Home Court - Home Towns for HMTW

09 Jul, 2026

The city at the centre of the world is all well and good when it just so happens the door to hell is opened underneath it, but the fantastical doesn't wait on the needs of mortals.

Tower Dungeon - Tsutomu Nihei

So how do we turn the high paced Hustle and Bustle of the city to a slower based town adventure - without letting the overworld take the attention from the Mythic Underworld?

The Village

I'd have everyone name the village, but you might want to do so yourself. Here's the lore as it stands.

The village is a sleepy town on the edge of the world. About a year ago, the people found an entrance under the old well. It had dried up, and the people working on a fix found the entrance to the underworld. The first of them were eaten by a Grue, a horrid thing that lives in the darkness.

At first the people were scared, and boarded up the well. They wrote letters to the baron, who sent a team of mercenaries and vagabonds to scout the well and close it. This would prove to be their first mistake. They found gold! Riches beyond their wildest dreams! Mysteries beyond mysteries! Industry, Opportunity Adventure!

A year on, mercenaries gather to delve into the town below.

Purchasing Upgrades

Purchasing upgrades is simple and happens just after deciding lifestyle. Each player may contribute as much as they want to a single upgrade each. The GameMaster should keep track of the progress towards completion somehow (Keep a page in the notebook, or use a spreadsheet.)

In addition, note that action takes priority. If they find someone who could teach language in town, half or waive the fee entirely! If they find someone who can be trusted to look after their stuff, it might be cheaper to make a bank account.

Town Features & Upgrades

General Goods Store

The goods have not been general for quite some time, though the Old Hobbit running the store hasn't stopped pulling in odds and ends for himself. Along with his wife, he runs this little shop. Replaces the Omphalic Market.

Goods Store

Ran by an Old Halfling. Can sell most things in the Omphalic Market, but with prices to match. Doesn't like Guilds, but is friendly enough on the basis of business. No Refunds.

Examples of Upgrades

Reagents Shop - 100 Gold

• Ran by The Halfling's Wife, an Elf (So who knows how old she is). For 25gp each, she can get you the reagents you seek. Do not ask how she finds the reagents you seek.

Silvered Swords - 400 Gold (Repeating)

• The halfling does have some contacts in the silver market, and he knows The Smith as well. It'll let you get silvered swords for One Party Member as a common lifestyle choice.
  • Licence per guild per guildmember. We Will Be Checking.

Reasoning: I've priced all these at (Price of 1 "Use")x4. I think that gives it enough heft that it's an investment but isn't

Tavern

The Howling Wolf is a local tavern, with the notice board with requests from the baron and other interested parties. Always something weird going on here. This is also where the vast majority of guilds hang around, so be careful not to start anything.

Wizardry - Tale of the Forsaken Land; Racjin

Inn

Bellamy Inn has a few rooms for people who stay in town. Their business has expanded greatly, and the expansion means that a few guilds can rent a room for as many nights as they please.

Upgrades

More Rooms, Nicer Rooms (360 Gold)

Reduce the cost of lifestyles! Impoverished is 15g, Common is 25g, and Luxurious is 50g.

Amateur Debate Space (200 Gold)

Everyone's got a theory, and if we get enough theories (and booze) in our systems, we can understand the nature of anything. Take downtime to use the Seek Truth action (pg 316).

Delver's Bureau

The baron had No Patience for the mercenaries clogging up his keep and the town. So this is his solution, a detachment of soldiers from the city to collect tax and some of the finest administrative clerks this side of the guilds.

Upgrades

Trainers

From the Ultima Series

Upgrades to the delvers bureau are people from in and around the dungeon who are Quest Rewards and can teach New and Exciting Talents. Place them in your underworld!

Sword Saint Hela

A Commander from the crusades from the Last Great Underworld Inquistion, who grew so tired of life she retired into the underworld. When the underworld closed, she was swallowed with it. Some guilds report that she wanders still, a rumor on the wind.

Personality: Friendly, Violent. Hela retreated into the underworld as she understood crusaders had been touched by the weirding they fought against, and sits mastering the blade in the shifting world. Wants: She’ll trade for things from the surface she can’t make herself. Booze is a good bet. Dislikes: Crusaders, Bullies, Cowards

Arcana Seer Balthier

A Senior Member of the Arcana Seers,a group involved in divine visions, exorcisms and anti-magic. Personality: Formal to a fault, speaks with a voice that's rarely been used. Wants: To destroy the painting of Ruin in the underworld. To leave the dungeon. Hates: Enemies of the Cult of Mythris. Face Rats.

