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Preliminary Sketch of Fortress (Patreon)

Published:
2022-05-22 22:24:16
Imported:
2026-10
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Here is a preliminary sketch I put together showing the fortress in the free lands. This is not drawn to scale (still looking for someone who can do that), so it's just meant to give a rough idea of how everything is positioned.

I say it's "preliminary" because in addition to not being drawn to scale, I might still have to tweak the details a bit as I work on the story. In the original release of the final chapters of Book 4, there were some destroyed buildings in the courtyard, but I don't think it'll be big enough for that so I moved them out to the village instead.

The (abandoned) village is in a rough circle around the fortress, at the top of a wide hill. The gatehouse and tunnel face the river and the toll bridge. The damaged section of the walls is mostly between the gatehouse and the easternmost bastion.

The two main roads join together just before the bridge and split apart after it. The Farm Road passes by the fortress to the right, heading south to South Corner. The Old Road passes north of the fortress, then splits in two, with one branch leading to Fort Hightower in Larso, and one branch leading to Matagor.

Hope this helps, if you're trying to envision how it's all laid out.

--Ivy

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Comments

Aspiring Sage

Ivy, awesome stuff. I would suggest that the granary would be placed further away from the blacksmith due to fire risk. Additionally, a fortress like this could also have a kennel, a dedicated practice yard, and would need some additional structures for the staff. The temple could be moved into the keep rather than being a stand alone structure, especially if Matador built it as they do not seem to have the same religious fervor that Larso has. Hope those are helpful suggestions.

ivyveritas

These are all important considerations. Let me go through them one-by-one: Good point on the granary; I'll figure something out. Dedicated practice yard, good point, but I'm not sure there'll be room. I'll have to see how large the fortress is after I have real measurements, but they may just need to use the courtyard or some spot outside the walls. In real life, the temple would have been inside the keep, but in this world, temples are open to anyone, and the people running the keep wouldn't be so heavily religious that they'd need their own private temple (they wouldn't want the locals traipsing in and out of the keep). Part of the cultural difference is that temples are used as healing houses in most areas. (Even in a major city like Tyrsall, we saw from Treya's scenes that healing happened in temples rather than healing houses, though some smaller cities had dedicated healing houses.) Kennel, I'll probably skip. Dogs have only been mentioned in passing, so I don't want to get too detailed about something that'll never come up. Same reason why the bakehouse is included in the keep's internal kitchens rather than being a separate building like it probably would have been. And the brewery is either part of the kitchens or the tavern (not sure yet), but that one might actually get mentioned in the story. Additional structures for the staff--yes, they had those. The keep wasn't designed for a noble lord, but instead for the administrators that ran the place. There are twelve (smallish) residential apartments inside the keep, and four to six offices ( haven't laid out the floor plans yet). The original idea was that they'd have four administrators and two military officers (captain and lieutenant), with the other six apartments for guests and visiting dignitaries. But what they didn't anticipate was that, at the crossroads of two major trade routes, people would start conducting trade at the keep itself, and with the fall of Meftil, administration of the entire region would gradually end up in their hands. The fortress wasn't designed with that in mind, so they built wooden buildings outside the walls for regional administration and trade administration (both burned down when the dragon attacked), and they ended up using the guest suites for additional administrators (and probably had a few who lived in the village, too).

Norbert Borer

Hello Ivy, I suggest adding a well. Regarding the fact that the temples are specifically assigned to a god I recommend replacing it with an almshouse to give Treya a place to heal people. You mentioned that the tunnel through the gatehouse is 20 foot long, with this scaling the smithy is too small, considering the work area with furnace and anvil, storage for coal, and living room for the smith’s family.

