Introduction
Towns were usually built near major trade routes or directly onto them, around castles, around water sources(streams or the sea for ports) and around religious buildings such as cathedrals or churches - however mostly were built at areas where people would meet, such as crossroads or trade routes. Since water was vital, towns were often found near sources of water, which provided residents a source to drink from, bathe and dispose of waste. Towns were considered economic centers where craftsmen and artisans of varying guilds had the ability to practice their trade and sell their goods. The market was always full of differing wares, mostly local produce however products, food, materials, and resources that come from distant lands were also available - at a more expensive price of course. While a very small percentage of the population dwelled in towns at the time, most people came from outside and sold their produce depending on their craft - a farmer, for example, would usually travel to town at least once a week to either sell their surplus produce or buy something that is needed. One of the main advantages of towns was that they were walled off settlements - thus guaranteeing the safety of the town's residents from enemy armies or organized groups of bandits. Another thing that attracted migrants to towns was the condition that if a serf managed to escape and lived in a town for a full year and a day, they would become a freeman.
Buildings
The most prestigious houses and most expensive properties that belonged to richer craftsmen and traders were usually situated in the widest, cleanest and grandest streets that usually led straight from the gates directly to the town centre - properties of which only the wealthiest could afford to own, as they demanded the highest rent for their location. However, straying from the center and the main roads would inevitably lead towards the darker, smaller houses which would be found by traversing through darker alleys and tighter pathways. These were the areas where the average citizen or migrant who could not find a place to live in would stay. While crime was usually swiftly dealt with within the city(depending on size and a lord's capability to rule), it still existed in some form - only the most desperate, daring or stupid would turn to it, and such areas of poverty were usually the sources from which criminals were bred. Towns would usually have an inner keep that was surrounded by stone walls, and it would be where the lord and his servants reside - other buildings that could have additional walls to them would be the residencies of knights or a religious building(which during daytime kept their gates open to everyone, and closed them at night time).
Dwellings
Traders and craftsmen usually resided in the buildings they performed their work in - the first floor and the area outside of it would be utilized to sell their wares, the back as a storage area while the upper floors(which could go up to four) would either be used for different crafts on the side or for living quarters. Because of the enclosed space of towns, buildings had to be squeezed in tightly and expanding was only possible upwards. Most houses and buildings were made out of wood and used straw, which was an effective insulator that was easy to obtain - but the combination of those two materials meant that buildings were very easily flammable, which could spread and cause great amounts of damage to the settlement. Stone buildings were available to those who were rich, or if there was a large source of stone available nearby(the capital city of Westerheim - Ironcrest is an excellent example, due to it being right next to Greamunt, many of its buildings are made of stone).
Activities
Towns bustled with activities depending on their location and significance. They usually had a great variety of shops such as butchers, fishmongers, tailors, shoemakers, armorsmiths, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen who displayed their wares outside of their buildings and usually had a sign at the building's side that displayed the craft, and since most people could not read the signs were painted. If a building sold fish, then the sign would logically display a fish. The day usually started early in the morning when shops opened and the town's residents got to work, at the same time the gates would be opened to welcome travelers, and in the late afternoon, shops would close and residents could gather up in taverns to talk and gossip, or hear any news from outside from coming travelers. When night came - the curfew took place and all residents went back into their homes. Nighttime was the ideal time to commit crime, which is why guards on night watch patrolled the streets