4. The Great Blockhouse GC3

Extending beyond the walls of the fortress proper, proudly Jutting from the southeast corner of the Citadel, stands the looming bulk of the Great Block house. Soaring 100 feet from the ground, it stands as a solid challenge, visible from all quarters of the city.

The blockhouse has been designed. like the gate house. as a small fortress in it's own right. It also serves as the central artillery platform for the Citadel.

The top of the blockhouse is surrounded by the typical Citadel parapet, allowing a full company of archers to dispense their missiles from the broad platform.

Additionally, a huge catapult is mounted at each of the four comers of the blockhouse roof, and an even more monstrous catapult sits upon a swivel mount on a raised platform in the center of the roof. From their commanding height, these weapons can ram death upon any attackers to the south and west of the Citadel walls, or within the courtyard itself.

Access to the blockhouse is controlled by a single door leading onto the top of the Citadel wall. The higher walls of the tower starting at 50 feet, and then at 10-foot intervals to the full height of the blockhouse-are lined with narrow arrow slits, too small to allow any but a halfling or child to pass.

The interior of the tower is pnmarily stonework columns supporting heavy, damp timbers through a series of six floors. The structure is designed, effectively, to be resistant to fire attacks. The six floors are connected by a spiraling stone staircase passing up the middle of the tower.

The bottom floor is at ground level, below the level of the entry door. Here are stored kegs of salt pork, dried fruit, and other nonperishable food, enough to feed three defending companies for three months. A deep hole in the middle of the floor leads to a well of cool, clean water. A secret door, known only to Derider and Sental, connects the inside of the well to the secret underground tunnels.

An undisguised trap door in the floor leads to a ladder descending a narrow shaft. This shaft connects to another tunnel that leads from the Blockhouse to a walled garden on the grounds of Grey College. This passage is used occasionally by officials and other guests of Derider or Sental who wish to enter or leave the Citadel unobserved. Its existence is not as closely guarded a secret as the tunnel connecting to the well, but neither is it public knowledge. In the event of an attack. this upper tunnel would be immediately collapsed.

The second level is a large, open room, designed as a mess hall and general assembly room for defenders. The upper four floors each have beds to accommodate 75 bowmen, blockhouse defenders, and also provide access to the arrow slits on the wall. Space for an extra group of 25 artillensts is crowded onto the upper floor.

During peacetime, the blockhouse is the quarters of 100 members of the City Watch, ten of whom are always standing guard atop the blockhouse. Another two are posted at the door to the wall top. Thirty guards are sleeping on one floor while another 1d20 are relaxing, off-duty, on another.

GC3: Great Blockhouse. This huge tower L rises 100 feet into the air to provide the E Citadel with a superb artillery platform. : Catapults and ballistae are mounted here, including one huge catapult mounted on a rotating platform. Only one door at ground level opens into the Great Blockhouse, and it is doubtless heavily defended. During peacetime, the Blockhouse is the quarters of 100. guards from the City Watch, 10 of whom stand guard on the roof in a rotating shift. A cutious rumor circulates that a tunnel leads from a secret door on the first floor of the Blockhouse all the way into Clerkburg. Watch guards arrest and interrogate anyone who so much as mentions any rumor of “secret tunnels” to them, so smart people who hear the rumor say nothing.

DM's Notes: Approaching aerial creatures, including winged mounts such as griffons, pegasi, and so forth, will be detected and attacked from the Great Blockhouse. If anti-dragon defenses exist, they are likely to be mounted here but would be kept secret. The tunnel from the Great Blockhouse runs to a small building on the campus of Grey College. The City Watch leaders know of it and have used it in the past to enter and leave the Grand Citadel unseen.