Keeps by Phaing

[Phaing]

Here is a new one for Lei`Saran

This will be Phaing's last keep for a good long while, I'm a little tired of them, and I really don't know if I can top this one.

I was shown a pic of Harlech Castle and asked to draw a Keep plan up in that mold. That's a BIG castle, and very military in looks and function. The customer was happy and it seems to have passed with flying colors.
Here it is;

http://s424.photobucket.com/user/The_Ex ... sort=3&o=2

Yes, start with the ground-floor plan.
The dimensions are 30 feet for the tower and 50 for the coutryard, not the full number of stables to allow for room to drill troops or turn a good sized wagon around.
From the top-
The stairs are uniform all the way up and down, and wide eough for 2 armored me to pass each other.
There are 2 firepalces diagonal from each other, wood is shown piled near all firepalces. The doors are stout but look to the bottom for the obstacle getting there.
The gatehouse is flanked by a pair of turrets. It is very strong; the lowest floor is rubble-filled and practically indestructible. As you can see, the Gate Doors are outermost, and the porticulus (the steel grating that is lowered, not hinged) is behind that. Should an enemy ever knock the very stout doors inward, you can have the fun of watching them fetch up on the porticulus and see the enemy wonder why they stopped falling inwards.


Cut-away of the frontal view-
http://s424.photobucket.com/user/The_Ex ... sort=3&o=1

Here you see, on the left, what it looks like from outside, and then the cut away of how the Keep is made. Wooden floors above ground, so watch for fires! The upper 2 floors have 10 feet between floor and rafters, the Great Hall has 12 feet, so the dorm level on the 2nd floor only has 8 feet of head-space.
The outer wall is not high in keeps, the floorboards are only 6 feet above ground level. As you can see, a man with a spear can threaten men fighting from merlions in that wall.

Floors-
http://s424.photobucket.com/user/The_Ex ... sort=3&o=0
The lowest basement is not shown, its mostly a repeat of the floor above it with storage space instead of Stoves. There is a sepperate Scullery (wash room) and sapce for storage that does not require a room as cool as the one below.

The 2nd level is room for the staff, the peons. This floor has one room with thick wooden walls and a door of bars. Its a good place for an armory. This is the only room I took the liberty of placing furniture, to show how many bunks can be placed. Double bunks will allow for 14, squeeze triple bunks in and you get 21.
Since there are no walls, you can arrange it any way you like at any time... or use it for something else entirley if you want to fall back on the time-honored tradition of letting the guards and maids sleep on the floor where they can find space.

Guest quarters are above that. The room on the right is appointed as a room for VIPs, it even has a wood-pile that is more like a cupboard that can be re-filled from the hallway without bothering the people in the room.
The room next to that can be sectioned off with curtains or wooden partitions as theowner sees fit.

Lastly, we have the floor for the owners.
These two rooms become one when the double doors in the center are opened, or they can be hidden behind curtains. There is a sheltered balconey with access from both rooms, and the water drain can be used to pour nasty things on anyone trying to force their way into the doors at ground level.


Side-view, exterior-
http://s424.photobucket.com/user/The_Ex ... sort=3&o=3

A few notes;
You probably noticed the wooden back-half of the gatehouse. This was done because I needed to have open ground-sapce below. And, its just a Keep, it can't be strong everywhere in all ways.
Also, we have square floors in the tower. This maximizes floor space, this is a very roomy Keep. But, Square towers are easier for catapults to take down. They do that by aiming for the corners.
But, if a serious army with catapults shows up, no Keep can stand for long. A Keep is really just a large, protected home that can fend off Bandits, Goblin Gangs and other sorts of raiders.

Castles are the real thing, and I hope to have a crack at one of those someday.

[Phaing]