Fortitude

Fortitude could almost have been designed by a modron, given its layout. The town is built in a grid fashion around the main central square, called the Heart. The most important buildings in Fortitude are lined around the Heart; the Accord (headquarters to the Hardheads), temples to both Tyr and Torm, the Chambers of Devotion (which houses the town council) and the Home of the Coin (where the town’s fledgling Merchant’s Guild is based, and from which all commerce is governed.
Two principal streets converge on the Heart, running crossways to each other; Ascension and Angel Walk. There are four other major roads in the town, parallel and on either side of the more important streets. These roads pass near to the Heart, but do not actually touch it. The routes are the True Way, Charity Street, Devotion Lane and Justice Road.
The rest of the town is built in a rigid grid off these major roads, up to the walls of the town. The only thing that is slightly un-modron about the design of the town is the architecture. Where Automata is characterised by grey cubic buildings that look identical to each other, Fortitude has marble buildings inspired by classical architecture. Overall, the town is hailed as an architectural masterpiece by those who know about such things, and many people with an interest in such things make trips to study the town.
Fortitude is a walled city. The town is oval, and has been nicknamed “The Egg” by some people because of the smoothness of it’s white walls.

Government

The Hardheads are still the most powerful group in the town, and the Accord dominates the Heart, being comfortably the largest building in the town. It is the Hardheads who provide the guards to the town’s gates (one at each end of both Ascension and Angel Walk), and to walk the walls of the town. It is the Hardheads, also, who patrol the town and ensure that order is maintained, and who act as police force when that is required. However, the Harmonium selects just three of their number to sit on the town council. The council itself is composed of nine members, the last three being elected by the populace in general. Councilors serve in office until they decide to retire, or are voted off the council by their fellow councilors (not that that has happened). The council governs all that occurs in Fortitude, and for some distance out of the town gates as well, and individual councilors serve as judges when trials are conducted. Currently, the council has 5 Harmonium members, but they’ve not had to use their numerical superiority as agreement between council members on pretty much all matters has been fairly easy to achieve.

Defences

The city is surrounded by a large white limestone wall. The sheer scale of the wall has meant it has become a popular tourist attraction.

Industry & Trade

Fortitude is close to the banks of the Ma'at, which allows a link to the other towns and cities of the Outlands. The gate to Arcadia leads directly to Heart's faith which s itself a port city. Fortitude acts as a waypoint between Arcadia and much of the Outlands.

