Fengaard Forward Bastion

Rising from the frost-hardened soil of Bariatok  like a hammerhead cast in stone, the Forward Bastion of Fengaard  is both a symbol and a statement. Built at the precise point where the Imperial advance once halted for winter, this squat but formidable bastion marks the moment the Empire refused to yield further ground. It is not the heart of Fengaard, but its planted foot, anchoring the forward camp with stone, steel, and imperial resolve.   Constructed of quarried Cythrian basalt shipped in on weeks-long wagon trains, the bastion tower stands three stories tall, with tapering, sloped walls built to deflect siege engines and withstand the brutal freeze-thaw of Bariatok’s climate. It bristles with arrow slits and reinforced gunports, while its crowning platform hosts a signal mirror, alchemical flare racks, and a pair of heavy bolt throwers. Though spartan in comfort, its interior is a model of military efficiency: barracks, storerooms, war rooms, and an armory stacked with both conventional weapons and magical contingencies.   Surrounding the tower is a thick curtain wall still under construction, laid in concentric layers with mortar warded against sabotage. The inner courtyard is a frenzy of activity: engineers from the Hammer Corps work alongside conscripted laborers and spellwrights, building drainage channels, powder storage vaults, and a permanent gatehouse. Supply caravans arrive daily with lumber, iron, grain, and stone, escorted by outriders from the Knight-Banneret of Tycho . The air rings with hammer blows, shouted orders, and the distant howl of the Bariatok wind.   But the Forward Bastion is not intended as a permanent home. It is a keystone, a foothold to be left behind when Fengaard marches forward. When the mobile camp uproots and moves deeper into the contested lands, this bastion will remain, a fixed garrison, a fortified depot, and a launch point for future incursions. Its towers will house scouts and wardens, its stores will fuel long patrols, and its silhouette will remind all who see it: the Empire does not retreat.   Fengaard moves, but its stones remain.