fatal

Cistern: A cistern is an underground reservoir
with an opening above. Rainwater runs through
the opening and, hopefully, fills the cistern. This
water is used for sustenance, but may also be used
to extinguish fires set by incendiary projectiles, which
are launched by besiegers. During a siege, hides are
often drenched in water or aged urine and placed
atop hoardings and other flammable surfaces.
Drawbridge: A drawbridge is a means of
crossing a moat. If a fortification has no moat, then
it has no drawbridge. Although several mechanisms
are available, by far the most common is a pulley
system.
Fortified Bridge: Fortified bridges are common.
A fortified bridge often has 1 or 2 towers on
both ends. Towers may also interrupt the bridge to
support it as well as offer protection. Fortified
bridges have walls on either side, often with battlements.
A fortified bridge may take up to 25 years to
complete.
Garderobe: This is a small bench with a
round opening on the seat through which the inhabitants
of the castle defecate and urinate. Usually,
a garderobe is placed on upper levels of towers
and the waste falls down holes until it falls in the
moat outside of the castle. Otherwise, a large cesspool
is made below the garderobe to store the waste.
Due to the cesspool, no dungeons exist below castles.
About twice per year, peasants clean the cesspool.
Some towers are used for sanitation, meaning they
have a garderobe on the upper level and the floors
below are one large cesspit.
Gatehouse: A gatehouse is a structure to
protect the gate to the fortification, which is usually
the favored means of entry. The simplest gatehouse
has only a set of barred doors, while elaborate
gatehouses have many features, including: drawbridge,
as many as 3 portcullises, murder holes, a
trap door inside opening to a pit of spikes below,
and loop holes for archers and crossbowmen. The
most common modern gatehouse has only 1 portcullis.
In addition to the cost of constructing a
gatehouse, a drawbridge and each portcullis must
be purchased.
Hoarding: Also called a catwalk, this is a
wooden structure added near the top of walls so
that soldiers may travel between towers and archers
may attack from the middle of the wall. Some fortifications
leave their hoardings up for decades, while
others only build them when attacked and remove
them during peace.
Kitchen: The kitchen is in a building nearby
the keep. Food is prepared in the kitchen and carried
to the great hall in the keep for consumption.
Bath water is heated in the kitchen and carried to
the chamber of the lord where it is poured into a
wooden tub. However, even the most affluent lord
bathes only once or twice per year.
Loophole: This is a slit in a wall through
which an archer or crossbowman may launch an
arrow or bolt, respectively. A variety of different
shapes exist for loopholes. Generally, a vertical slit
is used by an archer, and a horizontal slit is used by
a crossbowman.
Chapter 9: Equipment
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