Fort Commander, Red Sky Buffalo
“Along the Westron River Sylvania begins to end and the Wildlands stretch out towards EdgeCliffe, visible most days despite it’s distance, standing there like a wall up above and between the clouds, at the end of the world. The WileLans seem an intimidating place not just for the faint of heart.
For those who know her ways however, one just must know to become more careful and aware when crossing the almost invisible border of the slow wide river lined with shallows and sandbars.
Then, the no less invisible line that is nonetheless well demarcated, between druids, fairies, and gnomes, and dragons, kobolds, and goblins.
Farther west are lines adult dragons are reluctant to cross, some of which are well known and well demarcated, and others which are neither.
Most Sylvanians have been taught there’s no reason to take the risk of being too close to the EdgeCliffe, the Feywild, or the Underdark. Nothing is worth being where the forces of Evil, brutality, dark, and wildness have reach, nor the efforts to live in the wild, the tiger eat tiger way.
Nonetheless, there is much of so many types of value to be had here.
Some are born here and have roots like trees, others come from far and wide seeking adventure, or many things more specific.
Treasure, fame, and a world that can molded by strong and charismatic individuals of any race. The defenses of one’s peoples, the machinations of other. The stakes are always high is where the risks are always high is where the profits are always high, for the stakes are always high.
This is Silvania’s buffer zone to the Edge of the world, the Dragon Empire’s Legions, and the Underdark. I need ambassadors, protectors of the beneficiaries of our hegemony, expungers of evil and the undead, and many other things. What I need most is observant eyes that watch above and below and report what they see.
Maybe you can do all these jobs, maybe none. We send you out on an easy task, one close to the breast of our influence. Do it well and you will find much more potentially rewarding tasks assigned you soon.
Above all, always familiarize yourself with your environs and keep an eye on the sky above and the waters below.
Play nice if they’ll let you, and try to make Sylvania proud.
If you see Evil you think you can take, wipe it out, but if you see a flight of well and uniformly armored dragonbreds headed our way, crush a tracking pendant or at least send a pigeon or squirrel to let us know.”
The Fort Tree
On the N & S sides of the fort are 2 aerie trees, for griffon and pegasi respectively. Each has a crew of 3 that keep the animals fed and watered and make sure their waste is shoveled and swept into the plumbing that goes down the trunk and thru the roots to the swamp to the south of the FortTree, or directly into the swamp.
The main body of the FortTree is an 90′ wide octagon in overview. It rises from about 80′ off the ground to about 130′. With 4 sets of stairs and covered parapeted walkways every 8′ up inside and outside a huge chamber having many closable ports in the walls for firing arrows and ballistae, twice the normal garrison can all at once fire out, or in, from any of the 8 sides. Many of the ballistae have a door that allows them to slide in and out and swivel to shoot from either covered parapet. in many places parts of the parapets can be folded outwards to become murder holes. Boulders, ammo, and means for heating oil and water are distributed throughout these walls and platforms. There are hoses connected to water tanks that make it easy to keep the defensive works wet to repel fire, or to boil and drop on enemies to scald them.
A 30′ wide parapeted command center with a 20′ wide conical steel roof is perched atop a circular stair case in the middle of this main chamber with 2 covered catwalks to the sides, with several ropes and a couple open lifts that go from top to bottom all around a covered catwalk around it.
There is an open floor both above and below this main chamber.
The top one has temples and shrines, some of which are open to the air.
Below is the mess hall, quarters, breifing rooms, et cetera.
Below that is the Public House.
Above the main chamber are 2 smaller aeries for griffons and peggasi. There’s a civilian wd elf here who is retained to manage and flush the waste, feed, water, and straw, with the help of a half hill giant assistant.
Above the aeries are 2 octagonal floors of parapets, ballistae, and catapults with 25′ height in between. The upper one has a small self serve mess hall galley, and a stone disk on which a large fire can be built with well mounted roasting spits above.
Above that is where the dire squirrels’ families live in a giant nest, about 250 in all, with “plumbing” along the trunk, which the adults all know how to use.
The facilities have surprisingly large openings, because they also discard bedding there.
About 180′ up are a mess of wide hollows in the trunk and branches that act as cisterns. The tree’s natural ability to raise water keeps these full. The height produces great pressure.
Just above that, at a height of 200′, is an octagonal platform 120′ wide with walls that supports little but for 8 rotating trebuchet at the corners, a supply of various munitions, with 2 ballistae and 1 catapult in the middle of each side.
