1. Motte: The entire fortress rests on an earthen hill some seven feet high. This huge mound once acted to protect the walls from siege engines, but as trade routes have shifted it is unlikely that anyone will have any interest in capturing Fort Inix. Legend has it that the hill (called a motte) is riddled with hidden tunnels which can allow troops to move unseen into or out of the fortress. The truth of these legends is unknown, but not a few members of the garrison have made it a hobby to search for these hidden tunnels.
2. Walls: The massive stone walls of Fort Shom are relics of an older, more prosperous time. Twenty feet thick and forty feet high, they are among the most massive stoneworks outside of a city-state. Legend has it that the stoneworks were the construction of giants in a time when dealings between giants and humans were much more friendly. The finer workmanship on the walls is obviously dwarven, however, with some sections polished to a glassy surface. Such polishing appears only in a few protected corners of the wall, however; time has worn away at the rest. The machicolations are rounded and worn, sections of the wall have developed cracks, and much of the wall has had so much mortar wear away so that their outer face is riddled with hand and footholds. Even the minimal maintenance of mortaring, which would reduce further wear on the wall, has not been attempted. Only the thickness of the walls and their original quality construction has prevented their collapse. The only point at which the walls can be penetrated is the main gate, which faces to the northwest. During the day this gate remains open, but at night huge stone doors are set into place in the opening. The gate is wide enough for two mekillot wagons to pass one another, and the arch is high enough to allow passage of even the highest wagon.
3. Towers: The outer walls are protected by round lookout towers. Each tower is 40 feet high, with three stories plus a roof. One lookout is stationed at each tower; lookouts work 12-hour shifts, and most in the garrison consider lookout duty to be unimportant and dull. Werelev, in one of his few attempts at real discipline, has tried to instill more attentiveness in the lookouts. His last attempt came as he approached an habitual sleeper “on duty” and threw him off the tower to the courtyard below. This caused the lookouts to be more attentive for a time, but as the incident fades into memory the lookouts are relaxing again.
4. Trading Hall: This building was once the most beautiful in Fort Inix, and it still is an awesome site. The main trading hall is a vaulted chamber some 40 feet long, its ceiling painted with images of traders exchanging goods, particularly inix. The walls are inlaid with white stone, the floor is marble, and the ceiling is supported by pillars covered with reliefs. Side chambers off the main hall once housed record keepers, private traders and money changers. At the height of Fort Inix's success, this was one of the most active and successful trading halls outside a city-state. Like everything else in Fort Inix, the trader's hall suffers from neglect. The heat of the sun beating down on the roof has caused the ceiling to crack and chips to fall from the faded frescoes. Centuries of torches have left grey smudges on the white walls, and the marble floor is covered with dust and minor debris. The hall itself is no longer used. There are not enough traders or customers to warrant it. Occasionally, a new chief trader decides to reopen the Trader's Hall. For a time there is a lackluster effort to reclaim the building, but long before it opens interest wanes and the work stops.
5. Chief Trader's Residence: This building is both the residence of the chief trader and the hostel for important visitors. The building is among the most ornate in the fortress, and is in excellent condition. The interior is filled with historical treasures and the finest of furnishings. This luxury, however, is something of a sham. The “historical treasures” are little more than memorabilia with no intrinsic value, and the furnishings, while ornate and valuable, are of varying styles, some dating back as far as 40 years. The surroundings are certainly comfortable, but the constant turnover of new chief traders gives the decor of this residence an eclectic, unfinished look. Before any one trader can complete redecorating in the style he prefers (given the delays involved in getting anything from the master of stores) another chief trader-with his own ideas of appropriate decoration-has come along to take his place. Thus, the residence is never (and never will be) complete. The rear portion of this building houses the chief trader's staff. Like the chief trader himself, the staff is frequently replaced. This chamber is more functionally urnished, with little in the way of luxury. Aside from beds and lockers, there is a small resting area modestly outfitted with cushions.
6. Garrison Barracks: This building houses Fort Inix's ragtag garrison. This building is a square frame of wood, almost spartan in its simplicity. The interior is divided into a number of sleeping areas; bunks are divided up more by the race and temperament of the occupants than by any semblance of military organization. Beds are rough ticks, stuffed with sand or straw, strewn haphazardly within the sleeping areas. Equipment is stowed in chests or in piles; theft and insects are chronic problems. The central dining area here doubles as a duelling pit. Disputes within the garrison are solved with knives as often as by Werelev. In part this is because Werelev is likely as not to have both parties executed, regardless of who is right. In his words: “You are soldiers, not bawling children. Fight your own battles!” Duels here are more common than Werelev would like, but not so common as to deplete the garrison. Replacements are hired on periodic trips to Nibenay.
