Sunday, December 24, 2017

The High Ranges: The Eastern Approach

Returning to my #Southlands sandbox, The North Watch, with a #micromap considering the Eastern Approach.



In the High Ranges of the MBazha Mountains, west of the Lion Road, are a small number of communities of Dwarves. They fled west from the collapse of Haldaheim rather than south to Sebbek Sobor. Settling into the natural caverns and abandoned ancient delvings, they founded what they call the Ironmongery, the mining and refining of iron and steel being the Dwarves' stock in trade. 

Being a young and small community, the Dwarves are very protective of their holdings. A trail leads east from the Ironmongery to meet the Lion Road south of the ruins of Old North Watch. Where the Dwarves deem their eastern border to be, about two days’ travel west of the Watch, they have built a pair of forts on each side of the road, featuring battlements and an overlooking tower. Two pairs of tall slotted pillars mark the ends of a rather cunning trap. When triggered, counter-weights cause heavy steel doors to spring out of the ground, sliding up the slots in the pillars and blocking a 30 foot long section of the road. 

Then, if the Dwarves are so inclined, the contents of two hidden cisterns can be discharged to fill the space between each gate to the 20 foot height of the doors. One cistern is full of water, the other of oil. The water can be poisoned or the oil set on fire depending on the target(s) within the trap.