The Anchorage Castle Situated on a hilltop on the northern coast of Elviscr, this castle overlooks a stone staircase (with crane and winch atop it) which winds down some 100 yards to sea level where the anchorage itself is located. The Anchorage is essentially a stone “shelf” in the steep hillside where the water is safe to moor up. There are no rocks, reefs, etc. An Anchorage is different to a harbour in that there is no natural cover from the elements (the sea arms or natural bay of a harbour limits wave action, wind, and so on). Njord’s Town is most of a day’s travel on foot, sticking to the best roads and assuming a good hiking pace. Horses would cut this time considerably. The Surroundings The surrounding area is flattish leading up to the castle’s hill. There are at least 200y of “dead ground” around the outer wall, with no cover or concealment of any kind. There is a decent chance of spotting approaching groups even at night. There is thorny foliage (blackberry bushes, nettles, and thick undergrowth) from the foot of the wall some twenty yards out, which might conceal skirmishers but would slow groups considerably. The Wall The outer curtain wall is a ruin. Now it averages only two yards in height, and is made of tumbled grey stone. It still provides excellent cover from direct fire, as the rumpled shape forms natural battlements. Many areas are climbable from both sides, although attempts have been made to patch the worst spots with wood. A simple gatehouse is in place, little more than a great stone arch with an iron gate in place. The gate is badly damaged, but patched again with wood and debris. The gatehouse has no actual “inside” but guard alcoves cut outside and within, as well as a ladder leading to the flat roof where more guards may hide behind battlements. Attempting to circle around the entire outer wall to the courtyard or castle is difficult. It would be impossible for a horse or formation of infantry. Lone skirmishers may try to do so, but would be obvious to defenders (standing on the cusp of a hill, without cover, backlit by the sky) and require climbing rolls to stay upright and make good progress. For information about climbing to the Keep, see below. The Main Courtyard The courtyard is half cobblestone and half grass, with the plants slowly overtaking the remaining stone. It is 100 yards wide and 40 deep. It is mostly level, and has two buildings currently standing in it. The Stables Building This was once a four-horse stables, and is now a burned-down ruin. A water pump is still in evidence here, though it will need repair. The Barracks Building This is a wood-and-stone traditional Helvan hall type building. On the inside are enough bunks to house a garrison of twenty men, plus sundry weapons racks, boxes and barrels. A latrine trench has been dug nearby. The Anchorage Stair One side of the courtyard is given over to the top of this impressive stone staircase. Cut into the steepest side of the hill facing the sea, this zig-zags down to a stone “shelf” at sea level, with great iron posts and rings for mooring sailing ships. The staircase has undergone heavy bombardment, but then received field repair of ropes and wood. It is suitable for a single file of people to cross at the moment, mostly without risk. The great crane allows a team of laborers to lift a three-yard-square wooden platform up from sea level, and bring it safely to the top of the stair. This is a long, hard task for a dozen people, and impossible in foul weather. The platform can be replaced with a simple hook for appropriate cargo, if desired. The Keep The Keep of the castle is a steep-roofed stone fortress built more than a century ago. The walls are five to ten feet thick throughout, and resistant to bombardment. The roof is strongly built from multiple layers of slate tile, high enough to be hard to bombard by sea, and very resistant to flame. It is steep and without chimneys to resist snow. Fireplaces have grated, diagonal flues leading directly out of the wall from their room. ● The Keep has its own narrow stone stair to the sea (drawn here as a simple rectangle) that leads to a narrow shelf suitable for embarking a sailboat or ship’s boat. For more detail, see the Dungeons level. ● In the following maps North is to the right edge of the page. The Anchorage steps, courtyard, etc. are off the left edge of the page. The scale is three yards per square, a little under ten feet. The above ground levels are approximately five yards (fifteen feet) tall each, giving rooms high ceilings. ● Narrow triangular gaps in the walls represent cross shaped arrow slits for firing projectile weapons out. Each one has a metal-fronted board nearby that can be picked up and slotted into place to keep out cold wind or projectiles. ● Immediately in front of the Keep is a ditch, two yards deep and quite steep sided. It is designed to limit the options for enemy siege engines by toppling rams, etc. It can also be populated as a trench for a defensive gun line. The bridge into the keep is permanent and made of stone. ● Scaling the steep hillside around the castle itself requires a Strength and Climbing -4 Task for every ten yards (three squares here) of movement in any direction. As the hillside is immensely steep, but not vertical, a full fall into the sea would cause D4*10 LP (choose hit location, but limb damage is not capped). ● Scaling the walls of the keep themselves is not possible for a normal person, and no arrow slit or flue is wide enough to admit a human being. ● All doors are reinforced, heavy ones made of banded oak. Some have keyed locks (which will be noted) and all have means to be barred from the inside at top and bottom. ● The upper floors and staircases are made of wood, and built extremely robustly. Ground Level Area 1 is the entryway to the Keep, effectively a tall tube of solid stone devoid of cover. It is protected by a pair of portcullises. The inner portcullis has a wooden door which can be moved into place to block line-of-sight to Area 5. Area 2a and 2b are defensive posts for guards on patrol. 2a is the place where a sentinel would challenge those wishing to enter the Keep. Customarily, one would shout (hail) from one side of the bridge, be told to cross, pass under the portcullis and speak to the sentinel at the first arrow slit inside the gateway. 2a has a brazier for hot coals. 2b has a pair of bunk beds in it, and a fireplace. Area 3 is another defensive post with two bunks in it, a fireplace, as well as a table for a watch officer to use. A desk sits by the arrow slits here, for the processing of payments or deliveries handed through. The locked door to Area 5 has a skull-shaped iron knocker on it, and a view port with a sliding metal cover. Area 4 is another defensive post with two bunks and a brazier. Area 5 is a marshaling yard, a stone-floored courtyard open to the elements. It is overlooked by many arrow slits. As noted in Area 1, a door here may be closed to block line-of-sight into the yard. The walls here are five yards high. There is an entry staircase on one side of the marshalling yard, leading up into the fortress. Area 6 is an enormous kitchen. Great pots, ranges and fires are all built into the stone here. There is a large water pump drawing from a wellspring. Several large barrels for storing fresh water are nearby. Area 7 is a wide hall, open at either end to the elements. It leads across a stone bridge to Area 9. While solid, the iron railings on the bridge are spiked and unfriendly-looking. Area 8 is the Counting Room and as such it has a pair of lockable doors leading to it. There are viewports with metal covers cut into the doors. Inside, a strongbox is bolted to the floor in one corner, and there are desks, bureaus, and other conveniences for administering money. A lockable iron hatch in the floor leads down to Dungeon Area 9. The hatch is nearly two yards across, but there is a smaller hinged section to admit a single person that is much less cumbersome to open. There is a mounting point for a block and tackle in the ceiling above the hatch, or a series of iron rungs to climb down. Area 9 is a small yard, with stone planters on the leeward side (currently full of dead plants and weeds). The walls here are five yards high. Area 10 is the entrance room of what was once a separate dwelling or apartment in the fortress. It has a few couches, cabinets, and a fireplace. The door here is lockable. Area 11 is a store room, with crates, boxes and the like littering the main part of it. There are arrow slits here, which have found customary use as a garderobe: a place for chamberpots to be used and then emptied out into the sea. Upper Level Area 1 is the armory, with a lockable door.