Kingdom of France · Poitou · 1454
Loudun
A fortified large town rising above the roads between Poitou, Anjou and Touraine, Loudun is a royal strongpoint, market centre and watchful survivor of the wars that have scarred western France.
“Every road climbs before it reaches Loudun, and every traveller is seen before reaching the gate.”
Game Statistics
Each rules edition measures settlements differently. Use the comparison below to find the population, market, authority and availability rules that apply to your game.
| Edition | Official Size | Market Rule | Distinctive Mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|
| D&D 5.5e | Town: 501–5,000 people | Maximum item value 2,000 gp | Defining traits, claim to fame, current calamity and local leadership |
| Pathfinder 1e | Large town: 2,001–5,000 people | Base Value 2,800 gp; Purchase Limit 15,000 gp | Six modifiers, three qualities, Danger, spellcasting and magic-item rolls |
| D&D 3.5e | Large town: 2,001–5,000 adults | GP Limit 3,000 gp; community wealth 450,000 gp | +3 community modifier, power centres, highest-level locals, guards and militia |
Loudun — D&D 5.5e Settlement Profile
- Type Town
- Population 3,000
- Population Band 501–5,000
- Maximum Item Value 2,000 gp
| Defining Traits | Fortified outer wall; ancient ruins beneath the streets; impressive structure in the citadel and Tour Carrée. |
|---|---|
| Claim to Fame | Political intrigue, formidable defences and control of the roads between Poitou, Anjou and Touraine. |
| Current Calamity | Political and occult strife threatens violence while scandal places powerful local families and officers at risk. |
| Local Leadership | A royal bailiff formally governs Loudun but is manipulated by Richelieu’s network and opposed by a faction rallying around Grandier. |
| Entry | Gates open from first light until the evening bell. City guards record armed companies, mounted strangers and merchants carrying valuable cargo. |
| Watch | A guard officer and four city guards patrol the gates, market and bailiwick. The citadel can reinforce a disturbance within 10 minutes. |
| Market | Items priced at 2,000 gp or less can normally be sourced when their presence makes sense. Costlier items require a named owner, special order, adventure or journey to a city. |
| Rest | Characters who obey the curfew and pay their lodgings can complete a Long Rest. A wanted or visibly pursued group attracts a patrol before the rest ends. |
| Useful Checks | DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) to map patrol rhythms; DC 14 Intelligence (History) to distinguish the Plantagenet and Capetian defences; DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) to cross a guarded ward after curfew. |
| Political Factions | Richelieu’s network controls spies, judges and royal agents; Grandier’s circle gathers opponents, correspondents and sympathisers around the cardinal’s most dangerous rival. |
| Failure Pressure | A failed gate or curfew check does not halt the adventure: the characters are questioned, escorted, fined, searched or marked for observation. |
Loudun — Pathfinder 1e
LN large town
Corruption +0; Crime +0; Economy +2; Law +1; Lore +2; Society −1
Qualities prosperous, rumormongering citizens, strategic location
Danger +5
Demographics
Government autocracy administered by a royal bailiff and municipal échevins
Population 3,000 (2,800 humans; 90 halflings; 70 dwarves; 40 other)
Notable Offices and Political Forces
- Royal Bailiff: administers justice, taxation and the Crown’s rights.
- Captain of the Citadel: commands the garrison, gate watches and emergency militia.
- Provost of Merchants: regulates stalls, weights, tolls, warehouses and visiting companies.
- Keeper of the Old Works: records sealed cellars, abandoned passages and repairs beneath the hill.
- Richelieu’s Network: informers, legal agents and the Blue Guard extend the cardinal’s authority into the town.
- Grandier’s Circle: local opponents of Richelieu use Grandier’s cause, correspondence and reputation to organise resistance.
Marketplace
Base Value 2,800 gp; Purchase Limit 15,000 gp; Spellcasting 5th
Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 2d4; Major Items 1d4
Defence
Full-time force 30 city guards and soldiers; emergency militia 150; command rests with a watch captain supported by guard officers.
