Fortification

Sturdy castles and great stone walls protect the Imperial heartlands.

Overview

The world of Empire is littered with walled settlements, fortresses, keeps, castles and fortified bridges. These lesser structures may be the target of a quest or skirmish but they are not important for the calculation of army strength present in a territory. Only mighty fortifications are notable - networks of carefully positioned forts; great stone walls with sentinel towers and the like. All these bastions boast powerful garrisons, which will fight to support allied military campaigns but may be depleted in the process.

Benefits

• All fortifications provide two key benefits that help to protect the territory and the people who live there
• A fortification includes a garrison of soldiers that will defend the territory if is attacked
• A fortification includes a bastion that makes the region where it is built harder to conquer
• Military units can help defend a fortification

Fortifications provide two key benefits. First, every fortification includes a garrison, a body of troops that will intercept opposing armies, or support friendly armies, anywhere in the territory. For as long as the garrison is still standing, they protect the entire territory.

Second, each fortification also includes a bastion that directly protects the region they are in, making it more difficult for opposing armies to conquer it. This also helps to protect the people who live in the region and other commissions built there. Even the Druj are not so foolish to attempt to destroy property in a region where there is a powerful bastion opposing them.

Military Units can support a fortification, aiding the garrison if it is active and defending the bastion if it is attacked.

Garrison

• A starting fortification includes a garrison of 3,000 fighting strength that takes part in any battle in the territory
• Garrisons suffer casualties in the same way that armies do
• If the fighting strength of the garrison is reduced to zero it takes no further action or casualties
• A garrison in a territory with no opposing forces present during the season naturally resupplies up to 300 casualties
• The Empire can use a Senate motion to use mithril or weirwood to emergency resupply a garrison in any territory where no opposing forces are present

A garrison represents a body of soldiers connected to a fortification. They take part in a military campaign in the territory, applying their fighting strength against invading enemies or fighting alongside friendly armies.

Garrisons suffer casualties in the same way as an Imperial army would. If its fighting strength is reduced to zero, the garrison becomes inactive - it takes no further action or casualties, and military units taking an action no longer add their strength to its effectiveness. The garrison can be rebuilt as long as the fortification it is attached to still exists.

When a fortification is upgraded, each level of fortification increases the strength of the garrison by 3,000.

Garrisons benefit from resupply like an Imperial army. A garrison will recover a tenth of their maximum strength each season that there are no enemy forces in their territory. They can also receive emergency resupply provided the garrison is not engaged in a campaign that season. If the garrison takes part in a campaign - either attacking, being attacked or being part of a larger force that attacks - then any attempt to use emergency resupply fails.

Emergency resupply of a garrison requires an appropriately worded Senate motion (or a title using a power devolved from the Senate such as the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies), using either mithril or weirwood at the same rates as an army. As with an army, the first 20 wains of weirwood or mithril in a single season restore 25 strength for each wain allocated. The next 20 wains provide an additional 20 strength each an so on, up to a maximum of 100 wains in a single season. In addition to materials, emergency resupply costs 2 crowns per wain. The rate of emergency resupply resets each season so the mithril and weirwood spent in a subsequent season is not affected by earlier actions.

Sturdy castles and great stone walls protect the Imperial heartlands.

Bastion

• A starting bastion increases the number of victory points required to take the region it is built in by 10
• A starting bastion does not defend the territory or cause casualties - the garrison does that
• The bastion takes a share of the casualties if the region is attacked
• A starting bastion starts with 3000 integrity, it collapses into ruin if this number is reduced below 1000
• Damage caused by armies is reduced by 80%
• A bastion can only be restored with emergency resupply using wains of white granite

A bastion is a physical structure such as a castle, tower, or citadel. It makes the region it is built in harder to take. Each level of fortification increases the number of victory points required to take the region the bastion is in by 10.

A bastion does not defend the territory or cause casualties, but it does take a share of casualties if the region is attacked. A starting bastion has an integral strength of 3000, it will collapse if this number is reduced below 1000. The damage suffered by a bastion during a military campaign by opposing forces is reduced by four-fifths. Damage from other sources may not be reduced in this way - for example Thunderous Tread of the Trees does full damage to the integrity of any bastions in the territory.

Any damage to the integrity of a bastion must be repaired with the expenditure of white granite, and requires an appropriately worded Senate motion (or a title using a power devolved from the Senate such as the Imperial Master of Works). The costs are the same as for emergency resupply for armies - in a single season, the first 20 wains of white granite restore 25 integrity for each wain allocated and so on.

Any surviving members of the garrison will always fight to defend the bastion if it is attacked. The garrison is automatically lost if the bastion is destroyed.

Senate Commission

The Imperial Senate can pass motions to create new fortifications, or to improve or repair existing ones. Every fortification occupies a single region; a given region may only contain one fortification.

In addition to a Senate motion, there are two Imperial titles able to announce the construction of a new fortification: the Master of the Koboldi and the Legion Engineer. The Imperial Master of Works, the Legion Engineer, and the Master of the Koboldi are each also able to announce the improvement of a single fortification each season.

Costs

• Materials: 80 white granite and 30 thrones.
• Time: 1 year to construct
• Upkeep: 15 thrones per season.

Improvement

• Fortifications can be upgraded to increase the size of the garrison and the bastion by 3000 each
• Increasing the strength of an existing fortification is cheaper than building a new one

Fortification Level	Cost
1	80 wains, 240 crowns
2	70 wains, 210 crowns
3+	60 wains, 180 crowns

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to upgrade the defences of an existing fortification. Improving a fortification takes one year to complete. The fortification must be controlled by the Empire throughout. Increasing the level of fortification increases the strength of the garrison by 3,000, increases the amount of damage the bastion can take by 3,000, and increases the number of VPs needed to take the region by 10.

