exploited for fuel and parts
4 Press gangs Proud of the city’s renown
5 Street preachers Eager to enlist kids in schools
6 Sewer monsters Sickened by pollution
Why is This City So Advanced?
1. An occupying force experiments with tech here.
2. Strange intruders require strange tech defenses.
(Ghosts, planar rifts, flying beasts, or demons)
3. A tech-savvy faction in exile gathers like-minded
refugees from the entire region…and beyond.
4. An eccentric war criminal noble with boundless
wealth invests in all kinds of weird projects.
5. The king rebuilt this shattered city, determined
to showcase the benefits of a modern mindset.
6. The noble family of rulers produces geniuses.
What Problem Does the Tech Cause?
1. Spies are everywhere, trying to steal tech secrets.
2. The most common fuel source is very explosive.
3. Tech experts extort the users for maintenance.
4. Frequent shortages of parts, fuel, or experts.
5. A faction accuses the city of stealing their work.
6. Periods of high usage tend to raise undead.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Gleaming City 04
City
d6 An Odd Rule Who Rules the City?
1 Magic light only Otherworldly nobility
2 Unique coinage A famous academic college
3 No running An arcane spellcaster guild
4 Sing at meals A holy order, church HQ
5 Wear masks The monarch and the court
6 No cats A coalition of undead
Why is the City so Prosperous?
1. Costly access to premier research material.
2. Wealthy noble families compete, showing off.
3. All neighboring factions honor the city’s neutral-
ity. The city does not have to pay for defense.
4. A god blessed this city as a favored place.
5. Overpriced tourist trap, hyped across the whole
region as a must-visit destination.
6. Wealthy criminals retire here. They own the
city’s legitimate rulers and law enforcement.
Who Suffers Most to Support the City?
1. Famous markets traffick intelligent animals.
2. Elementals are bound to do unpaid labor.
3. Apprentices and interns work for a pittance in
the hopes of being chosen for a better life.
4. The city’s original occupants are an underclass.
5. Walled slums keep the paupers out of sight.
6. Most of the city’s labor is done by prisoners.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Elder City 05
City
d6 Occupants What Treasures Remain?
1 Reptile people Weird enchanted amulets
2 Artists, scholars Maddening lore and riddles
3 Cultists, pilgrims Hidden artwork, jewelry
4 Exiles Unique music and dances
5 Criminals Concealed tomb complexes
6 Sick outcasts Rare spells and rituals
Why Did the Ancients Build Here?
1. A barrier atop a vent to the underworld.
2. A crossroads of ancient empires.
3. Access an underground aquifer and cave system
with plentiful edible fungus and room for herds.
4. They once slew a god on this site.
5. This city was built upon the ruins of the one be-
fore, and the one before that, and so on…
6. A millennia of rulers mined under the city, then
built dungeons in the exhausted mines.
Why Visit the City Now?
1. Respectable people send agents to network.
They secretly hire specialists for dirty work.
2. Mystics touched by madness are drawn here.
3. Informal education is a tradition for noble teens.
4. The waters are famed for magic properties.
5. It is still at an intersection of trade routes.
6. A community of cursebreakers collaborates here.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Temple City 06
City
d6 City Condition Visitors Come For
1 Half ruined Endless pilgrimage sites
2 Declining, corrupt Politics and intrigue
3 Smelly confusing mess Ongoing military efforts
4 Bustling trade center Famous debauchery
5 Orderly, organized Organized crime
6 Beacon of arts, ethics Glorious architecture
Why Are There So Many Temples?
1. Servants of all gods gather together to cooperate
against the world’s intolerant anti-cosmic forces.
2. Aristocratic houses compete to build the grand-
est expressions of faith (and wealth). It’s tradition.
3. The cursed region enticed any curse-breaking
faction to settle here, building lavish temples.
4. The theocratic city is the center of the religion.
5. There is a shrine to every servant and ally of the
city’s patron god. Building these is a tax break.
6. This city is lucky; religions want to claim credit.
Why Is There So Much Street Fighting?
1. Endless inquisitions to assure purity of worship.
2. Public events compete for space and snarl traffic.
3. Taxes plus tithes make poor (and angry) people.
4. Temples have competing martial arts schools.
5. Corrupt priests press citizens into servitude.
6. The sewers overflow with monsters, outlaws.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Fortified Town 07
Town
d6 Friendliest To Most Hostile To Eager For
1 Rebels Wizards News
2 Musicians Border faction Spices
3 War Heroes King’s agents Executions
4 Shepherds Criminals Awards
5 Traders Men Tax relief
6 Loyalists Foreigners Contracts
These Walls Are High Because
1. There are SO MANY WEREWOLVES out there.
2. Lodged between endless border squabbles.
3. Fiercely independent, determined to remain so.
4. The town defends a border with a feral wilder-
ness. Monsters and savage factions attack often.
5. The duke’s zoning permits require high walls.
6. The tyrant is strict and limits his people’s travel.
The People are Happy Because
1. It is illegal to express discontent.
2. Robust gambling is rigged to favor the residents.
3. A vibrant drug trade provides potent recreation.
4. Neighbors rely on the town for protection, so
trade deals are extremely lucrative.
5. The town’s ruler is kind, benevolent, beautiful,
accomplished, and famously even-handed.
6. They have powerful protectors who punish
anyone who dares to act against them.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Trading Town 08
Town
d6 Ruled By Secret Defense Famous Deals
1 Talking cat River ghosts Identify spells
2 Sulky noble Vigilantes Weapons
3 Brisk reformer Loyal vermin Armor
4 Three families Possessive angel Maps
5 Guild Urchin gangs Carousing
6 Templar order Vampire guards Contraband
The Town Hosts a Community of
1. Fortune tellers, both sideshows and real seers.
2. Goblins, eager to appear civilized and useful.
3. Failed wizards of all kinds; it is a cliché that if
you flunk out of your studies, you end up here.
4. Caravan guards, between jobs or washed up.
5. Networking treasure hunters pooling research.
6. Safe crackers, lock experts, and trap specialists.
Unexpected, Unadvertised Services
1. A discreet spa for stressed-out noble women.
2. The retired spymaster for the kingdom, now
bored and keen to crack codes or consult.
3. The ancient shrine has a resurrection pool. The
clergy take customers by recommendation only.
4. A savage bard composer is often drunk. He can
craft catchy, withering jingles targeting foes.
5. An elderly tutor knows everything about coins.
6. A scarred ogre knows who is following you.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Usurper’s Fortress 09
Town
d6 Defenders Do People Know Where It Is?
1 Grim criminals Secret, magically hidden
2 Live statues Known, but heavily guarded
3 Cultists It relocates magically
4 Wizard cabal A symbol on the skyline
5 Battle monks In an off-limits area
6 Vampires Magically forgettable
Controlling Access To
1. This is the only local entry to the underdark.
2. Guards last copies of the realm’s banned books.
3. Political prisoners, including heirs to the throne.
4. Built to contain an ancient dimensional portal.
5. A massive ritual chamber in the tower controls
local weather, affecting a nearby mountain pass.
6. An order of seers can spy on the whole region.
Rumored Ways In or Out
1. Only half the gong chutes have working grates.
2. There is often thick fog; you can climb the cliff.
3. Some of the anti-flyer lightning crystals are
burned out or chipped so they are slow to shoot.
4. Relax and just pay a corrupt sergeant a bribe.
5. If you claim to know the whereabouts of the
Scroll of Zyboria, you can get in to see the baron.
(Of course, if you don’t, then it gets tricky…)
6. An escape tunnel ends in a nearby hollow tree.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Overlook Castle 10
Town
d6 Invited to A Visitor’s Instinct Senses
1 Go on a hunt Something trying to whisper
2 Attend a party Fearsome bloodlust
3 Consult books You are always observed
4 Work security A barely restrained rage
5 Solve a mystery Powerful resentment
6 Meet a relative Secrets in the stones…
What Feeds the Wheeling Crows?
1. A kindly old woman, the ruler’s mother. She lays
out meat scraps daily and collects shiny payment.
2. Contents of the gibbets overhanging the drop.
3. Secrets whispered by the mad wizard.
4. They are a shadow illusion. No one knows why
they were cast or how long they’ll remain.
5. A lazy druid got a cushy job as huntsman here.
The crows inform him of all who approach.
6. Bitter spellcaster neighbors send the crows to
spy and report on what happens in the castle.
There Were Murders Here! Afterwards
1. The king gave the castle to a more stable family.
2. An order of exorcists moved in to bring peace.
3. The family covered it up, appointing a steward.
4. No change. There will be more murders.
5. The victims haunt the place, bringing insanity.
6. The seal on the demon’s tomb weakened…
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Coastal Town 11
Town
d6 Ruled by Famous for Current Issue
1 Monarch Custom ships Tax disputes
2 Noble house Rare seafood Corruption
3 Noble council Sea witches Refugees
4 Guild house Weatherwork Feral faction
5 Guild council Novelists War levies
6 Mayor Duels Local monster
Typical Opportunities
1. Tutor. Educate and prepare noble youth.
2. Guard for merchants. Dissuade corrupt mem-
bers of the Watch who collect “fees.”
3. Dockdiving. Decent pay to clear out hungry
pests lairing too close to the water’s edge.
4. Agent for wealthy merchants, nobles, and pa-
trons. Serve as a messenger or spy.
5. Sailor. Passage and pay serving aboard a ship.
6. Crystalier. Place and attune weather crystals.
Popular Exports
1. Sturdy little collapsible boats.
2. “Our fish and farm markets feed YOU!” Herring
and grain are shipped throughout the region.