Just 10′ above the top of the canopy of the fortTree, about 240′, is an open parapeted 80′ wide octagonal platform implanted with hundreds up upright 12′ long 4″ wide poles tipped with 6″ wide deep obsidian spearpoints, many ballistae, and few catapults.
In the one branch that goes way up above the canopy to 230′ one can climb up to a steel covered crow’s nest that can hold about 12 elves and 4 ballistae and always has 2 griffon rider/ arcane archer guards. Directly under it is the highest room with plumbing, which has it’s own small holding tank, a bulbous branch in the middle of the roof.
The mortal oak canopy tops out at under 160′, so the home tree crows nest always offers a stupendous overview of the entire area.
Trunk
The lower main trunk is 150′ wide. In the center of the main trunk is a 10′ wide circular stairs with inner parapets wound around a 30′ killing zone which is also used for lifting large objects and cage lifts via winches and booms from the garrison staging areas at the top and bottom of the main central chamber.
There are 3 huge stone disks with a sm hole in the middle that can be rolled and blocked into place to close the main entry and the top and bottom of the stairs.
Smaller similar ones can be seen recessed into the walls at top and bottom of most stairways throughout the fort.
Under the branches, inside living stockade & moat
On the southern side of the tree is a water hyacinth and duckweed swamp, fed by the flow of the river via a small dike and a mini moat around the area, just outside a living stockade of cypress trees. The area under the tree’s branches is about 160′ radius, the moat is from 40′ beyond that, and is 20′ wide and equally deep. The swamp treats the fort’s sewage before flowing back into the river downstream. Don’t swim in the moat, don’t drink the swamp.
Outside the moat are hybsils, wemics, and buffalo grazing on grassland for 500+ yards.
The Docks
Below the main body of the fort walls there is a huge 70′ wide platform hanging 50′ above this area out 50′ over the river and docks; with many covered parapets, hoardings, ballistae, a few catapults, boulders, ammo, many huge and small murder holes, and means for heating oil and water are distributed throughout.
Quarters and food more comfortable for quadrupeds, giants, and others who don’t want to climb stairs or be up in a tree, can be found in a wooden inn built into the roots, and many small pockets, nooks, and crannies among the roots.
The following people and places live and hang mainly among the roots and lower branches between the FortTree, the docks, and the river’s edge.
Silos for grains, hay, acorns, and straw.
Buildings for storage and trade of bulk goods.
Dire squirrels, patroling, playing, hanging, drinking coffee.
4 boat and barge builders under an open air log and straw pavillion with mass lumber and framings with a two pairs of skid rails flanking trenches into the water for launching barges and very large boats.
Public stables and harness maker.
A simple empty building large enough to board 3 or 4 elephants.
A very small carpenter’s shop with tiny lumber mill and yard
Open air cafe/bar (no roofs actually needed under the overhang).
In a small stone tower with stone walls between 2 huge roots, blocking off the entrance stairs:
Guard of the base & docks, Glen Gnome, female, at a small window over a gate facing west that is usually open allowing access to the fort’s entry and stair well.
2 members of the garrison on rotating duty. One on each wall.
3 outhouses on the south side above the swamp
barge path along the Eastern bank
3 small floating docks, 2 large ones on huge cypress piles.
A large boat house with 2 fort boats and 3 small fast boats (magically propelled?).
2 small houseboats, and a larger one
2 large ferry barges, 3 small ones
2 Ferry Pilots, Wood Elf & Giant Gnome
1 Boatswain, Killoren
1 Barge Swain, Barbarian 2nd, Half Ogre, female
10 large birchbark canoes stacked over 2 very low tree branches
9 buffalo barges, 2 full
8 feed barges, 3 full
Garrison
When in uniform, the garrison is literally wearing their levels on their insignia, as stars, bars, and chevrons, so it is “public” knowledge.
Fort Commander, Red Sky Buffalo, mature large Wood Elf, Elite Griffon Rider 16th, Arcane Archer 12th, Commander 9th.
