The Trelleborg

The Trelleborg is a gigantic fortress situated on an island in the middle of the Rocky Bay along the Stormwrack Coast. The island’s southern perimeter is lined with tall cliffs that plunge into the sea. Thanks to its natural defences, the north side of the island is used mostly for the grazing of sheep and growing crops, though there are numerous towers along the cliffs. The south side of the island is lined by the Trelleborg’s famous outer walls. The walls are sixty feet tall and made of the black basalt which covers long stretches of the Stormwrack Coast. The parapets are coated in thick iron armour. At numerous points along the wall are towers topped by rotating platforms for catapults which can fling stones, faeces, or other nasty concoctions at attackers.

The main entrance is a giant iron gateway which leads to a bridge that crosses an internal moat to a large courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by walls with murder holes. Cauldrons used to boil water and pitch can be tipped onto any attacker that ventures too close to the courtyard walls or to the secondary gate at the far side of the courtyard.

Should any attackers wish to avoid passing through the courtyard, they will be met with a secondary wall behind the moat. This wall, while not as tall as the outer walls, is still dotted with towers and allows easy movement around the fortress for archers and other defenders. The top of the inner wall is lined with flimsy balconies which will collapse should an attacker climb onto one from a ladder.

Once inside the inner walls, attackers face a maze of unplanned streets which only locals can navigate. Citizens can fight from upper-floor windows by pelting invaders with pots and pans, while the more athletic can move across the rooftops of the closely packed buildings.

Should the attackers find their way through the town to fenrir castle, they will have to climb up a narrow path to get to the top of the hill on which the mighty structure is situated. Along the path are vats of oil which may be poured down the hill to make for a very slippery ascent. The castle is some ninety feet tall with several connected towers, the tallest of which houses the Duke and his siblings. The main door is made of solid iron, weighing over 15 tons.

Inside the castle, innumerable traps await. The stairs are all of uneven height and curve clockwise, while hiding places along the corridors allow the pursued to quickly become the pursuer. The castle is built over a number of fissures and internal drawbridges can be drawn up to prevent access to the Duke's bedroom. Secret tunnels from the the island's port can be accessed from the Duke's private library, but are guarded by a lupine monster with iron teeth and frozen fur.