3. Tempestuous blonde sailor women.
4. Rare editions and restored books.
5. Magic glowing crystal-head torches and jewelry.
6. Precision glass vessels and ground crystal lenses.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Crossingburg 12
Town
d6 Why So Costly? Most Valuable Service
1 Luxury lodging Secure prison underground
2 Rare shopping Royal research retreat
3 “Protection” Meeting point for travelers
4 Tip culture Protect nearby bridge
5 Upcharging Tower encloses ley line nexus
6 So much charity Nobles gather for hunts
What Was This Town Before?
1. A coaching inn that got so popular it expanded.
2. A noble’s estate given over to the people when
the last of the aristocratic heirs died.
3. A refugee camp before the duke’s generosity.
4. A wizard scholar’s tower before she opened a
school that expanded the population here.
5. An eldritch glade, which provided fine wood
and building materials for a civilized settlement.
6. A town base for adventurers exploring a nearby
mega-dungeon or necropolis. They prospered.
What Culture Improves Life Here?
1. Halfling cooks and housekeepers add comfort.
2. Dwarven experts keep buildings in fine shape.
3. Elven naturalists connect with surroundings.
4. Civilized orcs keep the peace with feral factions.
5. Gnomes maintain bells, plumbing, and lights.
6. A dragon cult flatters a nearby dragon ally.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Bustling Town 13
Town
d6 Watch Out For Who Does Trade Favor?
1 Pickpocket birds The aristocratic class
2 Secret police The crafter/maker guilds
3 Con artists The merchant guild
4 “Guides” The occupying rulers
5 Mold allergies Specialists with trade deals
6 Forger schemes Organized crime
The Statue in the Market Represents
1. The Saint who liberated the area from a dragon.
2. The Statesman, a former patron buried here.
3. The current ruler, replaced as often as they are.
4. The God of Commerce, painted for holidays.
5. The Judge of Sins, discourages crime here.
6. The Protector, animates to smash threats.
Growing Internal Tension
1. Resentment for taxes supporting an endless war.
2. Racial tensions between two underclasses.
3. Nobles flaunt their wealth as all others suffer.
4. Danger from feral factions grows unchecked.
The inept rulers ignore raids and sewer threats.
5. Growing arcaniphobia leads to scapegoating,
witch hunts, and public lynching of spellcasters.
6. Rulers crack down on criminals, blaming the
populace for supporting and sheltering outlaws.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Prosperous Fief 14
Town
d6 Disliked For How Are They Generous?
1 Haughty snobs Offer 1 daily communal meal
2 Duke’s favorite Free basic housing
3 Awful cuisine Lavish holidays, no charge
4 Debate culture Scholarships for artists
5 High civic pride Well-stocked public library
6 Nosy gossips Free magic & herbal healing
What is the Most Important Alliance?
1. Wizard and cleric leaders are close allies here.
2. The wizard tower is aligned with the Crown.
3. An otherworldly faction communes with the
church, whispering secrets that grant leverage.
4. A neighboring faction has a secret diplomatic
outpost here, cooling tensions and cooperating.
5. Representatives from several important religions
have temples here. They keep their conflicts civil.
6. A secret unholy deal with a pagan god requires
annual sacrifices for prosperous crops and trade.
Whose Fief?
1. A retired fighter dabbling in the domain game.
2. A relative of an important church official.
3. The royal spymaster’s corrupt nephew.
4. A scheming heir to the throne, closely watched.
5. An exiled noble from a faraway land.
6. The emperor’s favorite poet and her retinue.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
River Isle Town 15
Town
d6 Nuisance Threat Perk
1 Mosquito clouds Smugglers Festival season
2 Big river rats Sly alligators Kind mayor
3 Thieving birds Boar packs Sharing culture
4 Lots of drunks Arsonists Amazing food
5 The river stinks Kidnap ring Job market
6 Frequent feral raids Loan sharks Local guides
Top Town Defense
1. All citizens serve in the town militia, so they are
trained and coordinated responding to danger.
2. One family has a tradition of loyal vigilante ac-
tion, spying and lynching to protect the town.
3. An order of griffon-riding rangers is based in a
stone tower, watching over the area and roads.
4. The king’s nephew is mayor–nepotism!
5. Half the town is sniper halflings, ready to serve.
6. The water is enchanted, so it can be lit on fire
for 6 hours at a time to discourage invaders.
Worst Town Weakness
1. The captain of the watch schemes to take over.
2. A feral faction is massing to wipe the town out.
3. A merchant guild with a grudge snubs them.
4. Frequent illness from swampy water, fog.
5. Resentment over town’s zealous tax collector.
6. Stuck on river between skirmishing rulers.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Fortified Trading Town 16
Town
d6 Main Defense How is This Town-Sized?
1 Magically seals Extends deep underground
2 Lightning tower Surrounded by a tent city
3 Sonic waves Seasonal, nomad anchor
4 Animated rocks Top, city covers a cliff face
5 Energy shields Access to underwater town
6 Wraiths Portals link to flying castle
Who Is Responsible for This?
1. Renegade gnome wizards proved it could work.
2. Dimensional refugees trying to fix their other-
worldly craft to return to their weird travels.
3. City engineers from a teeming sprawl experi-
mented with alternative space usage.
4. Every generation for centuries has added to the
protections of this shared trading hall.
5. Otherworldly tourists established the location as
a safe place used for observing barbaric locals.
6. A retiring immortal plane-walking wizard.
Why Do People Come Here?
1. A safe place to trade & resupply in hostile lands.
2. Local experts can send you to other worlds.
3. Brisk market in rare and/or magical items.
4. Hire an order of eldritch bounty hunters.
5. Consult with multi-dimensional architects.
6. Attend an exclusive annual feast for notables.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Forest Home 17
Village
d6 Supporters Live Neighbor’s Say It Is A
1 In elf treehouses Whimsical landmark
2 Among roots Culturally insensitive eyesore
3 Miles away High-maintenance headache
4 In surroundings Architectural triumph
5 Interconnected Proud heirloom estate
6 Magic servants Insular retreat
History of the Settlement
1. Prophecy linked a noble family’s prosperity to a
tree. Their estate includes the tree in its structure.
2. A human baron forced conquered elves to
work with his craftsmen to build an estate.
3. This was built on the edge of human lands and
an elven wood, for diplomatic meetings.
4. When an outlawed heir gained the throne, he
converted his bandit treehouse into an estate.
5. Druids enhanced a patron noble’s estate.
6. Dwarves insisted they could build an elfhouse.
What Experts are Based Here?
1. An order of tree-springer parkour ranger snipers.
2. Druidic leaf-singers who can shape live wood.
3. A school of painters specializing in living light.
4. Spoiled aristocrats with endless contacts at court.
5. Diplomats who study negotiating with the fey.
6. Museum curators studying elven artifacts.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Smelter’s Point 18
Village
d6 Who Owns It? Who Operates This Place?
1 Dwarf experts Apprentices learning a trade
2 Insane gnomes Disposable prisoners
3 Draconian cult Undead workers
4 Elemental cabal Feral underclass
5 Mechanist guild Zealots doing penance
6 Royal prisons Animated constructs
What Is This Place For?
1. Melt down unholy magical constructs and ar-
mor from a defeated otherworldly invasion.
2. Destroy unholy items confiscated from heretics.
3. In times of crisis, prevent undead by ritually in-
cinerating corpses on a civic or wartime scale.
4. Refine and enchant opiates or some other drug.
5. Produce bound elementals by magical fission.
6. Burn prayers and offerings, fired up to a god.
What Threatens the Site?
1. Raiders have isolated and massacred the residents.
2. Saboteurs make slow progress towards figuring
out how to jam up the furnace so it explodes.
3. The fuel is volatile. Detonating it can damage
the site, also the fuel is rare and expensive.
4. Public opinion again shifts, calling for closure.
5. Parts wear down, don’t know how to fix them.
6. A prophet predicts it’ll catastrophically explode.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Trader’s Crossroads 19
Village
d6 Bargaining By A Troubled Past
1 Endless haggling The village is often conquered
2 Gambling, bets Rebels organized here
3 Swap tall tales A noble built a torture prison
4 Drink together Trees once animated to attack
5 Competition Once a year, it rains blood
6 Riddles & tricks Occasional demon possession
What is This Village’s Greatest Pride?
1. Battleground for a decisive clash centuries ago.
2. Birthplace of a line of Royal Champions.
3. Best annual Pie Festival in the whole region.
4. Orchards with faintly enchanted blue apples.
5. The “Hero’s Gate” is where great quests begin.
6. Ranchers produce the finest levitating sheep.
Some Local Tensions
1. Adventurers who retire here tend to look down
on failed adventurers who end up here.
2. Several merchant guilds have territory that over-
laps here, causing endless competitive bickering.
3. Villagers who rely on adventurer clientele push
back on temperance laws that curb carousing.
4. In the old days, criminals were tossed in the
megadungeon. The practice should be reinstated.
5. The noble is cracking down on unlicensed trade.
6. Bored youth are restarting the old death cult.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Haven Village 20
Village
d6 Usual Trouble Who Lives in the Keep?
1 Storms, flooding A grizzled retired general
2 Undead pirates A cabal of witch sisters
3 Smuggler clashes A templar orphanage
4 Religious feuds A languid artistic noble
5 Drunk feral raid Ghosts, a defiant haunting
6 Giant catfish An exasperated vampire
The Keep Was Built To:
1. Defend trade, ending the river pirate scourge.
2. Imprison a cursed immortal troll until they fig-
ured out how to kill it a couple of decades later.
