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Interlude I: Castles Around the World
Retrieved From Castles Around the World
Copyright 2007, Authoritas, Lunden, Angland
The Kingdom of Setraland was a European settler-realm located in Northeastern Talbeah. It’s origins traced back to the early 6th Century efforts of Irish monks to establish monasteries on Setraland (termed by them the Insula Benedicta or Inis Tairngire, in Latin and Gaelic respectively). The land passed through the control of independent Gaelic companies and Briton warlords, but by the 11th Century it had come under the rule of the Ostish. Its borders would expand greatly under the Ostish ruler Bolverk, until it encompassed not only the island of Setraland proper but both sides of the Tullaha River and much of the coastline around the Bay of St. Peter.
Due to a long history of conflict, hillforts in the Northern European Iron Age tradition were long a part of the Setraland landscape. However, during the reign of Ansgar Wolfsbane in the 12th Century, they took on another step of sophistication and could properly be termed “castles”. While they bore some similarities to the motte-and-bailey structures dominating Europe at the time, there were several key differences due to their environment.
Generally termed as a “dun” or “borg”, the Talbeahan castles constated of one main fortified area and at least two supporting blockhouses. The central fortified area was the largest, and contained buildings central to life in the Kingdom- the church, the mead hall, smithies, etc.. This was where the population of the castle would live. Enclosing this settlement would be a wall made up of two rows of wood logs. Between the logs was dumped a mixture of rubble, rocks, and earth, with the top of it either patted down and smoothed or covered with planks. This created a walkway, as well as strengthening the overall structure.
The supporting blockhosues served exclusively military purposes. The blockhouse itself was a tower, similar to the keep in a motte-and-bailey structure, surrounded by a shorter wooden log-fence. The tower had sleeping quarters for guards, stores of food, as well as narrow slits to allow arrows to be loosed at enemies. The logic behind placing these blockhouses outside of the main settlement area was to force attackers to deal with them, as the garrison could always flee to the blockhouses if the main area was overrun, make life miserable for any trying to break down the surrounding earthworks (as discussed later), or provide arrow support should the main wall be breached.
Interlocking the blockhouses and the main settlement area was a ditch. Entry to the castle was only achieved through a bridge, which in early times was easily destroyable by its defenders, but in later times a drawbridge. Access to the blockhouses, likewise, was only through a bridge connecting the main settlement area to it. By the end of the 12th century, these bridges were beginning to be enclosed like hallways, allowing men and supplies to pass through without worry of the enemy losing arrows at them or using them to get inside.
The ditch also served another defensive purpose; earth pulled from the ditch was packed against the exterior walls of the castle. This was due to one of the main threats to these structures being fire, as well as providing additional protections against siege weaponry. It also forced those that would try to put a ladder against the wall to climb it to build longer ladders, as the earthworks prevented ladders from being laid directly against the wall.
Occasionally, the ditch would be filled with water that was diverted from a temporarily dammed river or creek, though this was more rare. Some stories talk about the ditches being full of dreki imported from the Asgardians, but this is an invention of later authors.
Copyright 2007, Authoritas, Lunden, Angland
The Kingdom of Setraland was a European settler-realm located in Northeastern Talbeah. It’s origins traced back to the early 6th Century efforts of Irish monks to establish monasteries on Setraland (termed by them the Insula Benedicta or Inis Tairngire, in Latin and Gaelic respectively). The land passed through the control of independent Gaelic companies and Briton warlords, but by the 11th Century it had come under the rule of the Ostish. Its borders would expand greatly under the Ostish ruler Bolverk, until it encompassed not only the island of Setraland proper but both sides of the Tullaha River and much of the coastline around the Bay of St. Peter.
Due to a long history of conflict, hillforts in the Northern European Iron Age tradition were long a part of the Setraland landscape. However, during the reign of Ansgar Wolfsbane in the 12th Century, they took on another step of sophistication and could properly be termed “castles”. While they bore some similarities to the motte-and-bailey structures dominating Europe at the time, there were several key differences due to their environment.
Generally termed as a “dun” or “borg”, the Talbeahan castles constated of one main fortified area and at least two supporting blockhouses. The central fortified area was the largest, and contained buildings central to life in the Kingdom- the church, the mead hall, smithies, etc.. This was where the population of the castle would live. Enclosing this settlement would be a wall made up of two rows of wood logs. Between the logs was dumped a mixture of rubble, rocks, and earth, with the top of it either patted down and smoothed or covered with planks. This created a walkway, as well as strengthening the overall structure.
The supporting blockhosues served exclusively military purposes. The blockhouse itself was a tower, similar to the keep in a motte-and-bailey structure, surrounded by a shorter wooden log-fence. The tower had sleeping quarters for guards, stores of food, as well as narrow slits to allow arrows to be loosed at enemies. The logic behind placing these blockhouses outside of the main settlement area was to force attackers to deal with them, as the garrison could always flee to the blockhouses if the main area was overrun, make life miserable for any trying to break down the surrounding earthworks (as discussed later), or provide arrow support should the main wall be breached.
Interlocking the blockhouses and the main settlement area was a ditch. Entry to the castle was only achieved through a bridge, which in early times was easily destroyable by its defenders, but in later times a drawbridge. Access to the blockhouses, likewise, was only through a bridge connecting the main settlement area to it. By the end of the 12th century, these bridges were beginning to be enclosed like hallways, allowing men and supplies to pass through without worry of the enemy losing arrows at them or using them to get inside.
The ditch also served another defensive purpose; earth pulled from the ditch was packed against the exterior walls of the castle. This was due to one of the main threats to these structures being fire, as well as providing additional protections against siege weaponry. It also forced those that would try to put a ladder against the wall to climb it to build longer ladders, as the earthworks prevented ladders from being laid directly against the wall.
Occasionally, the ditch would be filled with water that was diverted from a temporarily dammed river or creek, though this was more rare. Some stories talk about the ditches being full of dreki imported from the Asgardians, but this is an invention of later authors.
- Rognvald
- Word Count: 630