Setting Seeds

Overview

The following procedure is designed to help create the seed of a setting: the unique topography, natural features, people, and paths that an adventuring party may encounter as they travel throughout a region. We’ll start by developing the people that live there, their ambitions and resources, and the factions that affect them. Then we’ll generate the terrain of your region, followed by its various points of interest, landmarks, roads, trails, and so on. As with any other rule, if you don’t like a table result, roll again or tweak as desired!

Example

Before you begin please check out this example (click on it):

The Realm

A Realm is a general term for a related collection of regions, potentially encompassing hundreds of places for the player characters to visit and interact with.

Materials Required

A sheet of paper and a notebook. Letter/A4 is OK, but the larger the better. Going forward, we will refer to the sheet of paper as the map.
Pencils and erasers. Colored pencils if you want to make it pretty or want to indicate terrain with color.
At least one d6 and one d20, but 6d6 and 2d20 would be ideal.

Theme

People

The most important aspect of a region is its people: their character, ambitions, and the resources that tie them to this land. Roll on the Culture and Resources tables, then note the results in your notebook.

Culture

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Character	Ambition
1	Altruistic	Bounty
2	Artistic	Conquest
3	Curious	Control
4	Devious	Conversion
5	Enlightened	Division
6	Hardy	Dominance
7	Harmonious	Exploration
8	Inventive	Fealty
9	Mercantile	Independence
10	Nomadic	Knowledge
11	Reclusive	Natural Harmony
12	Religious	Peace
13	Resilient	Power
14	Scholarly	Purity
15	Stoic	Recognition
16	Struggling	Return
17	Traditional	Security
18	War-like	Stability
19	Wealthy	Unification
20	Xenophobic	Wealth

Resources

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Abundance	Scarcity
1	Food	Food
2	Fuel	Fuel
3	Gemstones	Gemstones
4	Herbs	Herbs
5	Horses	Horses
6	Knowledge	Knowledge
7	Land	Land
8	Livestock	Livestock
9	Medicine	Medicine
10	Ore	Ore
11	Skilled Labor	Skilled Labor
12	Spices	Spices
13	Stone	Stone
14	Textiles	Textiles
15	Tools	Tools
16	Trade Goods	Trade Goods
17	Vessels	Vessels
18	Water	Water
19	Weapons	Weapons
20	Wood	Wood

Factions

A region is typically dominated by one or more factions, each with their own unique Advantages, Agenda, and Obstacles. Each faction should also have one or more representatives, or Agents, tasked with helping complete their agenda. Smaller regions with fewer POIs should have 1-2 factions, while larger regions could have as many as 5-6 factions.

Agents are often in charge of completing one or more of the goals of the Agenda of a faction. Particularly large factions may have additional agents, each in charge of a distinct goal. Agents may have personal motivations that differ from the faction’s main agenda, a fact that canny PCs can exploit for their own gain.

Advantages

Factions possess advantages that assist them in accomplishing their agenda. Advantages reflect a faction’s influence, materials, wealth, and other unique features. Factions leverage their advantages as much as possible when trying to achieve their goals, and at the same time continually work to acquire more advantages.

Agendas

Factions will work to complete their agendas independently, enlisting the help of PCs only when that would strengthen their agenda. Agendas are defined by a series of 3-5 goals that build toward a clear objective. Goals are progressive, building on the previous successes (or failures) of earlier goals.

Goals should focus on acquiring a distinct advantage in order to proceed to the next goal. At least one goal should deal with the faction’s primary obstacle. This may be the first goal, or the last. All agendas have at least one obstacle that stands in the way of their completion. Additional obstacles can arise through faction Actions (see below) or through developments in the fiction.

Completing a faction’s agendas should be a significant event, potentially changing the political or natural landscape of a region.

The region map should continually reflect the impact of factions as they work on completing their agendas and acquiring more advantages.

Creating factions

Roll one or more times on the Faction Types, Faction Traits, Faction Advantages and Faction Agendas tables.

