Peasant

D10: People to Meet in a Fantasy Village

Peasant
Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission.

Here are ten people that characters could encounter in a fantasy village. None of them are really of any great importance, but they can be used to flesh out a location and make it more detailed.

  1. Abagan Frontin: Abagan has only a small piece of land, one that is insufficient to provide well enough for their large family even if farmed at peak efficiency. This inability to make the land provide enough has caused Abagan to start giving up on even trying, which causes yet more strain at home, as people go hungry and blame it in them. Abagan is drinking more often than they used to whilst working, and it is likely only a matter of time before they have an accident whilst under the influence or snap under the pressure.
  2. Bennia Lithone: Bennia visits the village between hunting trips, usually bringing back game they have caught, as well as some furs. Though most in the area don’t know this, Bennia is a poacher as well, hunting on the land of the local lord. So far, they have managed to keep away from the game wardens who watch the land by being very careful, though the presence of a poacher is suspected. Bennia doesn’t dispose of game they have poached in their village, instead selling it in others, to divert suspicion.
  3. Darran Bothal: Darran’s primary job is thatching the roofs of the villagers’ homes. There aren’t enough people in a single village to keep them fully occupied, so they will travel to other villages too, though not any that are that far away. Darran harvests all their own thatch to use in the roofs, and dry this at their home. As a result of the time spent harvesting reeds for thatching, and travelling to other villages, they are more knowledgeable about the surrounding area than the average villager.
  4. Grungan Yates: Grungan lacks a permanent job, although it’s rumoured that they used to have both land and a family. No-one is certain, as Grungan is not from this village. One day, they arrived and stopped, not moving on again. Grungan is hired by people who need a bit of physical help for a day or so, and they are quite competent at doing so. The rest of the time, though, Grungan can be found drinking away whatever wages they have recently earned. They don’t have a home and seem to have no interest in getting one, apparently living in the woods.
  5. Hunlia Jarrat: Hunlia lost her husband some years back and has given up the farm they both used to manage, not being able to keep on top of it by herself. However, they are not destitute nor do they have to depend on the charity of the other villagers, thanks to an extensive knowledge of the herbs of the region. This allows Hunlia to provide a fair number of remedies for common problems; useful for those lacking access to magical healing. This does sometimes result in murmurings that Hunlia is a witch; so far, nothing has come of these.
  6. Lacata Mangrin: Lacata is a competent worker of wood, but not any more than that. They can make serviceable and functional furniture for the villagers, and indeed they do, but anything truly complex, or that has a bit more style, is beyond their skill level. However, anything beyond that isn’t needed by the villagers and this doesn’t cause a problem. Lacata can help with jobs that involve wood that are beyond their skills, but will charge excessively for doing so, not wanting any competition.
  7. Meliss Ghorth: Meliss waits tables in the local inn and sees a lot of people passing through as a result, as well as more of the locals than they’d really like. As a result of both, they have become enamoured with the idea of leaving the village and travelling to other places; what doesn’t really matter so much as it being somewhere else. Meliss also isn’t really fussed as to how they manage this, and is open to pretty much any and all options, though those who take them up on any offer should be careful; Meliss cares only for themselves, no matter what they say.
  8. Rastal Macaran: Rastal is a surly and unfriendly individual, with a nasty streak and a stingy attitude, who only visits the Rastal occasionally, a state of affairs that suits him, and any villager who has to deal with him, pretty well. He doesn’t like being around people and, in turn, they don’t like being around him. Curt, abrupt and often downright rude, Rastal will barely talk to anyone who attempts to make conversation. Most of Rastal’s food that is sold is handles by an intermediary who comes out to the farm who directly buys it for resale. Rumour has it that Rastal has accrued quite a bit of money over the years.
  9. Sassi Darth: Sassi is rarely encountered within the village, as they are more often than not out watching the sheep and ensuring the animals don’t find new and interesting ways of killing themselves. Though Sassi doesn’t have a high opinion of the intelligence of the average sheep, they do care for their flock and ensure that it is kept safe. Most of the time, Sassi ‘s only companion is their sheepdog, and that’s just the way they like it; they spend so little time around people that they often find it difficult to speak in more than monosyllables, which tends to make others make an inaccurate assumption about Sassi’s intelligence.
  10. Tendren Hold: Tendren is the representative of the local lord in the village, responsible for governing it, collecting taxes and enforcing the law, with the aid of several deputies. Tendren thoroughly enjoys their job, though no-one who has to deal with them can say the same, for Tendren’s enjoyment comes from exercising every single bit of power that comes with the job, whether or not it is necessary or even justifiable. The lord knows little of this, not having any direct contact with the villagers, and thinks everything is going well, though if they discovered that Tendren was skimming the take, that would change.

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