Raman BNV

Thanks Ivy! How about a dedicated water tank for the Fortress, so that in Siege situations, they can withstand a siege, and have water for horses, and for putting out fires? and some common privies in the Fortress (privies, i'm sure will be there in the Barracks and the Keep, but the tavern, smithy and temple will require some common privies, right?) How about a Bell Tower to warn villagers and the Fortress of impending danger? And a pigeon home for carrying messages would be in the Keep itself, right?

ivyveritas

Yes, there are definitely some wells, but I didn't want to get that in-depth on the detail. There's also some old indoor plumbing and hand pumps, though it'll all have to be repaired or replaced. The temple originally belonged to the Order of Allosur, and was used for healing as you noted. As for what it's used for next ... you're thinking in the right direction, but there are a few details to take care of first. Regarding the smithy, the drawing is not to scale, so it's only meant to represent the rough position of things, but not their sizes. I'm looking into getting a scaled diagram. The spot marked here is meant to represent just the actual smithy itself. The smith's home was out in the village, and the storage shed didn't survive the years (I've had an old farm-style wooden shed just disintegrate over the course of the years, so I think that's what would happen here).

ivyveritas

They've got wells and hand pumps for water, but I don't want to get that detailed on the map. Same for privies. Readers already complain that I spend too much time on little details, and the privies aren't going to play a role in the story, so I don't want to spend time detailing a workable sewer system. Regarding bells, I'm sure the lookout towers would have had something, so I'll mention it if it comes up. If Matagor had a pigeon aviary there, it probably would have been on the roof of the keep, but the pigeons would be long gone by now. Since pigeons have to be trained to return home, if the group wanted pigeons, they'd need an experienced keeper who could obtain appropriate baby pigeons and train them, then trade them with other towns. But with Leena's help, a pigeon keeper might not be high on the priority list.

Aspiring Sage

I would think the temple could then also be placed in the village outside the fortress alongside the administration building. As for the practice yard, it could probably fit into the trapezoidal space between the gatehouse and the barracks.

Aspiring Sage

On second thought, I think the temple being inside the fortress does make sense. When it was first built, there was no village and no expectation of a village.

Brian Woods

Lots of great questions and ideas from the masses, and also some hearty kudos for the picture. If I may also throw my two cents in, from the info you shared, it would seem this ‘trade keep’ was primarily designed as an observation post to watch over the toll bridge and maybe a staging point if hostilities erupted between Larso and Matagor. It was only the influx of trade following that city’s fall that led to a more robust usage and a growing village surrounding the area. That means the fortress was much more military in design despite the size. Having said all that, I would suggest offsetting the Gatehouse closer to the Barracks, moving the Barracks closer to the stairs leading up to the walkways on the wall, and designing an enclosed Armory connecting all three parts. Then, you can move the Granary back next to the Storehouse, and bring the Temple/Almshouse next to the stairs on the opposite side, and put the Smithy between the Tavern and Temple. Why mess with the design this way, you ask? Simply put, having an Armory at the base of the wall stairs and adjacent to the Barracks would allow for rapid troop deployments in case of assault. Similarly, having a reinforced door leading from the Armory to the Gatehouse would allow for defending soldiers to protect the keep from two locations in the Gate rather than just one, performing a pincer maneuver to take out invaders if breached. As far as the Temple? It makes tactical sense to put a trauma center as close to the front as possible, whereby the troops can be brought down the stairs, patched up as best as possible, then sent back up the stairs to defend the walls. Hope those ideas help!

ivyveritas

Yes, the fortress was designed to protect toll and tax revenue from bandits and raiders. I would phrase its secondary purpose slightly differently--it's meant to keep Larso border patrols from causing mischief, but it's not really designed to stand up against the full might of the Larsonian army. Something like that would have cost a lot more. With the fall of Meftil, it was also intended to spread Matagoran influence into new lands. Regarding the location of things, there would have been an armory within the barracks, and the barracks is only about twenty feet from the nearest stairway up to the wall-walk. The gatehouse includes arrow slits on either side of the tunnel for archers to attack anyone caught in between the two portcullises, but that wouldn't happen until someone breached the first portcullis. The gatehouse might end up having two levels, with the second level being the barracks for the archers (separate from the infantry barracks). I'm still deciding on that. I'm not sure rapid deployment would have been a major design consideration. From the top of the lookout towers, they'd be able to see close to ten miles out. Let's call it eight miles because the ground's not perfectly flat. Even if you're facing mounted infantry, that gives you about two hours' warning before any opposing troops arrive. For a full army, more like four hours at the minimum. A small group of raiders coming in at a trot might be able to do it in an hour, but that should still leave plenty of time for defensive preparations.