Faction Types

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Type	Agent
1	Artisans	Academic
2	Commoners	Assassin
3	Criminals	Blacksmith
4	Cultists	Farmer
5	Exiles	General
6	Explorers	Gravedigger
7	Industrialists	Guard
8	Merchants	Healer
9	Military	Jailer
10	Nobles	Laborer
11	Nomads	Lord
12	Pilgrims	Merchant
13	Protectors	Monk
14	Religious	Mystic
15	Revolutionaries	Outlander
16	Rulers	Peddler
17	Scholars	Politician
18	Settlers	Spy
19	Spies	Thief
20	Tribe	Thug

Faction Traits

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Trait 1	Trait 2
1	Cautious	Adaptable
2	Connected	Bankrupt
3	Decadent	Brutal
4	Disciplined	Collaborative
5	Discreet	Corrupt
6	Dogmatic	Craven
7	Enigmatic	Cruel
8	Fierce	Cunning
9	Incorruptible	Cynical
10	Intellectual	Deceptive
11	Judicious	Generous
12	Keen	Incompetent
13	Loyal	Manipulative
14	Meticulous	Mercurial
15	Popular	Repressed
16	Pragmatic	Ruthless
17	Resourceful	Selfish
18	Secretive	Stealthy
19	Shrewd	Threatened
20	Tenacious	Xenophobic

Faction Advantages

Roll 1d20 to determine the number of advantages the faction has, then roll 1d20 again for each of the corresponding advantages. For example, if a result of “2” was received from the “# of Advantages” column, you would roll on the “Type” column twice, noting each result. Reroll repeated results.


d20	# of Advantages	Advantage
1	1	Alliances
2	1	Anonymity
3	1	Apparatus
4	1	Beliefs
5	1	Charisma
6	1	Conviction
7	1	Fealty
8	2	Force
9	2	Information
10	2	Lineage
11	2	Magic
12	2	Members
13	3	Popularity
14	3	Position
15	3	Renown
16	3	Resources
17	3	Ruthlessness
18	4	Specialization
19	4	Subterfuge
20	4	Wealth

Faction Agendas

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Agenda	Obstacle
1	Ascend to a Higher Plane	A geographic barrier or impassable terrain.
2	Collect Artifacts	A key piece of information must first be discovered.
3	Cultivate a Rare Resource	A particular object or Relic is required.
4	Defend Something	A powerful figure or foe must be eliminated.
5	Destroy Something	A rare but necessary resource must first be acquired.
6	Dominate Others	A serious debt forces the faction to make dire choices.
7	Enrich Themselves	A well-known prophecy predicts imminent failure.
8	Establish a Colony	An alliance with an enemy must first be brokered.
9	Establish a New Order	An internal schism threatens to tear the faction apart.
10	Explore Uncharted Lands	Another faction has the same goal.
11	Forge an Alliance	Another faction stands in opposition.
12	Infiltrate Another Faction	Commoners stand openly in opposition.
13	Preserve the Status Quo	Considerable capital is required.
14	Protect a Secret	Contravenes an established code, with a heavy penalty.
15	Purge the Land	Hindered by cultural taboos.
16	Reveal a Secret	Many must die, either as a necessity or consequence.
17	Revenge	Must be carried out at a rare or exact moment.
18	Revive a Former Power	Must be carried out in absolute secrecy.
19	Seek New Leadership	Requires a specialist of an uncommon sort.
20	Spread a Belief	The outcome would lead to unavoidable war.

Example Faction

Type

Academics: Royal Cartographer’s Guild. Respected and feared, even by the royal family.

Advantages

Apparatus: A Map of the Dead. Legend tells that the map reveals a Gate to the land of the dead.
Renown: None would dare defy the Guild publicly. Their voice carries great weight in the Cities.

Agents

Horatia Confi, first of her order. Recovered the Map of the Dead for the Guild. WIL 15.

Agenda

Hire a skilled party to escort Horatia to a location written on the map.
Travel through the lands of the dead in search of the Order’s original founder.
Bring the founder back to the Cities. Overthrow the ruler of the Realm.

Obstacle

The Guild has been warned that a well-placed operative moves within their ranks.

Faction Rules

By default, factions operate independent of the player character’s actions. If the PCs do nothing, the faction should still act to achieve their aims.
The Warden should rely on the fiction to determine whether a faction is positioned to advance their agenda.
Some goals may be time-sensitive or depend on explicit circumstances. Other times it might be more appropriate to introduce a new goal after a major event, alliance, or friction between one or more factions, etc.
Whenever a faction is positioned to advance a goal in their agenda, roll a d6 on the Faction Actions table.
If two factions are opposed, the faction most at risk makes a WIL save, using the score of its highest-ranking agent. On a fail, the faction does not roll on the Faction Actions table at this time.

