Each land's set pieces from its data: the barrow, the standing stones and the bear are the Valley's alone, the Cove keeps its wolves; the Cove's 0.6.0 plan (treasure: one each, each in its own place)

data/worldlets/cove.json

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     {"type": "ocean_edge"}
   ],
   "climate": {"snowline": 42.0},
-  "places": [{"type": "pier", "at": "beach"}],
+  "places": [{"type": "den"}, {"type": "pier", "at": "beach"}],
   "next": [
     {"to": "valley", "by": "tunnel", "where": "sea_cave"},
     {"to": "highlands", "by": "sail", "where": "pier"}

data/worldlets/valley.json

@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@
     {"type": "ocean_edge"}
   ],
   "climate": {"snowline": 40.0},
+  "places": [{"type": "den"}, {"type": "barrow"}, {"type": "stones"}, {"type": "bear"}],
   "next": [{"to": "cove", "by": "tunnel", "where": "sea_cliff"}]
 }

docs/WORLDLETS_DESIGN.md

@@ -283,6 +283,46 @@ The steps:
 - Later: tides (sea level shifting slowly), a raft or rowing boat, and
   driftwood on the beach.
 
+### The Cove's own dangers and the pirate treasure (Paul, Nov 2026, for 0.6.0)
+Paused at the Cove for a playtest before the Highlands. The Cove gets its
+own set pieces instead of copies of the Valley's:
+- **Set pieces per land**, listed in each worldlet's data (`"places"`). The
+  Valley keeps the wolf den, the barrow, the standing stones (the Old Stag)
+  and the bear; the Cove keeps the wolves only, and gets the wreck and the
+  treasure.
+- **The wreck:** a beached ship on the rocks at the far end of the bay, its
+  timbers along the sand (driftwood). Its captain's sea chest: some nails,
+  rope, coins and a **torn treasure map**.
+- **The map:** reading it puts an X on your N map: a mound of loose earth
+  by a marker stone in the Cove's hills (your own spot: see below).
+- **The dig:** a pickaxe, many blows, turns up the **pirate chest**: a
+  **ship's compass** (what the boat will need to sail to the Highlands: the
+  next crossing's gate, J2), a **spyglass** (zooms your view while held),
+  **pirate gold**, and a **cutlass** (quick, harder-hitting than the iron
+  spear).
+- **One treasure each, each in its own place** (online too): the wreck's
+  chest gives each player their own map, once, and each map's X is
+  somewhere different: picked from the world's seed and the player's id
+  (so it's fixed for them), among dry, gentle spots in the Cove's hills
+  away from the other places. You only see your own mound; the server knows
+  every player's spot and what each has found, and checks the right one
+  when you dig.
+- **Gold** is a **trophy you can place** in your hut (a heap of coins) for
+  now; what else it's for waits until there's a trader.
+- **The drowned crew:** the treasure's guards (the Cove's barrow guards).
+  Two or three rise from the shallows round the dig at night, or as the
+  chest comes up, for whoever's digging. Slow, hit hard, unafraid of fire,
+  they drag at you in the water.
+- **Crabs** on the beach at dusk (pinch if trodden on; food), and **gulls**,
+  thieves like the crows (fish off drying racks, things dropped on sand).
+- **The boat** (J2's first part): driftwood, seagrass rope and pitch (pine
+  resin and salt), at a workbench, placed at the pier. One each, moored,
+  yours and your friends'. Setting sail says the Highlands are uncharted
+  for now.
+- **Report a bug** in the pause menu, and a short playtest guide.
+- Order: set pieces per land, the wreck and map, the dig and the drowned
+  crew, crabs and gulls, the boat, report a bug; then 0.6.0 (protocol 18).
+
 ## 6. Done already (groundwork)
 - `world.water_at(x, z)` returns `{type, surface, depth}` for the lake and
   the sea, and fishing uses it instead of `terrain.water_level`.

