Fort Hayil

Fort Hayil commands the northernmost point of Mar Miskun, overlooking the tumultuous waters where the Hayil Strait meets the Sea of Fair Winds. Perched atop a sheer cliff, the fort serves as both a military bastion and a lookout, its watchtowers and battlements offering a sweeping view of the surrounding seas and coastline. From here, the League of Mar Miskun's presence dominates the northern passage, and the fort plays a crucial role in monitoring and controlling maritime traffic through the narrow strait. It is controlled by the city of Penstrarn.
Constructed from the grey stone quarried in the nearby Kalar Plains, Fort Hayil is an imposing structure, its walls thick and weather-beaten from years of exposure to the fierce coastal winds and salt spray. The fort’s design is more expansive than other League fortifications, with multiple levels and a sprawling courtyard. The central keep, a tall, square tower, rises above the fort’s lower sections, housing the command centre and quarters of its commander, Captain Ossithan Kapprin. The keep’s uppermost windows are fitted with heavy, brass-rimmed lenses, allowing Kapprin’s watchmen to scan the horizon for approaching vessels.
Beneath the keep, a maze of storerooms, armouries, and barracks extends underground, providing shelter for the fort’s garrison of two hundred soldiers and sailors. The underground passages also connect to a series of fortified docks cut into the base of the cliff. These docks are accessible via a steep, winding path that leads down from the main courtyard, allowing the fort’s three patrol ships to dock in relative safety, hidden from the view of passing vessels. The ships themselves, small but fast, are typically deployed in pairs to patrol the Hayil Strait and deter piracy or smuggling attempts.

Despite Fort Hayil’s outward appearance of strength and vigilance, it has become a place of festering corruption under the command of Captain Kapprin. A man of ambition and greed, Kapprin has spent the last few years siphoning off funds meant for the upkeep of the fort and the payment of his troops. While he maintains a façade of competence and authority, much of the fort’s resources have been diverted into his personal coffers, leaving key sections of the fort understaffed or in disrepair. The corruption has trickled down to his officers, many of whom are complicit in his schemes in exchange for a share of the spoils.
This widespread corruption has not gone unnoticed by the garrison’s rank and file, but Kapprin rules through fear and intimidation, and any whisper of disloyalty is met with swift and brutal reprisal. Those few who have dared to report Kapprin’s activities have been removed from their posts on dubious charges or have disappeared entirely, their fate sealed in the treacherous waters of the strait. As a result, the men and women stationed at Fort Hayil remain wary and untrusting, each wondering if their comrades will be the next to betray them or turn up dead.
The consequences of Kapprin’s embezzlement are felt most keenly in the fort’s upkeep and patrols. The fort’s outer walls, once a symbol of Ashanok's power, now bear cracks and chips that go unrepaired. The defensive ballistae mounted along the ramparts are rusted and lack proper maintenance, and the soldiers assigned to man them often lack adequate training. Even the patrol ships, which are crucial to securing the waters of the Hayil Strait, are showing signs of neglect: torn sails, poorly repaired hulls, and a general lack of supplies are common complaints among their crews.

Type

Castle