Aspiring Sage

Ivy, any chan e you can share a spreadsheet about the costs of this dragon expedition and the gold they got to mitigate the costs from the various sources? They are still waiting on a response from Tyrsall too right? I recall Senechell responded and now the Matagor Duke along with the little bit from four roads. Was there anything else? I know their costs were quite high, so they must still be out of pocket by quite a bit.

ivyveritas

Their final budget was 734 gold, and their final actual cost was 685.2 gold (they saved some money by not paying bonuses to the four deserters, paying the deserters worker wages rather than soldier wages on the way back, and by not paying the knights for the return trip). The group managed to cover that, but between this and what they gave out in Dalewood, it wiped out most of the gold that remained from Tir Yadar. Four Roads has so far contributed 87 gold from donations and loans, Senshall has contributed 50, and Duke Lorvis has contributed 100, with the understanding that it be used for clearing the roads (a future expense rather than an existing expense). They're still waiting for Four Roads to put in a real contribution, which will require passing a tax. And Ellerie has sent a message to her mother, but hasn't received a response back yet. Corec was going to sell the staff-spear to Hildra (the one he was planning on giving to Snow Crown in exchange for the sword), to pay back some of what his friends spent, but he's waiting to see if the other money comes in.

Aspiring Sage

So they are not expecting any money from the dukes of tyrsall or dalewood right? And unlikely to get anything from tirellia or larso. How about the other trading houses? They didn't ask for any contributions from any of the others? Even south corner might have chipped in as it gives them a better route north. I think the team needs a hard nosed merchant or accountant... or Bobo should step up and help because Corec seems to have made a habit of leaving money on the table for years now!

ivyveritas

To add to my initial comment, I'd say that at the moment, they're planning to use the contributions they've received so far to fix up the fortress and pay the people they're hiring, and they think they can just manage to scrape by until they start receiving income from the toll bridge. They're not yet in a position where they can afford to pay themselves back. When Ellerie got more than expected from Duke Lorvis, she had Boktar use the extra to hire carpenters and another road crew.

ivyveritas

Ellerie is reaching out to the people she personally knows. With the dragon already dead, the group doesn't have much leverage, and she's never met the Duke of Tyrsall or Baron Greendale. The deal she made with Lorvis is that, on the Matagor side, he should be getting credit for eliminating the dragon, so she can't really go asking a bunch of other people for more money. But on the other hand, those other people will be paying full price for use of the toll bridge once it reopens. And yes, Corec's not much of a money guy, but Ellerie's been kind of taking on the role of finance minister ever since Dalewood.

Brian Woods

…I don’t know if I agree with that assessment, Ivy. While she IS dealing with their finances in a concrete fashion, with the conversation with that Dalewood mayor, the Mother Superior of Four Roads, Varsin Senshall of Tyrsal, her own mother, and finally Lorvis in Matagor…it feels more like she is Corec’s diplomatic official coordinating his ‘political’ influence, such that it is, rather than just a money woman. Correct me if I’m wrong…

ivyveritas

It's a small group, so some people have multiple roles, and some roles are shared by multiple people. Right now, I have both of those roles listed under Ellerie's name in my notes. Don't worry; I'm not planning to turn her into an accountant--but at the moment, she's the one overseeing the group's finances at the macro level.

Raman BNV

@Ivy, can we get a little more information on how Aravor is organised politically? We know there are bunch of Dukes (Duke of Tyrsall, Duke of Matagor, etc etc). There are a bunch of Kings (King Rusol). There seems to be an Empress in Sanvar which is presumably in Southern Aravor. Do the Dukes have independent rule? Do they serve a yet unnamed King? Are the elves and dwarves truly independent or are they subordinate to the King / Empress? The seaborn also have a king, right?

