Eschbach Defences

Recently the town of Eschbach has upgraded their defences at the instance of the Sargeant-at-arms Erdis de Sade. Backed by regular communications with Duke Grimmaz Fyrwin & Count de Ath. Taking in locals, the local military structure known as the Burgeaters, the local Thieves of Frankia guildmembers, and mages that seem t oboth congregate & pass through the town.
Militia units made up of the fighting age men based around the town and local farming community & woodsmen, have now gone through the basic training. Some more training is still to take place with many using the tools of the their trade, usually involving scrapers, knives, farm implements, pickaxes, bows & arrows, and all manner of such items are used. Basic padded clothing and bits & pieces for toughened leather equipent are also worn. Some who have access to hand axes & shields are also formed into units. Most have been trained as skirmishers and scouts allowing them to harrass & slow down potential enemies. Rarely a member of the Burgeater regiment can put the call out and lead them as appropriate. Usually though, it is organised by the local town council and the equipment is paid by the militia members, and can claim compensation due to injury, death or damge & loss to equipent. Not as effective as professional fighting men they can still be tenacious and adaptable. Most have lived their whole lives in the region and will fight alongside family members and friends. With their families there too, they wil lfight all the more to protect them. Also, with knowing the land they can easily carry out hit-and-run tactics and other diversionary tactics with ease. Those that work in the wilds will have skills in bow & arrows, slings, and laying of physical traps. Unfortunately they don't have the discipline of specially trained troops or specialised wargear, but can still provide a shock when faced. They also act as a back up "police force" of sorts, helping to keep crime low and bringing those to justice in the town hall and the judgement of the local council or Duke.
The Burgeaters are a regiment of ill-repute. Orginally led by Mikhael Andolf, the regiment was quite small, no more than about 10 professional fighting men excluding their sargeant-at-arms. To this day they still have quite a bad reputation as cut-throats, brawlers, gamblers, deserters, thieves, alcoholics and other scum. This gives them a wide range of backup skills that potentially be of use if applied properly in the right circumstances. Through the use of tough and sometimes brutal training methods applied by Mikhael Andolf (now raised to captain-at-arms) and the newly joined sargeant-at-arms Erdis de Sade, they have grown in size and becoming one of the best & unique regiments in the Frankish army. Known to have a great deal of leeway in their training methods, and fostering of harsh discipline they have proved flexible, adaptable, and above all else formidable fighters that at times have forced weaker opponents to flee instead of facing them. Regularly equipped with a light blue tabard over their armour, it is marked with the Duke Fyrwin's personal crest, and the three red shields on an white shield design of Eschbach. All have a shield bearing the same insignia (also aremed with chainmail and steel helmet), along with a spear, and a knife or dagger. Many carry a shortsword, longsword or battle axe and formed into units exclusively of these. A few are armed with great axes and are used to smash apart heavy defences and heavily armoured troops, as well as taking out cavalry in the melee. A rare few have other such weapons such as maces, war picks and bow & arrows. They provide a mixed response to any threat, and a shock at times.They regularly practise at their drills, manouvers and weapon training. Each is well trained in this regard and in unit tactis overall. The only two real problems with them is their numbers and lack of cavalry. About only 35 to 50 are present in the area of Eschbach at any one time and even then split across in a number of different roles. Some act as defencive force to the west in a military tower once owned by the de Rais, some regualrly travel around the lands owned by Duke Fyrwin, and most stay at the town unless needed otherwise.
The above are regularly billited at two places, the Motte-and-Bailie which always has at least 10 men there, and the Burgeaters Barracks. The former has to have a standing guard for when it is used by the Duke or other dignitaries that may in the region. The latter has 25 or more men based here and is as heavily built as the motte-and-bailie. Strong double doors lead into a large room with a desk & chairs t oone side where they can greet & process individuals, beside a door leading to training rooms, breifing room, and barracks proper upstairs. Opposite the doors coming in is a walkway to stores at the back, and right. On the left is the local jail / prison. Made primarily round a rock core, the structure is sturdy and can take a battering.
