Work In Progress Star Fort

[Dreadheart]

POI Name: Star Fort
Credits:

• Headers
• Map

Type: Castle
Position: The Star Fort is a design employed by the armies of the Iron Cult. Originally a fortification method used by Wesallan regiments, to protect supply lines and strategic crossroads.
Consolidation Thread: NA
Architect:
Description:

The Star Forts take their name from the night's stars, due to the star-like shape they have when seen from above. Their main structure is a square-shaped typical fortified position, with the four towers at its cornerpoints stretching outward. The main position is surrounded by a deep moat, usually empty although some Star Forts make use of any nearby rivers or other sources of abundant water to flood the moat. A drawbridge connects the main position's singular entry point, a relatively small gate, with the outer defensive works that are the Demilunes.
Each demilune is built along the flat face of each wall of the main position, adding an additional layer to the fort's defences. Demilunes are usually mounted with light artillery, or troops, meant to put pressure on the enemy until they advance too close, at which point the defenders withdraw to the main position, while the Bastion artillery bombards the Demilune, to deny the enemy an advance or loot.
Inside a Star Fort usually are several rather narrow rectangular buildings like Stables, Barracks and warehouse, where the garrisoning troops keep ammunition and supplies, in case they face a siege.

ATTRIBUTES

• Main Stats
  • Defence: (Choose between: Low, Average, High, Very High, Extreme)
    • Defensive Elements: (What are the defensive infrastructure of the POI? Write them in list or text form here)
  • Offence: (Choose between: Low, Average, High, Very High, Extreme)
    • Offensive Elements: (What are the offensive infrastructure of the POI? Write them in list or text form here)
  • Durability: (Choose between: Low, Average, High, Very High, Extreme. This attribute shows how stout the POI is against time as well as a siege, or an attack)
  • Scarcity: Global
• TvM Requirement: (This attribute shows the necessary TvM score required for a faction to use/construct such type of POI)

Spoiler: Point Allocation Chart
Depending the points spent across the Main Stats of a Submission, the requirements for creation change. The more special a POI is, the higher the requirements for a Consolidation Thread in which the existence of the POI is addressed and introduced in a narrative manner.

Points Spent	Requirements
4-8	None
9-12	Consolidation Thread (15+ Posts, 200+ Words Per Post)
13-16	Consolidation Thread (20+ Posts, 200+ Words Per Post)

Strengths
- Overlapping Fields of Fire. The bastion artillery is capable of engaging targets in overlapping arches, allowing devastating results when they focus fire.
- Demilune barricades. The access points of a Star Fort are protected by Demilunes that deny the enemy direct access to the gates, while serving as a second layer of defence, well within the bastion artillery field of fire.

Weaknesses
- Not enough space. The space within a Star Fort is rather scarce, due to the intricate design, making it unable to host more than a hundred troops.
- Earthwork fortifications. The walls and defensive trenches of the Star Fort consist of rearranged earthworks, mainly dirt and debris, making them weak against heavy artillery bombardments.

Historical Information
Deriving from the ancient Ostrian palisade forts, the Star Forts were an innovation that countered the typical infantry assaults against fortified positions. The overlapping range of the artillery employed, as well as its star-like shape, allowed the defenders to repulse many an assault of besieging armies. The style of fortification was initially employed for small settlements and core strategic positions, gradually expanding into an Imperial-styled blueprint able to be built at almost any location that was deemed vital.

By the time of the Ostrian Civil Wars, also known as the Iron Cult Rebellion, the Wesallan armies were faced with stout Star Forts along the river banks separating the border, becoming unable to overcome them by the sheer rate of artillery coverage. After years of trials in the field, it was discovered that artillery fire against he gatehouse itself could break open a path for the assaulting force to storm in, with little in the way of resistance. To remedy that weakness, the Iron Cult added additional Demilune barricades, forcing a zig-zag path that had to go through various artillery ranges to reach the main gate, while the gate itself was not visible from any angle from the besieger's side.

During the later decades, the Star Forts were established as the traditional bluepring of Iron Cult outposts across Erova, serving as military strongpoints to monitor enemy movements, or even hold off invading forces.