When trouble strikes the streets of Threshold, the men of Threshold Barracks respond to the challenge.
Threshold Barracks houses a contingent of about 100 City Guardsmen who maintain order in Threshold. They patrol the City streets in groups of 2 to 6, investigating any suspicious activity and quelling violence. How quickly the Guard responds and how they deal with malefactors depends both on the circumstances involved and how you, the GM, wish to play them.
Guardsmen patrol on foot. However, if a large scale disturbance should break out (e.g. a riot), horses would be available for them. Guardsmen are fairly competent fighters, and are both well armed and recognizable. They wear mail; guardsmen not equipped with pole arms would probably carry shields.
Threshold
Barracks is not a jail, though there is probably one located nearby.
Several such barracks would be
scattered throughout a good sized city.
LAYOUT
Threshold
Barracks is a well-fortified building of thick stone, 125' across and
90' long. The walls are 12' high; a 10' wide rampart runs around the
building. At each corner of the building is a tower which rises an
additional 10' above the walls. The roof of each tower is an
observation post, and at least one guardsman is on duty there at all
times. A large tower, 12' high, 20' x 14', sits atop the arched
entryway into the barracks.
A. Entryway. (14' x
20) An arched "tunnel" leads into Threshold Barracks. At
each end of this tunnel is a heavy portcullis which can be raised or
lowered from the Main Tower (A1). In the east wall of the tunnel is a
door that leads to the Main Office of the Barracks (B).
A1. Main Tower. (14'
x 20) Above the entryway is a 12' high tower. It is reached by a
flight of stone stairs located in the courtyard of the barracks.
These stairs run up to a door in the west wall of the tower. Doors in
the east and west walls of the tower lead out to the ramparts of the
barracks building. There are
5 arrow slits in each wall of the main tower; between the slits are
racks for arrows, bows, pikes, etc. The roof of the tower is reached
by a spiral stone staircase in the center. This staircase ends in a
heavy wooden trapdoor which can be closed and barred from inside the
tower. In the northeast
and southeast corners of the tower are the winches which control the
portcullises that block the entryway. The north portcullis is lowered
after midnight, but the south portcullis is open at all times (except
during an attack). Two men are needed to raise a portcullis (using a
winch), but only one to lower it (simply throwing a catch on the
winch). The roof of the
Main Tower is always manned by two guardsmen. On the roof is a
movable scorpion (one-man catapult) and a pile of rocks for ammunition. The
Roof also has a large bell for giving alarm or
calling out the Guard.
B. Main Office. (20' x 20') This is where Guardsmen check in and out, and make any necessary reports. It is also where citizens come to report disturbances or request aid. Master Sergeant Arthol usually mans the office during the day; any one of a number of corporals takes over at night.
The room contains
a large desk and chair, and several benches. There are "wanted"
posters on all the walls. A large stone cabinet in the southeast
corner holds the Barracks records and Guardsmen's reports. The window
in the north wall is about 5' from the floor, and barred from inside.
C. Captain Zegro's
Office. (20' x 18') A large, nicely-furnished office where the
Captain of the Guard handles
administrative matters, requests for protection, and so forth. The
window in the wall is barred. Shelves in the Captain's office hold
additional records and reports, etc.
D, F, K, M. corner Towers. (20' x 20') The ground-floor door leads to the nearest barracks room; it cannot be locked. Around the walls are racks of weapons, and in fact these lower rooms serve as the guards' basic armory. In the center of the room is a spiral staircase of stone which leads up to the rampart level of the tower.
The rampart level
of the tower (located directly above the room designated on the map)
has two doors leading to the ramparts; these doors can be barred shut
in an emergency. There are 5 arrow slits in each wall, and more
armament is stored at this level. The spiral staircase continues up
to the roof of the tower. This staircase exits through a trapdoor in
the roof which can be shut and barred from inside. On the roof of the
tower is a large alarm bell, and a small ballista.
E, L. Barracks. (18'
x 60' ) These two areas are the Guardsmen's quarters; each room
contains 22 bunk beds. Barred windows (6' from the ground) provide
ventilation. There are also a few small tables where off-duty
Guardsmen can chat, dice, drink, and so forth. Between the bunks are
wall racks for weapons.
G. Privies. (35' x
10) These facilities are merely a row of stalls. Three tiny barred
windows in the north wall (7' from the ground) provide ventilation.
The privy area is kept clean by selected Guardsmen.
H. Mess Hall. (40' x
32') Guardsmen eat and pass the time in here. There are set mealtimes
for the different Guard shifts. The quality of food is about what one
would expect from a military organization (i.e. one step below
palatable, but nourishing).
I. Kitchen. (16' x
22') This is where food is prepared for the Guard. Hearths and ovens
are located in the
northeast and northwest corners; worktables, chopping blocks, spice
racks, and so forth are scattered
throughout the room.
J. Kitchen Storage.
(16' x 20') Food and water for the guard is stored here, along with
odd bits of other equipment. The door is usually locked1.