Faction Actions


d6	Consequence	Impact
1	Failure	A new Obstacle is introduced, and an Advantage is lost.
2	Setback	An Advantage is lost.
3	Status Quo	Nothing is gained, but nothing is lost.
4	Mixed Success	A goal is achieved, but an Advantage is lost.
5	Success	A goal is achieved, and no Advantages are lost.
6	Major Success	A goal is achieved, and a new Advantage is found.

The actions of the PCs can always overrule the necessity for a faction action, or in some cases shift the outcome of the roll in a favorable or unfavorable direction.

Topography

A region’s terrain and natural features are an essential part of any map, affecting the local history, resources, settlements, culture, and more.

Landmarks

Landmarks are unique, visible POIs that can also be used as geographic reference points: towers, mountains, tall buildings, and so on. They help orient travelers around the map, and are especially visible from areas with higher elevation or a clear viewpoint. Landmarks are represented on the map by a triangle.

Draw Terrain

Roll 1d6, then roll an amount of dice equal to that number on the map. Collect any dice that roll off the page and set them aside.
Note the face-up result for each die, then use the Terrain Die Drop Table to mark the terrain type on the map. For example, a die showing a 4 would indicate Tough terrain.
Draw long, curvy lines across the page, carving up the map around each die.
Roll on the appropriate table for each result, writing the terrain and landmark results on the map.
- Replace the die with a triangle, writing the landmark result on the map.
- Roll any dice that fell off the map page, repeating the last step until none remain.
- If there are any empty spaces in need of terrain, roll a die anywhere you like and use the face-up result as before.

Terrain Die Drop Table


d6	Difficulty
1-3	Easy
4-5	Tough
6	Perilous

Easy

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Terrain	Landmark
1	Bluffs	Broken Sundial
2	Dells	Circle of Menhirs
3	Farmlands	Circular Maze
4	Fells	Cloud Stairway
5	Foothills	Dead Aqueduct
6	Glens	Enormous Footprint
7	Grasslands	Fallen Column
8	Gulleys	False Oasis
9	Heaths	Giant’s Throne
10	Lowlands	Glittering Cascade
11	Meadows	Golden Bridge
12	Moors	Great Stone Face
13	Pampas	Great Waterwheel
14	Pastures	Heart Tree
15	Plains	Opaque Lake
16	Plateaus	Petrified Forest
17	Prairies	Pit of Cold Fire
18	Savannas	Silver Face
19	Steppes	Sinkhole
20	Valleys	Titanic Gate

Tough

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Terrain	Landmark
1	Barrens	Algae Falls
2	Canyons	Basalt Columns
3	Chaparral	Behemoth Graveyard
4	Coral Reefs	Canyon Bridge
5	Deserts	Cinder Cones
6	Dunes	Flame Pits
7	Estuaries	Forest of Arrows
8	Fens	Frozen Waterfall
9	Forests	Fungal Forest
10	Heathlands	Half-Buried Ark
11	Hills	Hanging Valley
12	Mangroves	Inverted Lighthouse
13	Marshlands	Leviathan Bones
14	Moorlands	Massive Crater
15	Rainforests	Massive Dung Ball
16	Scrublands	Salt Flat Mirrors
17	Taiga	Shrouded Ziggurat
18	Thickets	Stalagmite Forest
19	Tundra	Sunken Colossus
20	Woodlands	Titan’s Table

Perilous

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Terrain	Landmark
1	Alpine Meadows	Active Volcano
2	Bogs	Ammonia Caves
3	Boulders	Bone Mountain
4	Caverns	Crystalline Forest
5	Cliffs	Dome of Darkness
6	Craters	Enormous Hive
7	Crevasses	Floating Object
8	Geysers	Inactive Automaton
9	Glaciers	Land Scar
10	Gorges	Large Vents
11	Hollows	Magma Sculptures
12	Ice Fields	Man on the Mountain
13	Jungles	Meteor Garden
14	Lava Fields	Obsidian Needle
15	Mountains	Reverse Waterfall
16	Peatlands	River of Sulfur
17	Quagmires	Siren Stones
18	Ravine	Sky-Root
19	Swamps	Titanic Ribcage
20	Wastelands	Weeping Bubble

Rivers, Seas, and Lakes

Every region should have some kind of water source. Otherwise, where would the locals get their drinking water or receive news from the rest of the realm?

