Red Cow Fort

The sandstone promontory of Borden Hill rises 450’ above the surrounding floodplain of the Creek River. Steeply sloping for the first 325’ the hill plateaus out to form an ideal defensive location. Located on a meander of Heort Creek, water surrounds Borden Hill on three sides providing a natural moat.

The walls of the fort protect the open side and surround the summit of Borden Hill. There are three gates into Red Cow. The main gate faces the landward approach. Two gates lead to the river, a main gate to the northeast, and a narrower access to the southeast.

Six hundred people live permanently at Red Cow Fort. Of those about three hundred and thirty are adults and the remainder are children. The people live in twelve households, some 50 hearths, with the largest household being the chieftain’s.

Of the adults, 48 thanes live here, many from the chieftain’s household, and housecarls, and the ring and priests. Fifty crafters — potters, bone, wood, and stone carvers, smiths and cobblers — live in one or other of the thanes’ households. Some 130 carls and 120 cottars live inside the walls but farm the lands around the fort. The clan musters some 65 militia, 60 skirmishers, and 25 helpers at Red Cow for the defense of the fort, more if the majority of the clan takes shelter in its walls.

Visible for many miles around, Red Cow Fort is not just a refuge in times of trouble but a statement of wealth and power.

A patrol led by one of the housecarls usually meets visitors to Red Cow Fort, occasionally at the gate, sometimes further out. They welcome the travelers to the lands of the Red Cow and escort them to Red Cow Fort.

Visitors by trail or road may find that their first encounter is with a patrol of the Doblian Dogeaters. The Dogeaters harass strangers, always on the lookout for rebels, searching through belongings and trying to root out troublemakers. They will then escort them to Red Cow Fort.

Red Cow is a crossing point of the Heort Creek. Because of the trail to Stonegate from the King’s Road, a ferry runs from dawn-to-dusk between Red Cow Fort and the east bank of the Heort Creek. The Heort Creek is some 80’ wide at this point, and too deep to wade. The ferry itself is simple, a large wooden raft, and two ropes stretched between the banks of the Heort Creek. The ferrymen pull the boat across the river using the two ropes. The ferrymen let the ropes sink to the bottom when the ferry is not in use.

Red Cow Fort has a weekly market on Wildday. Travelers near the Telmori like the safety of the fort on the day when the wolves are running and the bothies are usually packed.

Red Cow Fort is primarily a clan center; the clan stores a range of locally produced commodities here: grain, surplus cattle (especially the red cows so important in sacrifice), salted and smoked meat, fish, leather, wool, furs and hides. The produce is stored in storage pits and huts raised on posts. The Red Cow’s redsmiths and potters work at their forges and kilns and produce a small surplus of pottery and bronze tools and weapons.

The clan trades the surpluses for goods that cannot be sourced locally: salt and other spices, bronze, iron, linen, wine, oil, horses, medicines and dyes. The primary trading partners are other clans but Jonstown's merchants also take some of the clan’s agricultural surplus exchanging it for coin, which the clan uses to purchase goods manufactured by the artisans of that city.

Although Red Cow Fort has a weekly market, it did not traditionally have a recognizable ‘inn.’ The clan chieftain dealt with outsiders. Thanes and their retinue, who have no kin to lodge with, stayed in the mead-hall. Common folk stayed in one of the bothies under his hospitality. The visitors in the bothies received a blanket, but little else. Exceptions were sometimes made for ‘interesting’ visitors without noble rank. The enterprising local women also served cooked food and fresh ale, and provided washbowls and other comforts — for a price. If a caravan was visiting the atmosphere in the bothies became raucous.

In 1617, the Lunar Empire set up an inn at Red Cow Fort to cater for merchant traffic that had no desire to board with Broddi Strong-Kin. Many bothies were knocked down to build the inn. Broddi chafes at the insult to his hospitality. However, the Etyries cult has promised Broddi that trade will flow into Red Cow with an inn.

Lunar officials tend to stay at the garrison and enjoy the hospitality of the commander, a gesture that Broddi finds insulting, suggesting that his hall is not good enough. Even Queen Ivartha the Skinner respects Broddi’s right to deal with outsiders.

