Fort Inevitable
Between the Echo Wood and the broad expanse of the West Sellen River stands a resolute stronghold of law and order: the walled town of Fort Inevitable. From its stern keep, companies of Hellknights ride forth to enforce the strict laws of their commander and bring authority to the unclaimed lands of the Crusader Road. While the taxes imposed by the town’s rulers are heavy and the laws inflexible, no one can deny that prosperity has followed the Hellknights’ establishment of hard justice in this small corner of the River Kingdoms. Merchants, travelers, and adventurers journeying on the Crusader Road find that Fort Inevitable provides a rare island of safety in an otherwise lawless land—so long as one is careful not to run afoul of the Hellknights’ laws.
Fort Inevitable stands on the rolling plains near the West Sellen River, close to the forest. This is a rich and gentle land; the town is surrounded by green pastures and wide, golden fields of grain. A strong stone wall with battlements and gatehouses protects Fort Inevitable, and within this formidable defense, the town is an orderly collection of two- and three-story stone houses and workshops with roofs of red tile or blue slate. If the streets seem a little cheerless and drab, at least they’re paved with good cobblestones and cleared regularly.
Nothing epitomizes the essential nature of Fort Inevitable as aptly as the stone citadel of the Hellknights, which looms over the town. There is no difference between martial law and civil authority in Fort Inevitable. The senior officer of the garrison rules as the lord or lady commander, directly overseeing civic administration as well as exercising military command. The current commander is a stern, middle-aged Chelish woman named Paralictor Audara Drovust. She is the commanding officer of the Order of the Pike’s chapter in the Crusader Road region, ruler of the Citadel, high magistrate, tax assessor, director of public works, keeper of the treasury, and chief regulator of business and commerce. No important aspect of the town’s life and activity is left outside the lady commander’s authority.
Fort Inevitable was a good-sized village with extensive trade and commerce before the Hellknights chose it as their base on the Crusader Road, and its people still work as farmers, herders, artisans, and merchants. Law-abiding citizens find the lady commander’s rule to be firm but manageable. Those who don’t find a respectable profession or who fall into debt see a different side of Fort Inevitable, as both slavery and indentured servitude are legal here.
While the lady commander seems to wield complete authority, appearances can be deceiving. Two other Hellknight orders—the Order of the Nail and the Order of the Gate—maintain presences on the Crusader Road, and while they defer to Drovust, each maintains its own chain of command and works toward its own purposes. Much of the town’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of the Council of Prosperity, a group of wealthy merchants and industry owners that exerts a good deal of influence over the Hellknights’ decisions. Finally, the lady commander is bound by her order’s vows and regulations; the Hellknights don’t break their own laws.
Fort Inevitable may be an oppressive place to live, but the Hellknights are not mindlessly brutal or vindictive. They crack down viciously on public disorder, enforce curfews, and tightly regulate commerce and transactions, but they don’t harass honest travelers. But it’s a good idea to guard your tongue and watch your step while inside its hard stone walls.
Demographics
878 humans, 25 half-orcs, 18 dwarves, 9 half-elves, 30 other
Government
Law and Order
The Hellknights forcefully patrol Fort Inevitable and the surrounding lands, enforcing Drovust’s strict laws. At any given time, two to four squads of Hellknight soldiers patrol the town on foot, while the gates are constantly manned by larger contingents. They swiftly intervene to break up brawls and prevent crimes. If they fail to catch a perpetrator on the scene, the Hellknights thoroughly investigate the situation. They maintain a long “wanted” list of known or suspected criminals, and regularly circulate sketches or descriptions of suspects. Bandits and other criminals from nearby towns have a saying: “The Hellknights never forget.”
For town defense, the lady commander oversees a force of 60 Hellknight riders—well-equipped, fanatically loyal, and easily some of the best to be found on the Crusader Road. In a desperate situation, the Hellknights can call up a well-trained militia of 130 pikemen from the Fort’s common citizens.
Infrastructure
“THE CITADEL”
The people of Fort Inevitable use the term “the Citadel” to refer to the Hellknights’ civil administration. For example, someone might say, “Have you heard that the Citadel intends to raise taxes next season?” or “You’ll need to get a license from the Citadel before you can open a shop here.” Most of the town’s civil servants work in the middle floors of the commander’s tower, so “the Citadel” has come to mean more or less the same thing as “the government”—and its power is completely in the hands of the lady commander.Guilds and Factions
Powers and Personalities
Most visitors assume that there is only one power group in Fort Inevitable—the Hellknights. However, some citizens of the town still hold influence, and even the Hellknights have personal rivalries and power struggles.- Lady Commander Audara Drovust
- The Order of the Nail
- Signifer Oritian Hast
- Council of Prosperity
- High Mother Sarise Dremagne
- The Seven Foxes
History
The story of Fort Inevitable begins 400 years ago, when the Kingdom of Zog—a goblin realm in the depths of the Echo Wood that troubled the neighboring human lands—was crushed by a River Kingdoms army led by the hero Tarwynna. Zog’s defeat opened the lands of the Echo Wood and the area near the West Sellen River to human settlement for the first time in centuries. One of the earliest settlements was the small village of Southwood, on the very southwest corner of the Echo Wood.
