The Roadside Fortress
Added 2016-02-05 14:28:10 +0000 UTCMost borders remain generally undefended, with the occasional watch tower near primary points of interest. But there are always places where it just makes sense to set up a small fortification along major trade routes and roads leading in and out of your domain.
South of The Citadel at Sabre Lake is just such a place. A small escarpment along the main road used by merchants, farmers and the occasional military force provides a decent view of the area while also being able to interdict travel along the road, forcing those who wish to avoid the fortress into long detours through unfavourable terrain.
The main gate of the fortification leads into a small courtyard with a well where a few horses are normally kept for patrols and messengers. The two towers on the right side extend a level (15 feet) above the walls of the fortress, as does the tower built into the lower left side of the main structure.
A well defended postern gate leads into the north wall of the fortification and from there into both the main structure and the smallest tower.
You can download the map of the roadside fortress at 300dpi with a variety of grids from the blog post at https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/the-roadside-fortress/
Comments
A suggestion on castles and their ilk: most are designed with multiple layers of defenses. As the enemy breaks through one defense, they face more, forcing them to grind through layer after layer of prepared and nasty defenses the whole way through. In a fortress like this, that would mean arrow-loops from the outer buildings into that inner courtyard. The assumption would be that the gate is the weakest point and that the enemy would, given enough time and troops, eventually break through. So the point would be to turn the inner courtyard into a killing zone, with arrows coming from all directions. As it is, you could certainly shoot arrows into the courtyard from the tops of the towers, but arrow loops in the large building facing into the courtyard wouldn't be a bad thing at all. Loving your maps! They've been real game-savers when the players zig when I expected them to zag. Thanks as always for sharing your talent.
J. Brian Murphy
2016-02-05 14:38:05 +0000 UTC
