The Outer City is surrounded by another wall. A thick, high wall made of granite quarried in the Red Vein Mountains, two hundred miles north of the city. The instance of the quarrying of the stone is remarkable because it is the only time that the city has ever successfully approached the giant tribes in the mountains and bartered with them not only for space to work in but also for labour to help with the cutting of stones (so momentous is this achievement that the north gate in the wall is called Giant's Door).
Gatehouses stand at each of the four entrances and stone towers dot the perimeter, immense and imposing as they tower above the curtain wall, acting not only as lookout posts but also defence points against giants and dragons, against whom normal sized towers are useless. The tallest, Ice Walker's Tower, is the most northerly and stands on the spot where the giant was defeated and chained. It is always noticeably colder than the other parts of the wall, even in the depths of winter. The other 'master towers' are named after the Six and are dedicated to artillery and magic. Squat ramparts jut out of the walls, primed with holes to drop rocks, oil or dung onto the enemy. The battlements are tall enough to cover the soldiers, even the tallest guardsman is protected if he stands behind one.
It is not widely known that the wall also contains a number of small, hidden doors, that can swing open to allow small numbers of people in or out. These are commonly used during sieges to allow Wind Striker strike groups out to 'unleash the wolf', a fancy way of describing guerrilla warfare. They are also, occasionally used when Sharoban's rulers dispatch hidden messengers.
The Watch is drawn from the petitioners to the Wind Strikers who show promise but are either unsuited to the life of a wandering cavalry troupe or do not make the grade. They are infantry soldiers and peace keepers, not detectives; armed with spears, short swords and shields and equipped with lanterns for night work. Their duties are to ensure that the city is defended, the streets safe and keep the peace on market days. As far as policing goes their remit extends to chasing down thieves, anything else falls outside their purview and would in all likelihood be passed up to the Keep to deal with. The Watch is divided into four Quarter Houses, the Old House, which covers the city close to the keep, and a the Market House which has a special duty towards the markets. All watchmen are cycled for three months work patrolling the city and three months on the wall, primarily as lookouts.
Their commander is one Natalya One Hand, a former member of the Wind Strikers whose hand was bitten off during a skirmish with hobgoblins. She is a fierce woman, committed to her duties who drives her subordinates to go the extra mile. She is seldom kind in her demeanour, and is known as 'the bitch' behind her back, pretty much universally. She uses Giant's Door as her command headquarters and draws in the watch captains for weekly meetings. Alone in the city she has the keys to all the hidden doors in the wall and, though the Council make no attempt to hide their dislike of it, if an envoy or shipment needs to leave secretly, she must be courted and convinced of the need. Three times in her short tenure she has had to be ordered to allow a gate to open.
In contrast, Watch Captain Leo Anton's Son, works tirelessly to encourage his men to make sure that the people of the city are safe. His Watch House covers the east of the city, where thefts are high. Frustrated by the number of times his requests for investigations were rebuffed (leading to dressing downs by the Commander and a personal letter from the Council's leader, Ruto Allara's Child, asking him to stop), he has taken drastic action. Along with a number of volunteers he has formed a small vigilante group, the so called Roof Runners, who navigate the city after hours to locate stolen property, frighten thieves into giving themselves up and deal with murderers. The group's name comes from their solemn oath to leave the streets unmolested, as a result their favoured way of travelling the city is by crossing the roofs on foot.
Next time we return to the mercantile aspect of the city with an in depth look at the guilds.
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