Fort Seer, Eye o Neut, wood elf / Oriental (1/2 elf), female, Corellon Cleric 13, Druid 12, Elite Prophet 9, Arcane Archer 7th, Command 5th,
FortMage, SunCloud FeyDragon, Pixie/Gnome, female, often in chambers
Mage Squad Commander
Fort Healer, Glade Stream Deerfey, WD Elf, Correllon Cleric 14th, Druid 11th, Griffon Rider 8th, “Allnessing bless you”
BattleMage, in the field
BattleMage Support, in the field
Battle Commander, in the field
Battlefield Healer, in the field
Siege Engineer Mage, in the field
Intelligence Uniforms tell you nothing, Killoren / Lightfoot, androgynous,
Logistics Command (“LC Officer”), Corellon Cleric 12th, Comms, Logi, Support (“CLS”) Engineer 10th, Archer 9th, Griffon Rider 8th, Command 5th
Fort Crafter, Gnome,
Fort Artificer subclass Seige Engineer, Gnome / Spriggan
Artificer subclass Field Artillerist, Jungle Hairfeet Halfling, female, in the field, spec equip for goblinoids, dragons, dinos
Artificier subclass Alchemist, Half Human,
Alchemist, Arcane Archer, Half Gnome,
Tree Warden, Grethvalen Bear, Griffon rider 8th, slender Giant Fairy / Wood Elf, Druid 15th, Arcane Archer 14th, Tree Engineer 9th,
Captain of the Treefort, GladSong Bearpaw, Wood Elf, female, Paladin 10th, Long Sword Blademaster 9th, Arcane Archer 8th, Griffon Rider 8th, Commander 5th, always carries a deep obsidan spear,
Captain of the Watch, DaemonBane GrifFenFey, mature large Giant Pixie/ 1/2 (wd/gry) elf, elite griffon rider 10th, Arcane Archer 8th, Commander 7th,
Captain of Training, DrakBrock Wolfson, Human / Hobgoblin, Elite Griffon rider 11th, Arcane Archer 9th, carries a great swd, “ifIcan youcan”
Quartermaster
Mount Trainer, Killoren, female, usually in the aeries
Mount Handler, Sun(ny) Grass Pen, Oriental, female, usually in the aeries
Armorer,
Arsenal Officer,
Black Smith,
Bowyer
Fletcher
Garrison harness and saddle maker, Gnome, Griffon Rider, usually in the workshop
Pidgeon Master, Eagle Rider Bear, Corellon Cleric 8th, Druid 7th, Archer 5th, Killoren female,
First Sarge, Giant Woodelf, female
Garisson Sargent,
Armoury Sargent,
Supply Sargent,
Scout Sargent,
15 Scouts (12 in the field)
250 Dire Squirrels, (100 in the field)
130 Garrison (90 in the field)
20 Trainees
Pub House, Store, & Inn, Commons Room
Top of the main trunk stairwell
Inn Tender, Gray Elf, female, sorcerer, Corellon cleric, archer, griffon rider,
Bartender, Musician, fighter, cleric, short rotund Wood Elf
Merchant, mage, Musician, Throwback Elf
Bob Dallyman, Cook, Musician, Human / Wild Elf
Server, Giant Wood Elf, female, bouncer, musician, fighter
Most days the following will be in the Commons Room
Lilting Dawn Song, Bard, Archer, Human, female
Hamr Stormr, Merc Broker, fighter, rogue, Spriggan / Tree Gnome
Relic Hunt Otter, Oral, Maps, & Ancient, Loremaster, gnome/elf
Clive Guy, dood always looking for info about ancient ruins or maps from them, human / hobgoblin
Artificer, Arcane Archer, half dragon
Johon Van Hessling, Half Human, Artificer subclass Alchemist,
2 or 3 fort officers
Garisson Sargent
7-37 off duty garrison
5 Barge Pilots
3 Wood Elf, Elf giant – type whoops, Gnome
5-8 dire squirrels, drinking small glasses of mead, 1 is wearing a beret, 2 or 3 have daggers, 2 or 3 have tiny crossbows.
Boatswain, Mist Breeze Deer, Arcane Archer, Ranger, Giant Pixie, female, longbow, longsword, 5 pigeons, tracking necklace, map, scout pack (everything one could need), 18′ Canoe, 7 paddles, Hard Tack Acorn Pemmican in waterproof bladders hung tight from the inside edges
Boatswain, Ol Dirty Boar, Arcane Archer, Ranger, Wood Elf, longbow, longsword, 5 pigeons, tracking necklace, map, scout pack (everything one could need), 18′ Canoe, 7 paddles, Hard Tack Acorn Pemmican in waterproof bladders hung tight from the inside edges
(The canoes are downstairs by the docks.)