River Tower
River Tower is a massive and ancient fortress complex located on the Morloth River, 35 miles west of the river's mouth at the Graywater Lake in Northern Imesse. Built in stages of the course of the last 300 years, it is a vast and rambling complex of walls, towers, keeps and ruins on the south bank of the river and is a central control point for several important trade and supply roads running through the western regions of Imesse.
River Tower is the ancestral seat of the Noble House of Lothman which has ruled vast areas of the far west for centuries. The fortress has seen many wars and battles and the graves of countless dead are scattered in tombs and mounds all around the fortress walls. The scars of these battles are still plainly visible in many sections of the walls and towers, most from the most recent conflict in 146 AF known now as The Second Great Orc War.
Purpose / Function
A huge and ancient fortress covering more than 13 acres. River Tower has nearly a mile of stone walls, a dozen stone towers (in varying states of repair), four distinct keeps and another half-dozen homes within those walls.
Design
River Tower holds an obvious but important strategic position on the Morloth River, and all east-bound trade and traffic on that river has to go directly past the fortress. In addition, there are five busy and vitally important roads that all intersect at Mordar, connecting nearly the entire north and west of Imesse to the royal capital at Northridge.
Denizens
730 people live and work in River Tower. Along with Lord Gustam and his family and retinue, there are nearly 300 men-at-arms of the Tower Guard, craftsmen, servants, cooks, maids, gardeners, footmen, officials and more. There is an Ecclesiast of the Pantheon of Heaven, as well as three High Priests and a half dozen acolytes all working in and around a beautiful (if somewhat small) Temple. There is a Royal Justiciar with a residence in River Tower, as well.
Special Properties
A very old but very well designed system of underground aquaducts diverts a significant flow of riverwater from upstream of the fortress and directs that flow under the walls and into the Tower's cisterns and sewers. River water flows first into a series of three large stone cisterns and then into a series of five smaller but still substantial holding tanks where sewage collects from various parts of the fortress. These holding tanks are also connected to nearly three miles of storm gutters and drains that divert rain runoff from the streets to the sewers. Overflow from all this input washes waste out of the fortress and into the Morloth River 300 yards downstream of the East Dock.
Architecture
River Tower was originally constructed on a low bluff on the southern bank of the Morloth River, the fortress has a stong foundation on a huge slab of bedrock. It's slight elevation above the surface of the river allows ancient sewers and storm drains to wash the refuse of the many homes, kitchens, shops, barracks, and (of course) latrines out of the walls and into the Morloth River.
Defenses
Most walls at River Tower are at least 30' high and all can be manned if needed. Several towers have never been fully repaired after the Orc War 86 years ago, and the Tower Gate has been sealed entirely closed. Now, the only way into the fortress is through the main gate or one of the two postern gates along the river walls to the north.
Lord Lothman has a sizable garrison of men-at-arms living within the River Tower at all times. This garrison consists of two full Companies of Foot and two Companies of Lancers. The main gate (called the Road Towers)
History
The first stone fortifications of River Tower were built more than 340 years ago, and over the intervening centuries more than a dozen additions have been made to the fortress. One example of some import are a series of large vaulted cellars under the courtyard known as the Maid's Court. These expansive cellars housed and protected more than 120 people for months through the terrible fighting at Mordar during the The Second Great Orc War. Stored food and provisions and periodic access to relatively clean river water kept these refugees alive through a long and brutal winter of 146-147 AF. Since that time, these cellars have been routinely stocked with preserved foods and casks of fresh water that are frequently replenished to keep them usable in the event of another prolonged seige.
Type
Fortress
Parent Location
Owner
Owning Organization
