Fort Vehl: Defenses

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The defenses of Fort Vehl fall into three categories: physical, official, and coerced. The physical defenses involved the stone walls that surround the town, built as high as those in Port Hempstead and nearly as thick.

The second, official, part is the same as the kingdom -an "army" under Andrew Cartier, Yveisha's mages, and the navy. There is a small town guard paid for by the Merchant's Guild as well, lead by the formidable and exceptionally tall Vilma.

But the third is perhaps the strongest and weakest link. There are many favors, blackmails, secrets and I-owe-you's floating around Fort Vehl from various members of the government and businesses. So incestuous are the relationships that an insult to a washerwoman at one end of the town might make an enemy of a pub owner on the other. If military action is necessary, practically the entire town can be called on to send warm bodies and resources to clear their debts. So, while the Kingdom's military is of a more or less fixed size, the potential defenses of Fort Vehl are only limited by the speed at which word can get out and the number of citizens inhabiting it at that time - the number that don't sneak out before their "you owe me" is called up, that is.