Devlin Graymouse

A master thief and dwarven con-artist, Devlin ventured in looking for a big score down below, and didn't come back with the rest of the guild.. Personality: Opportunistic. Always on a scheme. Lives by an esoteric code. Wants: Out of the dungeon. Lots of coin. The Idol. Hates: The countryside, being bored, being alone.

Tevina of Many Eyes

Alchemist from the Esoteric Order of the Many Eyed Goat. Tevina is on the trail of the legendary Black Lion in the underword, and is seeking it's guts for a potent alchemy. As the order of many eyes hold walking the path of cups as a religious ecstasy, she's all too pleased to teach you some tricks.
Personality: Tevina is a religious woman, wrapped in red silk robes. She has leather armor and a wicked looking sword. Eyes dart evaluatingly Wants: Alchemy Ingredients, the Next Hunt Hates: Luddites.

Bank (100GP)

We just need the warrant of approval and the Clan Heartsbane will set up a bank branch here. Could be quite useful. This also unlocks the ability to take out a loan, at a fixed 30% interest rate.

Church

Hail Mythris! Or is it mythris? Perhaps it's the mother goat, or father time or... Well you understand, this world is diverse. If you can find more than Mythris Preachers to setup church, they can be furnished with the upgrades below as well.

Upgrades

Language Lessons (400 Gold)

Hire a tutor to deal with and teach language to the town. Not only will this let you learn a language for 400

Hospital (100 Gold)

Rest and recuperate: As long as you are not destitute, you may spend your Town Action resting at the Hospital. This heals all Wounds. Undergo leeching: You may heal an affliction at the cost of 20g per stage (per the rules in the p. 97).

The Odd and Underworld

Stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. Speak into the Abyss, The Abyss speaks back. Invite it into your homes?

Clive, from Lunacid

Life gets a lot stranger. Here are some examples, potentially achievable via a long term project.

Underworld Apiary

The underworld has Bees! The bees make delicious delicious Dream Honey, granting a charge of Bid Lore when consumed. 25 GP a bottle!

Pipe Extension Network

The Artifex's Lair is rife with transportation pipes. Perhaps this technology could be harnessed to give guilds an easier time in progressing in and out of the underworld? This would be a daunting project.

Underworld Bookshop

The Library Heretical is where burnt books go to die. It also happens to be a quite convenient way of reproducing books. Here you can find a book on basically anything in the world, as most books have been burned by accident or to be disposed of! Copy texts: The Old Queen’s Library has texts on almost every subject. Ask the GM if you can find a text on a particular topic. If one exists, you may pay for a scribe to copy a book from the library for you. Copied texts cost between 100–1400g (randomly determined by the GM).

Xania's Butcher

Free rations that act like a charged bond when consumed! Mark or advance a new condition "Xaniac Mind", as the meat of the sisters turns you in to a type of Xania too. 25 gp each.

New Activities and XP

Banking is now unavailable until purchased as a crew upgrade.

Completing an upgrade grants 1xp as if you had just completed a quest.

Activity: Communion Service

You can use the Strange Communion downtime activity (pg 332)

Lifestyles

Destitute - 0g

If you can’t (or refuse) to pay upkeep, you sleep in the barn. Dogs lick your wounds. You have nothing to eat and begin your next adventure Stressed. You cannot buy any new gear when you are destitute.

Impoverished - 25g

If you’re impoverished, you sleep in the common room of the inn. You gain neither special benefits nor penalties. You can purchase as many pieces of gear from the impoverished item list as you can carry.

Common - 50g

Common lodgings afford you a stay in a decent inn. During this step, you may burn charged Bonds to heal Wounds and recover Resolve, just like step 4 (Recovery) of the Camp Phase (see p. 141). You can purchase as many pieces of gear from the impoverished and common item lists as you can carry.

Luxurious - 100g

Individual rooms, luxury baths, nice food, you name it you can get it. You fully heal every Wound and begin the Crawl with full Resolve. You can purchase as many pieces of gear from the impoverished, common, and luxurious item lists as you can carry.

Town Events