0612 — Fort Cygne

The only permanent holding of the Merchant-Industrialists of Catage outside of the wall, Fort Cygne is built on the foundations of an older fort of forgotten origin. It is popularly held by the fort’s soldiers that being stationed here is the result of pissing off a superior. Food, small livestock, materials for building upkeep, and other supplies are delivered once a month via the road by a contracted civilian workforce, guarded by militiamen. The stone for the fort is of little interest to bandits, but other goods (and livestock especially) are a high value target: every delivery has a 2-in-6 chance of outlaws raiding it.

28 soldiers and 16 civilian workers are crammed uncomfortably into the permanent dry spaces of the fort, and to 20 more of either group routinely get sent to reinforce and assist the permanent force, having to set up tents outside the safety of the building. Logging parties try to collect timber to build more permanent cabins around the central fort. Other duties are shirked for this: they know that in Catage, a larger logging effort is being organized that will strip the most desirable timber from the immediate surroundings.

Command of the fort falls to Evrart (he/him), a deeply superstitious man who views the wilds with a suspicion fueled by a lifetime of stories of trickster spirits and cruel witches lurking outside the Wall of Catage. He does not trust the landscape, fears it cannot be conquered, and were it up to him the whole venture would be called off. It is not up to him, so he does what (legal) folk rituals he trusts in to appease the world that menaces his dreams. His underlings are largely indifferent to him – his eccentricities are not intrusive, and he is less strict than the previous commander.

This settlement acts as a village by the economic standards of The Nightmares Underneath, and is in Catage’s trade network. The soldiers are happy to sell off excess military hardware, but will only part with food and livestock if grossly overpayed. Specialized goods for professions outside of military service are nearly impossible to come by.

Some notable denizens and locations:

Morne (he/him) is a hulking soldier who maintains a personal vegetable garden, growing turnips, carrots, cabbages, mint, and a scattering of flowers he likes. He commands respect and fear alike from his peers: he is a good cook and the garden is a boon, and everyone knows that if they stole any of his vegetables he is willing and able to swear unconditional revenge.

Helaine (she/her) is a civilian contracted to oversee the stables of the fort. There are at present no horses and barely a standing stable. Occasionally the monthly delivery of goods is horse drawn, or a messenger from Catage comes on horseback, giving her a brief burst of work. She stews in boredom.

In the cellar dug below the fort for food storage, an engraved stone has been excavated. It depicts a series of concentric circles, pierced by a stylized arrow or spear. Outside the circles, stylized suns or stars or comets with crude faces appear to watch the circles. The stone remains embedded in the ground. Evrart forbids bothering it lest a curse be put upon the fort, and considers filling in that part of the cellar.