7. Master of Stores' Residence: This two-story building houses the master of stores and his freeman staff, many of whom are also his family members. While the exterior of this building is rather plain when compared to the other residences, the interior is filled with the finest furnishings and accoutrements that can be had from the warehouses. The walls and floors are of the finest woods, and the rooms are comfortable and spacious. The building is in good repair, as the master of stores has made sure that repairs to his home are made promptly and well. It is said that of all the people in Fort Inix the master of stores lives a life second in luxury only to the master trader.
8. Warehouses: These enormous warehouses store the trade goods which are Fort Inix's ostensible reason for survival. Like many of the buildings in Fort Inix, the warehouses are not in good condition, but the master of stores has made some efforts to keep them in repair. The stores are “organized” in a system devised by the Amburr Wesran, the great-grandfather of the current master of stores. It is said that no one but a Wesran can find anything in the confused morass, although Berdeth seems to be able to locate virtually anything in the huge stacks of goods. The master of stores' staff spends most of its time inventorying and cataloging the huge storehouses, identifying items that either through wear or neglect (or sale on the black market) are in need of replacement from Nibenay. The warehouses also act as the sleeping quarters of the slaves. A section has been set aside in one of the larger warehouses as slave quarters; while the freemen of Fort Inix have done little more than provide the slaves with some straw, the slaves have turned this section into comfortable quarters, with bedding, braziers, and even some seats “borrowed” from stores. While the slaves are no more successful than anyone else at finding things in the Wesran organizational scheme, they view the improvement of their quarters as a kind of scavenger hunt, and borrow what they find and can use. So long as the slaves are wellbehaved and limit their pilferage, the master of stores and his staff do not interfere. (This is more because interfering would require work and attention rather than any feeling of charity on the freemen's part.)
9. Herder's Hall: This building is the residence for the herder staff, including the chief herder. While this position is maintained as a symbol of the history of House Shom, the chief herder has little responsibility at Fort Inix. Sermap Yestrev's feud with the master of stores is manifest in the condition of the Herder's Hall. While the exterior of this building is no more run down than any other building in Fort Inix, the interior is a shambles. Entire rooms are uninhabitable because the floor has collapsed or cracks in the walls go unsealed. A portion of the building has been infested with giant centipedes; the affected rooms have been sealed to prevent their spread. All of the herders except the chief herder are huddled in a single room, with a tightly sealed door to prevent any centipedes which escape their confinement from getting to the sleeping herders. The chief herder has repeatedly requested the slaves and materials to restore the Herder's Hall, but so far has been politely refused.
10. Inix Corral: This large fenced area was once the corral for the inix which made this fort great. Unfortunately, as alluded to above, the inix are gone, but the corral still waits for the return of the lizards. When House Shom caravans bring livestock to the Fort, they are housed in this corral. Temporary repairs are made to shore up the collapsing fence, and the master of herders and his staff actually have animals to care for. Soon, though, the caravan leaves, taking its livestock with it, or the livestock is sold off to the neighboring tribes, and the herders return to a life of idleness. At one end of the corral stands a half-collapsed stable. The current dispute between the master of stores and the master of the herd regards who should repair the stable. Both are insistent that they have too many other duties. Should the stable collapse, Werelev will ask the master trader to step in and resolve the dispute.
11. Oasis: This area is the outermost edge of the vegetation supported by the oasis. Primarily scrub brush and flowering cacti, these plants take their water from deep roots which go down several feet to the water table of the oasis. Fortunately for Fort Inix, the oasis no longer seems to be receding, although it is shrinking on other sides. There is no open water at the oasis, although a deep well can be found near its center. This well always has water, even in the dry high sun season, and when the cisterns get low slaves are sent to the outer well to replenish the water supply.
12. Well and Cisterns: This 30-foot-deep shaft provides the water for the entire fortress. Ten slaves (provided by the master trader) work day and night to draw water from the well and place it into a cistern from which the fort draws its water. Several complex arrangements to bring the water up have been tried, but slaves with buckets have proven the most effective solution. In the season of sun descending, the well goes dry, and the fortress must survive on the stored water in the cistern for a period of several weeks. During this period, slaves are put on halfrations of water, and freemen may be put on half-rations late in the spell. Each year, the dry spell gets longer and longer, but the cisterns – augmented with occasional trips to the well at the oasis-have been able to support the residents.
13. Bazaar: This large area is where the traders set up
when a caravan or nomad tribe comes, or on the regular
“market days”. The bazaar is divided into a number of
booths, each of which offers a portion of the fortress' goods.
These booths are easily assembled and disassembled, and
are brought back into the fortress and stored in the
warehouse when customers are not available. All of the
traders in this bazaar serve House Shom, and therefore
the prices set by the house are rather high. Fort Inix still
has, however, the widest variety of goods of any trader in
the Ivory Triangle region.