Infrastructure

Path of the Righteous This is the rather grand name for the gate to Arcadia. Standing in the exact center of the Heart, and therefore the exact center of Fortitude, is a low building with four archways, leading north and south along Ascension and east and west along Angel Walk. Entering through any arch merely leaves you in the chamber created by the roof that connects the arches, although the carving on the stonework there is well worth studying if you so wish (and increasing numbers of dwarves are traveling to Fortitude to do just that). Leaving by the arch that you entered by leaves you in Fortitude, exactly where it looks like it should. Exiting by any other arch will leave you on Arcadia, on a platform out at sea just outside of Heart's faith. Where a ship can take you to port.
The Accord The largest building in the town is home to the Harmonium, and comprises a barracks, armory, exercise court, training area, underground ranges for both missile weapons and mages, several small temples and shrines and a variety of offices. The current representative of the Harmonium in Fortitude is Aviendra Shostarin, who has recently arrived from Sigil. She has already taken a seat on the council, and is actively recruiting in the area.
The Delve The Delve is the name collectively applied to the various underground areas of the town. There are seven entrances to these areas in the town, though the one accessed from the Heart appears to be unconnected to the larger underground area that surrounds it that the other six entrances reach. The rock of these underground areas resists attempts to excavate it to enlarge the open areas, though passage through the rock by spells such as Passwall function normally. The size and function of the various chambers varies, and different areas have been appropriated by a variety of beings with a preference for living underground.
Krane’s Informatorium Undoubtedly the most unusual business in Fortitude is this strangely titled shop which lies just off the western part of Devotion Lane. The proprietor is Krane Delainin, a human wizard. What Krane sells, put simply, is information. Usually fairly basic information, such as what magic conditions exist on the 78th layer of the Abyss and how to get around them, or how to kill a particular creature, but occasionally much more exotic or secretive information. Many greybeards are disgusted at this - not the fact that he sells information, but that he does it so openly; discretion, it appears, is nine-tenths of the information-seller. The more astute amongst them wonder instead about how he never seems to buy information. What his sources are, nobody knows. Whenever someone offers to sell him information, he simply smiles and tells them that he has no need of that at the moment, or already knows, or something similar. However, people who walk in and ask (the shop itself is protected by several layers of magical defenses against scrying and similar) for reasonably basic knowledge can expect him to produce a small printed sheet in the next day or so, if not straight out of a drawer. And what’s more, his stuff is accurate, so far as people have been able to prove. The Informatorium’s reputation is rapidly spreading throughout the planes.
The Deva’s Foot This tavern, located outside of Fortitude proper, is unusual for a number of reasons. The name was not pre-determined, but was decided upon by the owner of the tavern. And that owner, Jagres Methanan, a tiefling is openly a member of the Mercykillers. Quite what caused a member of the Red Death who was quite important in Sigil to up sticks and move all the way to Fortitude to open a tavern is anybody’s guess. Still, the tavern serves excellent food, reasonable drinks, and has good rooms at competitive rates. Methanan has never done anything to arouse criticism, and seems affable to all. Admittedly when the odd fight breaks out in his bar he does seem to be a trifle too keen to break it up, cracking heads on the way, but he does nothing to encourage fights, and protecting his property and his patrons is after all his right. The final thing that has people talking about this tavern is that the sign that hangs outside is, rather than a painted board, a large, magically preserved, foot. Whether or not it was once attached to a deva has never been determined.
The Lacewing A small tavern located on the Heart itself (it is the only tavern there), this establishment thrives through providing high quality meals and drinks to the movers and shakers in Fortitude’s society. Certainly at lunchtime and during the early part of the evening then many of the important people in the council, the Harmonium and the Merchant’s Guild can be found here. Much business is done at meetings here, although many come simply for pleasure as well. The owner is Darlink Tarphane, a Hard Head aasimar, and the cook is his wife Serapha, a gold elf. Both the quality and the prices are second to none in Fortitude. Slightly fewer people know that Tarphane and his wife are both Hardhead agents (that they are Hardheads is well known, but they are thought merely to be namers), and the Lacewing provides the Hardheads with a superb means to gather information from the important people in town. This information, however, does not go to Aviendra Shostarin, but instead goes direct to Ortho. None of the Hardheads in Fortitude realize that this establishment spies on them perhaps more than it does its other patrons.
The Melting Pot The Melting Pot is a shop located just off the northern end of Charity Street. The owner, Tuzumab Alemtin, a gnome druid, is an expert in all manner of potions, and sells many different types. He also provides an identification service for those who aren’t quite sure what it is in the flask that they ‘liberated’ on their last adventure, and has sometimes undertaken to create specific potions for clients with the cash to be able to afford the necessary research and ingredients. Alemtin had a business (of the same name) in Sigil until it was destroyed in the fighting during the war between the factions of that city, and since then he had been searching for a place in which to open up his trade again. He appears to have settled on Fortitude.

Guilds and Factions

The Hardheads, also known as the Harmonium, have a sizable amount of influence here. While they are a faction from Sigil, most Sigil factions have influence in at least one of the gate towns of the Outlands.

Tourism

Fortitude has a reasonably large tourism industry compared to many of the other gate-towns. People come to Fortitude to see the architecture, especially Fortitude's wall. Though many of the buildings in the Heart attract similar levels of attention.

Architecture

Classical architecture. Buildings in the Heart use white marble. While those at the edge use limestone, but are no less impressive.

Geography

Outside Fortitude are fields then rolling countryside. The river Ma'at is nearby and there are multiple villages along the banks. Towards Excelsior there is currrently one mountain that appeared a few centuries ago. Currently the March means that a lot of the surrounding territory will change, so cartographers are busy mapping out what has and hasn't changed.

Type

Large town

Location under

Outlands