Between the monster fights and cleansing rituals, there's something quieter happening in Nevervale. You're building a home.
Every quest rewards resources - Wood, Stone, Herbs, Relics. And when you return to Nevervale, you spend them. A Healer's Hut means your heroes heal to half HP for free. A Workshop lets you buy equipment at a discount. A Training Ground gives everyone +1 to combat rolls.
Here's the thing about Nevervale as a settlement: it's permanently safe. The center tile and the six tiles around it can never be corrupted. That's your anchor. No matter how badly a quest goes, no matter how much corruption spreads across the map, you always have somewhere to come back to.
From the Settlement Rules
"Between quests, spend resources to construct ONE building. Each structure provides permanent bonuses. Your home base grows alongside your heroes."
One building per settlement phase. That's the constraint. You'll agonize over it. Do you build the Workshop early for better gear? Or rush the Healer's Hut because your heroes keep limping home half-dead?
16 buildings in the full game. You won't build them all in a single campaign. Every group's Nevervale looks different by the end.
That's the part I love about designing this game. It's not just about survival. It's about creating something worth protecting.