Fort Harbeth

Fort Harbeth began as a supply post of House Riben for caravans on the Gulg-Ledopolus trade route. Located at the rough midpoint between the two cities, the fort was blessed with a natural spring which was too small to support an oasis but provided enough water for as many as 200 men each day. House Riben built a cistern for the flow and a small walled keep to protect the cistern. The small outpost remained in Riben hands for over 100 years. Shortly after House Inika split off from House Riben, a brief interhouse dispute left the fortress in the hands of House Inika, which used it as a more discreet location to form the spice caravans that traveled from Gulg to Tyr. The outpost also allowed House Inika to tap into trade with the nomads. Elven merchants, herdsmen, and hunters were all welcomed to the fort. Raiders occasionally attacked, so the defenses of the small keep were slowly improved until no raiding tribe would consider attacking again. As is the case with virtually all merchant outposts, the traders at the fort refused to conduct business with raiding tribes. Merchant houses recognize that the best way to discourage raids on their caravans is to close their markets to stolen goods – unless, of course, they are actively encouraging raids on a rival house. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell just where a traveler obtained his cargo. The elven tribes, on the other hand, are always eager to make purchases without asking too many questions. Initially, the traders of Fort Harbeth also refused to trade with renegade slaves. As the slave tribes became more stable and began to produce goods rather than just steal them, this stricture was lifted. This willingness to trade with ex-slaves improved the lot of the slave tribes, allowing them to expand and stabilize. The fort's importance increased as North and South Ledopolus grew. The presence of these dwarven settlements and their silt skimmers made shipment of cargo across the Estuary of the Forked Tongue to Balic profitable. House Inika established an alliance with House Wavir in which the houses would wholesale goods to one another at the crossing. A premium would be paid to the house that assumed the risk of transporting the cargo across the giantplagued estuary. The arrangement worked out very well for both houses, and Inika eventually established a small emporium in Balic. That base serves primarily as an administrative office and an outlet for some of Inika's most exotic wares. Fort Harbeth's importance grew again when Fort Fyra was founded. This enterprise, the most well-established of all the slave tribe endeavors, has become an important trading partner for Fort Harbeth. The fort's "nomad trade" has grown, and House Inika has used the additional profit to increase the staff of this small outpost. 

Lying near the crossroads of three major trade routes, Fort Harbeth is frequented by nomads, merchant caravans, slave tribes, and even some elven tribes. Some of House Inika's caravans to North Ledopolus and points beyond pass through Harbeth's gates, but the task of marshalling the caravans for Tyr has fallen to the headquarters of the house in Gulg. Recently, trade with North Ledopolus has led to an increase in the supply of dwarven items, particularly weapons, passing through this fortress. Such items can be purchased in the fort, although they are even more expensive here than in Gulg. In addition to the standard trade goods, Fort Harbeth maintains a large herd of erdlu. These birds thrive on the rough scrub which dots the foothills of the Mekillot Mountains and, with the ready supply of water provided by the spring, are able to survive year-round without ever straying far from the fortress. The fortress is an important supply point for the traders who canvass this region. It is rare for a week to go by without a small caravan wandering in or out of the gates. Most of the caravans are of House Inika but some are from other houses, notably House Wavir and the Renythi League. Fort Harbeth caters to the small, fast caravans favored by House Inika. These caravans haul cargo on the backs of kank or inix rather than using the slow mekillot wagons. The enormous lizards' need for huge quantities of water make such caravans unpopular visitors. The fortress can, however, accommodate mekillot wagons when necessary. In an emergency, the interior of the fort can hold all the beasts of a small caravan, but for normal traffic, there is a good caravanserai just outside the gates. House Inika actually has good relations with several elven trading tribes, and such tribes occasionally stop at Fort Harbeth. The master trader is naturally suspicious of elves he does not know, and will not allow a tribe to unload booty which they have obviously just stolen in a raid. The master trader will not permit thri-kreen inside the walls, although he will allow them to trade here. When thri kreen come to the fortress, a special trading table is set up on the hillside outside the fortress, and all trading is done from there.

Fort Harbeth's garrison includes a staff of 10 traders, including the master trader Waltian Inika and his assistant, Kelira Legar. This small trading group is defended by 40 soldiers led by Hurgen Vurst, a half-giant. The troops wear hide armor and carry bone battle axes, light crossbows, and stretched leather shields. The garrison is supported by a well-defended fortress. In addition to the usual defenses of high walls and strong gates, the outer defenses of the fortress are littered with traps. Most of these traps are fairly simple. They consist of covered pits and spined traps along the tops of the walls, intentionally loosened stones on the outer face to deter climbers, and other delaying or injuring barriers. These traps are intended to deter stealthy attacks; the garrison is quite sufficient to repel any direct attack by force. The garrison has recently been enlarged in response to growing concerns that the slaves of Salt View might choose to raid the fort rather than trade with it. Caravans and traders are watched carefully, and Hurgen Vurst has standing orders to forbid entry of more than 10 non-House Inika individuals to the fortress. Some of the passing traders who have been forced to sleep in the caravanserai have grumbled at this policy, but to date, Fort Harbeth has not been successfully attacked.