Castle Hart
History and Background
Castle Hart's story dates back to 349 CY, when the Order of the Hart had gathered enough funds to begin building a fortress. Politics over spending caused a schism in the Order. Most ofthe Order formed the Knights of Furyondy, who would actually begin work on Castle Hart. The other knights formed two smaller splinter groups, the Knights of Veluna and the Knights of the High Forests. All three groups remain on good terms to day, although they still disagree on the priorities of the Order.
In the year 358 CY, the Knights of Furyondy began construction of the castle. They chose a site at the junction of Crystal and Veng rivers. This position held great strategic value. Then, as today, the wicked Horned Society bordered the Crystal River. Furthermore, the Veng, flowing from the heart of that villainous land, had been used many times by the Horned Society to carry armies into combat. Thus, Castle Hart would form the first line of defense against the enemy. It would also allow the Order to control river traffic in more peaceful times.
The castle has grown throughout the centuries, but most of the construction was accomplished in the early years. Before any building could take place, however, the architects had to improve the site. The ground was mostly rock, but great patches of earth created an unstable foundation. A wizard friendly to the Order used mud to rock spells to firm up the land. While this occurred, the knights erected a wooden stock¬ ade around the construction site. They did not want the Horned Society to overrun the site before the outer walls could be completed
Hart's outer curtain wall was the first stoneworks built. Wooden buildings inside the wall housed laborers during the construction. It took an entire year to complete the curtain wall. When it was finished, the wooden stockade was torn down, and a moat was dug in its place. As the moat was formed, laborers constructed the main gatehouse.
The next project was to build the five towers of the star-shaped inner bailey. Once the towers were well underway, laborers began work on the connecting walls. They constructed the walls facing the water first. When finished, they began work on the inner walls. The entire job took more than two years.
At this point the architects faced their first major problem: the castle was sinking. Despite the early mud to rock spells cast by an architectural wizard, the ground was water-soaked. The towers and walls simply were too heavy for the soft ground. The Order brought back the wizard to fix the problem. It took a year to stabilize the castle and stop it from sinking. By the time the whole mess was straight¬ ened out, the base of the stone walls and towers was just under water mark. Even today, the Crystal and Veng rivers lap directly at the bottom of the stoneworks
Laborers constructed the manor house and its adjoining tower next. Then they attached a domed chapel to the manor house. With this addition, the castle was considered complete. The laborers' wooden housing became a barracks for the knights.
In the decades that followed, the castle served as a central gathering point for the Knights of Furyondy and the combined Order of the Hart. In addition, many diplomatic meetings were held here, most notably between the petty nobles of what would become the Shield Lands. In 407 CY, the knights built the castle's guesting house to accommodate the signing of a large treaty between Furyondy and these nobles.
In 412 CY, the staff ofCastle Hart outgrew the existing buildings. The relatively new guesting house required more servants than the castle could accommodate. A small side building was built between the manor house and the guesting house. Many of the servants were relocated into the new building.
By this time, the town of Port Valour had grown up along the southern shore of the Crystal River. The farmland south of the castle was good; the people were prosperous. Then as today, how¬ ever, the ground between the two rivers was too rocky for planting.
In 522 CY, the castle again underwent major construction. It was sorely in need of repair, having just survived a major siege by the Horned Society. After repairs were complete. Hart's fortified port was added. (The harbor wall and its towers still provide safe haven to any ships within.) At the same time, the laborers converted the old wooden barracks into a large, fortified structure with twice its original capacity.
Over the centuries, Castle Hart has been besieged many times. Although its concentric walls and square towers are now considered outdated designs (round towers are superior), the castle has proven its worth again and again. No enemy has managed to take it. Hart's stalwart presence has deterred all but the Horned Society and Iuz from many attacks. So far, the plans of the Horned Society have all been stopped here. Once, the Horned Society tried to bypass the castle and invade the heart of Furyondy. The famous belled cavalry of the Knights of Furyondy rode out of Castle Hart and swept them from the field. Since then, it has been widely accepted that any serious attempt to invade Furyondy from the north must involve the besieging of Castle Hart. The mighty fortress is truly the first line of defense.
Today, the castle serves as a central meeting place for the Order of the Hart, particularly for the Knights of Furyondy. Count Gladwell Solan is the castle's current lord. He is also High Commander of the Knights of Furyondy, as well as a member of the court of King Belvor IV of Furyondy. Count Solan always resides at Castle Hart.
Priests of St. Cuthbert
The priests stationed at Castle Hart worship St. Cuthbert, the patron of truth, forthrightness, and common sense. St. Cuthbert has a large following throughout the Flaeness. In Furyondy, St. Cuthbert is far more popular among the knights than among the general public. However, even among the Knights of Furyondy, his worshippers are a minority.
There is a great personal enmity between St. Cuthbert and Iuz. Furthermore, a great rivalry exists between those who follow St. Cuthbert and those who worship Pholtus (of the blinding light).
Priests and worshippers of St. Cuthbert are usually of lawful good alignment, and sometimes are lawful neutral. The table below lists the weapons allowed and spellcasting spheres available to the priests.
| Weapons | Spheres |
|---|---|
| Club | All |
| Flails | Charm |
| Maces | Combat (minor) |
| Morning Star | Divination |
| Staff | Protection (minor) |
| Sling | Healing Necromantic |
In addition to these spheres, the priests of St. Cuthbert have the following spells available to them: beguiling (2nd) *, create food & water (3rd), speak with dead (3rd), speak with plants (4th), dispel evil (5th), heroes' feast (6th), stone tell (6th), succor (7th), symbol (7th), holyword (7th). If you do not own the GREYHAWK® Adventures book, then ignore the beguiling spell.
