Gutwrench Castle

Map

Overview

Gutwrench is a single tower with an outer wall. The tower is four stories tall and has a central courtyard open to the sun. Each floor is a ring of rooms. The roof has four rock huts, close to the north, south, west, and east edges. Each is roofed with a sheet of slate and has a low wall. Each roof hut has a brazier and a large iron pot for oil. The castle has two basements; one is a mine and the other is a cellar. The hill that Gutwrench is built out of has been used for horse rituals since ancient times.

The outer wall has small towers at eight junctions, creating an octagon. Each tower has a light catapult, whose primary purpose is to launch away barrels of waste. The surrounding fields are littered with broken barrels and chamberpots of rotten poop. The outer courtyards are full of furnaces, mine-track intakes for stone, and smoke-tents for tanning and meat. Additionally, many of the residents perform menial duties such as carting around donkey shit.

The Bristle Beasts who built the castle are rock tunnelers who camp in deep caves, often killing unknown miners if they run across them. Their boss Yunyar is an ingenious weaponsmith. His weapons are powerful and glorious. One typical outfit of the Bristle Beasts is a set of riveted overalls, a wide iron helmet, an outer sheep leather coat, and high boots with wool lining. There is a diverse array of dress, a lot of the barbarians wear short robes. Bristle Beasts who are dwarves favor loincloths.

Most rooms in Gutwrench have a font, which will have either beer or soup, with a ladle. The fountain-soup is great but it gets out of control and dogs drink out of it. Other food reserves include egg yolks and animal feet pickled in sour whey. There are a good deal of castle fishermen who go out on Hogmouth Lake and catch walleyes, sometimes with clubs and moose antlers. The barbarians keep sheep and goats, which they mostly let run wild. The sheep have preferred caves and migration paths, and the barbarians know where these are.

A lot of children (humans younger than 20) live in Gutwrench. All are taught about trading with foreigners and all taught how to use swords. The snottiest and shoviest of the children are fast-tracked to warrior training. Ones with a talent for literacy are pushed to become merchants. Some specialize as cooks or sorts of tailors. The hard people wisely fear sorcery. Dogs of all ages live at at the castle, and get everywhere, and howl along to tinny lutes played by shrill old men.

Yunyar hasn't picked a successor. There are about ten candidates. Regardless, the barbarians have all agreed to not respect their leader's will when he dies. The clan's miners, horse trainers, fishers, and smiths all want the place. Also, a lot of them will happily go back to being nomads after Yunyar passes.

Possible successors
 Yunyar is the best miner, even in his advanced age.
 3 second-best miners
  Gursha  (Tharthy-Dejy f : Barbarian, Night's Beauty) - most fearless against beasts
  Chubik  (halfling m)     - fastest acquirer of specific minerals
  Baelgur (Fhokki m)       - gets lost the least
 Horse trainers
  Aiga (Fhokki f) 
  Goka (Half-Raitho-Dejy, Half-orc m)
  Raltzer (Fhokki m)
 Fishing Fleet Captains
  Zila   (raitho-dejy f)
  Marzoo (reanaarian m)
  Darlo  (reanaarian m)
 More "head staff"
  Sulzi - Dwarven brewer

The Slimebeast orcs might take over Gutwrench. The Manskinner barbarians might take it over. Horse Chopper Monastery is nearby, but the monks are not interested in living in the castle or administrating it. The Spite Thugs might take it over, which would give them a second castle. Sulzi's dwarf clan might move in on it.

Key

First floor

1A - foyer-hall

The foyer has a few art displays

The taxidermied head of a giant lizard, hung up on a ragged body shield.
A flattened human skeleton in an ivory frame, sealed in glassy tar.
A mural tattooed onto a walrus skin, of a herd of seals carrying a crescent moon on their backs.
A clay pot glazed by thousands of random grasses scorched into it, each a different metallic color.
Molding between the wall and ceiling made of semi-melted goat hooves.

1B - guardroom

A room a few closeable steel lookout panels, the winch for the portcullis, and a few spears. A bench is built into the north wall.

1C - mine service room

A shed-like room containing spare minecart axles, pickaxes, and stretchers.

