“Surrounded by this bastion, the land appears much like the surface of the moon. If you have not miraculously found yourself shot beneath their gates, they will take you, and put out a slowmatch on your hide. If you so much as grimace, you are infected to them and are to be put to death. So far, no outsiders have passed their test.”
– Zinc Spade
Unyielding Bastard is a hostile, isolated star fort city located in southwest Gnomanya. It was originally built by The Kingdom to secure access from the Chilling River to the Sea of Brine on the southern border.
Unyielding Bastard
Gnomanyan depiction of the southern bastion, with sawbacks resting beneath the walls.
Province
Southwest Gnomanya
Population
Roughly 3,000
Demonym
Bastard
Government
Hermit Stratocratic Cult
Ruler
General Brass Top
History
Originally a military fort, the city’s construction faced many such difficulties: The river delta it was built on did not have firm ground, and needed to be constantly poldered. Curious sawbacks were drawn to the activity and attacked unsuspecting builders frequently. And due to its proximity to the Southern Hordes, the city was under constant siege. This questionable city placement once grant it the name “Dippy Bastard”.
On the offhand, its difficult position made it absolutely grueling to lay siege to, as the Gnomanyans that inhabited it made use of the floodplains, effortlessly constructing moats and rugged, heavily armed ravelins in their place. The city bolstered its defenses rather quickly, and repelled 19 major assaults since its founding. This would earn it the revered name of “Unyielding Bastard”.
As of 1592, it is the only frontier city in Gnomanya that has not been destroyed by The Conciousness.
Government
Unyielding Bastard is self-proclaimed to be the de-facto government of Gnomanya due to a small enclave of Kingdom remnant soldiers still at their posts. Though due to its constrained area of influence and extreme change in culture and social order, this claim is heavily disputed.
Society
The Bastards are near self sustaining, and have acres of farmland as well as river access within their walls where they fish for sawbacks. Their nature and loyalty to one another is almost cult-like, and are hostile to outsiders. They seldom leave their city out of fear of The Consciousness.
Layout
The greater city is a massive center bastion, surrounded with several lesser bastions arranged in a quasi-satellite configuration. Each lesser bastion can “lock down” in the event of an outbreak or to deny access to the greater city during a siege, and has an ample supply of rations and ammunition to last months. Each lesser bastion is equipped with at least 100 cannon, 20 mortars, and an uncountable quantity of wall guns. Due to the uneven terrain, and ad hoc constructions, no lesser bastion are alike, ranging from symmetrical fortifications to outright profusions of ravelins, dead zones, crownworks, and flammable moats. Each zone is rigged to detonate, should it fall to the enemy.
