One more post and again all this is just a wishlist. I've played the game again and there are several features of fortresses that would be cool that rely on in game descriptions and would make the fortress more livable and defensible. I've organized improvements based on priority. Also I didn't mention things that already exist although if the Wayfort were expanded some things might no longer be sufficient like a single well as the water source.
1. Bigger outside than inside: The Kitsune Tree employs this. With this you would be able to include other buildings in a more defensible enclosure. Something the Wayfort sorely needs is expanded living quarters because communal living is a sanitation issue and disease is a major concern during sieges. Other buildings could also be put in the keep like a Ballroom.
2. The Arc Reactor that Calise / Kasyrra discovers that unlocks the Ring of Fate ritual can empower stones with magical energy. Also the Wayfort dungeons negate magic and are impassible by demons. An enchanted set of walls is not unreasonable imo.
3. Enfilading Circular Towers and Reinforced gates / gatehouses. Concentrated fire is a concept as old as time. Not only do enemies take fire from the walls but also from towers on their flanks at regular intervals on the Curtain walls. Gates are weak points that must be defended.
4. A ditch preferably filled with water. This prevents siege engines from coming right up next to the walls and provides an extra layer of defense against infantry. Infantrymen drowned during the retreat from the Battle of Blenheim and Napoleon trapped a Russian army against a river (don't remember the specific name of the battle) and a lot of the Russians drowned (how effective this will be in a world with selkies and water breathing tatoos is debatable but no shield is 100% effective). A well constructed ditch also prevents digging at the base of the wall which is how most medieval fortresses fell.
5. Food storage, production (like in the Kitsune Tree with the farms among the roots), or some other route of supply. Vivienne, Alruane, and Zo can all help with food production.
6. Study or library connected to the dream realm where you can read indefinitely without time passing. This has no real defensive value other than infinite learning but I like the idea and it exists elsewhere in the game like Keros's realm where Kiyoko resides initially.
Less important but cool imo:
5. Honeycomb structure. If an attacker conquers a tower they are still closed off from the rest of the fortress. Also there is the concept of the Ravelin. It is fortified towards the enemy but easy to attack from the direction of the fortress. It offers no defenses from the direction of the fortress so it is easily reconquered. It also protects the curtain wall and offers new angles of attack. Technically it is from bastion fortresses not medieval fortresses but the defensive concept applies. This is why towers and keeps usually have elevated removable entrances.
6. Changing hallways like in Matiha's fortress.
7. Co centric Walls. If one set of walls falls there is a second set preferably higher than the first one on a foundation of solid rock to prevent tunneling under the walls or digging at the base of the walls to collapse them.
8. Underground network of tunnels for escape, provisioning, and access to water. I wasn't able to find any evidence for protective tunnels in bastion forts but there was the underground city in COC1 and I can see the benefit of it although ideally at least the inner walls / keep sits on ground where its hard to dig tunnels like solid rock. Hidden entrances and exits are useful for escape and for attacks on the enemy. No siege is purely defensive.
Optional additional buildings to put inside the walls (I've mentioned some of these before but for the sake of completion and putting things in one location I'll also place them here):
-Barracks and maybe a seperate nest for the harpies idk what would make them comfortable.
-Library
-Chapel (I'm not religious nor prone to worship but there are those who are like Drifa and the gods did save mankind no matter their origin).
-Forge
-Armory
-Research Center / Lab for your scholars and potentially yourself if you are a mage with high cunning. Meira, Matiha, Renia, Vatia, and Vivienne could all benefit from a center of knowledge / well equipped laboratory. There are also demon mage captives that can share their knowledge. I collect scholars in my games and I personally don't like killing demons. Everyone has value imo.
Potential improvments in your domain not just the fort:
-Better roads
-Farms
-New Settlements
-Mines
-Tourist Attractions like expanded hot springs
-All of these can shelter in the presence of the Fortress
If you want to ignore this post and do your own thing that's fine this is just a wishlist. Here are some videos that are pretty good on the subject if you'de rather do your own thing. They also go into other structures that I didn't mention like Hoardings, Machicolations, specifics on gatehouse defenses, and specific examples of sieges:
If any of this sounds good I can design a fortress for you. I've never written anything and I'm not the top expert on fortresses but I don't charge either and I do have some coding experience.
