Thornwatch

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* Map

Thornwatch is the southeastern boundary of the Hollow Concord, bound betwixt steep mountain cliffs.

## Government

Predominantly a military outpost, a Legionos holds command over the settlement of Thornwatch, second-only to the Stregarch of the Rydooni army.

## Defence

Thornwatch is a highly defensible location, flanked on both sides by the Bristlebacks, with a strong military presence throughout the surrounding lands in barracks and training yards.

## Commerce

Akin to many of the other military outposts of the continent, most of the provisions available at Thornwatch were originally intended for military use, with more mercantile interests instead travelling further west to Rydoon.

## Organisations

Many merchant organisations find their products regularly passing through Thornwatch, whereas those of more illicit interests largely shun the settlement, preferring instead to take the road to the west, passing near the lesser garrison of Lansow Tower.

## Description

Originally constructed for much the same purpose as the other border bastions of the Hollow Concord, Thornwatch has become a major landmark on the continental scale with the emergence of the Bristlebacks. Now strategically positioned in a natural choke point, all traffic seeking to pass into the lands to the west by means of road or rail must utilise the mountain pass that Thornwatch now occupies. Lamented by some, the Hollow Concord has mandated that all carriages of any inbound Galeriders must be examined before passage is permitted, slowing journeys significantly.

The same is not expected of vessels departing the lands, though occasionally these too stop at Thornwatch to drop off provisions and supplies from the capital city. Following necessary constructions to accommodate the changing landscape around the citadel, a pair of towers flanking the Great Conduit were also built, the adjacent phosphoflux plates modified to facilitate their dampening to hold the rail carriages while the requisite searches are carried out.

By road, Thornwatch is an imposing gateway built into the stone wall that forms a physical barricade between the mountains to the northeast and southwest, the Galerider Rail track passing directly over the fifteen foot tall doorway. As above, so below, caravans and carriages are inspected before being permitted passage. Harsh penalties are handed out to guards that accept bribes to look the other way, but such actions are not entirely unheard of.

On the western side of the checkpoint industrious workshops and forges work to construct all manner of siege engines and defensive weaponry, the products of which have started to spill from the valleys hidden from public view as their extent continues to grow. Though repeated claims by the Hollow Concord that the uptick in production is simply in response to growing threats from monstrous creatures of the Bristlebacks, this statement has done little to assail the fears of those that share a border with the region, despite the truth weaved through it. The Bristlebacks, having sprung from the soil and stone some hundred years ago, have been a continuous source of petty foes, so no sooner did the rough crags emerge was it found that they already teemed with life, flora and fauna alike. Raids from tribes of gnolls, orcs, goblinoids and trolls serve as a danger for trade caravans passing through the gates of Thornwatch, their sudden appearance alongside the mountain range itself continuing to confound researchers seeking answers for the changes affecting the landscape continent-wide.

The inhabitants of the mountains do not exclusively bring hardship to the region however, as many griffons and pegasi can be found roosting in the foothills and higher peaks alike, both of which are highly prized as mounts for the elite legionaries of the Rydooni army.