1D - Courtyard

A weedy garden with some tall grasses. It is used for sheep and beets.

1E - mine ramp

A fortified ramp with a cart track going down into the cellars.

1F - lumber stash

Wooden racks of wooden planks, dowels, logs, and chunks. A few sawhorses and shaving horses are set up.

1G - grain stash

Crates of oats, beans, herbs, and barleys.

1H - Inner hallway

Second floor

2A - trophy fishes: A hallway with fox furs and mounted sturgeons on the wall, which are arranged between human skulls in wall niches, with each niche having two stout candles.
2B - lodge: A room with floor cushions, a fireplace, and multiple low tables that are cluttered with candlewax and miscellaneous cups and tools.
2C - pottery room: A kiln, throwing wheel, and piles of raw clay.
2D - office: The brewer's office where various recipes are kept
2E - cheesemaking room: Vats and cauldrons for sheep cheese and flat beer.
2F - toolshed: Some spare tongs, whetstones, and shovels are piled here.
2G - nursery: Very young children sleep here and older kids help take care of them.
2H - infirmary: A room for wounded and invalid to medicate and rest. Peglegs and other prosthetics may also be fitted here.
2I - dorm: An array of pallets, with a secret sally port in the northeast wall.

Third floor

3A - dorm: A room with a few rows of long, adult-sized baskets lined with fur and horse leather.
3B - crystal fountain: A room with a small tub set in the floor of clear water and pebbles of clear crystal minerals, some of them floating, some of them sunk to the bottom.
3C - inner antechamber: A chilly room. Hats made of foxes and opossums are slumped onto hooks in the wall.
3D - arrowshop: A room for making and storing archers' equipment.
3E - loom room: A room with large and small looms, rags, shards of metal plate, chainmail patches, and other sewing implements.
3F - orb room: Room displaying perfect orbs of sulfur, lead, obsidian, and other minerals.
3G - robing room: A room reserved for donning armor and ceremonial garb.
3H - armory: Racks of helms, battle spears, bardiches, and so forth.
Balcony: Barrels of cider, meat, and brandy are kept outside here to chill.

Fourth floor

4A - lard gallery: Piles of bricks of lard are kept here, as are dried meats and spiced meats, but mostly lard.
4B - ration room: Waterskins of soup and beer are kept here for bristle beasts who will be away digging or riding for a while. There are other provisions kept here.
4C - mug room: Mugs, plates, and hard bread are kept here. There is a kitchenette with spices, carving utensils, and a 32-gallon iron cauldron.
4D - upper dining hall: Long wooden tables scarred with knife marks are set along the east and west walls. Between them is a wide aisle with enough room to dance or act out a play.
4E - upper latrine: A dim room with several amateurish chamberpots and a window.

B1 - mine

A single arterial tunnel leads west to east. Mineshafts branch north-south off it, and are interrupted by an underground river.

The north branches lead to iron, amethyst, river, native bronze, and spinel.

The south branches go to just stone, nickel, river, lignite, and erythite.

B2 - cellar

Aside from the mine, there is a separate cellar far underneath. At the very least it houses stills, pickles, and some of the barbarian's most valuable treasure, which is cheese wheels.

They also have an armory of comparatively little value, which includes axes, bows, and voulges for hundreds of fighters.

C1 - Pickles: A few thousand-pound barrels of pungeunt brine are in here, full of onions, pumpkins, beets, and eggs. Some smaller and handheld casks are stacked down here for handheld dipping.
C2 - Cheese Cellar: 5 wheels of cheese, 100 pounds, 200 pounds, 300 pounds, 400 pounds, and 500 pounds. Each is ripened and fungal, to various stages.; Clay pots of runny odorous cheese.; Bricks of thick-skinned hard cheese.
C3 - Stills: A mere two copper-lined stills quietly simmering away. They are piped to the same single barrel, creating some kind of sour gin.
C4 - Armory: 8 each of every barbarian weapon, with a few extra two-handed warhammers and maces added in.
C5 - Vats: Huge cisterns fermenting wine, vinegar, beer, pickle juice, and other acrid culinary treasures. Four cisterns are made of brass, four are made of copper, and four are made of silver.