Kendall Keep
Guilds and Factions
Merchants Guild
History
The Keep was founded some 30 years ago by Macsen Wledig, a successful adventurer who, having reached the stage in his career when he had begun to attract followers, decided to retire and build his own stronghold with the proceeds of his exploits. He chose an area on the fringe of civilized lands, The Tors, and with the blessings of the Yeomanery, he proceeded to build a stronghold atop a low flat tor, right alongside an important trade route. He proceeded to drive all the monsters from the land, including what is not referred to as the Caves of Chaos, and peasants and freemen attracted by the protection of his fortress would settle nearby. Withing a few years he would have his own village at the heart of a region of well defended farms and fields, the beginning of his own barony. Things remained the same for a score of years until The Greyhawk Wars.
With the Yeomanery under siege from the Giant Tribes of the Yuntil Mountains, Lord Mascen gathered all his troops, except for the few he left behind to man the Keep until his return, he marched away and was never seen in the Tors again. He fell in battle with all his men around him. When peace came at last word of the disaster finally reached the Keep. The castellan long held out hope that the rumors where fall, but at last had to admit that his master, and almost all his own comrades where dead.
Fortunately, Macsen had chosen his castillan well. Devereau was a faithful henchmen and who only stayed behind because of a crippling would recieved on an early adventure. After calling a meeting of all the inhabitants he discussed their situation and put before them three options: abandon the Keep and each return to his or her homeland, dividing the remaining treasury equally; to invite a new lord or lady to come and to obey his or her will as they had Mascen's; or to appoint a new leader from among their number. Following much debate they chose the last of these, asking Devereau to continue as castellan and see them through the difficult times ahead, renewing his appointment at a town meeting at the end of each year.
in the years since the keep has slowly rebuild its strength. Much of the old parade grounds had to be transformed into vegitabl plots to better feed the remaining population that had to move into the walls of the keep for protection. The wisdom of this polocy has been tested and proven. Three times the Keep has been attacked or besieged by humanoids or bandits, and each time it has held out and overcome its foes. Today its a small and until recently thriving community by people who have invested years of hard work into making this their home and willing to defend it to the bitter end.
Architecture
This is a full castle, with a very large open area inside curtain walls and a strong keep called the Inner Bailey built into the back, far from the only entry point, the gate. Set on cliffs on all sides at least seventy feet high, with only one real entry point, this is a very secure location. Within the walls of the castle is a small village of sorts which will serve the needs of travelling merchants, who has seen better days since the merchant caravans have recently all but stopped to to recent attacks by humanoids and bandits. The keep its self is made of solid, well-fitted stone, with thirty foot walls topped with evenly spaced blocks called merlons that the defenders can hide behind or fire between at invaders.
Towers are placed at regular points with ballista in them (a sort of huge, heavy crossbow that is crew served). Catapults are also noted on the map, also crew served but even slower. Neither weapon is tremendously accurate, particularly the catapult, they are fired at an area, not a single target.
The walls are ten feet thick, with the merlons two feet square, and a raised area that the merlons are atop of three feet high, providing half cover for defenders. The portcullis is of hard steel and is held in place with a gear system. It can only be raised from within by the windlass system once the catch is released. It takes a full turn to raise the portcullis enough for a horse to ride through, or a phase to make enough space to crawl under. The bars are 7 defense and have 6 body each. The entire portcullis weighs 900 pounds.
Map of the Area around the Keep
Maps
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Kendall Keep
Alternative Name(s)
The Keep
Type
Outpost / Base
Population
250
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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