Bert pulls out another hand-drawn map, this time of a town.

“Tiernen was built at the crossroads of two trade roads.” He points at a mark at the western end of the east-west trade road. It sits along the path leading north to Port Ramall and south to Noxport. “It started as a small human garrison built of wood harvested from the area. Over time, more people moved into the frontier region. This caused rampant deforestation of the triangle between Tiernen to the west, Reevendale to the east, and Oftsee in the south. That area turned into farmland to support the three cities.”

“I’m sure the elves loved that,” says Chuck, sarcasm dripping from his voice. This gets a laugh from the group.

“Oh, yeah,” says Bert. “They loved it so much they sent scouting parties to disrupt the loggers. The elves killed a lot humans before the king sent half his army to deal with the problem. The only reason the Elven clans bothered to negotiate was that the king bluffed his way through the talks.”

“Do tell.”

“He threatened to burn the forest down, starting with the home turf of the most influential of the elves—the Redoak clan.”

“He didn’t.”

“He did.”

“Then that explains a lot.”

“Like I said, he was bluffing, but the elves didn’t know that. You’ll learn why this is important as we go.”

“You can’t give us a clue?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get all the clues you need when we start playing.”

“Okay, so what is it we need to know about Tiernen?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” says Bert, ginning. “The city has two gates—one on the west side and the other on the northeast. Guards redirect all the merchant traffic to special courtyards set aside for them called caravansaries. They’re like those big campgrounds where you see those huge RVs. Only this has stables for the horses and pens for whatever other livestock comes into the city.”

“Like a distribution center?”

“Kind of, yeah. This is where cargo will be taken to warehouses and hauled where it needs to go.”

“What’s the rest of the place like?”

“Think of those historical cities in western Europe. Like you read about in the old Grimm’s fairy tales.”

“You mean like the ones that got the crap bombed out of them in World War II?”

“Yeah, those. Most of the buildings are less than four stories tall and only the very wealthy can afford to build in stone. The streets are dirt, except the main avenues, and most of those are cobbled. You’ll be able to tell where the rich folk live. The streets around their homes are set with large, flat stones a lot like those decorative paving stones you see around some houses.”

I listen and build Bert’s small city on the other side of the multiverse. The town has 15,000 to 20,000 residents, mostly human, based on his description. Like most settlements, the various districts will have their distinct flavors. The people of Adaran come together, similar to how different human races gather in communities outside The Jaunty Mug. The half-elves mingle with almost everyone, while the elfkin stick to their own enclave. Dwarves stay secluded in their mountain homes, with a few adventurous souls wandering out to explore the world at large.

“Any more questions about Tiernen?” asks Bert.

(to be continued)