St. Cuthbert's priesthood is divided into three orders: the Chapeaux, the Stars, and the Billets. The Chapeaux dress in varying garb, but all wear crumpled hats of brown and green tartan. They pin a copper starburst, St. Cuthbert's symbol, to the hats. The Chapeaux seek to convert people to the faith. Beginning at third level. Chapeaux priests can cast one shillelagh spell per day in addition to their normal spells.
The Stars wear dark green robes bearing the starburst symbol in a pin made of copper, gold, or platinum. The type of metal signifies the priest's status; copper is least esteemed, while platinum is most. Stars seek to retain doctrinal purity among the faithful; they tolerate no backsliding. Most Stars (70%) are lawful neutral. Beginning at fourth level, these priests can cast one ESP spell per day in addition to their normal spells.
The Billets are the most numerous of St. Cuthbert's priests. They don simple brown and russet garments and wear a holy symbol of a cudgel, carved from oak or bronzewood. Billets minister to and protect the faithful. Most (70%) are lawful good. Beginning at second level. Billets can cast one friends spell per day in addition to their normal spells.
The priests of Castle Hart are mostly Billets, but there is a healthy mixture of the Chapeaux and Stars as well. Billets are popular among the Knights of Furyondy, because both groups want to minister to and protect the people of that great kingdom.
The priests of St. Cuthbert trade spells with the clergy of other deities whom they encounter or visit. They refuse to deal with priests of Pholtus, however, preferring those of Ehlonna or Celestian instead.
General Terms
Like many castles, Hart includes these features.
Arrow Slits: An arrow slit is a V-shaped slot in a castle wall, through which archers inside can fire at the attackers outside. At its narrowest point, a slit in Castle Hart measures only 6 inches across and 3 feet high. At its widest point, the slit measures 8 feet across. This gives archers a 30- degree field of fire. In miniatures warfare, an archer gains a -4 AR bonus when firing from behind an arrow slit.
Crenelations or Battlements: Crenelations (also called "battlements ") are defensive barriers atop a tower or castle wall. The barrier has alternating gaps (merlons) and solid, toothlike segments (crenels). In Castle Hart, the battlements stand about 8 feet tall and measure 3 feet thick. The merlons are about half this height, which means a soldier who stands in front of one is still partially protected. (A merlon gives soldiers a -2 AR modifier.) Crenels also are 3 feet wide; they completely protect the soldiers who stand behind them.
Machicolations: Machicolations are galleries in the uppermost section of a wall or tower which hang over the rest of the structure. Openings in the floor of the overhang allow defenders to pour boiling liquids and drop stones and other objects on attackers outside who are standing below.
Glacis, Batter, Talus: These three terms all refer to a defensive slope at the base of a castle wall or tower. The slope helps fortify the wall and makes it difficult to begin mining efforts beside it. In addition, the slope hinders ascent of the wall and makes attackers more vulnerable to archers firing from above. Heavy objects dropped from machicolations above often bounce off the slope and ricochet into enemy forces.
Sally/Sortie: These terms refer to rushing assaults that a castle's garrison makes against besieging forces.
Magical Features
The presence of magic has given Hart a few features that differ considerably from those of traditional, real-world castles. Hart's builders had unlimited access to priests of St. Cuthbert. They also had limited access to a powerful wizard.
The wizard's contributions were few in number, but great in consequences. As noted above, he firmed the ground for construction. The following chapters in this book describe two other works by the same man: a glassteel window and the illusionary postern gate, which surely must be the result of wish magic.
In contrast, the priests' contributions are great in number, but none has had a major effect. For example, the walls and rooms of Castle Hart all bear sconces that are suitable for holding a torch. Instead of a torch, however, each holds a small stone upon which the priests have cast continual light. Castle Hart has a virtually limitless supply of these stones.
The light generated by a continual lightspell is too bright for comfort indoors. For this reason, a small piece of thin cloth covers each stone, softening the glow. A wooden lid attached to each sconce can be set over it to vanquish the light altogether.
Rooms that demand extra protection frequently have a glyph of warding set upon them. Some of these glyphs are quite old, having never been tripped. Others are fairly fresh. Hart's priests obtain these magical glyphs from temples that are devoted to other deities.
Knights of Furyondy
Castle Hart is the base of operations for more than 1,000 cavalrymen. Two hundred of these brave riders are the elite Knights of Furyondy. On average, each knight commands four horsemen. The largest force belongs to Count Solan, High Commander and lord of the castle. He can muster 20 trained riders, in addition to heroes such as Sir William of Rolan, who serve Count Solan directly.
Each Knight of Furyondy is a 4th to 7th level knight or paladin. All are of good alignment, and each has unique arms and armor. Currently the order includes 14 paladins.
For the purpose of a large-scale battle, players may assume that all 200 knights are 5th level Fighters, equally armed and armored. (When they must fight in ranks, they willingly work together in this fashion.) Each has full plate mail and shield, a lance, a horseman s mace, and a dagger. They ride medium warhorses with leather barding.
The horsemen who serve the knights are 2nd level fighters, armed with spears (for charges) and horsemen s maces. Each rider wears banded mail and carries a shield. Their mounts are light war horses with no armor.
BATTLESYSTEM Game Conversion
The Knights of Furyondy have the following BATTLESYSTEM statistics: AD 10; AR 7; Hits 3; ML 15; MV 15.
The riders who serve them have these statistics: AD 8; AR 8; Hits 2; ML 13; MV 21.
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