Fort Saltguard

Fort Saltguard stands on the western edge of Salt Coast. The name refers both to the entire settlement and the fortress at its heart. Thick stone walls, tall watchtowers and underground fortifications make the fortress nearly impenetrable.

Originally, Fort Saltguard was a mere lonely watchtower built to the far edge of the Detrinian Empire. Its purpose was to offer protection to the local necrites gathering salt and fish from the ocean. Over centuries, more and more necrites moved there, until the few fisherman's cottages had turned into the largest city on Salt Coast. The growing population necessitated expanding the watchtower first into an outpost, and later into an actual fortress.

Due to its distance to Throne of Power, Fort Saltguard had always been mostly independent from the rest of the Detrinian Empire. Sending a message from the fortress to the capital is both expensive and time-consuming, and so the master of the fort had a lot of freedom to rule as they saw fit - as long as they kept sending taxes to the Tyrant of Detrin.

For the same reason, Fort Saltguard was almost entirely self-sufficient. Farmers, fishermen and lumberjacks kept the fort fed and warm, while artisans made the necessary tools. The only thing Fort Saltguard lacks is a rich mine. Some tunnels exist under and near the fort, but so far the miners have found little ore - apart from rock salt.

Unlike most of the Detrinian Empire, Fort Saltguard saw little changes during the Tunnel War. The war raged on the other side of the Empire, so life in the fortress continued as usual. The end of the war, however, was far more impactful. With the loss of Sweetwood, Fort Saltguard was the largest city of Detrin, and many necrites fled there. Unfortunately for the refugees, the locals did not want to share their meager farmland with the new arrivals.

Today, Fort Saltguard is a divided city. The old inhabitants or their descendants own almost all farmland and positions of power. They have enough food to stay healthy. The new arrivals live in the freshly-built slums or new tunnels, working whatever jobs they can get to eat for a day. Despite this division, the city remains surprisingly orderly, as anyone with dueling skills can earn a desirable position.

Type
City
Parent Location
Salt Coast
Included Locations
-
Owner/Owning Faction
The Detrinian Empire
Founding Date
Ancient
Destruction Date (if any)
Extant
Size
Large city
Population/Inhabitants
100 000 (95% necrites, 2% beetlefolk, 2% chilopodian, 1% other)
Notable Assets
Fortress, salt mines, docks