Caer Kobing

Type: Stone keep with wooden palisade Location: Kobing, Firithel Hundred, Oselshire Holder: Orsin Firith, Baron of Kobing Garrison: ~50 regulars plus officers Built: 428 TR (keep); 633–639 TR (palisade)

Caer Kobing is the seat of the Baron of Kobing and the headquarters of the Oselmarch Army. The keep stands on a low hill twenty feet above the surrounding terrain, giving it commanding views of the Genin Trail and the approaches from the south.

History

King Aidrik IV built the stone keep in 428 TR on the site of an old Jarin hill fort, to guard Kaldor’s southern flank against barbarian incursion. The keep remained in the hands of House Artane until that line died out in 599. The last bailiff, Oren Firith, maintained control through the succession struggle; when Haldan I of Elendsa took the throne in 603, he recognised Oren as the rightful Baron of Kobe. Clan Firith has held the keep ever since.

The wooden palisade — timbers twelve feet high, six feet underground, three feet in diameter, two timbers thick — was begun in 633 and completed in 639. The gate wall is stone; the original plan to build entirely in stone was deemed too expensive. The previous baron added the balcony to the private apartments in 699.

Layout

Ground Floor (effectively a cellar; the main entrance is on the second floor via a ramp):

• Company barracks — cramped quarters for 50 regulars with double and triple bunks; adjacent dining hall
• Weaponcrafter Rogan of Eln’s workshop and accommodation for his three apprentices
• Extension (added 633): corporals’ quarters, southeast tower with sergeants’ quarters, storage, quarters for 20 additional regulars, interrogation area with two cells

Second Floor (entrance level):

• Senior corporals’ quarters
• Lady Marlyse’s quarters (bonded physician)
• Main entrance hall and common mess for six garrison men-at-arms
• Baron’s dining hall and council chamber — fine cabinets, tapestries, fireplace, with a balcony above
• Kitchen (chamberlain and cook sleep here; servants on rugs)

Third Floor (private level):

• Sir Merrick Dagale’s quarters
• Balcony overlooking the dining hall
• Baron’s private chambers and office
• Sir Nethan Daront’s quarters (Deputy Warden)

Fourth Floor / Roof:

• Roof access via trapdoor from the third-floor balcony
• Three tower rooms garrisoned by expert shortbow marksmen
• Tower battlements stand forty feet above ground level
• Rainwater barrels on the roof (the keep has no well)

Defences

The keep’s elevation (twenty-foot hill plus forty-foot walls) provides excellent observation of the surrounding terrain. The ramp entrance on the second floor forces attackers upward. The lack of a well is the keep’s primary vulnerability — the garrison relies on rainwater barrels and could be starved of water in a prolonged siege during dry weather.

Connections

• Kobing — the settlement surrounding the keep
• Orsin Firith — current holder
• Oselmarch Army — headquartered here
• Sir Nethan Daront — Deputy Warden, resides on third floor
• Sir Merrick Dagale — assistant, resides on third floor

Sources

• Kobing (vault article) — settlement key and keep description
• The Spear’s Return (adventure) — Act 2 setting