The Motte-and-Bailie follows the standard pattern for such a structure. A moat surrounds it with raised dykes either side, one way in and out to the front of the Bailie with a walkway that can be raised. Here the bailie has a store room, blacksmith forge and a small stables at either side. A well is built round the back of the bailie allowing for eas of access to potabble water. The whole thing as an outer pallisade, and an inner pallisade, and the bailie has been partially constructed out od stone again to give it a sturdy core base. Inside to the front is the local court room, along with personal chambers, a kitdhen, servants quarters, guards quarters, storeromms, and practice rooms. Hidden to one corner is a mage's room that doubles as an apothecaries. Hidden below the court room is the treasury that is build deep in the earth and out of stone. The Thieves of Frankia & the Burgeaters has had a hand in it's construction to make that only certain persons can access this chamber.
Also strewn around the edges nad in specified points thorughout the town is heavy spiked barriers and caches of caltrps of different sizes. These can be quickly uncovered and pulled into place in case of attack both at the edge of town and within the town itself. This can be done to funnel enemies into killzones, and slow down enemy advances. Most of the troops are also trained extensively in urban warfare allowing them to make short work of invaders.
There are four organisations that help to back up the militia and the Burgeaters, and all three make for varying allies.
The first is the goblins of Goblintown to the southwest. Though only up to 75 goblins are there at any one time, they are indebted to the town for Duke Fyrwin, Anselma, and Reolus Rhin for freeeing them from slavery. They now work the lands themselves around their little fiefdom, but most have some skill at fighting and sometimes have to be reminded to follow the law the best they can. They make use of Wolves to track enemies, and as a makshift cavalry unit, and their skills at hiding and duping opponents are not to be underestimated. Their one major flaw is that they are relatively weak and easily broken. In a conflict situation they're usually placed to one side and left to harrass the flanks of the enemy as well as confound them. All going well, the goblins can be quite vicious little buggers, and have helped to hold up and alert Eschbach to worse threats.
The next is the tribal group that Anselma belings too, not much is known about them at present and they help protect the portal in the old grove to the southeast. They are expert archers and easily blend in with the local flora & Fey who live there. Indeed the Sylphs, pixies, and Treant that resides there with them are quite fond of and friendly with them.
The most notorious part of the defences is the Thieves of Frankia that are found throughout the town. Though their exact numbers can only be guessed at there is at least 10 of them. These stealthy rogues have skills generally givne over to crime, but they also regularly used them to defend the holdings of Eschbach too. Albe to spot fake items, dangerous individuals using false papers, scouting, picking up rumours that should be followed up, these are all regular jobs for them. A few times they lend their skills to tracking or finding a foe like scouts, applying disguises & hiding locals & equipment where necessary and the hiring of assassin in the Assassins Guild. the latter has only be called upon once recently, and most of the Thieves & local authorities found it distastful.
It is rumoured that there is a lone unaffiliated assassin operating out of Eschbach that targets those that are potentially dangerous too. Nobodt knows for sure exactly who he or she is, and one can only guess who it is. Elements in the heirarchy have a relatively good idea who it is and let them carry on. One by the name of Fleec Snow, and although Duke Fyrwin has classed him persona non grata in Eschbach no-one can still say for sure. Seems that he has become a bit of a folk hero for targetting the scum of villainy that is found in surrounding areas.
The last group is the Holfgothi and the Druids of the grove to the west of town. They add a strong magical focus to the town and unbeknownst to most has placed wards alarms and antimagic deadzones in places to target enemies. These are keyed to go off when certain infividuals, places and items are interfered with. Many of the buildings & areas such as the townhall, groves, church, Burgeater Barracks, and the Motte-and-Bailie have been littered with these. How many are unknown and the clerics here regularly monitor who is coming and going allowing for them to caunter the spells where necessay and spy magically in areas where there may be problem. With the help of the pixies that are present they regularly change these up so if they are even discovered they cna be wuickly removed. Also the two treants there in the western grove adds a bit of muscle to them.
Also, in the western grove there is a griffon, a wyvern and a green dragon wyrmling being raised that can all give a shock to anyone who either breaks the law or decides to attack Eschbach. Most othe town see these three creatures a the town mascots and overall town pets.