3. Quell unrest in the conquered village.
4. House a way station for relay griffon riders.
5. Settle a bet. Turns out dwarves CAN build a
tower on the river banks during an active war.
6. Enclose and preserve a sacred shrine on the site.
Tax Collectors Don’t Come Here. Why Not?
1. The village is on a disputed territorial border.
2.The headman once won a bet with the noble.
3. A villager is blackmailing the noble.
4. The village’s entire levy was killed in honorable
service in a war, earning a tax-free century.
5. A witch kept cursing the collectors. The noble
escalated. So did she. The cursework won out.
6. The village bribes the bursar to ignore them.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Crumbling Homesteads 21
Village
d6 Who’s Here? Why Ruined? Who Benefits?
1 Survivors Bandits Rival noble
2 Criminals Crushed revolt Outlaws
3 Cultists Monster attack Cranky druid
4 Soldiers Evacuation Hiding cult
5 Hunters Battlefield Well ghost
6 Refugees Rebuilt nearby Werewolves
What Could Get People to Return?
1. The bridge collapsed, so people didn’t come
through anymore. Rebuild it, revive traffic.
2. Clear out all the monsters in the area, maybe!
3. Give land to the scattered homestead survivors.
4. Foreign refugees are keen to move in.
5. Remove the noble whose rule failed them.
6. Grant a 10-year reprieve from the war levy.
What Treasure Was Lost When They Fell?
1. Legendary storytellers, steeped in extensive lore.
2. A musical tradition included a library of songs
and unique regionally famous harp music.
3. The farmers had bargains with the fey so they
could make bread with magical properties.
4. Legend tells of large, handsome chickens that
could swarm and kill much bigger predators.
5. The most powerful seers came from this area.
6. They understood the nearby forest’s threats.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Noble’s Country Fief 22
Village
d6 Who Runs It? Important Resident
1 Bitter seneschal Reclusive expert hunter
2 Impatient heir Canny sage in hiding
3 Exiled noble Family of usurped dynasty
4 Hermit scholar Disgraced alchemist
5 Retired general Tragic curse victim
6 Peasant council Future “Chosen One”
What Locals Say About Occupants
1. They were never the same after that sea voyage.
2. We love their hands-off management style!
3. They are too expensive; we resent their burden.
4. The last inhabitants were way better.
5. We don’t talk about them. Stop asking. If you
know what’s good for you, stifle that curiosity.
6. They are the good ones, not like the others.
Watch Out For
1. Bandits plague the area. This place was lawless
before the fortified estate was built.
2. The estate rulers think they own everybody.
You don’t want them to notice you.
3. Everything seems a little too neat and quiet.
That’s a sure sign there’s a deep, dark secret.
4. Stay in a group. Don’t go off alone.
5. Lots of werewolves around; carry silver.
6. Bounty hunters gather here. Fugitives beware.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Fairground 23
Village
d6 Best Performers Most Memorable Disasters
1 Street buskers Killer circus animals broke out
2 Acrobat dancers Assassin clowns got the baron
3 Illusionists A dragon torched the place
4 Jousts, duels A legal duel led to tyrant rule
5 Games, prizes An insane heresy crack-down
6 Rickety rides Austere ruler, 10-year break
Why Is the Fairground Here?
1. Only accessible by a toll road with many stops.
2. This is the only flat, dry, open space nearby.
3. A petty response to a treaty with private neigh-
bors that forbids permanent structures here.
4. It is on the shores of a lake where water fey join
the fun, delighted to cheer and play pranks.
5. On this land, a former tyrant planned to build
his legacy tomb with slave labor. Now we laugh.
6. It is barely outside a neighbor city’s jurisdiction.
The Fairground in Off-Season
1. Roustabouts, sideshows, and specialists train kids
to be adventurers. They survive on shared loot.
2. Rebel spies gather to debrief and make plans.
3. The community sews sails for the royal navy.
4. Shy feral creatures return to be with cultists.
5. Nomads gather to shelter for a while.
6. The foreign legion quarters on the fairground.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Mining Village 24
Village
d6 Mining For Current Mine Usage
1 Silver Active, extracting wealth
2 Gold Abandoned and closed
3 Diamonds People live inside
4 Iron Makeshift prison
5 Salt Monster lair
6 Magical metal Adapted to catacombs
The Mine Has a Broken Promise
1. Dwarves think they owned the mine since their
clan opened it. They ignore contracts of sale.
2. The baron’s troops did not defend the village.
3. Miners secretly sell metal to the rebels.
4. The former duke collected metal for the war ef-
fort but never paid for it as per the agreement.
5. Miners dug deeper than knocker fey allowed.
6. A necromancer contributed undead labor but
was double-crossed and killed by the church.
Persistent Mine Infestation
1. Stikbats, swarming, nipping, and implanting.
2. Anarchist free-thinking hermits staking claims.
3. Mischievous shadows play lethal tricks.
4. Cave morays tucked into cracks and fissures.
5. Goblin zealots think their god is in the mine,
and whoever finds it first becomes a goblin king.
6. Burrowing stone nits, like armored sand fleas.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Windswept Village 25
Village
d6 Feral Neighbors Village Attitude
1 Centaurs Proud guarding the frontier
2 Frill lizardkin Fiercely independent
3 Goblins on deer Sullen and neglected
4 Minotaurs Suspicious of outsiders
5 Grass dragons Proud, easily insulted
6 Flying scythers Stoic, loyal, and grim
Why is This Village Special?
1. Windrider bloodlines, air manipulation abilities.
2. Ancient seat of the most famous horse lord.
3. The duke keeps his mistress here.
4. Base for spies watching neighboring territories.
5. Brand new feast hall, pride of the area.
6. Trading post where adventurers raiding local
sites bring their rare finds, maps, and stories.
Someone Has Big Plans For This Village
1. Feral neighbors have sworn to raze it and kill ev-
eryone before the next blue moon.
2. When the neighboring region moves the border
to include the village, they’ll build a castle there.
3. A noble wants to move there, then renovate
everything to match a current architectural fad.
4. The evil cult will find the Chosen One here.
5. The noble will let her son practice rule here first.
6. A scholarly expedition will secure a base here.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Stargazer’s Holt 26
Outpost
d6 Who Built It? Who Wants to Control It?
1 Monastic cult A feral faction averse to light
2 Siege engineers A warband can fortify it
3 Bored dwarves A mad hermit wants it busted
4 Planewalkers An enlightened ruler’s sage
5 Gnome bards The owner’s petty sibling
6 Wizard sages A pregnant wyvern
What Does the Scope Observe?
1. A signal beacon on the mountaintop, where al-
lies may light the fire to call for aid.
2. Divinatory patterns on the moon’s surface.
3. Shadows that blot out stars in deep space, track-
ing movements of the darkness between gods.
4. Fluctuations in the Prime Material borders, dis-
rupted by teleportation and portals and such.
5. The entrance to a dragon’s mountainside lair.
6. Nothing. An eagle nests in the broken tube.
Who Maintains the Site?
1. Gnomes who don’t understand how it works,
so they bluff; look wise and rebuke skepticism.
2. Sullen soldiers given this job without training.
3. A diva scholar who demands pampering.
4. A big family of farmers with can-do genius.
5. Enthusiastic halflings constantly sending updates.
6. Constructs, preserving the dead sage’s routines.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Miller’s Crossing 27
Outpost
d6 Who Built It? Who Runs the Mill?
1 King’s engineers Organized crime
2 Gnome family Noble’s tax officers
3 Dwarf refugees The Miller family
4 Halfling clan Retired adventurers
5 Guild trainees Necromancer, undead labor
6 Nobody knows Civilized kobolds
What Bad Thing Happened Here Once?
1. The miller was found hanging from the rafters.
2. A cult took over the mill and did rituals here.
3. Soldiers crushed a revolt; this was the last stand.
4. A predator hid inside. It was killed, but some of
the victims’ remains were never found.
5. Every few years, there is a fire. Someone dies.
6. The drunk miller ran an animal fighting ring in
the basement, attracting a bad crowd.
What Other Service Does the Mill Offer?
1. It is fortified. Locals retreat here to avoid danger.
2. Gossip flows as freely as water past the wheel.
3. The miller is a criminal fixer, matching clients
and talent. The mill is neutral ground, no combat.
4. The miller is an amateur historian with a modest
library of local histories, legends, and so on.
5. Side business training attack dogs.
6. Friendly relations with fey in the area.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Spring Estate 28
Outpost
d6 Nearby Woods What Kind of Ghost Haunts?
1 Very dense A sorrowful seducing suicide
2 Elves live there A murderous attic prisoner
3 Confusing paths A walled-up dreamwalker
4 Safe by day A lonely poisoned child
5 Many rare herbs A persuasive martyred priest
6 Ancient, odd A savage cornered bandit
Why Was It Built?
1. A noble befriended the dwarves even when
public bigotry raged. He gave them a refuge here.
2. Sanitarium, privacy for mentally ill nobles.
3. A miller built a fort around his mill wheel.
4. A sorrowful gnome widow lived out her days
here building gadgets powered by a water wheel.
5. A baron built it for his sea captain wife so she’d
still hear rushing water when inland with him.
6. A noble patron housed all his artists in one re-
mote house so drama would spark inspiration.
Who Lives Here Now?
