Pýli tou Tros (/pili: tu: trɑs /)
Πɪλι τον Τρωτσ
Mostly constructed in the last days of the Empire to serve as the primary defense against the increasingly independent Kingdom of Gallaca, and finished during the Exarchate of Halion early in the post-Imperial, the Pýli tou Tros (Tower of the Cross) has long stood, as a major port of entry between Gallaca and the Aeillan Region. Several centuries of underoccupancy, and some amount of neglect have seen many of the defenses and infrastructure fall into ruin, though the central citadel remains as strong as ever.
Purpose / Function
Built at the very tail end of the Aeillan Imperial perod, the Pýli tou Tros was constructed to serve as the main port of entry from Gallaca into Aeilla, and as its primary defense against any possible hostile action against the increasingly independent Kingdom. It was also built as the key centerpiece of the western wall, a chain of forts running across the Southern Odric Mountains.
Design
The Pýli tou Tros was designed as a large, complex fortress capable of hosting a full Tourma to defend itself, as well as serving as the main lynchpin of the defense of the west. Several smaller fortresses and outer curtains connected by a network of tunnels which enabled soldiers to transit the various parts of it without fear of attack by enemies. Centerpiece of it all is the citadel, a massive heavily fortified construction built on top of a steep hill. The Pýli tou Tros was designed for defense in depth allowing outer sections to be abandoned as necessary without compromising the rest of the defense, and allowing even comparatively limited numbers of defenders to do the work of a Tourma, and hold indefinitely with its full garrison.
Valuables
The Pýli tou Tros' citadel maintains a vault that contains a fair amount of Old Imperial coinage and silver and mithral bullion that has been used by the Exarchate as an emergency reserve to pay for its remaining soldiers and for mercenaries. Though the reserve has been heavily depleted in the past few centuries, it remains an impressive collection of wealth.
Hazards & Traps
Many of the tunnels between sections of the fortress have been designed to collapse if necessary, in order to contain hostiles who have breached the outer defenses and seized them. The various fortifications of the Pýli tou Tros are also host to a number of deadly hazards such as arrow loops, murder holes, and other means of delivering death and destruction upon invaders. Outside the fortifications themselves, many of the actively defended kill zones have had pitfall traps, fire pits, and pre-sighted kill-zones for the fortress' artillery. As sections have been abandoned however, many of these outer defenses have been destroyed.
Special Properties
The Pýli tou Tros' central citadel was heavily enchanted as part of its construction, given its position on an active spot for earthquakes, many of these enchantments were made to protect the citadel from earthquakes. Magical protections have also fortified the walls against magical attack, prevent unnatural flight over the fortress, and enchantments placed on ballistae to defend against attack from dragons and other dangerous flying creatures.
Alterations
The Pýli tou Tros has seen little new construction since its completion, as the Exarchate of Halion has had dwindling resources and manpower to maintain an old fortress, never mind expansions or improvements. Most of the construction made has been to try and keep the outer curtains from falling into ruin. The only modification of note was the modification of the upper battlements to support a couple of batteries of light guns.
History
As the Aeillan Empire went into decline, and began to hemorrhage territory, especially west of the Odric Mountains, the Empire's military sought out a way to defend its shrinking frontiers with less manpower. As a result, Imperial officials began constructing a chain of fortresses in the western Odric Mountains, as well as the Great Wall to the North. The main pass into Gallaca was selected as the location for a large fortification guarding the main entrance into Aeilla. Construction started shortly after the end of the Feloran conflict, and would be mostly complete before the start of the Succession War halted construction. The fortress would be completed by the Exarchate of Halion.
After completion, the fortress would stand watch over the pass between the lands for the centuries of the Reforging Era. After several wars with Spathos, and the loss of Salemesia the Exarchate lost a lot of the resources and manpower that had been necessary to keep up the fortress. As a result, the fortress began to fall into disrepair, with a handful of the fortress' outer wards being abandoned. Since the decline of Halion, the fortress has been raided periodically, though few attacks made any significant headway despite the weakened state of the garrison.
Founding Date
ER 25
Type
Fortress
Parent Location
Owning Organization