Strengthening an existing fortification is cheaper than building a new one - the table shows the costs to raise the level of a fortification from one to level two and the cost to raise it to level three or above. There are no further discounts in cost above level 3.

Upkeep

• Each level of fortification requires 10 thrones a season in upkeep

Fortifications require less money to pay for their upkeep than an Imperial army - but they are still not free. A basic fortification costs 10 thrones per season; upgraded fortifications have an upkeep of 10 thrones per level of fortification.

If there is insufficient income in the Imperial treasury to pay for the upkeep of a fortification then the fortification provides no benefits of any kind that season - the garrison will not fight and the bastion does not make the region harder to take.

Military units

• Military units can be assigned to support a fortification
• If the garrison is still standing, the military unit supports the garrison
• If the garrison has been destroyed, the military unit supports the fortification

Some wealthy or powerful citizens maintain their own independent military unit. These units can use the guarding action to support a fortification. The unit supports the garrison in any campaign that season, provided it has not been destroyed (it has an effective strength greater than zero). If the garrison has been wiped out, the soldiers defend the bastion instead. They apply their military strength against a force attacking the bastion, both resisting attempts to conquer the region and causing casualties, but obviously this only applies if the region containing the bastion is attacked.

The experienced and capable troops in a military unit provide an advantage out of proportion to their numbers. A starting military unit adds the equivalent of 100 soldiers to the strength of any fortification they support. Improved military units provide additional strength, and there are enchantments such as Aspect of the Mountain or Peregrine and Ichimos that can further bolster the ability of a military unit to support a fortification.

Rituals

The table below shows a list of the rituals in both Imperial lore and Urizen lore which can affect a fortification.

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Current Fortifications

This table lists all working fortifications in the Empire. This list was last updated following the Autumn Equinox 387YE.

Fortification	Nation	Territory	Region	Level
Beacons of Hahnmark	Wintermark	Hahnmark	Kalpamark	0
Beacons of Kallavesa	Wintermark	Kallavesa	Rundhal Marsh	0
Aleksandra's Watch	Varushka	Karsk	Lestasny	1
Ballaghadruh	The League	Spiral	Ossuary	1
Court of the White Fountain	Urizen	Redoubt	Optarion	1
Diplomatenschloss	Highguard	Necropolis	Hedrossan	1
Farstrider's Watch	The Marches	Mournwold	Greensward	1
Forte Fidelis	The Marches	Mitwold	Golden Downs	1
Great Chains of Sarvos	The League	Sarvos	Cigno	1
Grimhold	Varushka	Miekarova	Perumaki	1
La Redotta Rezia	The League	Tassato	Tassato Mestra	1
Landskeepers Bulwark	The Marches	Mournwold	Freemoor	1
Palace of Apulian	The League	Spiral	Apulus	1
Quicksilver's Flame	Urizen	Morrow	Peregro	1
Swans of Alabaster and Onyx	Highguard	Reikos	Riverwatch	1
The Little Boyar's Welcome	Varushka	Karov	Duzekani	1
The Will of the Wintermark	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	Skogei Glens	1
Towers of Zulgan Tash	Varushka	Ossium	Drownbark Forest	1
Walls Of Cargo	Urizen	Redoubt	Limus	1
Walls of Gildenheim	Imperial Orcs	Skarsind	Gildermark	1
Fortress of Kalant	Wintermark	Sermersuaq	Stark	2
Houndsgate	Dawn	The Barrens	The Plains of Teeth	2
Olgafsdottirshal	Wintermark	Sermersuaq	Tanikipari	2
Our Lady of Pride	The League	Sarvos	Foracci	2
Remember Exile	Highguard	Reikos	Broken Ride	2
Reumah’s Rest	Highguard	Necropolis	Coursmouth	2
Temeschwar	The League	Temeschwar	Hanuri	2
The Adamant Gate	Dawn	Semmerholm	Estmure	2
The Silent Sentinel	Highguard	Casinea	Mareholm	2
The Castle of Thorns	Dawn	Astolat	Withy	3
Walls of Holberg	The League	Holberg	Holfried	5

Former Fortifications

These fortifications are no longer active. This happens automatically if a fortification is abrogated by the Imperial Senate but in most cases it is because the structure has been captured or destroyed by barbarians.

Fortification	Nation	Territory	Region
Fort Braydon	The Brass Coast	Kahraman	Braydon's Jasse
Fort Mezudan	The League	Spiral	Ateri
Holmauer	The League	Holberg	Holmauer
Holt of the Oak	Navarr	Therunin	Lower Tarn Valley
Orchard's Watch	The Marches	Mournwold	Greensward
Overton Garrison	The Marches	Mournwold	Greensward
Rebeshof	The League	Holberg	Rebeshof
Salt Guard	The Brass Coast	Madruga	Siroc Bayou
Schogsfestnir	Navarr	Liathaven	Liaven's Glen
The Eastern Guard	The Marches	Upwold	Birchland
The Stork's Gaze	Urizen	Zenith	Lustri
Tower of the Scorpion	Varushka	Ossium	Echofell
Towers of the Dawn	Dawn	The Barrens	Dawnguard

Further Reading

Core Brief

• Military Council
• War

Additional Information

• Imperial armies
• Army orders
• Navy orders
• Casualties
• Territory
• Army qualities
• Spy network
• Smugglers cove
• Fortification
• Campaign outcome