1. Monks converted the estate into a temple.
2. Outlaws, the estate is hidden and forgotten.
3. A noble turned it into a far-off orphanage.
4. A family of beaverfolk feels at home here.
5. A retired assassin runs a body disposal service.
6. A reclusive miller overcharges for fine flour.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Fortified Warehouse 29
Outpost
d6 Owned By Used By Security
1 Merchant guild Outlaw band Broken, easy
2 Aristocrat A hundred cats Too trusting
3 On-site family Dwarf brewer Locked up
4 Ex-adventurer Monster hunters Quality, tight
5 Evil cult Refugee gnomes Traps, guards
6 Road wardens Youth parties Vigilant dogs
Built To Store
1. A noble’s extensive collection of lewd, odd art.
2. A rich merchant’s warehouse built to conceal a
smuggling vault and safe-house below.
3. A traveling theater troupe’s scenery, props, and
costumes. Also, living space during off-season.
4. A dead family member’s possessions; too pre-
cious to part with, too painful to keep nearby.
5. Supply depot and armory for military cavalry;
they conducted training exercises in the area.
6. Prisoners and gear for bounty hunters, in secret.
Rumors of Treasure Hidden Here
1. A druid’s rucksack of carnivorous plant seeds.
2. A dead investigator’s notebook, with secrets.
3. A wine bottle full of stolen gemstones.
4. A month of stolen military payroll, never found.
5. A powerful wizard hid a spellbook here.
6. A unicorn horn fashioned into a magic sword.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Palatial Estate 30
Outpost
d6 Current Fortune A Reputation For
1 Deep debts Alms, tips, patronage
2 Out of favor Iniquity, wickedness, evil
3 Isolated Privilege, arrogance, disdain
4 Comfortable Expertise, insight, study
5 Influential Scheming, politics, greed
6 Revered Collecting, refinement, class
This Estate Was Built as a Reward For
1. Betraying former rulers to usher in a usurper.
2. Blazing a trail for a trade route, a new market.
3. Crushing competitors and consolidating power.
4. Giving up a legitimate claim to the throne.
5. Saving the world from an alien threat.
6. Legitimizing and popularizing a disgraced cult.
Most Popular Traditional Hobby
1. Long hunting trips on the attached land.
2. Shocking debauchery and exotic parties.
3. Outrageous bets placed on duels, arena combat,
races, and other costly competitions hosted here.
4. Dabbling in various fine arts as a patron of very
supportive artists who live onsite.
5. Swaying trends, politics, and culture through ex-
tensive correspondence with tastemakers.
6. Researching and refining an expensive field of
study (like magic, alchemy, clockwork, etc.)
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Frontier Fortress 31
Outpost
d6 Seen As Who is in Charge?
1 Oppressive A noble with a grudge
2 Dangerous A mercenary captain
3 Offensive Retired adventurers
4 Ignorable The ruler’s stupid heir
5 Regional asset A monastic order
6 Source of pride A charismatic cult leader
When Was It Built?
1. Long ago, by the territory’s previous rulers.
2. Proud new construction, delivering on the
ruler’s promise to curtail raids and lawlessness.
3. Recently repaired/rebuilt over the ruins of many
previous fortresses on this contested location.
4. In better times when this area wasn’t frontier.
5. Recently, as part of an aggressive neighbor’s
build-up along the border. It’s a key tactical point.
6. When the region was civilized before monsters
or cults or outlaws infested the fortress.
Currently the Biggest Threat
1. Internal squabbling and faction power struggles.
2. The leader has really, really bad ideas.
3. An opposing military force is getting organized.
4. Monster attacks are getting frequent and fierce.
5. Unrest and frustration among the population.
6. A religious movement is gaining influence.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Fortress Library 32
Outpost
d6 Maintained By Primary Specialty
1 Magic History’s darkest secrets
2 Team of experts Worlds beyond this one
3 Gnome family Prophecies, seers, and oracles
4 Divine guardian Literature, arts, legendry, lore
5 Animated stone Magical research, refinement
6 Illusion Cursework, curse breaking
Why a Far-Away Outpost?
1. A wealthy sage cut down on the interruptions.
2. An exiled noble relocated a massive collection.
3. The surrounding city was destroyed.
4. Dangerous books were moved far away.
5. All the librarians have a contagious condition.
6. A former owner made a poorly-worded wish.
Who Lives in the Library?
1. An order of agents who train in mind, body,
and spirit, well-funded and equipped.
2. A magus with a feudal wizard order.
3. Contemplative monks who bolster their will
and devotion with strict vows and odd traditions.
4. A necromancer with a collection of dead sages.
5. Militant shrine guardians dedicated to keeping
the creature in the tomb bound and helpless.
6. A dragon atop a hoard of knowledge and story.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Enlightened Monastery 33
Outpost
d6 Famous For Also Serves As
1 Bread, pastries An orphanage
2 Crushing heresy A vocational training center
3 Cunning A museum for relics
4 Free thinking A regional records center
5 Amazing shoes A burial ground for royalty
6 Poetry A garden for poison plants
Rulers Come Here to Ask For
1. Elite combat monks, as agents or combat units.
2. Wisdom and history, counsel and context.
3. Secure storage of dangerous items or people.
4. Public forgiveness from the region’s patron god.
5. Suitable spouses, selected by a rigorous competi-
tive process to narrow down finalist options.
6. Oracular foreknowledge, scrying, and advice.
Funded and Supported By
1. Reparations owed by past raiders, collected
along with tithes from current supporters.
2. Expert and large-scale drug refining and sales.
3. Gifts from leaders who want their endorsement.
4. Products mass-produced by monk labor.
5. Tithe paid by adventurer monks and acolytes.
6. Blackmail. Compromising material is gathered
by courtesans who trained here, either in secret
or for credentials. They serve the nobility.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Coaching Inn 34
Outpost
d6 Special Food Extra Hospitality Service
1 Bird-nest supper Lots of board games
2 Snake on a stick Singing dancing staff
3 Spiderleg stew Lavish map room, experts
4 Flintbroth ale Expert farriers, grooms
5 Dandylion bread Space for mock duels, darts
6 Flaming shots A chapel with priest services
Reputation
1. Cults keep moving in to prey on travelers.
2. They use local alliances, not violence, to protect
themselves from outlaws and feral neighbors.
3. There’s usually unsavory and illegal entertain-
ment available at the inn. Law turns a blind eye.
4. You’ll deal with fleas, bedbugs, rats, lice…
5. Dark forces watch the road, and lone travelers
often disappear at certain times of the year.
6. They provide comfort and cheer on the road.
Recent Troubles
1. Uptick in bandit and outlaw activity nearby.
2. Road wardens suspect them of drug trafficking.
3. An aggressive, territorial monster settled nearby.
4. They cannot afford repairs, problems worsen.
5. Mounting debt leads to shortcuts and hostility.
6. The inn has totally new management, and they
are not competent to run a coaching inn.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Fallen Estate 35
Hazard
d6 Why Deserted? Who Got Famous Here?
1 Cliffs, no road An adventurer, now retired
2 Treaty requires it The king; he sealed the door
3 Forgotten, lost A warrior, against all odds
4 People vanish A prophet spoke to a god
5 No close water A duelist defeated a specter
6 Mighty storms A nobleman signed a treaty
What Makes This Place So Dangerous?
1. Visitors feel unease, sanity erodes, nightmares.
2. Holy ground for a savage faction, no visitors.
3. Locked away below is a world-ending threat.
4. Territorial monsters claim the area for hunting.
5. Ghosts are drawn here, dangerous at night.
6. Victims may have misleading prophetic visions.
What Was Here Before?
1. A feast hall stood over winding cellars below.
2. The enchanted door accesses a vault, once in
the center of a wizard tower. Jealous wizards dis-
mantled the tower but couldn’t crack the door.
3. A fortress stood against invasion, until it didn’t.
4. An elven hall gave hospitality and gifts to travel-
ers from other worlds during their visits.
5. The “sky seat” of a dwarven thane atop his
once-magnificent clan home, now collapsed.
6. A monster hunter’s trophy hall and lodge.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Lost Heir’s Legacy 36
Hazard
d6 Heir to What? Best Source of Research
1 The kingdom Prophecies and interpretations
2 Wizard legacy Reports from previous raiders
3 Avatar’s son Dreams trouble a bloodline
4 The world’s end Bardic lore, old songs
5 Usurper’s child Eager collectors of related stuff
6 Legendary evil Surviving family members
What Waits Here For the Heir?
1. The song to unlock the power in the blood.
2. A puzzle that only the Heir can solve.
3. The Helm of Wishes, to put everything right.
4. A better world, rising from the ashes of this one.
5. Every secret the powerful tried to keep.
6. Command of all creatures that breathe.
Who Wants To Keep the Site’s Secrets?
1. A secret order of assassin wizards has spies and
agents scattered throughout the region.
2. The ruling class agrees to suppress the lore. They
put aside their differences to punish the curious.
3. A brutal cult is determined to thwart change.
4. A renegade order of bards hides select truths.
5. The Lost Heir’s rival wants to claim the legacy
through any means, subtle or forceful.
6. The gods might face destruction should the Heir
rise, so they send their servants to prevent that.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Blight Castle 37
Hazard
d6 A Blight Danger Rumored On-Site Loot
1 Poisoned thorns A library with rare books
2 Fungal undead Antique magical armory
3 Slavering giant deer Massive bin of gold teeth
4 Giant slug toxic trails Display case of signet rings
5 Pneumonia pollen Rare coveted spellbook
6 Mutate, swine-like Chainmail of flight
Why So Sickly?