Loudun — D&D 3.5e Community Profile
| Community Size | Large town |
|---|---|
| Adult Population | 3,000 |
| Community Modifier | +3 to the highest-level-local rolls below |
| GP Limit | 3,000 gp |
| Community Wealth | 450,000 gp in total ready cash: one-half the GP Limit multiplied by one-tenth the adult population |
| Power Centre Roll | Roll d20 +3: 13 or less conventional, 14–18 nonstandard, 19 or higher magical. Loudun’s royal bailiwick is the conventional centre; Richelieu’s network and Grandier’s circle are deliberate additional campaign power centres. |
| Government | Royal bailiff supported by town échevins, guild officers and a citadel captain |
| Authorities | 30 full-time guards or soldiers; 150 militia or conscripts available within hours; the constable is normally the highest-level warrior or one of the highest-level fighters. |
| Defences | Stone enclosure, four controlled gates, citadel garrison, trained watch and emergency militia |
| Available Services | Lodging, stabling, messengers, legal clerks, healers, smiths, armour repair, wagons, successful merchants and trained hirelings |
| Spellcasting | Determine available spell levels from the highest-level cleric, druid, sorcerer and wizard results rather than applying a separate settlement spellcasting cap. |
| Market Rule | Goods priced above the 3,000 gp limit are not normally available without a named seller, advance arrangement or journey to a city |
Highest-Level Locals
Reusable NPCs
Use these confirmed entries from the SpiralWorlds NPC directory whenever the town needs an official, witness, merchant, soldier, gaoler or occult accomplice without creating another unique character.
Loudun in 1454
A Crown Strongpoint
Charles VII rules the Kingdom of France, with Louis, Dauphin of France, as his heir. Loudun is governed locally rather than from the royal household: the bailiff hears serious pleas, raises dues and reports threats, while the citadel captain controls soldiers and gates.
The great campaigns of the Hundred Years’ War have ended, but the roads are still crowded with discharged soldiers, displaced households, tax agents and merchants testing newly reopened routes. Royal authority is firmer than it was a generation ago, not effortless.
The Hill Between Provinces
Loudun stands where Poitou meets the approaches to Anjou and Touraine. Its high ground exposes movement across the surrounding plain, and its roads connect Loire crossings with the towns and estates of western France. Whoever holds the gates can observe trade, intercept messages and delay an army.
The hill has carried settlement since antiquity. Old foundations, sealed cavities and fragments of earlier walls lie beneath newer streets. A Merovingian mint once struck coin here; forgotten dies and tainted silver still attract treasure hunters and counterfeiters.
The Blue Eminence
Cardinal Richelieu is already the Crown’s most dangerous minister. Publicly, he strengthens royal authority; privately, he acts as the hand of Asmodeus, manufacturing threats and destroying rivals so that France cannot function without him.
Loudun troubles him. Its independent officers, strategic walls and buried records could shelter a conspiracy—or prove that one of his own agents invented it. His spies listen at the gates while the Blue Guard prepares sealed warrants.
Grandier’s Circle
Urbain Grandier does not reside in Loudun, but his cause has become a banner for a local faction crossing the boundaries of guild, household and rank. Grandier resists Richelieu because the cardinal demands obedience, while his supporters use the rivalry to protect their own influence and expose royal manipulation.
Neither man is innocent. Their struggle turns accusations of sorcery, forged infernal pacts, possessions and judicial murder into weapons capable of consuming the entire town.
Town Layout and Notable Places
The Citadel and Tour Carrée
The square tower dominates the skyline and gives the garrison a broad view across the Loudunais. The present masonry reflects the later twelfth-century fortress, strengthened again after the French Crown took Loudun in 1206.
The Four Gates
Each approach has its own watch, toll clerk and queue. The western Porte du Martray, northern Porte Saint-Nicolas and eastern Porte Saint-Jean and Porte Notre-Dame control the principal roads. Closing one gate redirects travellers through narrow lanes where patrols can contain a disturbance.
The Hill Market
Farmers bring grain, wine, animals, hides and timber from the surrounding country. Brokers occupy permanent stalls; strangers trade in the open and are watched closely by guild officers and tax collectors.
The Royal Bailiwick
Petitions, contracts, criminal accusations and disputes over tolls pass through a crowded complex of halls and record rooms. A sealed writ can open gates—or place every watchman in town on alert.
The Stone Cellars
Deep stores cut into the hill protect wine, grain and valuables. Some chambers connect with older works; others end at deliberate walls bearing ownership marks that no living family admits using.
The Outer Fields
Gardens, mills, vineyards, animal pens and roadside inns spread beyond the walls. These districts feed Loudun but cannot all be protected during an alarm, making them the first targets of raiders or monsters.