ivyveritas

I'll type that up in the world guide eventually, but I don't really have time to go into that level of detail at the moment. Briefly, some nations, like Larso, started out as nations, while others, like Tyrsall and Matagor, started out as city-states (most likely a long-term cultural artifact left over from the Chosar days, but it means the name of the city is the same as the name of the nation, which can be awkward). Sanvar calls itself an empire both because of its size and because it knit together the various human clans in the region into a single entity (though there are independent lizardfolk and dwarven nations located fully within its borders so it gets tricky). The seaborn call themselves an empire because they view it as including all the seas and all their fleets (not in the sense of specifically claiming all territories within the sea, but in the sense that they believe they were born from the sea, so regardless of what the landfolk are doing on the surface, everything below the waves is the home of the seaborn). Tyrsall, Matagor, and Larso all have kings, dukes, and barons. Barons report to dukes, and dukes report to the monarch. The “queen” in Larso is the king’s wife, but she doesn’t wield any real power. The monarch in Larso is always the king. For Tyrsall and Matagor, I haven’t thought about their rules of succession, but it’s possible they could end up with a queen rather than a king under certain scenarios. The Duke of Tyrsall (the city) is widely considered to have more power than the king. There are no barons within the city, so Duke Voss controls everything there, and it’s the largest city in Aravor. Things are different in Matagor. While Duke Lorvis holds a great deal of power within Matagor-the-city, the King of Matagor-the-kingdom is more powerful still. Circle Bay has an assembly of elected representatives who can pass laws, but those laws then go to the appointed Princeps who is responsible for implementing them, and he can send them back to the Assembly if they can’t be implemented as written. Valara is likely similar to Circle Bay, but I haven’t put down any details for it yet. Terrillia and Stone Home don’t have nobles. Terevas has hereditary lords and ladies. The monarch of Terevas is elected by the council, but traditionally the ruling family won’t change without a good reason, and the previous monarch’s family is usually in the best position to garner favor for the next election. Snow Crown retained some of the political structure of the Chosar—in theory egalitarian (at least for their own people), but in practice, showing a marked preference for mages and the military. They kept the idea of a governing council, but eliminated the role of the Chosar’s partly-elected/partly-appointed monarch. The story hasn’t covered the political structure for Nobitar, Chondor, Deece, Abildgar, or the Tablelands yet. (there might be a couple other nations I’m forgetting; my preliminary sketches for southern Aravor were destroyed, so I’ll have to recreate them)

Brian Woods

So…quick question regarding Valara: by your statement, it is considered a distinct government unto itself? From the story, I thought it was considered part of the Garden Kingdom of Abildgar, if only for the reason that it specializes in olives and scented soaps which require a more lush environment for production, hence the idea of being a part of the Garden. And for some reason, given that Nobitar and Valara are relatively near each other along the eastern coast, I suspected it too was subsumed by Abildgar.

Brian Woods

Plus, you sort of failed to share how the Carved Basin or the Blue Vale are considered government wise, though I suspect that given it is home to quite a few Barbarian tribes it follows a much more fluid and loose structure.

ivyveritas

Yes, Valara is its own nation, or at least an independent city-state. I haven't decided how much control it exerts over its surrounding lands. Abildgar is inland, roughly west of Valara. That was one of the maps that got destroyed, so I'll have to recreate it before I can give a precise location, but they have similar climates other than Valara's coastal weather. The Carved Basin is part of the northern plains. The plains in general don't have any long-standing governmental structures, and the ones they do have change on a regular basis even in the areas without barbarian tribes. Leonis's hold over the city of Blue Vale is probably one of the longest-running and most stable governments in the region, but the addition of the rest of the Carved Basin is very new and tenuous. Right now, Ephrenia and Leonis's remaining bondmates are attempting to hold it together by trying to keep everyone focused on a common threat, but without Leonis to back them up, it may prove difficult.

Aspiring Sage

Ivy, do you perhaps have an estimate for the next release?

ivyveritas

It's hard to say. Dealing with a very sick cat, which is making it difficult to concentrate on my writing. And there's some other stuff going on which is better news if it happens, but in the short term, it'll eat up some time too. I'll do my best to get the next release out by the end of the month, but it'll mostly depend on the cat's health (and she's 17, so ... she's not gonna get better; it's a matter of managing her care).

ivyveritas

Well, it's not going to be by the end of the month, but I'm making some progress.