1. An alchemist used a nodule of disease to magi-
cally infect tissue, assisting research for cures. The
nodule broke open and coated the whole site.
2. The former prison is full of curses, foulness, rem-
nants of demon worship, and a miasma of woe.
3. It was stained by magically poisoned siege
weapons; defenses fell, the castle didn’t recover.
4. A filth demon lurks below, served by a cult.
5. A necromancer collected too many undead.
6. It is the Carrion Lord cult’s mercenary base.
How Do Neighbors Cope?
1. Road wardens watch and give early warning.
2. Hospitable to adventurers going in (not out).
3. Worship a god or demon who protects them.
4. Patrols prevent travelers from going nearby.
5. Local priests developed custom cures.
6. Pay protection tribute to castle inhabitants.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Reliquary Shrine 38
Place of Power
d6 Shrine is Open What Protects the Shrine?
1 Only by night Elaborate magical traps
2 Once a quarter Friendly religious historians
3 By king’s order Animated greenery
4 For the Chosen Ruthless harpy cult
5 For funerals Defensive magic barriers
6 By ritual prayer A golem over the door
Why Entomb Bones of Saints Here?
1. The saint died atop this rock, unyielding against
a tide of foes whose bodies piled up around it.
2. This is the ancient religion’s last standing stone.
3. This is the crypt cornerstone of a once-epic tem-
ple, since pulled down by religious rivals.
4. Followers believe this is the tooth of their mon-
ster god, so they lay their saints’ bones inside.
5. Void-travelers rest in a piece of a god’s shattered
palace, fallen here from another world.
6. All is done in accordance with the saint’s vision.
What Powers Might the Bones Have?
1. Crush and snort to gain the power of prophecy.
2. Worked into a weapon, convey smiting power.
3. Brandish to gain immunity from magic attack.
4. Sleep among them to consult with ghosts.
5. Their demon enemies trade powers for bones.
6. Believers will do anything to get the bones back.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Faded Burial Ground 39
Place of Power
d6 What is Buried? What Guards This Place?
1 A god’s lover Nothing, only obscurity
2 Warded demon Death knights
3 Saint A bloodline of werewolves
4 Corrupt avatar Spellwork mazes and traps
5 Piece of a god Magically unbreakable walls
6 Mighty artifact A poisoners guild
What Power May Be Gained?
1. Pull creatures here from other worlds or push
them out of this world. Sense dimensional walls.
2. Concentrate to witness a thing’s True Name.
3. Power to inflict or break curses using life energy.
4. Begin the painful path to godhood.
5. Power to kill or resurrect with a Word.
6. Step out of linear time and back to elsewhen.
What Price Must Be Paid?
1. Power must be used in service of a master, or
body and spirit will be twisted and mutated.
2. The power’s host will gradually dissolve, losing
identity, subsumed into a mightier being.
3. A relentless sense of balance will reveal a cost
that must be accepted for each use of the power.
4. Unexpected consequences twist each use.
5. Each use unleashes an adversary into the world.
6. Each use costs memory that will never return.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
The Decaying Library 40
Place of Power
What Caused its Ruin?
1. A noble family’s debauchery and “experiments”
went too far. Their subjects stormed the estate
with fire and blade, ending the atrocities.
2. A wicked scholar botched a powerful ritual,
killing everyone on site and releasing monsters.
3. A cabal of wealthy necromancers sneered at au-
thorities. One night, some adventurers wiped
them out, looted the place, and moved on.
4. The family’s heirs fought in a distant war. They
were cursed, and the curse followed them home.
5. Wealthy aristocrats oppressed their subjects.
Rebels with lots of grievances killed them horribly
when they overthrew the government. The no-
bles were executed while snarling dire curses.
6. When the venerable patriarch died, the heirs
hotly contested his cryptic will. They schemed
against each other until all of them were dead.
Why is the Site Powerful?
1. The library’s coded books are full of secrets.
2. It brims with energy on a ley line nexus.
3. The barrier between worlds is thin in its tower.
4. An undying scholar curates and defends the site.
5. The earth and timbers are steeped in cursework.
6. Something awful is imprisoned here.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Haunted 41a
Danger, History, Opportunity
Why is it Haunted?
1. Victims of a mass killing cannot rest.
2. Undead were posted as guards.
3. Convicts were rendered undead as punishment.
4. Energy emanating from the site attracts undead.
5. A terrible secret is working its way out.
6. The undead are left over from a past conflict.
What Form Does the Haunting Take?
1. The haunting is in full force one night a year.
2. Haunted dreams and possession of the weak-
minded who dwell on strange thoughts.
3. Corpses rise, incorporeal dead drift. Nothing
stays in the ground without holy rituals.
4. Cursework powers the dead to influence and
bully the living into obeying their twisted wills.
5. Buildings soak up the essence of the dead, and
echo their pain and desires into the Material.
6. Ghostly guides point towards buried secrets.
How Might the Haunting be Ended?
1. An expensive, lengthy ritual might do the job.
2. Expose an injustice to put victims at rest.
3. Find the remains, salt and burn the bones.
4. Complete an unfinished symbolic task.
5. Break the force that channels the energy.
6. Gain forgiveness or forgive the damned.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Guild Base 41b
Experts
d6 Top Priority Obvious? Type
1 Train experts Secret Criminals
2 Secure secrets Subtle, low key Artists
3 Subvert politics Established Laborers
4 Enrich leaders Respected Architects
5 Innovate Influential Merchants
6 Exact revenge Dominates area Wizards
Possible Alliances
1. Family connection with the people in charge.
2. Contract with a neighboring rival government.
3. Informal collaboration with smugglers.
4. Indebted to an outlawed cult.
5. Claims an eccentric aristocrat as a patron.
6. Ties with organized crime in a nearby city.
Why Set Up Here?
1. Access to multiple modes of transportation.
2. Historical or religious significance.
3. Local ties, sympathetic populace. Easy to blend.
4. Enemy targets are nearby.
5. Plentiful or elite supplies for guild business.
6. Power base for supportive allied factions.

They say things changed when the guild set up

shop… but they say it real quiet like, because it
isn’t healthy to complain about the guilders.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Good Hunting 42a
Experts, Opportunity
What is Hunted Here?
1. Flying prey, usually pursued on flying mounts.
2. Amphibious lizard creatures, in wet areas.
3. Predator animals: big cats, wolves, bears, gators.
4. Animal-like monsters, native or released.
5. Intelligent monsters, native or released.
6. Humans and/or civilized prey.
What Faction(s) Hunt Here?
1. Nobles who make deals during the hunt.
2. Tourist hunters from all over hiring local guides.
3. A local religion conducts ritual hunts.
4. Criminals use hunts to socialize and negotiate.
5. Adventurers, scaling hunts to hunter skill level.
6. Savage factions competing for social status.
Odd Hunting Traditions
1. The first day of the hunt starts at noon. Every-
one is drunk. This gives the prey a head start.
2. Paint a stripe of blood on all hunting animals.
3. If a hunter wounds prey that escapes, the hunter
may only use melee weapons until the next hunt.
4. The first kill is a gift to the Lord of the Lodge.
5. Hunters may wear cloth on the hunt and
leather from what they have killed in the wild.
6. The hunter with the most impressive farts in
camp gets a head start and bragging rights.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Expensive Taxation 42b
Danger, Opportunity
Why are Taxes High Here?
1. The watchful noble’s estate is very close.
2. Disgruntled subjects indulge in costly sabotage.
3. Corrupt tax collectors skim a big percentage.
4. The government takes good care of its subjects.
5. Wealthy residents skew the local economy.
6. Cover costs of war or public works projects.
Common Tactics to Collect More Tax
1. Gates charge “leg and wheel” taxes: a coin per
leg or wheel for non-resident travelers.
2. When you buy food or drink, “a round for our
benefactor” is added to your charge.
3. Extensive due process of declaring possessions
and being interviewed on your business can be
skipped for hefty convenience fees.
4. Sumptuary laws (making some colors or styles
of clothing illegal) and peace-knotting require-
ments for weapons have fines for lawbreakers.
5. Use of roads obligates travelers to public service
labor for 6 hours–or they can pay a fee instead.
6. Local officials will only do their jobs if moti-
vated by a modest processing fee.

Adventurers often avoid paying full taxes. They

may assist others in collecting or evading tax bills.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Historical Sites 43a
Attraction
d6 What Happened? What Faction Cares?
1 Battle Locals
2 Cosmic contact Regional rulers
3 Faction founding Guilders or Specialists
4 Death of a leader Religious faction
5 Leader’s birthplace Previous regime
6 Invention’s first use Unwelcome tourists
How Accessible is the Site?
1. Entry fee, tour guides, signage, merchandise.
2. Only used for special occasions, often closed.
3. The site is in a public area, with no staff.
4. The sponsor faction bases operations out of it.
5. High security, visitors must get cleared to enter.
6. A secret site for the sponsor faction. Most peo-
ple do not know about its existence.
What is the Site’s Condition?
1. Painstakingly restored to its former glory.
2. Always under construction, rarely open.
3. The sponsor faction hires minimal staff, relying
on donations for upkeep and preservation.
4. Maybe a sign, locals know about it. If you don’t
know what you are seeing, it seems ordinary.
