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Friends: Highstone Keep
Sited upon a small rise overlooking a small bay filled with the longships of Northmen, Highstone Keep is the fortress home of Bovi and training lodge for fighters abroad.
- Building Type: Stone Fortress
- Location: Moonshae Isles (50 miles East of Iron Keep)
- Business Conducted: Fortified Town and Training Center
- Owner: The Highstone Family
Description: Highstone Keep stands proudly on a small rise overlooking Whitefish Bay. The small keep is surrounded by the village of Highstone and beyond that many miles of farmland. The view to the bay is littered with the sails of many fishing boats. However, the broad sails of Bovi's personal longship command the view of any person looking upon the small bay.
The walls of the keep extend nearly 40' high and are lined with battlements. The keep is large enough to hold the entire population of two thousand people within its walls. A series of underground passages and rooms were designed into the layout to house the women and children during an attack. There are only five buildings with the keep: the barracks, where the forty men of Bovi's guard sleep; the stables; the kennels; the manor house; and the training hall. All of the structures are built of stone with slate roofs on heavy timbers. Every building is connected to the underground tunnel system and thereby to each other. Each building is designed like a miniature fortress with heavy oak doors and windows only slightly larger than an arrow slit. The manor house sits towards the back of the keep directly across from the main gate. The stables and kennel are to the right of the entrance and the barracks and training hall are to the left.
The training hall is a circular, windowless building with only one pair of double doors that are nearly 9' in height. After viewing the mighty walls of the keep and the expansive view of the bay, the inside of the training hall leaves much to be desired. The room has no decoration whatsoever. A series of shrinking circles have been painted on the floor and show shigns of wear and scratching. A series of levers are located to the left of the entrance with a small bench just below them. The ceiling is about twelve feet high and contains several hatches and grooves that open to darkness beyond. Like wise, the walss are lined with a series of dark openings of varying size and height. Reinforced Iron lanterns line the walls with heavy shutters that appear to be attached to one of the levers to your left. to the left of the levers is a small storage closet that contains several padded weapon sleeves as well as several sets of padded sparring armor. Although Bovi detests using these items, he has learned that for their own safety, students should always wear protection.
The ring on the floor is a modified version of a masters wheel that Bovi's great grandfather once saw in a foreign land. The levers to the left of the entrance control a series of cunning traps and devices used to test the reflexes of the students. The first lever controls the shutters on the lanterns and can be used to emerse the room in total darkness. The second lever releases a heavy log from the ceiling that swings down from the ceiling on the right side of the room. The second and third levers control two sets of wooden pistons that can be raised and lowered from both the ceiling and the floor. The fifth lever controls a trap door at the center of the room which opens to a pool of water 6' deep. The sixth lever works much like the third and fourth except it controls the hatches that are located on the walls. Bovi usually has one of his senior students control the levers while he spars and instructs his students.
Description of Services: Highstone Keep has gained a reputation throughout the Moonshaes as a quality training facility. The training Is conducted by Bovi and his senior guard Horis. They do a majority of the training for all of the city of Highstone and accept warriors from other villages for a fee. Bovi's reputation with the battleaxe also draws in a great deal of visitors. These visitors are trained by Bovi himself.
In addition to one on one combat, Bovi instructs his students in the tactics of fighting larger foes and multiple foes. He also gives every student a brief introduction to large scale tactics but leaves the bulk of that training to Horis. Bovi also has a specialty course in underwater combat. He has developed solid tactics in his years fighting the sahaguin. His courses in underwater combat are almost as highly regarded as his skill with the battleaxe.
Pricing:Bovi and Horis are able to train warriors in almost any weapon. Their prices vary depending upon the type of training involved.
A week's basic training:
30gp/level for general training.
50gp/level for tactics training.
60gp/level for specialization training (all but battleaxe).
100gp/level for advanced (mastery +) battleaxe training or underwater combat.
Trainee must pay for all equipment necessary for the underwater combat course.
Most of the training above can be accomplished inside of six weeks. One on One training for Battleaxe mastery can take up to six months.
Bovi and Horis' basic training includes basic training with spears, axes, swords and crossbows. It includes simple tactics such as flanking and shield walls but does not cover these in great detail.
NPC's:
- Bovi (human m, F30); See the Masters section for more information.
- Horis (human m, F10); Horis is the Bovi's cousin and close friend. He is much more strict that Bovi when dealing with the men of the keep but is well liked nonetheless. He is well versed in large scale combat having trained at Iron Keep for several years. He carries a viscious two-handed sword that he yields with deadly ease.
- Hyla (human f, P9); Hyla is Bovi's younger sister and has taken over many of the day to day duties of the keep. Visitors to the keep will have to deal with her in order to arrange payment and living quarters.
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