I had an idea of including a jarl/King system where one hearthling gets to be leader, so he/she can make a thrown for him/her to sit on all day. They also get some sort of safe to store the gold and valuables, they can also allow the rally to the nearest banner for the commonfolk. This not only provides a reason for the enemies to attack the city, but also gives the player something to defend. To avoid someone just closing it off, make it so the jarl has to visit the safe everyday to get the morning bonus to recruit new hearthlings. The jarl can also provide a town value multiplier depending on his/her rank, they rank up by providing certain things to the hearthlings like cooked food or comfy beds, and on top of that they also rank up by getting better crowns and throwns (eg. the first thrown and crown being wooden and the last one being golden). When he/she dies, it adds a “demotivation” debuff to all hearthlings, making them slower and easier to attack, giving a reason for the player to defend that character. they will also not be able to rally the hearthlings to the town banner if the leader dies. This also means a leadership trait could be added so that the leader has a radius of affect that improves the hearthlings happiness while he/she is around.
I’m not sure if my idea translated well, (it looks really good in my head) or if it is easy to implament, but it would change a bit of the game, adding more things to do like making a longhouse with purpose. I would really like something like this, but I also understand if the devs don’t include it in the game.