Worldbuilding: More Details of Whiteford

Continuing from here.

Patchwork Lands: Whiteford Town

Population: Humans: ~1,100 (about 185 households)

Dwarves: ~120 (about 30 households)

Halflings: ~60 (about 10 households)

Elves: ~20 (about 7 households)

Humans: Mostly Cimer (about 70%), then Lomba (about 20%) with the rest a mix of Telle and others.

Dwarves: One family of Ice Dwarves, the rest are Stone Dwarves.

Halflings: Generally resemble Cimer in coloring and build.

Elves: Wood Elves.

Languages: Ethne is essentially universal. Some locals (especially from the villages) speak Cimmerian natively and have a pronounced accent in Ethne. Thornung and Arstelle are found in the dwarven and elven families. Rulers and scholars speak Danaa (as a secondary language in this rural area), the priests know some Eckel.

The Town: The main town is about 20 acres, all surrounded by a stone wall 30' tall with battlements, making the scaling height 35' to 38'. There are four gates: one to the west-southwest (Road Gate); one to the northeast (Border Gate); one to the northwest (Hills Gate) and one to the southeast (River Gate). The Lord's castle (Whiteford Castle) is in the southeast and protects the bridge; all access to the bridge can be sealed off. Roughly centered in the town is the square where the two main streets (High Street between Road gate and Border gate; River Street between Hills Gate and River Gate) cross. In the middle of the square in a simple, elegant fountain of white marble. The fountain is enchanted to always produce fresh water.

The town is divided by the streets into 4 quarters, all with a number of larger and smaller side streets and alleys.

Queen of Angels church is in the east, near the walls, St, Anne's church in the southwest near Road gate, and St. Stephen's is in the north, near the middle of the quarter. The Knight's Reward Inn (sign: a lady holding a scarf) is on the southeast corner of the town square, The Brazen Head tavern (sign – a bronze head) is by Road gate (just within to the southeast), Old Thatch tavern (sign: a tankard) is just within Hills Gate (to the east), and Marie's tavern (sign: a smiling peasant woman) is just within Border Gate (to the northwest).

Morgaine lives opposite Marie's, the Roundtree family lives above a cobbler's shop on a side street west of River Street very close to Hills Gate, Cleric Simon lives just south of the inn east of River Street, Master Gilbert lives 4 buildings north of St, Anne's, Old Burty's house on on Wall Street (the street just within the walls) a few houses south of Border Gate.

Defenses: Each gate has a strong gatehouse and a strong main gate (stout oak with iron bands) with a tough postern (a narrow door for people on foot). The gatehouses have towers that rise to 50'. There are 8 guard towers, each 40' tall, around the walls (one between Road gate and the river, three between Road gate and Hills Gate, two between Hills Gate and Border gate, and two between Border Gate and the Castle. Each gatehouse is manned day and night, the guard towers are usually only manned in times of trouble. A pair of guards roam the walls and guard towers, singly during the day, as a team at night. All main gates are open from sunrise until sunset; people may leave through the posterns from an hour before sunrise until 2 hours after. Outsiders may enter the postern from an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset. In times of trouble no one can enter or leave at night.

Defenders: As a frontier town Whiteford is well-defended. The castle has 10 soldiers, 2 sergeants, and 2 knights (in addition to Sir Connar, the local ruler). The town has 10 watchmen with 2 sergeants and a constable. Typically the soldiers patrol the walls and the castle while watchmen man the gates themselves. The watch sergeants and constable patrol the streets, as well as a watchman or two.

Each quarter of the town is responsible for having a militia. The merchants and craftsmen guilds are exempt from this militia but as a matter of pride provide their own militia teams. From these militias there are:

20 shortbowmen (north quarter) AT 5, shortbow, dagger

20 spearmen (west quarter) AT 6 spear, club

12 footmen with maces (east quarter) AT 8 mace, dagger

12 shortbowmen (south quarter) AT 8 shortbow, club

15 crossbowmen (craftsmen) AT 8 crossbow, short sword

12 infantry (merchants) (AT 14) shield, longsword, dagger

There is a sergeant from each militia group (same equipment). Sir Connar has appointed a member of the Merchant's Guild as Lieutenant and Master Morgaine as Captain.

In return for his position and ongoing training of the militia Master Morgaine receives a small stipend.