Power, Law and Daily Life
| Group | What It Controls | What It Wants | Pressure on Adventurers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Bailiwick | Justice, taxation, warrants and Crown property | Order, revenue and reliable intelligence | Demands names, sponsors and a stated purpose |
| Citadel Garrison | Walls, gates, patrols and military stores | Clear chains of command and no surprises | Confiscates suspicious weapons or imposes an escort |
| Guild Officers | Markets, apprenticeships, measures and workshops | Predictable trade and protection from outsiders | Blocks unlicensed sales and raises prices for disruptive visitors |
| Richelieu’s Network | Informers, sealed warrants, compliant judges and the Blue Guard | Evidence of disloyalty—or material convincing enough to manufacture it | Offers royal protection in exchange for information and permanent obligations |
| Grandier’s Circle | Pulpits, salons, private confessions and occult correspondents | To expose Richelieu without surrendering Grandier’s own influence | Provides dangerous truths while concealing who will be harmed by their release |
| Household Networks | Neighbourhood information, labour and credit | Safety for kin and advantage over rivals | Spreads news faster than the characters can suppress it |
| Hidden Custodians | Keys, cellars, forgotten passages and old records | To keep dangerous foundations sealed | Offers partial truths and carefully chosen access |
Loudun is neither a lawless frontier nor a royal court. Reputation matters. A company that pays tolls, honours contracts and helps contain a public threat gains introductions and credit; one that fights in the market or humiliates an officer finds every gate, inn and warehouse suddenly difficult.
Running Loudun at the Table
Make the Gates Matter
- Ask who sponsors the company and why it is armed.
- Use tolls, queues and inspections to reveal current tensions.
- Let a legitimate writ bypass delay but create obligations.
- Close one gate during an alarm and change movement through the town.
Escalate Through Consequences
- First failure brings questions and observation.
- Repeated failure brings searches, fines or an escort.
- Violence brings gate closure and a coordinated watch response.
- Public service restores reputation faster than private payment.
Adventure Hooks
The Martray Burrow
Gate foundations subside after midnight. The damage is blamed on old drains, but a family of wererats has opened a route between the ditch and a merchant’s cellar.
The Stone That Watches
A weathered figure removed from the citadel wall returns to its former perch each dawn. The gargoyle remembers a sealed chamber and kills anyone carrying its key.
The Old Mint Die
Excellent false coin enters the market bearing a Merovingian mark. A doppelganger is using stolen faces to move one ancient die between trusted households.
The Cellar Procession
Footsteps pass beneath three unconnected houses at the same hour. A ghost retraces the route to a forgotten breach, but the wall at its destination is warm.
The Granary Crown
Grain disappears without broken seals. A swarm of rats moves with unnatural discipline around a silver circlet lost in the foundations.
Sources and Licence
Historical Sources
The hilltop setting, ancient occupation, frontier position between Poitou, Anjou and Touraine, Plantagenet history, French capture in 1206 and Capetian fortification derive from the Ville de Loudun historical overview. The dating of the Tour Carrée and the four-gate enclosure are supported by the Ville de Loudun tower record and Tourism Vienne’s Porte du Martray record.
Rules Sources
The D&D 5.5e town population band, 2,000 gp maximum item value and settlement-tracker categories follow the Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024), chapter 3. The Pathfinder 1e settlement format, alignment modifiers, qualities, large-town baseline and market calculations follow Archives of Nethys: Settlements in Play. The D&D 3.5e adult population range, +3 community modifier, 3,000 gp limit, ready-cash formula, highest-level-local rolls and authority numbers follow the community generation rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, pages 137–139; general services are cross-checked against the Hypertext d20 SRD.
Character Canon
The political factions draw on the established SpiralWorlds entries for Cardinal Richelieu and Urbain Grandier. Neither is presented as a resident of Loudun; their agents, supporters and rivalry shape events in the town.
Artwork
The SpiralWorlds coat-of-arms illustration preserves Loudun’s established heraldic composition: a silver tower on red beneath three gold fleurs-de-lis on blue. The composition was checked against Heraldique Blason ville fr Loudun by S@m; the linked source artwork is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. The Loudun town map is an original SpiralWorlds campaign reconstruction informed by the surviving Tour Carrée, Porte du Martray, hilltop enclosure and documented four-gate plan; it is intended for play rather than as a surveyed archaeological plan.