To create waterways, draw a wiggly line from the highest elevation point (e.g. Mountains) to the lowest (e.g. Grassways).
If the river runs through terrain that is higher in elevation, it might terminate in a lake. If your map has a sea, it might terminate there. Otherwise, the river can continue on off the map page.

Weather

The weather can have a great impact on the people, culture, and terrain of a region. It impacts what kinds of clothes the adventurers need to wear, what sorts of tools they’ll have to bring, and how tough the journey might be. To determine the average weather of a region, roll on the Seasonal Weather table once for each season. Optionally, you may also roll on the Unusual Weather table around particular landmarks or terrain.

Seasonal Weather


d6	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
1	Mild and sunny	Hot and sunny	Nice and breezy	Mild and clear
2	Nice and drizzly	Nice and cloudy	Mild and windy	Cool and windy
3	Cool and breezy	Mild and rainy	Cool and foggy	Cold and raining
4	Mild and cloudy	Cool and stormy	Cold and cloudy	Frigid and stormy
5	Cold and windy	Hot and humid	Cool and rainy	Freezing and snowing
6	Cold and rainy	Sweltering and humid	Chilly and stormy	Freezing and hailing

Unusual Weather


d20	Weather
1	An annual fog appears randomly, turning metallic surfaces to gold on contact.
2	An aurora that is visible even during the day.
3	Birds fly backwards, yet somehow still move forward.
4	Days are erratic. The Sun goes backwards for a time, then jumps forward as night rapidly sets in.
5	Distant chimes instead of thunder. A smoky, sweet wind blows in from the West.
6	Enormous, fleshy eyes peer down from the skies, their pupils lighting up the night sky.
7	Flashes of movement in the periphery that always amount to nothing.
8	Fog that fills the belly (no need for rations). Tomorrow, vomiting.
9	Lakes and streams evaporate in minutes, filling storm clouds that drench the landscape.
10	Periodic rains of small aquatic creatures (tadpoles, frogs, small fish). No one knows where they come from.
11	Rainbows lack most of their colors and occasionally flicker. Raindrops fall in various colors.
12	Rolling dust clouds that smell of cinnamon. The coughing lasts long after they’ve moved on.
13	Shadows disappear at random. Animals become more reluctant.
14	The air is thicker than usual, and breathing is difficult.
15	The clouds are shaped like faces. They appear to be laughing.
16	The moon appears larger and softly hums at night.
17	The rain glows gently at night. It can be gathered, but the light eventually fades.
18	The stars rearrange themselves in intricate patterns, making navigation difficult.
19	The winds carry whispers. Some say they tell hints of the future.
20	When it snows, the flakes are warm and dry.

Points of Interest

Points of Interest on a map (or POIs) are generally divided into the following categories:

Heart: The primary settlement in a region. It isn’t necessarily the largest or most important place, but it should always be significant to the region’s history and people.
Settlements: Permanent, largely self-sufficient population centers, typically governed by a political body or faction.
Waypoints: A safe place to refill supplies, get a good night’s sleep, or get directions.
Curiosities: A wilderness locale of note, somewhere remarkable or strange. It may indeed be hazardous, but only if the PCs interact with it.
Lairs: An enemy encampment, hive, or source of heightened monster activity.
Dungeons: An explicitly dangerous locale, dungeon, or adventure site.

Draw Points of Interest

Draw the letter H close to a water source on the map.
Roll 3-8 d6 dice on the map, collecting any dice that roll off the page and setting them aside.
Note the face-up result for each die, then use the POI Die Drop Table to mark the type of POI on the map. For example, a die showing a 4 would indicate a Lair, denoted by the letter “L” on the page.
Roll any dice that fell off the map page, repeating the last step until none remain.
Starting with the Heart, number each POI on the map.
Roll on the relevant tables for each POI, including the Heart (usually a Waypoint or Settlement). Note the results for each in your notebook.

Some POIs may allow the PCs to see more of the world than what appears on their map.

