The Town Guard are responsible for guarding the walls surrounding Autumn's Reach, and are the first line of defence against a direct assault on the town. Most recruits are young men and women with little experience handling a weapon. Many join that Town Guard as the first step into a career as an adventurer, a sell sword or a member of the Lord's Watch. The calibre of the average guard is that of a typical hireling or henchman a low level Party of Adventurers would hire (0th level Fighters).

Conditions of Service

Year of Service. The Year of Service refers to the contract an individual signs when they join or renew their services with the Town Guard (in the past, the length of service was longer, but it was reduced to one year to make joining the Town Guard a more appealing option for new recruits). The Town Guard has a low retention rate, due to the low wages and monotonous nature of the job. Most only stay in the Town Guard for a couple of years before moving on to another career.

Wages and Benefits

New Recruits (guards with less than a year of service) are paid 5 gold pieces per month. Guards with more than one year of service are paid 6 gold pieces per month. Every 3 years afterwards, the monthly wage increases by 1 gold piece per month to a maximum of 9 gold pieces per month.

A wage of 5 gold pieces per month will allow one to live a modest lifestyle, which will cover the rental of a small suite in one of the poorer areas of town (i.e. Farmers Haven or the Rat Catchers Quarry) and the costs of modest meals. While a person will never starve earning 5 gold pieces a month, a person will never get ahead earning this wage.

In order to retain the seasoned Sergeants and Captains of the Town Guard, higher wages are paid to these ranks. Sergeants earn 18 gold pieces per month, while Captains earn between 24 to 38 gold pieces per month.

One of the benefits of joining the Town Guard is that meals are provided for while on duty. Food is supplied by local businesses (butcher shops, bakeries, etc.) and are coordinated through the Quartermasters Section. The meals consist of grains, locally grown produce and less expensive cuts of meat.

Weapons and Armour

Each Town Guard is issued a suit of Scale Mail Armour (AC 6) and a longsword. Those guards serving in the Tower Sections will also be armed with light or heavy crossbows. While the guards serving in the Gate Sections may also be issued halberds, long spears, shields, javelins or light crossbows.

Structure of the Town Guard

The Town Guard is commanded by the Captain of the Guard, who is a 7th level Human Fighter named Rawlyns Drakgore (AC 1*, hm F7, HP 55, THACO 12*, Att 3/2, dmg 3-11*, AL LN, S17, I11, W12, D12, C14, CH15, Sv F7). The Captain of the Guard is equipped with plate mail armour, a shield, a ring of protection +1, a longsword +1/+3 vs giants, a dagger and a hand crossbow.

Serving under the Captain of the Guard is the Sergeant Major, who serves as the Captain's personal adviser and assistant. The Sergeant Major is a Dwarf Fighter/Cleric named Thornghar Oathkeeper (AC 2, dm F5/C5, HP 40, THACO 15*, Att 1, dmg 3-8*, AL LN, S14, I9, W17, D10, C17, CH9, Sv F5/C5). Sergeant Major Oathkeeper is a Cleric of Helm, and he is equipped with plate mail armour, a shield, a mace +1/+4 vs undead and a Holy Symbol of Helm.

The Town Guard is organized into two Watches (1st Watch and 2nd Watch), which allows for continues coverage of the Wall and Gates surrounding the town. Each Watch is led by a Watch Captain, who is Level 5 Fighter. Watch Captains wear plate mail armour (AC 3) and are armed with a longsword, dagger and hand crossbow.

The Watches guard the Wall on a four day rotational basis. How this rotation works is that one of the Watches will guard the Wall for fours day straight, and then the other Watch will guard the Wall for the following four days. Each four day guard rotation is followed by three days off, and one day of training (on the fourth day). Thus, the schedule for a Watch will be four days of guarding the Wall, followed by 3 days off, 1 day of training, and four more days of guarding the Wall.

Gate Company

Watches are organized into Gate Companies, and each Gate Company is responsible for one of the five Gatehouses and the section of the Wall assigned to each Gatehouse. The area of the Wall that the Gate Company is responsible for is the portion of the Wall located clockwise of Gatehouse (the portion of the wall ends when the wall reaches the next Gatehouse).

Gate Captain. Gate Captains are the Commanding Officers of the Gate Companies, and have the abilities of 4th level Fighters. Gate Captains are issued splint mail armour (AC 4) and are armed with a longsword and hand crossbow.

Tax Collector. Tax Collectors are Town Officials, and are responsible for collecting the Gate Tolls and Imported Goods Tax from those entering the town (and to ensure that none of the tolls or taxes should find their way into any of the guards' pockets). The Tax Collectors are Magic-Users between the levels of 4 to 6. Tax Collectors will spend the majority of their time with the Gate Section.

Master Sergeant. Master Sergeants are the advisers to the Gate Captains and are senior to all of the Sergeants in the company. Master Sergeants are 3rd Level Fighters.

