Thalweg Bridge

Approach:

Thalweg Bridge is a combination of bridge and technically, four castles. The bridge itself is a monument of engineering and giant stonecraft. It crosses the Ardismouth River at the most challenging point. Here, the river it it's widest, its deepest, and most dangerous. Attempts to go around Thalweg tends to end in failure, as the upper extent of the river soars into a vast canyonland where cliffs rise hundreds of feet on each side of the river. The best way to cross here is by the power of flight. To the lower extent of the river, the land falls away into swamps and badlands, rife with dangers like quicksand and inhabitants like swamp goblins, river hags, and the sort of nightmares that drag victims into the still waters where only a few bubbles are left to make anything happened. Armies can march into the Ardis Flat and vanish.

There are two 'wards' of the city that expands out from the main castle. Ardistone is on the eastern side of the river and is the older side, and where most of the work yards and camps were situated as the castles, and bridge were built. This is technically the safe side of the river and faces inward towards the capital city and internal trade routes. Once the structures were completed, this became the working part of the city, where the craftsmen and laborers remained. The western side is the Ardis Height Ward and represents the mercantile, residential, and agricultural areas of the city. It seems counterintuitive that the protected side of the river has the craftsmen, while the general populace and the wealthy are on the exposed side. Ardis Height has a wall and a major gate plaza, while Ardistone has nothing. In the case of a war or siege, the wealthy retreat, the gates are closed, and the Royal army moves in to hold the wall as long as possible, then fall back to the first castle stage of Thalweg, which is supported by three more castles immediately behind it. As war progresses, supplies can move easily into the forward keeps, and with the craft yards open, damage control is easy, staging areas are convenient, and there is plenty of room to set up siege engines. Whereas on the other side, the invading army has to deal with lots of buildings, enclosed plazas, getting through walls and chokepoints, and generally having a bad time when trebuchets start slinging incendiary or zombie munitions into their ranks.

The Height Citadel is the first river keep in Thalweg Bridge is somewhere between a baroque gargoyle studded castle, and a facade. It is twice the width of the bridge, but not very 'thick'. The walls are plenty thick, but overall, the Height Citadel is a super glorified massive gate complex. This also applies to the opposite fortress on the other end of the bridge, the Stonequarry Citadel. The two citadels that divide the entire length of the bridge into three internal sections are even less substantial than the endkeep citadels. These two internal citadels, Riverpoint and Dandlestroll, exist to offering firing points for archers and substantial artillery to provide close support for the endkeep citadels. Anyone assaulting the end would have to deal with a hail of arrows, bolts, and other missiles being fired from the taller center keeps, and this includes the laundry list of skorpions, mangonels, and catapults.