Town

Towns (not to be confused with Villages) are a feature that appears in Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Towns are areas where the player can take a break from combat and talk to NPCs to gather information and potentially recruit new allies.

In Gaiden, towns functioned as they do in your typical RPG, with the player being able to freely roam around to speak with townspeople and enter buildings.

In Shadows of Valentia, however, towns are explored more like a visual novel or a point-and-click game, with the player only being able to move to predefined specific areas inside the town. The player can speak to townspeople who are in the area, as well as examine their surroundings. The currently controlled protagonist will offer their (sometimes humorous) thoughts on the examined object or area, and it is also possible to pick up various useful items that have been left in the area. Some townspeople may offer quests as well. It is well worth it to speak to every townsperson you can find, and examine each area carefully. In addition, some towns from Act 3 onward will have forges, where you can improve your weapons and sell unwanted or unneeded items.

List of Towns in Gaiden and Shadows of Valentia
Towns in Alm's route
 * Ram Village - A small town at the southern extreme of the Valentian continent where Alm was raised by Mycen alongside Gray, Tobin, Kliff, and Faye.
 * Southern Outpost - A key military position to the south of Zofia Castle where Clair is held captive by the Zofian army.
 * Zofia Castle - A majestic castle located in the center of Zofia, and former home of the Zofian royal family prior to Desaix's coup.
 * Forest Village - A small village nestled in the woods that is actually the home of a clan of magic users. Hometown of Luthier and Delthea.
 * Desaix's Fortress - Desaix's headquarters following his army's defeat by Alm at Zofia Castle. Mathilda is held captive here.
 * Sluice Gate - One of the two floodgates that control the flow of the river that passes through the center of Valentia. Tatarrah and a mind-controlled Delthea guard the entrance.
 * Nuibaba's Abode - Home of the witch Nuibaba, located on Fear Mountain in Rigel. Many captives are held here, including Tatiana.
 * Rigelian Village - A quaint village located in Rigel. Zeke can be recruited here if you recruited Tatiana prior to fighting him.
 * Rigel Castle - An imposing castle at the far nothern end of Rigel, home to Emperor Rudolf.

Towns in Celica's route
 * Novis Priory - A monastery located on Novis Island where Celica was raised by Nomah alongside Mae, Boey, and Genny.
 * Novis Greatport - A port town north of the Priory that is Novis Island's gateway to the rest of the world. Saber can be recruited here.
 * The Pirates' Throne - The headquarters of the pirate king Barth from which he terrorizes the seas of Zofia. Valbar, Kamui, and Leon can be recruited here if they survived the battle against Barth.
 * Zofia Harbor - A bustling port town and center of commerce for Zofia. Palla and Catria can be recruited here in Act 3.
 * Mountain Village - A quiet town nestled in the mountains. Hometown of Atlas.
 * Desert Stronghold - A fortress in the middle of the Zofian desert under the control of Grieth and guarded by Wolff. Jesse is held captive here.
 * Grieth's Citadel - The headquarters of the vile bandit Grieth. Many captives are held here, including Est. Sonya or Deen can also be recruited here, but only the one you did not defeat previously.
 * Dolth's Keep - A fortress to the east of Rigel under the control of Dolth of the Duma Faithful. In Echoes, Conrad is recruited here.
 * Sage's Hamlet - A secret village hidden within the Lost Treescape on the far northeastern end of the Valentian contient.

Towns accessible in Act 6
 * Furia Harbor - A snowy port town located on the contient of Archanea, in the region that would one day become Regna Ferox.

Trivia

 * My Castle in Fire Emblem Fates functions very similarly to towns in Gaiden.