POI Die Drop Table


d6	POI
1	Waypoint or Settlement
2-3	Curiosity
4	Lair
5-6	Dungeon

Settlements

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Settlements	Feature
1	Academy	Built Atop Ruins
2	Caravan	Built on Bones of Giants
3	Citadel	Center of Learning
4	City	Close-Knit
5	Commune	Divided
6	Compound	Emits a Mysterious Hum
7	Convent	Famous for its Artisans
8	Farmstead	Famous for its Festivals
9	Fortress	Guarded by Trained Beasts
10	Garrison	Hides a Dangerous Portal
11	Hamlet	High Population Density
12	Keep	Impregnable
13	Monastery	Integrated with Nature
14	Outpost	Known for its Hospitality
15	Plantation	Location of a Legendary Forge
16	Prison	Moves or Revolves
17	Stronghold	Protected by a Great Warrior
18	Town	Ruled by a Powerful Faction
19	Villa	Steeped in Tradition
20	Village	Trading Hub

Waypoints

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Waypoints	Feature
1	Archive	A Haven for Outcasts
2	Asylum	Built on Sacred Grounds
3	Bazaar	Contains a Powerful Artifact
4	Beacon Tower	Cursed By Previous Occupants
5	Bunker	Decrepit Buildings
6	Cabin	Distrustful Occupants
7	Campground	Does Not Appear on Any Map
8	Guildhall	Front for Illegal Operations
9	Hospice	Host to a Renowned Artisan
10	Hunting Lodge	Known for its Elaborate Defenses
11	Inn	Occupants Are Lawful to a Fault
12	Observatory	Occupants Are Overly Formal
13	Reservoir	Outsiders Are Barred
14	Sanatorium	Outsiders Cannot Carry Weapons
15	Sanctuary	Part of an Illegal Trade Route
16	Shrine	Popular Pilgrim Destination
17	Temple	Protects a Powerful Object
18	Trading Post	Reclusive Occupants
19	Watchtower	Sits on Natural Deposits
20	Work Camp	Technologically Advanced

Curiosities

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Curiosities	Feature
1	Ancient Tree	Abandoned Vessel
2	Broken Tower	Ancient Trash Heap
3	Buried Megalith	Buried Ley Line
4	Collapsed Mill	Buried Library
5	Cracked Bell	Carnivorous Plants
6	Crystal Spire	Celestial Mirror
7	Dripping Archway	Cult Ritual Site
8	Echoing Fields	Edible Fungus
9	Enormous Fist	Floating Debris
10	Enormous Footprint	Hidden Market
11	Floating Island	Illusory
12	Frozen Graveyard	Impossible Music
13	Hanging Bridges	Infested With Vermin
14	Illegible Signpost	Irregular Gravity
15	Leviathan Skeleton	Isolated Weather
16	Oddly-Shaped Lake	Only Appears at Night
17	Petrified Trees	Perpetual Mist
18	Purple Geysers	Perpetual Shadows
19	Singing Stones	Site of Ancient Battle
20	Sunken City	Unstable Ground

Lairs

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Lair	Feature
1	Abandoned Tower	Abandoned
2	Ancient Prison	At Crossroads
3	Collapsed Mine	Baited Entrance
4	Colossal Hive	Bioluminescence
5	Crashed Ship	Constant Screaming
6	Crumbling Fort	Entry Forbidden
7	Dry Aqueduct	Faction Hideout
8	Enormous Stump	Hidden Exit
9	Forgotten Graveyard	Odd Machinery
10	Hidden Burrow	Piles of Bones
11	Hollow Obelisk	Previously Occupied
12	Overgrown Garden	Religious Graffiti
13	Primeval Menhirs	Scattered Traps
14	Primitive Bridge	Scavengers Prowl
15	Rotted Mill	Signs Posted
16	Ruined Town	Something Sleeps
17	Rusted Construct	Symbiotic Entity
18	Spiked Cave	Training Camp
19	Sunken Grotto	Underwater
20	Unruly Copse	Waste Pit

Dungeons

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Type	Feature
1	Burial Ground	Abandoned
2	Cave	Buried
3	Cellar	Burnt
4	Crypt	Clockwork
5	Den	Collapsed
6	Estate	Crumbling
7	Fort	Crystalline
8	Great Hall	Floating
9	Laboratory	Flooded
10	Manor	Fungal
11	Mine	Inverted
12	Outpost	Isolated
13	Palace	Mirrored
14	Prison	Otherworldly
15	Ruined City	Overgrown
16	Stronghold	Petrified
17	Temple	Remote
18	Tomb	Sealed
19	Tower	Toxic
20	Workshop	Warped

See the Dungeon Seeds chapter (p.x) for how to flesh out each Dungeon POI for your setting.

