Fort Ravenhead

"Behind the gates of Ravenhead
Halls of evil, dreams of dread
Only the touch of the dead
Waits on the steps of Ravenhead"
Popular bardic song, author unknown

At first glance, the small town of Tirvana appears to be like any other town in the Empire. The farmers harvest good qualities of grain, the smiths produce fine quality goods and the local cleric listens to the concerns of their flock. However, most of the grains harvested by the farmers are of poor quality, the tools the blacksmith forges are not hinges & horseshoes but swords & axes and the concerns of the flock all regard one thing and one thing only, protection from whatever dwells inside old Ravenhead Keep.
Once part of a chain of fortifications that protected the Empire from the Shymurian Emirate in times of war, now the Keep serves as home for an unnatural force. The dark energies that emanate from the building poison the water and taint the land, while terrible nightmares torment the townsfolk every nights. But that is not the end of Tirvana's suffering, for at least once a year, a number of its people simply vanish from their beds, leaving all their worldly possessions behind. To the people of Tirvana, there is only one explanation for this phenomenon. Some vile denizen dwells within Fort Ravenhead, and it is taking these poor unfortunate souls for its own twisted goals.

Purpose / Function

During the Second Shymurian War, the Thuvarian Empire realised that its eastern territories were potential targets for invasion by their enemy. One of these lands was Bellingren, the breadbasket of the Empire. If the Shymurian Emirate took this kingdom, they would be able to starve the rest of the Empire and force a victory. To prevent this, Emperor Lustwick I ordered his men to construct a series of forts along the border between Bellingren and Eastgate. Each one would be permanently manned by an armed force and watch for any potential invasion. Around three dozen of these forts were constructed during the war, and by its end most were given to their commanders as rewards for their service. Fort Ravenhead was given to local commander Torbuk Mohr, who became the lord of Tirvana.
He made it his seat of power and ruled from it for the next twenty or so years, until the tide of the Third Shymurian War turned against the Empire and it once again became a military fort, one which was subject to a long and painful siege by the invading Shymurian army

Alterations

When Torbuk Mohr took control of the fort, it was nothing more than a military installation. It lacked the many luxuries that the lord of a town would expect, and so the newly appointed Baron set about renovating it. He build a second, larger stone tower next to the first and connected the two with a series of rope bridges and walkways so one could move from one to the other without having to go all the way down to the ground floor and climb up again. This second tower became the living quarters for his household, while the first became the kitchen and garrison for his guard.
Torbuk was a keen horseman and oversaw construction of a stable fit to house his prized horses. The new stable was able to house forty horses in extreme comfort. He also requested the construction of a second defensive wall to surround the first, and had a moat dug around the perimeter of the keep.

History

The original Fort Ravenhead was constructed during the Second Shymurian War, being completed in 1239. Like the other forts constructed around this time, it was designed to primarily serve as a watchtower for invasion and as a garrison for the Imperial army to utilise if the forces of the Emirate ventured into the eastern Empire.
Torbuk Mohr, a promising soldier, was given command of Ravenhead soon after its construction and ran it efficiently throughout the remained of the war. When the conflict ended with the capture of Emir Saamir al-Malak in 1243, Torbuk was given full control of the structure and the title of Lord of Tirvana. As detailed above, he set about turning it into a suitable home for his family and soon it became renowned throughout the kingdom of Bellingren as an excellent example of repurposing military structures in peace time.
When the Third Shymurian War turned sour and the forces of the Emir invaded the Empire, Fort Ravenhead came under siege. Torbuk hoped that Emperor Lustwick II would send a relief force to push the enemy away from his walls. However, the Emperor did no such thing and those trapped in the fort were left to cower behind their walls alone. Before the war, Torbuk had been in regular contact with his subjects in Tirvana, but during the siege, these updates slowed to a trickle, then ceased entirely. The townsfolk feared the worst and prepared for the coming slaughter. But instead, reports from scouts proclaimed the unbelievable. The Shymurian force had been vanquished and the Fort still stood, but there was no sign of Mohr or his men. A small host ventured to Ravenhead to inquire after their lord and did not return. Another went and also vanished. The relief in seeing the fort standing tall had now been replaced with fear. Something unnatural had occured in Ravenhead, consuming attacker and defender alike.
Word of this fear soon reached the ears of the Divine Inquisition, who sent a detachment of agents led by the young and charismatic Ser Edgar Hutch to investigate. The knight interviewed the townsfolk to gain a greater understanding of the layout of the fort and the circumstances regarding Torbuk Mohr's disappearance. He won the hearts of many in the town during his visit, and when he set off to investigate his unit of Inquisitorial Agents were heralded as heroes. They never returned and that night the nightmares began. The people of Tirvana were tormented by horrific images of Ser Hutch and his men screaming in absolute terror as they were hunted down and consumed by some unknown entity. Soon after this corruption began to take root in the ground and the disappearances began.
Over the decades since then numerous men and women have made it their mission to venture into the redoubt. Time and time again they proclaim they will rid the structure from whatever ails it and set off from the town wearing a confident smile on their face. The next time they are seen, they have become nothing more than another terrified visage seen in a nightmare as they are consumed by whatever great evil lurks in Fort Ravenhead.

Founding Date

1239

Type

Fortress