Hillfort

The folk of the lowlands dwell in hillforts, though much unlike the large hill forts of the southern tribes. They choose to occupy a steep sided lofty hill, defending the citadel with a single rampart and a ditch. The rampart walls are made of timbers stacked horizontally and filled with stone rubble to create a platform defended by a wooden palisade. A ditch is then dug in front of the rampart giving the walls extra height and creating another encumbrance for anyone who would attempt to assail the place. These ditches are often thickly planted with brambles or winds or some other sharply barbed and unpleasant shrubs. The ditch itself becoming a midden of stinking refuse from the enclosures occupants. 
In these forts can be found small settlements of a number of roundhouses, usually inhabited by an extended family or small clan that lay claim to the surrounding land within view of the fort. In times of war a signal is sounded by the blowing of horns and all the folk in the lands make their way to the fort to take up arms in the defense of the place. The men man the ramparts, reigning down missiles from the positions and the women to. The young and infirm bringing them continued supplies. 
All the lowlands tribes live in this way, so that there are hundreds of these forts spread over the land. There is scarcely a lofty position that isn't the site of a fort or watchhill so that they are all placed within view of one another creating intervisibility between the clansfolk. When the clansfolk of an area are in league with one another they can quickly raise the alarm between many hilltops by way of horn signals or fire signals. When the enemy is in the vicinity the word spreads quickly between all the clansfolk in the forts and before long they can muster their forces and set about the invaders. This way the small hillforts of the lowlands come together to form a formidable defense that is much greater than the sum of its parts. For it would be difficult for any enemy to lay siege to all of the forts. Some might say this arrangement is superior to the large hillforts towns of the southern tribes that have fallen to a single siege that have driven the occupants to destruction.

Type

Fort