Paths

Paths act as geographic connectors on the map, ranging from well-traveled roads and trails to rough wilderness routes. Paths should provide compelling choices between POIs, where factors such as safety, speed, and travel difficulty must be weighed.

Path Types

Standard paths are obvious or well-trod routes between two POIs. Represented by a thick line.
Hidden paths do not appear on any known maps. Their discovery always requires some kind of cost. Represented by a dashed line.
Conditional paths may be blocked or require specialized tools (boats, climbing gear, etc.) to cross. Others may even be impossible to navigate without a map or guide. Represented by a crossed line.

Draw Paths

Starting with the Heart, create 1-4 paths between each location.
- Create loops, branching paths, dead-ends, and shortcuts between POIs.
- Some paths may be parts of a chain and tied to a particular terrain (mountain passes, rivers, etc.).
- Some paths are Conditional, represented by a crossed line.
- Some paths are Hidden, represented by a dashed line.
Designate each path using the number of a POI and its connecting point, e.g. 1 ↔ 3. Indicate this in your notebook under the originating POI or in a separate section.
Decide whether a path represents a road, a trail, or a wilderness route, and write the results in your notebook.
Roll on the Path Features table for each path, writing the results in your notebook.
Determine the path distances between POIs, and note the duration on the map:
- A Watch is 8 hours long. Denote days between POIs wherever possible (typically two Watches and one rest per day of travel).
- A short distance between POIs takes one Watch to traverse, a medium distance takes two Watches, and a long distance takes three Watches.
- For Trails, add 1 more Watch, and for Wilderness routes, add 2 additional Watches.

Path Features

Roll 1d20 for each column and combine the results.


d20	Feature	Condition
1	Abandoned Fields	Bandit Ambushes
2	Blood-Red	Blocked by Giant Boulder
3	Buried Charms	Collapsed Bridge
4	Cattle Prints	Confusing to Navigate
5	Constant Patrols	Dense Bramble
6	Dead Vegetation	Divided by Political Dispute
7	Disappearing	Erratic Weather
8	Diseased Animals	Frequent Flash Floods
9	Follows the Stars	Gets Extremely Cold
10	Frequent Pilgrims	Heavy Toll Required
11	Massive Grooves	Labyrinthine Canyons
12	Mile Markers	Night Predators
13	Mineral Flecks	Occasional Stampedes
14	Newly Made	Overcrowded
15	Overgrown	Passes over Rapids
16	Rusted Tools	Poisonous Fruit
17	Shriveled Away	Smoke-filled
18	Shredded	Steep Climb
19	Twisted	Thick Evening Mist
20	Ubiquitous Footprints	Uneven, Soggy Ground

Put It All Together

Ask yourself the following questions:

What would draw people to this region? What keeps them here?
How do the people here think of outsiders? How do outsiders think of them?
What power do the Factions have over the people who live here?
Who or what threatens their agendas?
How would a faction interact with any newcomers (e.g. an adventuring party)?
How does the region’s terrain and weather affect the people that live here?

You should now have a sufficient idea about the people and terrain of this region, and your first region is now complete. To expand your realm, repeat the process as many times as you wish.

For example, if my results described a people that were religious and sought conversion, I’d assume they were a proud folk, prone to religious extremes and proselytizing. And if their primary resource was land, yet spices were rare, I’d assume they grew their own food, but due to a religious prohibition their cuisine was often bland.

Presume that for a faction the result was a group of Nomads, with conviction their primary advantage. I could then assume that their elites were a class of religious chiefs. If the faction’s agenda was to cultivate a rare resource, but they were hindered by cultural taboos, I might decide that they had hired the party to take on the task instead. Perhaps the object of their quest was a unique plant, only grown in a distant place, and that the mission must remain a secret!

Finally, the party would meet with one of the faction agents: a spy posing as a peddler. Only she could tell them where the plant grew, and how to cultivate it. I keep in mind that this person should likely appear in an important place such as the region’s Heart.