Gain protections from the dangerous world by joining a Settlement and building a home

Settlements are the hamlets, towns, and cities where players have chosen to put down roots. It provides safety and easier access to goods and services, as well as providing economic opportunities to neighboring areas. Most characters will spend most of their lives in a thirty-mile radius of their hometown, building their family and business, and furthering the reputation of themselves and their town.

Settlements in Elyria are formed when a handful of characters who own land connected to one another agree to organize together. The amount of parcels and people, as well as amenities like wells and taverns, determine the size of the settlement; from a tiny hamlet, a small village, or a quaint town, to a bustling city, or even a luxuriant capital city.

Living within a Settlement can provide many advantages to citizens. First and foremost is that thirst, hunger, and fatigue are stabilized. The safety of a town also means that there are enforceable laws, guards, civil servants, merchants, and other resources available. All of this creates things to do in order to keep the settlement running, which provides opportunities for scribes and alchemists, smithies and candle-makers, mercenaries and explorers, and everything in between.

Living in a larger settlement will mean more access to resources and more opportunities, but you may find that owning property becomes more expensive. For some, the city life beckons and, as the size and population grows and more civic buildings are built, the settlement will naturally attract more attention far and wide. It will be up to the players to decide which cities become the great bastions of civilization and which ones will remain in obscurity.

Housing in Chronicles of Elyria is designed to address several different design mechanics including: Survival, Storage, Crafting, Socialization, and Family Systems. While inside of your home the typical survival mechanics such as hunger, thirst, temperature, and personal safety become far less important. You'll have a safe place to stow you unused equipment, treasures, trophies, and prepare for having children.

In Chronicles of Elyria, you can build almost anywhere. There are no special building zones. If there are obstructions in your way like trees or rocks, you can remove them and lay a foundation. Constructing a building is an active process in which many people will work together and use various skills to complete it, based on the blueprint being used. Settlements will be born from having enough homes and public spaces to service the nearby population.

It is possible to siege land or capture it with adverse possession, which includes conquering through force! Chronicles of Elyria offers unique opportunities for players to govern the lands and people - including the other players - as nobility. The Nobility, no matter the tribe, are the titled landowners of the counties, duchies, and kingdoms that make up Elyria. Sometimes these rulers will get along, but other times they won't and may wish to conquer the lands of their neighbors and enemies. This is no small feat and will require the support of one's allies and citizens if there is any chance to succeed!

Border towns and military outposts will want to construct walls and forts to defend themselves from attackers. The fully-destructible world of Elyria means that use of siege weapons on the battlefield will weaken fortifications and even lower the morale of those inside, especially if food and supplies begin to run low.