West Gatehouse
The West Gatehouse protects the main entrance to the town of Nedev.
When entering Nedev through the Gatehouse, travelers are assessed a tax that is collected by the Gatekeeper.
The tax shall be assessed at
The gates themselves are kept open during daylight hours and closed just after dark each night. The Gatekeeper can open the gates at his discretion, but if he is asleep, it will take convincing of the watch to rouse him for that purpose, which is harder to do. And often the gatekeeper assesses a "night tax" when this happens.
Architecture
The bottom floor of the gatehouse houses a suite of rooms for the gatekeeper, Bandoris Ovidano and his family, as well as a common room for the Watch members assigned to duty here. The common room includes a small kitchen area, as well as a dining area and bunks for the Watch to rest in when not on active duty.
The second floor contains the mechanism for raising and lowering the portcullis, as well as supplies of bows and arrows, crossbows and bolts, oil and tar, and other weapons.
The two flanking towers are integral to the main building and provide a better angle for Watchmen to protect the gate from attack.
Defenses
The West gatehouse is is thirty feet tall and made of stone. The two flanking circular towers have ballistae that can be brought to bear on anyone crossing the West Bridge. It has arrow slits facing the bridge on the second floor, as well as murder holes between the two iron-reinforced gates that close of the passage through the gatehouse. There is also one portcullis that can be dropped just inside the outermost gate that serves as both an emergency, though less-secure way to close the gate, and additional support and reinforcement of the main gates when they are closed and the portcullis is lowered.
There are usually ten Watch members assigned to this gate at all times, although at night once the gates are closed, there are usually only two to four Watch members on duty.
Type
Gatehouse
Parent Location
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