scripts/world/world.gd

@@ -394,18 +394,21 @@ func _on_terrain_ready() -> void:
 		props.static_cuts.append([den.global_transform, 2.2, 3.4])
 		_update_grass_cuts()
 	# The barrow: scenery too (P3), out on open ground. Its guards only run
-	# where creatures do (_setup_bear).
-	barrow = preload("res://scripts/world/barrow.gd").new()
-	barrow.name = "Barrow"
-	add_child(barrow)
-	if barrow.place(self):
-		_update_grass_cuts()
+	# where creatures do (_setup_bear). (Each land has its own set pieces:
+	# the barrow and the stones are the Valley's: has_place().)
+	if has_place("barrow"):
+		barrow = preload("res://scripts/world/barrow.gd").new()
+		barrow.name = "Barrow"
+		add_child(barrow)
+		if barrow.place(self):
+			_update_grass_cuts()
 	# The standing stones (P5): where the Old Stag is called.
-	stones = preload("res://scripts/world/standing_stones.gd").new()
-	stones.name = "StandingStones"
-	add_child(stones)
-	if stones.place(self):
-		_update_grass_cuts()
+	if has_place("stones"):
+		stones = preload("res://scripts/world/standing_stones.gd").new()
+		stones.name = "StandingStones"
+		add_child(stones)
+		if stones.place(self):
+			_update_grass_cuts()
 	if DisplayServer.get_name() != "headless":
 		var fish := preload("res://scripts/fishing/lake_fish.gd").new()
 		fish.name = "LakeFish"
@@ -420,7 +423,8 @@ func _on_terrain_ready() -> void:
 	hazards.name = "Hazards"
 	add_child(hazards)
 	hazards.setup(self, not is_online())
-	stones.deciding = not is_online()
+	if stones != null:
+		stones.deciding = not is_online()
 	if server_mode:
 		if Saves.has_world():
 			var saved: Dictionary = Saves.load_state(Saves.current_id)
@@ -491,6 +495,8 @@ func _setup_bear() -> void:
 	thieves.enabled = not "--no-creatures" in OS.get_cmdline_user_args()
 	if barrow != null and barrow.found and thieves.enabled:
 		barrow.start()
+	if not has_place("bear"):
+		return   # (bears only in the lands that list one: the Valley)
 	bears = preload("res://scripts/creatures/bear_range.gd").new()
 	bears.name = "Bear"
 	add_child(bears)
@@ -1202,6 +1208,16 @@ func water_at(x: float, z: float) -> Dictionary:
 # and its ways out. (W0 adds these; systems move over to them as each worldlet
 # needs them to be different.)
 
+## Whether this land has set piece `kind` ("den", "barrow", "stones",
+## "bear", "pier", "wreck"...): its worldlet's "places". A worldlet that
+## doesn't list them has the Valley's set (den, barrow, stones, bear).
+const DEFAULT_PLACES := ["den", "barrow", "stones", "bear"]
+func has_place(kind: String) -> bool:
+	var places: Array = terrain.worldlet.get("places", [])
+	if places.is_empty():
+		return kind in DEFAULT_PLACES
+	return places.any(func(p): return p is Dictionary and String(p.get("type", "")) == kind)
+
 ## This worldlet's id ("valley") and its whole definition.
 func worldlet_id() -> String:
 	return terrain.worldlet_id

tests/test_cove.gd

@@ -59,7 +59,9 @@ func _body() -> void:
 	check(world.crossings().any(func(c): return c.to == "valley") and world.crossings().any(func(c): return c.by == "sail"),
 		"its ways on: back to the Valley, and on by sail")
 	check(world._spawn.y > t.water_level + 1.0, "you start on dry land")
-	check(world.den != null and world.barrow != null and world.stones != null, "the den, the barrow and the stones found places")
+	check(world.den != null and world.den.found, "the Cove's wolves have a den")
+	check(world.barrow == null and world.stones == null and world.bears == null,
+		"but the barrow, the standing stones and the bear are the Valley's alone")
 	check(t.get_node_or_null("Water") == null, "one water surface (the bay is the sea)")
 
 	print("the stream")
@@ -77,9 +79,9 @@ func _body() -> void:
 		"its banks are dry, and above the water")
 	check(DB.water_fishing("stream").get("fish", []).any(func(f): return f.id == "trout"), "trout in the stream")
 	var away := true
-	for p in [world.den.global_position, world.barrow.global_position, world.stones.global_position, world._spawn]:
+	for p in [world.den.global_position, world._spawn]:
 		away = away and not t.near_stream(p.x, p.z, 3.0)
-	check(away, "the den, the barrow, the stones and the start are all clear of it")
+	check(away, "the den and the start are clear of it")
 	var in_bed := 0
 	for n in world.props.resource_nodes.values():
 		if is_instance_valid(n) and t.near_stream(n.global_position.x, n.global_position.z, 0.0):