Tower Sections. A Tower Section is led by a Sergeant, and is made up of 8 or 9 Ballista Teams. A Ballista Team is made up of 2 guards, and are assigned to one of the Ballista Towers along the wall (or to the Ballistas on top of the Gatehouse).

Every Gate Company has two Tower Sections: the Daylight Watch and the Twilight Watch. The Daylight Watch operates the Ballistas from dawn (first light) to dusk (last light), and are on Stand By* from dusk to dawn. While the Twilight Watch operates the Ballistas from dusk to dawn, and are on Stand By* from dawn to dusk.

*When Guards are on Stand By they must remain in proximity of their positions on the wall. However, during this time the Guards are allowed to sleep, rest, play cards, etc.

Gate Section. A Gate Section is comprised of a Sergeant, 10 Guards and 3 Guard Dogs (AC 7, Mv 12, HD 2, THACO 19, Att 1, dmg 1-6, Sv F2). The Gates are open from dawn to dusk, and during this time the Sergeant, 8 Guards and the 3 Dogs will be manning the Gate. When the Gates are closed (dusk to dawn), 2 Guards are stationed inside the closed Gate.

Support Company

In addition to the Gate Companies, there is also a Support Company that provides support for the Watches. The Support Company is led by a Support Captain, who is a Level 3 Fighter, and is comprised of the following sections:

• Quartermasters Section. The Quartermasters Section is responsible for issuing the weapons, armour and supplies to the Town Guard. As well, this section works with local forges, armourers and food providers to ensure that the guards are properly armed, equipped and fed. The Quartermasters Section consists of the Quartermaster Sergeant (Sergeant Stats) and 10 Quartermaster Assistants (Guard Stats).
• Paymasters Section. The Paymasters Section is responsible for distributing the pay for each member of the the Town Guard. This section consists of the Paymaster Sergeant (Sergeant Stats) and 5 Paymaster Assistants (Guard Stats).
• Engineering Section. The Engineering Section is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Ballistas. This section consists of the Engineering Sergeant (Sergeant Stats) and 12 Engineering Assistants (Guard Stats).
• Training and Administration Section. The Training and Administration Section is responsible for the recruitment, the training and the administrative duties of the Town Guard. This section consists of the Training and Administrative Sergeant (Sergeant Stats) and 12 Training and Administrative Assistants (Guard Stats).

The Support Company operates on a different rotation than the Watches. Members of the Support Company work a 6-2 rotation, whereby a guard will work 6 days (8 hour work days) in a row followed by 2 days off. The rotations are staggered, allow each of the section to have consistent staffing levels each day.

The Gatehouses and the Town's Wall

There are 5 Gates leading into the town, and each Gate shares its name with the road that passes through it. The Gates are: Winter Wolf Gate (Winter Wolf Road), Coal Miners Gate (Coal Miners Road), Traders Gate (Traders Road), Old Forest Gate (Old Forest Road) and Fishers Gate (Fishers Road). There is a Gatehouse for every Gate, and the Gatehouses are referred to by the names of their Gates (i.e. Winter Wolf Gatehouse).

Ever Gatehouses shares the same architecture and dimensions as the other Gatehouses. The Gates are doubled doors, opening up to the outside of the Wall, and are made out of solid wood reinforced with iron bars. Each Gate is 18' wide and 14' tall.

The Gatehouses and the Wall are 23' tall. Each of the 3 floors is 7' tall, and there is 9" of stone between each floor, with the foundation elevating the structure another 6". The ramparts at the top of the Gatehouses and Wall are 4' tall.

Maps of the Gatehouses

Ground Level

There are two doors, located on each side of the Gatehouse (facing the town), which allows the guards access to the Gatehouse. As well, the ground level contains toilets connecting to the town's sewer system.

Second Floor

The Second Floor is where the supplies and ammunition (crossbow bolts) are kept. The second floor is also the sleeping area for a number of the guards.

Third Floor

The Third Floor has a walkway above the Gate connecting both sides of the Gatehouse. There are arrow slits along the walls. Some of the Gate Guards use the third floor as their sleeping area.

Top Level

The top level of the Gatehouse has has two ballistas, with each ballista operated by a Ballista Team. A 4' tall rampart provides cover for the guards on the top of the Gatehouse.

Guard Towers

Located along the wall are 31 Guard Towers. At top of each Guard Tower is a ballista, operated by a crew of Town Guards.

Ground Level

There is a door, located on the side of the wall facing the town, leading into Guard Tower. As well, there is a ladder leading to the second floor of the Guard Tower. Unlike the Gatehouses which have toilets connecting to the sewers, the Guards in the Guard Tower must rely on outhouses, which are located close to the door.

Second Floor

The second floor has a ladder leading to the third floor.

Third Floor

There are arrow slits along the wall. As well, the Ballista Teams use this floor as their sleeping when they are on stand-by.

Top Level

A Ballista is located at the top of the tower. The ramparts are 4' high.