Wyrm's Rock

Wyrm’s Rock is a formidable fortress. Arrowslits dot its foot-thick granite walls, promising a stiff challenge to anyone foolhardy enough to assault the structure from the water. The fortress occupies most of the islet, leaving only the narrowest shelf between its sheer walls and a plunge into the river below. The area’s near-constant rain and river currents have worn smooth the islet’s sides, which are almost always slick with algae. Attempting to scale the small island while under attack from the fort’s archers would be a suicidal endeavor.

When the drawbridges are raised, the only way to enter Wyrm’s Rock is by climbing up a steep set of exposed stairs to a staunchly barred sally port. And spotting its tiny jetty, which is set below a long, steep, and exposed set of stairs, is a challenge at a distance.
No roadway around the fort exists; all traffic looking to cross to the other side of the bridge must pass through the fortress’s guarded tunnel. A painted board featuring the emblem of The Flaming Fist hangs above the tunnel’s entrance. The tunnel dominates the forts first floor and is one long gauntlet of murder holes and arrow-slits. Several offices and chambers that support toll collecting and provide some comfort to the guards complete the tower’s first floor.
The second floor of Wyrm’s Rock is an armory well stocked with oil, rocks, javelins, arrows, and other implements designed to kill invaders. Guests on their way to the second floor are warned to watch their step, lest they break an ankle stepping into a murder hole. (This warning is just entertainment for bored guards; all the murder holes are kept covered under normal circumstances to prevent such accidents and to keep travelers from dropping trash through them.)
Above the armory are the officers’ and enlisted mercenaries’ quarters. A shooting gallery encircles each level of barracks. In a pinch, Wyrm’s Rock could uncomfortably garrison about a hundred soldiers. Typically, between twenty-five and fifty mercenaries are present here.
Below bridge level in Wyrm’s Rock, a high ceilinged dungeon is used as a storeroom. It holds provisions and a dozen canoes, in case soldiers need to launch a quick maneuver or counterattack along the river. The dungeons have a holding area for prisoners that use wall-attached manacles. The only reason someone might be held in this location would be in the case of a riot or fire making travel across the bridge too dangerous. This situation most recently occurred in the aftermath of Duke Valarken’s failed coup. Disguised patriar sympathizers were captured as they tried to leave the city. Since the mob on Wyrm’s Crossing was out for blood, the prisoners were held in the dungeon until they could be spirited out the sally port and sailed to the Seatower of Balduran.
(Murder in Baldur's Gate, 2013)
This formidable fortress rises from the center of the river on an algae-slick islet, its sheer walls nearly impossible to scale. Built by the Flaming Fist on a rock once said to have housed a bronze dragon, the fortress is the first checkpoint at which Baldur's Gate taxes northbound travelers. Anyone seeking to cross the river via the fortress's two massive bridges must pay the 5 cp toll and pass through the fortress via a long central tunnel riddled with arrow slits and murder holes. Between twenty-five and fifty Flaming Fist soldiers staff the checkpoint, which operates only during the day. After dark, the drawbridges on either side of the keep are raised, halting all traffic and forcing latecomers to take shelter at one of the many bridge-top inns in Wyrm's Crossing until morning.
The fortress has four levels: the bridge level, taken up by the gauntlet tunnel and offices devoted to traffic management; a second-story armory full of oil, javelins, and everything the soldiers need to withstand a siege; a third story for soldier's quarters; and a high-ceilinged dungeon level below the bridges to hold temporary prisoners and the fortress's supply of small boats (should the garrison need to sally through heavily fortified river-level gates). Soldiers stationed in the fortress tend to fall into two categories: those disappointed at being stuck on toll-collection duty so far from the city, and those overjoyed at easy work and a chance to carouse in Wyrm's Crossing, with the latter ensuring that the Fist doesn't patrol their neighboring bridges too heavily.
The commander of Wyrm's Rock, an old brute named Skorpin Crane, died in his sleep recently. Foul play was ruled out, and Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard was in the midst of finding Crane's replacement when he was lured away on a diplomatic mission to Elturel. Until a replacement is found, the Mage Defender of Wyrm's Rock, a neutral evil shield dwarf mage named Gardak Horn, has taken command. The guards loathe Gardak because he uses a homunculus to spy on them.
(Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, 2019)

Type

Fort