Clan folk come to Red Cow Fort for the moot. The clan holds a moot in Sea, Earth, and Storm Seasons. Everyone makes an effort to attend the Storm Season moot when the clan holds the chieftain’s shout and the weapontake.

Speakers at the Red Cow moot do not stand upon a raised ‘rock’ so that the assembled clan can easily see and hear them. Instead, the clan uses a theater cut into the side of Borden Hill. Tiered stone benches overlook the Mooting Stage where the speaker stands to address the assembled crowd.

The lawspeaker stands upon this stage to recite a third of the law at the opening of every moot. At a trial, judge, juror, plaintiff, and defendant all take their place upon the stage, in full view of the assembled clan. When the ring addresses the clan, they do so from seats placed in a semi-circle upon the stage. Elders of the clan sit in the lower benches, closest to the stage. The youngest members of the clan sit in the topmost seats, where their elders can better ignore their youthful enthusiasm.

During the moot, throngs of people crowd the narrow spaces in between the bothies, filling it with noise, smells, laughter, and anger.

The gate guards report to Jaranil the Thunder and he to Broddi. The guards carry axes as well as a spear and shield, and have metal helmets. There is always one thane on duty and they often have bronze armor. The guards treat visitors with respect and courtesy, but have little time for troublemakers. They take outsiders and strangers to meet the chieftain or one of the ring.

The thanes of the clan are proud. The Cinsina have a noble history fighting the wolfmen and have earned their name the ‘Brave Tribe.’ The ring is not hostile towards the Lunars. In the past, a respected chieftain, Willem the Knowing, welcomed Lunar missionaries, and the Red Cow remain unconcerned with the missionaries preaching; however, they are less certain about the Empire the Lunars bring with them. The ring is cautious towards rebels, fearing the trouble that they might stir up, and remembering the price of Starbrow's Rebellion. The Empire is powerful adversary and the ring treats it with respect. The thanes are suspicious around enemy tribes, the Dinacoli and the  Culbrea and watch such visitors closely. They are usually open to flattery and gifts to ignore small offences or infractions.

Troublemakers are taken before the chieftain and the ring for questioning. Cinsina troublemakers are exiled from the Fort; a legal case is initiated against them in the next tribal assembly (seeking fines and outlawry). Strangers are deemed to have violated their oath and the chieftain’s protection is removed. Heavy fines and exile are common for crimes. Serious crimes can result in execution by the housecarls.

Broddi resides in his mead-hall in Red Cow Fort. He willingly sees visitors from within the clan and travelers from abroad. He believes all news important and likes to be accessible. Broddi is never alone though, four housecarls always stand guard and a member of the ring is often present to offer the chieftain advice.

Newcomers speaking before the chieftain will be asked their name, their background (clan, tribe, famous kinfolk), business, and length they intend to stay. Broddi expects a gift appropriate to the gift-giver’s station but is forgiving of non-Orlanthi who may not know the custom. Broddi invites thanes, emissaries, and wealthy merchants to stay in his mead-hall, but suggests other visitors should lodge in the bothies. He will not suggest they stay at the inn.

The Cinsina still practice hosting the king or queen in turn as she travels around the clans. The queen spends each season with a clan determined by lot in Sacred Time. Queen Ivartha is always in Red Cow Fort in Dark Season, when travel is difficult. She is also here when either the Red Cow or Dolutha’s turn comes up according to lot. Although she should stay with Ivar Quickstep when it falls to the Dolutha by lot, she does not feel welcome there and continues to stay at Red Cow Fort. This causes some muttering among the other clans because Queen Ivartha may be at Red Cow for 2-3 seasons in a year.

Queen Ivartha does not welcome newcomers to Red Cow Fort when she is here, but does receive guests and petitioners for her help. When she arrives her household fills the Great Hall, and some of her household have to lodge at the Thunder Brother’s Barracks. Queen Ivartha loves to hear tales of wolf killing. She hands generous rewards to those who bring her wolf pelts, especially those of Telmori wolves.