Day Four-Sixty-Three: Sproing

Shiiiiiiit. We're in better shape than I thought. Pubton has become quite the little stronghold… and it's not even that little anymore.

I've looked at the walls of Pubton before, and I know I've mentioned the fact many times. Thing is, I don't think I've really looked at the walls, not at what's been done to beef them up. They've always been a continuous project, something that needs to be done but which isn't that impressive. They're walls. Big whoop.

But they are impressive. They're really impressive. And apparently I have Harold to thank for that. He's a great deal more useful than I ever would have imagined.

Stretching along the edges of the forest in all directions, the wall is a behemoth of stone, mortar, and a whole lotta wood scaffolding. Ranging from fifteen to twenty feet tall, depending on where you are, it's an impressive feat of defensive fortitude. The entire length of it is covered in ramparts, archer slits, cannon emplacements, secret doors for accessing the outside, and, oh my lord, traps. The wall has so many cool traps.

Libby's responsible for many of the traps. She brainstormed a lot of them, my brilliant, crafty wife did, and long before she left Pubton to go mining she'd set them all down on parchment for her workers to craft. Many of those workers left for Pubtwon when Libby took off, but a few remained behind, and they've been building traps ever since. Some examples:

- There are stone launchers hidden in random spots along the walls. Many of the smaller stones are loose, despite how they look flush with the mortar, and with the flick of a switch a spring attached to the stone will sproing outwards, slamming hard rock into whatever's in front of it. Ouch. The stones have to be reloaded, but it's still a good idea.

- Many of the arrow slits are actually spear traps in disguise. Anybody who sneaks up to one and tries to peek through will get a blade to the face. Makes me cringe just thinking about it.

- The wall's walkway has a bit of an edge to it, and an enemy that gets close enough can, technically, hide under the edge at the base of the wall… but they might accidentally step on a pressure plate and get a ton of spikes dropped on their head. (We've been encouraging everyone IN Pubton to avoid walking along the outside of the wall. For their own protection, y'know.)

- There are also spike projectors at some of the more vulnerable spots along the wall, usually where there's a clearing. It ain't exactly uncommon for bad guys to bring ladders.

- My personal favourite is the glue trap. Many of the more vulnerable ramparts are coated in a weird, semi-sticky substance whose recipe Libby found in some alchemy book. When it's at a normal temperature, the stuff is just goop. Heat it up, though, and it immediately hardens into a crust that's near-unbreakable with normal weapons. The plan is to heat the stuff with a torch the moment an enemy gets onto the ramparts. He gets stuck, everybody behind him is prevented from continued scaling, and our defenders can do as they please while the bad guy struggles to break free. Glorious.

She's done a lot of work, my wife. I'm damned proud of her accomplishments. She really was dedicated to making Pubton as good and secure as possible.

…

Anyway…

Libby left for Pubtwon before she could implement any of these traps into the wall, so Harold's been left with the task. He's a bright lad, is Harold, but he has no experience with traps, trap making, or trap placement…

… yet he's persevered. From a few discreet conversations with our masons, I've learned that Harold spent many long nights both studying the placement of traps on the wall and consulting with more knowledgeable folk about where they should go. He even suggested some other traps that, while mundane (boiling oil, sections protected by small moats, crossbow turrets on the ramparts, etc.), are easy to implement and should serve us well.

And the best / worst part? He tested some of the traps, to make sure they would work. The non-lethal ones, mind, and always when wearing protective armour, but still. That's dedication. Harold ain't your typical noble.

If I leave my post as mayor… hell, WHEN I leave the post… maybe I'll back him for next in line. He's earned it.

The trial's coming. I'm nervous as fuck. Hopefully that doesn't show through too much when I look at our guard candidates tomorrow. Gotta put on a good display of political power, and all that…

Sincerely,

Dragomir the Mayor