The Fort

The Fort is the secondary Vindicator base, used mainly for combat training, reconnaissance, and receiving messages from the Kingfisher Inn and other allied equines.

Constructed during summer and autumn of 1701, the Fort was established due to Shale’s concerns about safety, should the Vindicators keep as a single band. After the re-unification of the Vindicators, the Fort remains manned by Vindicator Soldiers and Elites.

It can not be visited by non-Vindicators, including family members. Its exact location is protected from prying minds by talismans possessed by each Vindicator.

## Role and Purpose

The Fort has become a secondary base, and although it is always manned, it is generally home to a much smaller number of Vindicators than the Bunker. Most Vindicators don’t live at the Fort permanently either, staying there for 1-2 months before swapping out with another member of the faction, and returning to the Bunker.

The Fort is used mostly for training, mission briefing and debriefing, and it's also responsible for receiving messages from the Kingfisher Inn and other Vindicator allies. The Vindicators here are adult members, or older Cadets who are almost ready to take on active duties. Most residents are Soldiers, although a few Supports stay around to man the garden and forge.

The Fort can also be used for extra storage, or to detain prisoners, if the need arises. Due to being closer to War Lord’s road, it's the preferred location to launch attacks on War-Forged caravans.

## Outside and Surroundings

The Fort stands about day’s brisk walk from the War Lord’s road, hidden in the Silverpine forest. There is what seems to be a permanent concentration of fog around the base, shielding it from view.

Plant and Earth Manipulation have both been used to make the Fort habitable, but also very well hidden. If you don’t know what you are looking for, it is quite difficult to notice any signs of habitation until you literally stumble into the construction itself.

The forests immediately surrounding the Fort are filled with discreetly marked traps, such as pits, snares and tripwires. None of the traps are lethal (as it is entirely possible an ally could run into them) but sufficient to hold someone who tried to get too close.

The forest itself has been manipulated to form a sort of a fort, hence the name. Earth and living matter have been used to form a wall around the main buildings, with a natural river gently redirected to form a moat that can only be crossed along one earthen bridge. The walls of the “castle” are earth and rock, with plenty of plant life on them to mask them from view in the forest until one is close - bushes and even young trees grow on them, allowing those patrolling the walls to remain largely unseen.

The fort is entered over the landbridge, and then up stone steps onto the wall, which has been formed in such a way that one must walk around the entire perimeter of gently sloping earth to get to the set of stone stairs leading down into the fort itself.

The “courtyard” has been planted with various vegetables and berry bushes, while the river can be used for freshwater. The courtyard is also home to a basic forge, and a small sparring grounds, both of which are completely enclosed within the walls.

No trees have been felled in the immediate vicinity of the Fort to hide it - the Vindicators have largely built with living materials. If wood is needed, it is brought in from further away.

Some hundred feet from the Fort, there is a natural cave enlarged with Earth Manipulation, used to house the wyvern, Pepper. An underground tunnel connects the cave to the Fort.

## Entrance

The Fort consists of a total of four separate areas, some of which are connected by underground tunnels. All of these “buildings”, as they were, are inside the walls of the Fort. Parts of the base are deep underground, while some areas are in the roots and trunks of the massive trees or inside the earthen wall. These are the keep, the rooms, the cellar, and the wall.

The entrance to the main keep is hidden underneath the roots of a ginormous Silverpine tree, forming a natural doorway. Plant manipulation has been used to change the shape of the tree, allowing for space both within its cavernous trunk and in the earth among her roots. The tunnels and halls are lit by torches.

The rooms have a similar entry point, although less grand - a simple magic-carved hole in a tree trunk revealing hard pressed earth stairs down. The staircase is lit with torches.

The cellar stands on the other side of the Fort, and is entered through a hole in the ground, gently sloping down. The entrance is lined by rocks. No lights are kept in this part of the Fort, as the cellar is used for storage only, and those who need something from it bring a torch with them.

The final part of the Fort is the wall itself. Right behind the stairs leading down into the courtyard is a tight entrance into the wall. The space within is not very large at all, but allows one to walk around the wall on the inside, while observing the outside through a few small arrow slits.

## Inside

Compared to the Bunker, or even the new Bunker, the Fort is much rougher construction on the inside - the effort was spent mostly on defenses and the walls, rather than large inside spaces. Everywhere in the keep and the rooms, the main living areas, the presence of the silverpine can be felt. Silvery roots snake to the surface of walls, and together with the earth, create the sensation of being almost one with the forest.

The keep consists of two floors - the smaller upper floor that is almost on the ground level, and larger downstairs. The upper floor is partially within the great tree itself and lit with lanterns and torches. This space is used for storing weapons, armor, and other essentials. There’s space for maintenance duties, and equipment relating to that. The wooden walls have been painted with images of all five gods.

The lower floor acts as the main gathering, sparring and community area. It is a much larger single room, with one nook dedicated to being used as a kitchen. The kitchen has a small root cellar and a large firelit stove that also provides heat. Most of the space is open, with simple hay mattresses and a low wooden table for laying out plans or simply eating. Training dummies and wooden swords line the walls of the room. There are also toys, personal crafts projects and other signs of habitation here.

From the lower floor, a lit tunnel leads to the rooms.

The rooms are deeper underground than the parts of the keep. This is where the Vindicators sleep, with a familiar setup of pallets in neat rows. There is a large fireplace to keep warm, from which the smoke is led out through an earthen chimney. The room is always well lit, and almost cosy, even with the silver roots snaking along all the walls. Like with the Bunker, the fireplace is kept unlit if there’s reason to believe hostiles are nearby.

The cellar is a simple cellar - dark, somewhat dank and filled with various goods. Typically, only supplies for up to a month of operation are kept here, with main storage being at the Bunker. In the furthest corner, behind a bend in the earth, is a hidden painting of Digend, acting as her shrine.

Within the wall, there is a narrow space just wide enough for one to effectively use a bow. This space is mostly used for additional storage of durable goods and kept unlit.

In addition to the main spaces, a somewhat confusing network of tunnels snake their way around the Fort and its surroundings, making for speedy getaways and easy places to hide. Currently they mostly see use as training tools for evacuation or ambushes.