5. Crumbling and run-down.
6. Gone, memorialized with a plaque; something
else is built over the site now.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Pilgrimage Sites 43b
Attraction
d6 Usual Offering Why is it Holy? Pilgrims seek
1 Money Divine contact Clarity
2 Magic items Houses a relic Revenge
3 Renewed vow Burial ground Skill
4 Blood sacrifice Blessed waters Oblivion
5 Acts of service Prophecy Purpose
6 Host an event Holy plant/tree Visions
Typical Activities
1. A vigil to be tested by the spirits of the dead.
2. Prayer and fasting, opening to divine will.
3. Frequent (and lengthy) worship services.
4. Inducting the faithful or reinforcing members’
commitments through symbolic acts.
5. Witnessing (and possibly studying) artifacts, phe-
nomena, and/or rare texts. Consulting experts.
6. Undergoing trials for purification or evaluation.
Problems at the Site
1. High resentment between locals and pilgrims.
2. Multiple factions claim ownership of the site.
3. Grifters target vulnerable and credulous pilgrims
with various schemes, cons, and violent crime.
4. Spies and criminals often pose as pilgrims, raising
suspicion of all pilgrim motives.
5. The site is closed. Visiting is breaking the law.
6. Determined vandals keep desecrating the site.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Ill Health 44a
Danger
d6 How Do You Get It? What Does It Do?
1 Insect bites Always tired, can’t sleep
2 Inhale spores/dander Skin starts flaking off
3 Water or body oil Stiffness, until paralyzed
4 Infects dreams Coughs, growing rage
5 Infects open wounds Blackouts, memory loss
6 Magic use Mutate into reptile
How Do Locals Counter the Illness?
1. Weekly drinks of a potion made from local
plants and animals that protect from the effects.
2. Devout faith to a hands-on pagan deity.
3. Reliance on the noble’s expensive alchemist.
4. Keep cats specific to this area nearby, as they
keep their owners healthy somehow.
5. Boil the water, overcook food, wear masks.
6. Join an illegal cult, ingesting a single drop of de-
mon blood that grants immunity.
Why is This Area Unhealthy?
1. A pauper unleashed a curse while dying here.
2. A wizard war’s ritual magic attacks left a residue.
3. An unholy monster died here, leaving a taint.
4. A bitter druid ruined civilization’s conquest.
5. An alchemist was trying to cure diseases. In-
fected animals escaped experiments and spread.
6. Unhallowed ground breathed contagion.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Family History 44b
Historical
d6 Whose? What Kind? Memories
1 One of the PCs Grew up here Blank
2 Henchman Exiled, pariahs Painful
3 Close ally Formerly heirs Resentful
4 Employer/client Estranged family Conflicted
5 Party enemy Founding family Fond
6 Regional villain Family of experts Wistful
How Did They Leave Things There?
1. They will punish me for what I (or family) did.
2. I didn’t know my family settled there and
gained local influence! Maybe I should catch up.
3. Young heartbreak, star-crossed love, bad blood.
4. Scamp and a troublemaker back then. People
were glad I left and don’t want me back.
5. My family is (or was) important here, and I
have responsibilities I left behind. I’d be welcome.
6. My family is in charge of the place. Aside from
some internal rivalries, I have opportunity there.
How Can We Make This More Fun?
1. Meet your baby you haven’t claimed!
2. You were a foundling; they never told you.
3. People in town had plans for you. Still might.
4. Some experts delight in telling cringe stories.
5. You can get some property here, for back taxes.
6. An old friend is in trouble, but you’re busy…
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Seat of Civilization 45a
Attraction, Experts
d6 Featuring Hypocritical Pushing For
1 Lawyers Ignorant nobles A new war
2 Teachers Crumbling roads Civic reform
3 Priests Unjust laws Lower taxes
4 Performers Hunger, poverty Church reform
5 Critics Superstitious Scapegoating
6 Scholars Blood sports Public repairs
Why is This Place Known for Civilization?
1. A wave of reforms in the now-distant past.
2. Birthplace of a mighty ruler who poured re-
sources into this place at the height of influence.
3. Experts come to study in their fields with presti-
gious institutions or tutors.
4. There was an aristocratic fad, building many
museums and libraries here and bragging about it.
5. Propaganda spread by the current rulers.
6. A past government based a civilized pursuit
here, and nostalgia insists those were better times.
Who Is the Most Obnoxious Fan?
1. Local nobles bring every conversation back to it.
2. Scholars eagerly explain these wise traditions.
3. Merchants up-charge artifacts from this place.
4. Urban dwellers insist they are feral, to rebel.
5. Local priests claim the site grants them authority.
6. Critics evaluate art against this place’s standard.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
High Security 45b
Danger, Opportunity
d6 What Faction? How Obvious? Main Hazard
1 Serve the ruler Magical, hidden Capture traps
2 Spies Unobtrusive Lethal traps
3 Criminals Open secret Guards
4 Guilds Warning signs Glyphs, wards
5 Underclass Plain sight Guard animals
6 Racial faction Featured Soldiers
Relationship to the Local Authorities
1. Sanctioned and supported by local authorities.
2. Resented, competitive with local security.
3. Authorities are paid to ignore this security.
4. Informally cooperative, may hire locals.
5. Oppressive, hassling locals and causing trouble.
6. Actively dangerous to locals, unrepentant when
people are hurt by overly aggressive defenses.
Security’s Greatest Flaw
1. Corrupt employees; bribe to bypass elements.
2. Security tends to ignore risks in a trusted faction.
3. Straightforward, not creative thinkers. Focus on
traditional entries and burglar intruders.
4. Hired servants and staff are poorly vetted.
5. Poor maintenance on locks, upkeep (greens,
walls, roofs, and so on). Rusty gratings.
6. Boredom, lax discipline, and sloppy scheduling.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Hotbed of Gossip 46a
Danger, Opportunity
d6 Gossip About Popular Because Accuracy
1 Politics Misinformation Ignorant
2 Espionage So much drama Has an agenda
3 The nobility Spy community Bits of lore
4 Crime Guild conflicts Bits of insight
5 Treasure Good storytellers Rare scoops
6 Monsters Public unrest Finger on pulse
Who Gets the Most Value?
1. Bards, minstrels, and buskers mine for material.
2. A hostile neighboring faction enjoys revving up
false rumors to spread fear and bigotry.
3. Actual spies cultivate sources here for rare truths.
4. A secret faction assures there is enough “noise”
to cover the odd tale or two of their business.
5. Taverns encourage gossip; patrons are eager to
come in and stay, drinking, until they hear it all.
6. Investors use word-of-mouth to get attention
on their projects and suppress bad news.
Who Suffers Most? (Roll Weekly!)
1. The rumor mill targets a “villain of the week.”
2. A scapegoat community (wizards, elves, etc.)
3. Famous people trying to live their lives.
4. Targets stuck with an unflattering rumor.
5. Targets are often loudly, repeatedly misquoted.
6. Unfortunates forced to duel to settle an insult.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Contested 46b
Danger, Opportunity
d6 Conflict Looks Like Mainly Hurts
1 Skirmishing Locals who live here
2 Duels (blade or song) Site resources
3 Legal battles Reputations
4 Vigilante justice The local economy
5 Appeal to arbitrator Resistance to outlaws
6 Trade bans Friendships, pride
Kind of Factions That Contest the Location
1. Similar factions with strong feelings about minor
differences, like religious orders or proud towns.
2. Territory conflict between nobles or bosses serv-
ing a higher authority who should settle disputes.
3. A civilized faction competes with a feral faction.
4. Territory conflict between independent factions
or warbands who answer to no one.
5. Heirs disagree about terms of their inheritance.
6. A religious claim clashes with a secular claim.
What Gives This Conflict Life?
1. An opposition faction encourages the infighting.
2. Local minstrels and bards, catchy insult songs.
3. Economic desperation or resource scarcity.
4. Interpersonal conflicts between faction leaders.
5. Honor, principle, legacy, and pride.
6. Obnoxious trolling, deliberate provocation.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Criminal Element 47a
Danger, Experts
d6 Uniform Type Weak Point Strong Point
1 Colored sash Informants Veteran crooks
2 Haircut Harsh laws Division of labor
3 Jacket type Infighting Excellent gear
4 Weapon type Too proud Servant contacts
5 Insignia Starving Popular support
6 Tattoo Think small Corrupt officers
What is the Public Saying About Crime?
1. The Watch is corrupt, aggressive, and brutal.
Seems out of proportion to the crimes they stop.
2. The outlaws look out for us; no one else does.
3. Who can blame them? The people are hungry.
4. Our area is quiet; there are no crime problems.
5. It is distressing; seems our culture is failing.
6. I play by the rules and get crumbs, but those
criminals are rewarded; they live like kings.
Most Talked-About Criminal Activity
1. A big heist right under the City Watch’s noses.
2. Protection rackets are collapsing businesses.
3. Kidnapping for ransom is getting out of hand.
4. Smugglers make a joke of our import bans.
5. Assassins and bravos are coarsening public dis-
course; physical threats silence disagreement.
6. These endless confidence schemes must end!
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Famous Architecture 47b
Attraction
d6 Builders Why Here? Local Feeling
1 Exiles Natural beauty Pride
2 Local experts Strategic spot Unease
3 Ruler’s finest For the public Bitterness
4 A secret order Create privacy Nostalgia
5 Magic shapers Trophy Hope
6 Ancients Religious reasons Frustration
Who Bears the Burden of Upkeep?
1. Grouchy locals, forced to donate work and coin.
2. The ruler maintains the site with tax money.
3. A noble family covers their legacy’s expense.
4. Prisoners performing public service.
5. Guilds compete for the honor, bragging rights.
6. An ancient trust generates funds, and old con-
tracts assure continuous service over time.