N. Sgt. Tharn's
Quarters. (10' x 12') This small room is the quarters of Jevro Tharn,
the Sergeant -at- Arms. It is a spartan room, with a single bed, a
small table and chair, and wall pegs for clothes.
O. Master-Sgt.
Arthol's Quarters. (20' x 20') This is a
nicely-appointed room where Master Sergeant Arthol resides. In the
southwest nook is a four-poster bed; the room-also contains a table
with four chairs, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet. Wall pegs hold
Arthol's clothes and armor. Hung on the east wall is an ornate tower
shield with two broadswords crossed behind it.
P. Captain Zegro's
Quarters. (20' x 22') This is a large, sumptuously-furnished room,
with carpeting, a long dining table, several cabinets, and a large
armoire. A huge bed sits against the east wall.
Q. Courtyard. (60' x
94') The interior courtyard of the Barracks is where the Guardsmen
drill, practice fighting techniques, and lounge around on sunny days.
The yard is packed dirt; there are "practice
dummies", hacking posts, etc. scattered about. Against the south
wall of the Courtyard area is a stone stairway
which leads leads over room P, up to the Main Tower.
PERSONALITIES
Captain Orlando
Zegro. Human. Ht: 6'1". Wt: 190 lbs. Age: 41 . Fighting prowess:
good. A tall, wiry man,
Captain Zegro has brown eyes, dark hair, and a heavily-waxed
moustache. He is less concerned with
administration of the Barracks than he is with his numerous affaires
d'amour. Zegro is a rake and
a libertine of the first order. He believes his position is beneath
him, but it does provide him with a good income and plenty of
opportunities for his romantic escapades. Zegro will only
be present in the Barracks 40% of the time. He is almost certain to
flirt with any attractive female. Zegro is also a lover of art, and
has several nice paintings and statues in his quarters.
Master-Sergeant
Arthol. Human. Ht: 5'10". Wt: 200 lbs. Age: 48. Fighting
prowess: very good. Arthol is a
chunky fellow with blue eyes. His hair and beard are sandy-brown with
touches of grey; his manner is that
of an old veteran who knows his stuff. Arthol came up through the
ranks to become Master Sergeant, and
cherishes his position. Arthol thinks
Captain Zegro is an idiot. He runs the Barracks himself, making it a
point to know the name and face of
every Guardsman in the Barracks. Arthol has a wide-ranging network of
informants throughout Threshold. He is the bane of the underworld;
time and again, the criminal elements of the City have made attempts
on his life. He is definitely a law-and-order type and none too fond
of adventurers. Arthol enjoys a
good card game, and hosts at least two a week in his quarters. He
also enjoys liquor, though he
does not overindulge. He and Sergeant Tharn are good friends.
Sergeant Jevro
Tharn. Human. Ht: 6'0". Wt: 175 lbs. Age: 36. Fighting prowess:
excellent. Jevro Tham is a
tall, lean man with a dour look. He is dean-shaven, with
short-cropped black hair, and grey eyes. As Sergeant-at-Arms, he is
in charge of training the Guardsmen. He is an expert with a wide
variety of weapons, and is also a superb tactician. Unknown to his
friend Sergeant Arthol, Tham also has a nice little graft scheme
going on the side. Various thieves and criminal organizations in the
city pay Tharn for both information and limited protection (sending
patrols to the wrong end of town, etc.). Tharn's spartan manner of
living gives no clue to this extra income, but he has a nice pile
salted away for retirement. Despite this corruption, Tharn is a
conscientious peace officer and is well liked in the City.
Guardsmen. As GM,
you should personalize any Guardsmen (or Barracks workers) as you see
fit. Their fighting prowess should never be less than average; most
Guards should be in the fair-to-good category. Pay for an average
Guardsman is 15 gold pieces a week.
SCENARIO SUGGESTIONS
Scenario 1. The
party discovers that one of Captain Zegro's paintings holds a clue to
a rich treasure trove. They
must somehow gain possession of the painting (or at least get a good look at it), which
means getting into the Captain's quarters. Seduction by a female
party member would, of course, be
the easiest method. The GM must determine the nature of the clue
offered by the painting (it
could be a landscape, with a recognizable landmark such as a mountain
or tower; a cryptic rune worked into the picture; or even a
dimensional doorway which opens when the proper incantation is
spoken).
Scenario
2. The adventurers inadvertently stumble onto the fact that Sgt.
Tharn is dealing with thieves. To protect himself, Tharn frames one
or more of the party for some crime.
Adventurers must now extricate themselves from
the frame and get hard evidence on Tharn as well.
Adventurers can also
take jobs as City Guardsmen, if the GM chooses to make such
available. In city running, however, Guardsmen are most useful to to
keep rambunctious parties in check. The Threshold Guard is, in
essence, the GM's "troops" in a city adventure. They can be
both "cavalry" (saving a party or character from thieves,
assassins, villains), and "foil" (tossing the characters in
jail when they get drunk and rowdy). Guardsmen can also be useful
sources of information, since they have an intimate knowledge of the
city and its villains. As the front line in keeping order in
Threshold, Guardsmen should be used imaginatively to heighten and
augment the "real" feeling of the city.