Frouros

OVERVIEW

The southernmost fortress in the entire polis of Meletis is not much more than a watchtower on the cliff. In fact protection is limited to the small buil ding with its three-story tower and a detachment of fifteen men commanded by Peliades the Red, a veteran of the fleets of Meletis skilled in dealing with pirates and tritons. The fortress has little of note beyond the tower and the cramped barracks. The hoplites actually go down to the harbor to eat. The flirtations between the troop, sent from Meletis, and the young locals is the main cause of gossip. Lately the fashionable couple is the young hoplite Phedira and Dilio, the most desirable and attractive of the young fishermen of Phaela. They have alre ady sworn eternal love to each other in front of the temple of Thassa, making more than one of them sigh. The fortress regularly faces raids on the village by tritons in search of plunder, and in times when their aggressiveness is at its highest, they even go out with the fishermen in their boats to protect them.

Location Description

Outside

The Frouros stands defiantly at the edge of the cliff, its three-story tower weathered by sea winds and salt spray. From its heights, you spot the watchful figures of hoplites surveying the horizon, their armour catching fleeting rays of sunlight.

Inside

Inside the cramped fortress, the air is thick with the scent of sweat and sea salt, and the clatter of armour echoes faintly in the stone halls. The barracks are modest, with bunked cots and weapon racks packed into a narrow space. A red-haired commander, Peliades, stands near a small map table, her sharp gaze assessing all who enter.