Impression the Architecture Gives
1. A sense of vastness and majesty, large scale.
2. A melancholy settles on those who linger.
3. Boisterous pride and a sense of immortality.
4. Otherworldly and alien beauty, almost surreal.
5. Eldritch grace and pale moonlight infuse the
breathtaking sweep of living lines and shapes.
6. Intricacy resolves into larger patterns, balanced
and reassuring in the seamless craftsmanship of it.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Refugee Haven 48a
Shame, Poverty, Danger
d6 Run By: Why Flee? Do They Fit?
1 A church Religious freedom Not fluent
2 Local ruler Civil war Same culture
3 Local faction Invaded Different race
4 Criminals Unwelcome race Past enemies
5 City Watch Escaped slaves Hostile
6 No one Famine Industrious
Public Views on the Refugees
1. Cheap labor or shock troops; they can’t com-
plain if we feed ‘em. Give the families tents.
2. They bring all those diseases with them.
3. This is a cover for spies and villains to infiltrate.
4. We need City Watch or soldiers to keep us safe.
5. Our ruler should give them land and resources
to settle. Not here, of course, but somewhere.
6. Why would we take care of them when we
have hungry people right here? Locals first!
What Do Refugees Hope For?
1. Unrest will end, and they can return home.
2. Cultural exchange and make a new home here.
3. Set up an enclave, seize power in self-defense.
4. Get resources to move on to somewhere better.
5. No hope, only survival and revenge.
6. Build up a force of arms and make political con-
nections so they can re-take their former home.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Famous Lore 48b
Answers, Attraction
d6 Housed In: About: Curated By:
1 Library Genealogy Clever insects
2 Carved stone Divination A family line
3 Sages Heroes Ghosts
4 Art tradition Gods A madman
5 Crystals Demons An immortal
6 Hymns/songs Quests A religious order
Why Is It Still Here?
1. Preserved where it was created, out of respect.
2. Old bargains and deals, unclear outcomes
should the terms be broken; probably curses.
3. Visitors boost the local economy—and morale.
4. Others have made (possibly flawed) copies of
what they learned and figured that was enough.
5. The lore is somewhat fragile, and would be
damaged beyond usefulness if it was moved.
6. A significant stakeholder faction threatens vio-
lence if anyone suggests relocating the lore.
People Are Interested Because:
1. The lore is culturally affirming, affecting identity.
2. Sinister secrets are surely hidden in the lore.
3. Discovery of the lore boosted scholars to fame.
4. The story in the lore contradicts a rival’s version.
5. The lore contains clues about a coming struggle.
6. The lore bears traces of divine intervention.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Warrior Tradition 49a
Experts
d6 Patron Expertise Guiding Motive
1 Self-sufficient Archers Acquire wealth
2 Religion Horse lords Gain influence
3 Ruler Questers Fulfill prophecy
4 Guild Templar Serve founder
5 Local people Hunters Seek vengeance
6 Monster Gladiators Become the best
How Hard is it to Gain Their Services?
1. They are really expensive–but worth it.
2. Your goals must align with their goals; they can
afford to be exclusive and choosy about clients.
3. Clients gain their respect through competition.
4. Word of mouth only. “Don’t embarrass me.”
5. Clients must impress them with knowledge, wis-
dom, and strength before agreeing to a contract.
6. They’ll want a reference from dead ancestors…
Honor, Duty, Pride, and Prices
1. The whole tradition accepts a task and will see it
through even if the first few efforts fail.
2. If you break faith with them, or fail to pay, they
will destroy you and all you care about.
3. Professional; the past is the past, no grudges.
4. Motivated by rivalry with another tradition.
5. Members are war orphans, given a vocation.
6. Deserters are hunted, executed; no retirement.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Dynastic Settlement 49b
Oddity
d6 Family Traits Family Attitude Family Rep
1 Red hair Ungovernable Reliable
2 Solid build Generous Dangerous
3 Pale grace Dreamy Unconventional
4 Weak chin Boisterous Hot-tempered
5 Too hairy Pensive Poor planners
6 Near-sighted Pragmatic Affable
1d3 Big Interrelated Families Here; Why?
1. Pride; a past ruler granted the land for services.
2. Three warrior comrades settled here after the
war. Their descendants are interconnected still.
3. Long ago, rival factions issued the families over-
lapping deeds for contested land. They still argue.
4. The families descend from assistants who sup-
ported a wizard who lived on the land long ago.
5. Ancestors swore to care for this land for all time.
6. Youth swear they’ll get out… adults settle in.
What is the Family Business? Roll for Each
1. Shepherds, subsistence farmers, and scouts.
2. Merchants, traders, and purchasers.
3. Hunters, guides, and leatherworkers.
4. Foresters, carpenters, and blacksmiths.
5. Potters, masons, and weavers.
6. Horse trainers, messengers, and jockeys.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Scholar Community 50a
Answers, Experts
d6 How You Join Expertise
1 All are welcome Astrology, fate
2 Rigorous entry exam Military history
3 Recommended by patron Heresies
4 Must be related to member Alchemy
5 Donate a book of rare lore Translation
6 Vote of admission council Monster lore
How Freely Do They Share Knowledge?
1. They love to teach, enthusiastically sharing.
2. Scholars charge fees based on their seniority.
3. A trade; must bring knowledge to get more.
4. They must be flattered and praised first.
5. They’ll consult if given indentured servants.
6. They only share with financial patrons.
Means of Resolving Academic Disputes
1. Endless arguments over the dinner tables.
2. Duels, senior members bear many scars.
3. Escalate competing papers laying out the posi-
tions to a review board for an eventual ruling.
4. Debate, community votes on the winner. To
keep it entertaining, debaters must be drunk.
5. The Senior of the community releases a beast
with a Ribbon of Truth, and they hunt it; who-
ever retrieves the Ribbon has the right to it.
6. The list of disputes is reviewed every 20 years.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Artist Community 50b
Attraction, Experts
d6 How Focused? Primary Patron Type
1 All artistic expression Nobles from the region
2 A regional style Nobles from a faction
3 A master’s students A single wealthy patron
4 One kind of art A church or temple
5 Culture, some art A city, for public works
6 Chase current fad Anonymous donors
What Do People Think of These Artists?
1. Sex and drugs; art’s an excuse for the lifestyle.
2. Snobs make inaccessible work; they lost touch
with what people like. Their art is weird.
3. The blending of traditions and cultures makes
for exciting new trends that enrich public life.
4. Who cares? It’s a hobby for rich folk with no
taste, and it has nothing to do with real people.
5. They sure are loud; some like it, some don’t.
6. People root for artists, competing for prestige
against other artists, like dueling champions.
What is the History of the Community?
1. A theater troupe settled, attracting artists.
2. Local clay and plants make good pigments.
3. A god or saint of dreams grants inspiration here.
4. There is a famous stage/gallery here.
5. Aristocracy’s middle children usually slum here.
6. Tradition of being the ruler’s conscience.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Settlement Name Generator 51a
Roll/pick syllables or name parts. Vary results (Apple
to Peach, Mount- to Mont-, etc.), switch order, com-
bine separate lists below, change letters, translate part
(Red/Rojo/Rouge), etc., to taste and flow as desired.
English Medieval Fantasy Inspired
d6 1-2 3-4 5-6
1 Liver/Fast Red/Brook Helm/Forth
2 Crystal/Height Baker/Town Sand/Stone
3 Derby/Borough Ley/Mill Port/Burg
4 Mount/Hold Kings/Burn Still/Smith
5 Raven/Head Hex/Ville Creek/Ford
6 Wyrd/Bridge Darling/Fort East/Bluff
Other Cultures By Theme/Sound
d6 Mine/Strong Lyrical Guttaral
1 Battle/Ever Calad/Ion Thor/As
2 Quarry/Fist Thal/Amir Mab/Or
3 Black/Hammer Gald/Orien Bash/Ur
4 Gem/Shield Rhov/Arien Tarth/Kar
5 Foe/Fist Gwil/Anion Ush/Nog
6 Wyrm/Fen Quel/Wen Zog/Tarak
d6 Tinkerer Nature-folk Dark Realm
1 Cog/Works Bloom/Dale Stone/Heim
2 Gas/Wrench Garden/Wood Grey/Fell
3 Automa/Light Clear/Field Tallow/Mist
4 Spark/Wire Elk/Water Blood/Razor
5 Gear/Spring Apple/Falls Dread/Bog
6 Sprok/Bolt Glen/Hill Deep/End
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Street & Business Names 51b
Street Names
For street names, roll/pick a common name or com-
bine an adjective and noun. Common can mix with
the others. Adjectives/nouns listed are just samples.
Ex: Green Church St; Old Dragon Ave; Red Farm Rd.
d6 Common Adjective Noun
1 Broad Action: Running Animal: Bear
2 High Color: Green Building: Mill
3 King/Queen’s Condition: Old Flower: Daisy
4 Main Direction: East Monster: Dragon
5 Market Size: Wide Job: Brewer
6 Name: James Roll 2: Old East Tree: Oak
Business Names
nd rd
The 2 & 3 lists above can make tavern names,
but medieval towns didn’t have other named busi-
nesses or a “general store”. One would shop at a
market or from artisans such as: Shoemaker, Fur-
rier, Tailor, Jeweler, Cook, Mason, Carpenter,
Butcher, Weaver, Candlemaker, Cooper, Baker,
Scabbardmaker, Hatmaker, Saddler, Pursemaker,
Blacksmith, Roofer, Locksmith, Ropemaker, Tanner,
Rugmaker, Harnessmaker, Bleacher, Cutler, Glover.
