Fort Creechling was a fortified town set at the end of a forested canyon along the footholds of the western Wealdshield Mountains. Not truly protected on all sides like most forts, it was established to block Ogres, Orcs, and other creatures from descending from a natural mountain pass into the fertile lowlands. The fort stood behind the mighty Barring Gate, a massive structure armed with both mundane and magical defenses, and had never been penetrated by an incursion.
Despite its remote and militaristic origins, Fort Creechling became a close and welcoming community on the edge of the frontier. A Human-majority town with a sizeable Gnome population, it was known for its merchants and jewelers, as it was the closest import town to Ashenport and Fortune's Bridge. Life for the soldiers stationed there was often permanent, and many settled into family life, mined the garnets found in nearby mountains, or tended to animals rather than sharpening their weapons.
Firebirds from the eastern Emberpeak Mountains could be found in the foothills around the fort, intelligent creatures that roosted in the cliffs and served as prophetic symbols for the garrison. When danger approached, the firebirds would soar above the fort in bright formations, their flames lighting the sky as a warning. Their annual song on the longest day of the year, Sunsummit, was a sacred event observed in silence by the townsfolk.
The fort generally kept a population of around 5000 people, able to support itself with the farmlands to its north and new recruits sent from Emblem.