The Knight Barracks
The barracks are located in the Eastern Inland, near the city wall. It is a long walk from the barracks to pretty much anywhere, often requiring a circuitous route through the sprawling East Inland. However, there are roads leading more-or-less directly to the East End lakefront district and to northern end of the Albion Forums.
Sensory & Appearance
At most times of day, one can hear the blacksmith down the road, cart traffic, and crows hoping for dinner scraps. The practice yard is bare, packed earth, and scuffles there or even a stiff breeze kicks up clouds of dust.
Denizens
All novice knights are required to live in the barracks for at least a year. After that time, many begin moving out, either to take rooms at the Valorian Temple or a private residence elsewhere in Albion.
The Quartermaster is in charge of the barracks, but particularly oversees supplies, monitors the gear mess, and enforces curfew, with bed checks at nightfall and roll call just before dawn. He is a gruff, older knight who walks with a cane but can still best most novices in a fight, armed or not. He has no patience for youthful antics, disrespect, vanity, laziness, or anyone who gives up before a job is done.
On the other hand, he does not hold mere inexperience against anyone, and can be a surprisingly good teacher if approached with enough sincerity and enthusiasm. He has a small apartment in the attic of the Gear Mess, from which vantage point he can see the entire barracks.
Various others come and go. Some squad commanders will run drills and training sessions at the practice yard, while others leave their squadrons to their own devices. Delivery people bring the Quartermaster's latest order, or knight come to visit friends still living there. The Culinary Guild sends cooks to work here for experience, and while some show up as late as possible before dinner and leave as soon as it is done, others are friendly with the young knights, and sometimes stay to socialize.
Contents & Furnishings
Each of the four residence halls has a House Guardian in the shape of a gryphon, each holding a different symbol of Valor Ascendant and bearing their flight's color. They do not often receive items, but someone who is not comfortable taking their request to the temple itself may sometimes leave a plea for aid at one of the barracks.
Red Flight: a Broadsword - Northwest
Blue Flight: a Five-sided shield - Southwest
Black Flight: the Chain of Valor - Northeast
Yellow Flight: the Crest of Valor - Southeast
Architecture
The Knight Barracks consist of four residence halls, one for each flight, around a central practice yard. At the north end of the yard is a mess hall and kitchen, and at the south end is the "gear mess" where general supplies are stored. Except for the kitchen, the buildings are of wood, well-built but sparse, with windows on the East and West sides. The kitchen is stone, stained in places from various fires, some of which pre-dated the barracks altogether.
Each building has a pitched tile roof, though the mess hall's roof leaks a bit. (Visiting gryphons often land on these rooftops, though the Quartermaster tries to forbid it.) There is a cellar beneath the gear mess to store dry goods and preserved foods, and above it is an attic with a north-facing window that overlooks the practice yard.
Each building has only one door, facing the practice yard. However, the windows open to keep the heat reasonable in summer, and are large enough that someone sufficiently motivated could potentially enter or leave that way.
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