Rarer, but useful in games: Architect, Arkwright, Ar-
morer, Brewer, Bookprinter, Bowyer, Fletcher,
Gemcutter, Glassblower, Goldsmith, Lanternmaker,
Luthier, Mapmaker, Miner, Netmaker, Parchment-
maker, Shipwright, Vinter, Weaponsmith.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Settlement Basics 52a
Pick or roll from each chart below and on back for
city/town details. Of course, pick an option if it fits
the settlement. Ex: Coastal town’s industry: fishing.
Population: Town: 1d6×1000;
Village (roll 1d6): 1-2: 1d6×10 3-6: 1d6×100;
City (1d6): 1-4: 1d6×10K 5: 2d6×10K 6: 1d6×100K
d6 Government Leader Defenses
1 Elected Mayor Corrupt Palisades
2 Appointed Duke Fair Stone Wall
3 Elected Council Wise Central Tower
4 Guild Reps Sickly Edge Towers
5 Mage Autocrat Showy Moat/Cliff
6 Citizen Meeting Puppet Roll 2x Again
d6 Town Guard Size Guard Rep. Treat Foreigners
1 1d6 + volunteers Corrupt Hidden
2 2% of population Lawless Isolationist
3 1% + 1% archers Neighborly Clannish
4 1% + 2d6 ballista Fair/Honest Wary
5 1% + volunteers Military Friendly
6 Roll 2x Again Oppressive Recruiting
d6 4 Entertainment Danger Famed For:
1 Great food Criminals Craftsmen
2 Flashy buskers Cruel Ruler History
3 Street theater Monsters Music
4 Good hunting Rebels Art
5 Rampant Vice Addicts Sieges/War
6 Contests Press Gangs Being Awful
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Settlement Basics (Cont’d) 52b
d6 Laws Density Main Faith
1 Extreme, many Empty Monotheistic
2 Restrictive Spread out Poly, pick one
3 Unusual Sparse Poly, follow some
4 Typical Bustling Poly, follow some
5 Much freedom Crowded Poly, follow all
6 Very Few Packed Idea (ex: balance)
d6 Enforcement Entertainment Faith Tolerance
1 Harsh & Strict Great food Hostile
2 Strict but Fair Flashy buskers Others illegal
3 Bribes needed Street theater Simmering
4 Fair & Honest Good hunting Neutral
5 Fair & Honest Rampant Vice Cordial
6 Rarely En- Contests Inter-dependent
forced Industries Faith’s Primary
2d6 Today’s Events (City: roll >1) Domain:
2 Gladiator Fight Glass Death
3 Jousting Pottery Forge
4 Animal Fight Leatherwork Knowledge
5 Contest: Baker, Metalwork Light
6 Lumberjack, etc. Stonework Nature
7 Parade Farming Life
8 Sports Game Fishing Order
9 Dance Cloth/Weaver Tempest
10 Theater Play Carpentry Twilight
11 Wizard “Duel” Mining War
12 Hanging Brewing Trickery
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Jobs/Rumors in Town 53a
d6 Entertainment Related
1 The penny theater is hiring background actors.
2 Battle of the Minstrels at ____ inn tomorrow.
3 The ____ tavern gives a bard a meal for a song.
4 Impress at the ___tavern, be asked to the keep.
5 ____ is signing their latest book in two days.
6 The upcoming ____ play will be a disaster!
d6 Fighting/Soldier Related
1 Sir ____ needs a new squire after the ‘accident'.
2 Gladiator tryouts tomorrow at the arena.
3 The town guard is hiring for festival security.
4 The ____ inn has a secret fight club 2x/week.
5 A caravan leaving in four days needs guards
6 The princess’s champion was beaten. Audition?
d6 Nature Related
1 A serene park has a meditation group at dawn.
2 The town’s duke is looking for a gardener.
3 The spices from ___’s spice shop seem wrong.
4 A book on rare plants is new at the library.
5 A sage is looking for advice about rare herbs.
6 Someone shot a deer in the duke/king’s forest.
d6 Naval/Shipping Related
1 Avoid the ____ tavern–press-gangs go there.
2 The harbor master needs an assistant.
3 Thanks to piracy, many ships need repair help.
4 Shhh! Fishermen are bringing in tobacco.
5 A boat race is set for next week! 500gp prize.
6 Steer clear of the bay’s buoys–I’ve seen things.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Jobs/Rumors (Cont’d) 53b
d6 Priest Related
1 A corner preacher is making a scene right now!
2 The wine at last night’s service made many sick.
3 The temple of ____ like to share w/other faiths.
4 There was a strange glow last full moon at ___.
5 A temple’s artifact was stolen yesterday!
6 Help the temple of ____ distribute donations.
d6 Shopping Related
1 The smith needs metal. Trade-ins are doubled.
2 Take a local to negotiate in the grand market.
3 Why are the tools from ____ always so brittle?
4 Jeweler ____ is always honest and fair.
5 Mention ____ for a discount at the _____ store.
6 ____ is hiring an assistant. The last left suddenly.
d6 Study/Sage Related
1 Old history books were donated to the library.
2 The tower of _____ always needs scribes.
3 The library never found that dark arts book…
4 ____ the sage takes on short term apprentices.
5 ____ always needs some rare component.
6 At midnight, the tower of ____ makes noises.
d6 Thievery Related
1 The nearby jeweler was robbed last night.
2 Look up ‘Fuzzy’ if you need to unload an item.
3 Ask for wine at the ___ tavern to make ‘friends’.
4 Buy this pendant… pickpockets will avoid you.
5 The town guardsman ____ is on the take.
6 Something’s going on between the ___ & ___.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Architecture 54a
A town or city’s architecture is a function of three
factors: resources, engineering ability, and culture.
Describing a city’s architecture helps to make it dis-
tinctive. Below is a list of fantasy and real world ar-
chitectural styles and very brief notes. Make a new
style by combining these, if desired. Consider the
technology of the culture/area when selecting or
creating a style and the region’s resources. Ex: A
city won’t use much lumber if forests aren’t nearby.
Forest Gnomes Elven/Sylvan Halfling/Burrow

Circles are com-

Colorful, geo- Blending with mon motiff;
metric, wooden. forest, natural Borrows, some-
Rock Gnomes material, wood. times buildings
Dwarven Orc

Colorful, geo- Stone, geomet- Makeshift,

metric, mechani- ric, reliefs, runes, camp-like, utili-
cal, stone. statues. tarian.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Architecture (Cont’d) 54b

Greek Anglo-Saxon
Columns, pedi- Timber&thatch Ancient China
ments, symme- roofs, simple. Curved roofs,
try, marble. brick/stone
outer walls.

Roman Tudor
Grand buildings, Half timber, Medieval Japan
domes, arches, steep roofs. Large gentle
vaults. roofs, verandas.

Egyptian Renaissance
Post&lintel; mud Classic revival, Sumerian
brick, stone; balance, domes. Mud&clay brick;
hieroglyphics. vaults, ziggurat.

Aztec
Multiple levels, Gothic Ottoman
pyramid style; Flying buttresses, Stone. Domes,
homes wood, stained glass, semi-domes &
adobe, thatch. pointed arches. minarets.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Festivals/Events In Town 55a
Spice up the day! Any day may have an event!
Reason
1.Celestial Event: An eclipse, comet, or some other
astronomical event is occurring. This often has a
religious significance.
2.Cultural Occasion: Celebrates something special
about a culture on a specific day.
3.Government Celebration: Ruler’s birthday, Date
kingdom was founded, a great victory, etc.
4.Observations: A specific group of people are
honored such as priests, teachers, veterans, etc.
5.Religious Festival: Marks an event in the reli-
gion’s history such as a visit by the god, overcom-
ing a challenge, etc.
6.Seasonal Occasion: Maybe it is the ‘shortest’ or
‘longest’ day of the year. Perhaps the fall harvest
has finished or it is time to begin planting
How It is Celebrated
Below are several ways an event may be cele-
brated–but many also may be combinations such
as a quiet day followed by a prayer at night:
1.Fast: Those observing the holiday don’t eat for
much of the day and wait until a specific time
window. This may last for several days.
2.Feast: One group (government, priests, etc.) hosts
a feast where all are who observe the holiday or
wish to learn more about the religion are invited.
Hexploration Decks: Settled Lands © 2025 Inkwell Ideas, Inc.
Festivals/Events (Cont’d) 55b
3.Fireworks: Displays of light, perhaps in specific
colors for the nation or a god blast and thunder
in the night’s sky.
4.Games: A tournament of sports, contests of
strength, etc. can be part of a celebration.
5.Dance: A dance with musicians might be the
highlight of a festival–add it to other observations
such as a feast, games, etc.
6.Theater/Play: A show might educate the key as-
pects of a holiday to the public.
7.Gifts: Gift-giving can be key to many holidays or
events. Who gives and who receives may change
for the holiday. Kids may get gifts for one holi-
day, but parents on another. The poor, priests or
another group may be the recipients on others.
8.Lights: Everyone lights up their house/yard/street
with colorful decorations and colored lights.
9.Parade: Carts/homes are decorated and many
dress up and march to a palace or cathedral, per-
haps throwing little treats to the crowd.
10.Quiet Reflection/Prayer: Businesses are closed,
few people are on the streets in memory of a
somber or fundamental event.
11.Tournament: An arena or fairgrounds may host
battles–mock or real. Jousting is another popular
contest. An enclosed space can even allow fight-
ing monsters/animals or even naval battles!
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