Settling the Issue of Settlements II

 

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  No matter where your settlement has decided to plop itself down, its people need to be able to survive. Otherwise it's going to become a ruin very, very quickly. While you alone are going to know the specifics of whatever fantastical species you have needs to survive, your typical human settlement needs the following:        

Access to Clean Water

  Water makes up 60% of the human body. As such, we need regular acess to clean, untainted supplies in order to keep ourselves happy and alive. Whether this is a river, a lake, a well, or a custom-made solution to the water supply, every settlement must be able to get access to water. Drinking, cooking, cleaning, chasing away fire spirits-Water has mulitple uses that are essential to survival.   Keep in mind that it's also important to keep these sources of water free from corrpution, pollution, and general uncleanliness. Oceans don't count as a source of water as they are not fit for consumption, as anyone who has taken a dip in the ocean will tell you.  

Ability to Source Food

  Equally important to Water is the ability to produce food. Typically, a settlement will be able to grow its own crops, raise its own lifestock, and hunt its own game. If your settlement is a spaceport, far-flung research post or rocky prison, it needs to be able to import its food from somewhere else. And of course there are a myriad of variations of these two extremes, depending on how developed your world is and what the supply chain looks like.   Variety is another factor in food; are they eating the same thing day in, day out? This can cause dissention in military or otherwise formal encampments if members of the settlement are not used to it. Access to spices are important as well; Salt makes everything taste better, but it isn't everywhere.   Last to consider is production of this food; does the settlement have the ability to take its resources and turn them into consumable goods? You can grow all the wheat you want, but without a mill it's just going to stay wheat.  

Ability to Create Shelter

  The Night is Scary, and we'd all rather be safely tucked into our own beds. Your characters are no different. Protection from rain, snow, and wild beasts is also important to survival. Medieval and Ancient settlements will use whatever materials are on hand to build their houses and dining halls, while Space Stations and Megopolises source materials from all over the planet. Regardless, your settlement needs to not only get a hold of these resources, but be able to put them to effective use.   Shelters are important for animals and goods, as well. They must be sturdy and able to withstand the elements, and able to be repaired from local resources. Members of the community must be able to construct and maintain their own shelters, or at least know how to shore up a gap in the wall.  

Ability to survive Extreme Tempuratures and Conditions

  Taking a step beyond shelter is the ability to weather the storm. Bad ones. Settlements in the far north, deep reaches of space or perched on a high mountaintop are going to have a harder time getting the supplies they need sourced from elsewhere. Nights are colder, routes are more perilous and storms can rage for days, halting all movement outside of the house. Consider what drastic conditions your settlement may be in, and what steps the settlement takes to mitigate them.   Extreme Heat, Cold, Both, and severe storms are all examples of hostile conditions. Is the area prone to hurricanes or tornadoes? Wildfires? Earthquakes? Portals opening to the Faewild? Members of the settlement must be able to mitigate, overcome, and weather such challenging events.  

Ability to Defend against Attackers

  That spring is lovely, isn't it? It would be a shame if someone happened along and claimed it for themselves. Where there are resources, there are rats. Members of the settlement need to be able to defend against both benign threats like rats in the wheat or a plague in the cattle, to dangerous ones like wild beasts and invading armies. Any settlement will have at least a few people able to swing a sharp instrument, a few walls, and grit. Members of the settlement are usually more than ready to defend their home, property, and people.   Or, if you're Sharlayan, running away is a valid option, so long as you have somewhere to run away to.  

Ability to Travel to and from the Settlement

  A Settlement without the ability to trade or move with the seasons is one that will eventually wilt. Or get invaded and crushed. At the very least, hunters need to leave to hunt their game, and merchants need roads to ply their goods across. Even remote space stations need a docking platform for supply ships to land on. Very rarely will you see settlements that are completely independent from the rest of the world; even rarer ones that subside completely within their own walls.   Trade allows new resources, foods, and ideas to flow in and out of the settlement. Consider what other settlements in the area your settlement will want to trade with. What are they trading for? What can they give in exchange? This gives your settlement a chance to not just survive, but flourish.  

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  It is here that Rachel's foot is very politely trod on so that we may, in fact, get on with it. Be sure to peruse Settling the Issue of Settlements III at your leisure for your final lesson.