Southwood grew swiftly, but it was plagued by bandit gangs. Because the village lay more or less between Daggermark, Ambreth, and Ustalav, it simply wasn’t in the interest of any of Southwood’s neighbors to keep its surrounding roads clear or chase out the bandits. The problem only worsened with the beginning of the Mendevian Crusades in 4622 ar. Bandits, brigands, and pirates flocked to the area to waylay crusaders and pilgrims traveling north along the river road.
In the spring of 4681, a Hellknight named Emos Varden passed through Southwood shortly after a gang of brigands had set fire to several farmhouses on the outskirts of town and carried off the hapless families living there. Varden belonged to the Order of the Pike; he was bound for the Worldwound to battle against demonic hordes and wasn’t particularly interested in troubles with outlaws. But the people of Southwood scraped together enough gold to hire him as their protector, and Varden decided his crusade could begin here.
Varden and his 30 seasoned troops embarked on a months-long campaign of viciously eradicating banditry wherever they found it. Any brigands his forces found on the road were killed and nailed to trees as a warning to others. By the beginning of summer, no outlaw dared show his face within 20 miles of Southwood.
When the town council approached Varden to offer their gratitude and payment, the Hellknight announced that he would not be continuing to Mendev. During his campaign, he had realized the need to secure the region for other pilgrims and crusaders on their way to the northern battles.
He announced the establishment of a Hellknight stronghold and informed Southwood’s council that he was placing the town under martial law. Taking the title “lord commander” to signify his command of the Hellknight garrison and his obligation to protect the town, Varden dissolved the town council and began construction of a permanent citadel—Fort Inevitable, named for the inevitability of order’s triumph.
Lord Varden ruled with a heavy hand, but the town flourished in many ways. He and his Hellknights constructed a city wall and a stone keep, making Fort Inevitable the best-defended town on the Crusader Road. The town’s provisioners and armorers made a hefty profit from equipping Hellknight contingents bound for Mendev. Members of allied Hellknight orders came to serve at Fort Inevitable, establishing themselves alongside the Order of the Pike. Varden participated in several expeditions to Mendev, but always returned to Fort Inevitable.
Five years ago, Varden’s reign ended when an assassin struck him down with a crossbow bolt. His second-in-command at the time was a senior maralictor named Audara Drovust. She had accompanied Varden as a young armiger when he first came to Southwood, and worked her way up through the ranks with cold efficiency over the years.
Lady Drovust took command and investigated the assassination. Within a month, she rounded up 11 suspected conspirators who were supposedly plotting to overthrow the Hellknight regime. Some of the conspirators went to the gallows still protesting their innocence, but the lady commander informed them they would receive the exact same clemency they had shown to Lord Varden, and hanged them anyway.
Lady Commander Drovust has proven herself to be meticulous and efficient. Since her accession in the aftermath of Lord Varden’s assassination, her rule has been relatively untroubled. She works steadily to counter the return of widespread banditry in the area and guide Fort Inevitable’s continued growth.
Slavery
The Hellknights believe that freedom is a privilege, not a right. Those who fail to contribute to the community’s prosperity can and should be put to work by their betters. Debtors, criminals, and vagrants are all subject to enslavement under Hellknight law. Debtors normally become indentured to the holders of their debt after a hearing in the Citadel. Monthly auctions allow the purchase of criminals and vagrants sentenced to slavery. Many people, especially the poor, wind up as the property of rich merchants and landowners. Attempts to escape or resist one’s lawful master are considered serious crimes, and often extend the term of servitude. The Hellknights are as rigorous about the legalities of slavery as they are everything else. It’s unlawful to abduct a stranger and drag him back in chains. Slaveowners who come by their property illegally are in danger of being charged themselves. The Hellknights also forbid slaveholders from engaging in wanton acts of cruelty or mistreatment—a slaveholder who allows one of his slaves to starve or who beats a slave to death is subject to arrest and trial.
Type
Town
Population
960
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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