The younger boys of the town (ages 9 to 15) are also organized as “wardens”. In an emergency the wardens are expected to carry messages and help fight fires.

Other: The town has three guildhalls (merchants, craftsmen, rivermen), a few warehouses, some animal pens, and other such buildings. There is a watch hall with gaol, a mill, and a granary.

The Bridge: Originally built during the long-ago days of the Old Kingdom and that was to replace an ancient bridge further upstream (only 1 foundation remains, the granite smoothed with thousands of years of wear) the bridge over the Silver River is about 445' long with 5 spans. It arches slightly and is a full 18' wide with 3' stone railing along its length. One end is 'anchored' to Castle Whiteford with a flanking tower and heavy gates than can be shut and barred. The towers on the other bank (as well as the gate and doors) were removed a century ago as part of an agreement with the Eastern Marches, but the foundations remain. Made of heavy granite quarried from the Drake Mountains, it has been enchanted to resist wear, tear, and destructive magics (+25 on all RR rolls). It is effectively immune to damage from non-magical floodings.

The Surrounds: By law there can be no permanent home for people and no stone building within a mile of the outside walls. There are some wattle and daub buildings west of town on the riverbank that are used by fishermen and some small thatched huts for tools along the Hill road.

Pastures and fields stretch out from Whiteford until they meet the same from surrounding villages. The town is in a rather bucolic setting of stone walled pastures and fields dotted with sheep and cattle, all set in rolling hills.

The Villages: There are about 13 villages within the control of Sir Connar (looking at the map the villages of Avoth and Maryculter are of a different lord). While the villages range from about 160 people to about 450 people, 300 is a good average, so about 4,000 more people live (about 200 of them are halflings) around the town. Because of the proximity to the frontier all villages are walled with at least a palisade; as you travel north and east the walls become higher and stronger. Each village has a reeve in charge of defenses and about 3 deputies to man gates and such and typically have a dozen militia. Each village has a parish church and priest and all but Golspie have a public house that serves ale and simple food.

Other Settlements: Within the demense of Sir Connar are a few farmsteads (about 7), typically owned by yeomen. Without exception these larger homes are of stone and with slate roofs, walled, and easily defended. These freeholds usually have 3-5 armed men to guard them (the yeoman himself plus sons and hired men) and well provisioned.

The Border Towers: Within the area are 4 border towers that belong to the Baron himself. Each is a well-made 40' tower with battlements and a steeply-pitched roof, is accompanied by a stable and outbuilding, all within a small compound with 20' high battlemented walls. Each tower is manned by a sergeant and 6 guards and most have a local civilian (usually a boy aged 12-16 interested in becoming a guard) living and working in the stables as a general assistant.

Patrols: Sir Connar sends patrols (usually a knight and 2-4 soldiers) along the roads 2-3 times a week. The Baron's towers send out mounted patrols every few days to check the roads. Once or twice a month a baronial patrol (a knight with a sergeant and 8-13 soldiers) will pass through on the river road. In times of trouble patrols are more frequent and better-manned.

The Countryside: Whiteford is on the edge of the Alstur Hills, which are grassy, rolling hills that merge with the rolling fields of western Alstur and stretch east growing higher and more rugged as they become the heavily-forested foothills of the Drake Mountains. On the Marches side of the Silver River is the Silver Wood, a sylvan wood that stretches from the Silver River south to the Thunder River as well as east to the steep, tangled forests of the Drakes. The Alstur Hills are generally smooth and grassy with copses of trees scattered about.

RMFRP encounter codes: The climate is typically code m from late Spring until early Autumn, k in early to mid Spring and mid to late Autumn, code c in Winter. Encounter charts are usually N anywhere along the main road or the minor roads until about Fox Tower and in the settled area roughly bounded as within about a mile of the roads that stretch from Pitlochry through Farr, Doune, Shieldaig, Hallkirk, Golspieand Scourie ending at Dunnet/Fox Tower. Outside of that area and more than about 3 miles from the main road in the plains encounter chart for Rural/Inhabited is used; the same is true for outside that arc but within 3 miles of it in the hills and along the road in the Marches.

Beyond that in the Hills I will use encounter chart R (70%) or H (30%). In the forested hills about 15 miles northwest of Whiteford encounter chart E. In the general Silver Wood encounter chart D except for the thickly forested area marked on the map (chart E) and the marked hills (Burial Area chart).