The Interesting World of Fantasy Military Buildings

One of several kinds of fantasy military buildings, this gray outpost is situated on a snowy plain with a gold path running to the forest in the background. On the other side of the road is a blue lake. The forest has snow-tipped trees and the mountaintops have snow. Above them is a blue sky with oval clouds.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

Overview

War is a staple of fantasy, whether it be between two rival countries or the protagonist and the villain. In order for a kingdom to effectively field an army, it has to have a military. Its armed forces don’t just consist of people, it also contains fantasy military buildings, all of which plays a strategic role in both attacking and defending.

Fantasy military buildings are spread out across the kingdom. They are stationed in places of paramount importance to the realm such as the capital or key strategic areas like the mines essential to its survival. In these areas, the soldiers’ role is to protect them and maintain law and order on behalf of the king.

The barracks is the most common type of military building. There is one in each major area and a squadron of soldiers are assigned to guard it. They have constant patrols, station soldiers at each entrance, and walk around town to keep an eye out on suspicious activity.

Just like in the real world, a fantasy military has a command center. This building is the nerve center of the kingdom’s military, the place where its top leaders assemble to monitor what’s going on within their borders. The command center is a hive of activity both in peacetime and times of war.

There are several other types of fantasy military buildings, each with its own purpose. One such is the coastal fortress, which guards oceanside cities and towns and features ships that patrol the waters. Another such is the outpost which serves several functions, one being to hold an area that the realm nominally controls and to deter troublemakers.

This is article number eighteen in the fantasy buildings series. If you like this article and would like to check out what others we have, you can conveniently find them on our blog page! 

Fantasy Military Buildings: The Barracks

Out of all of the different kinds of fantasy military buildings, the barracks is the most common. Appearing in many key areas like the capital or major cities, this structure houses a decent number of soldiers, some local and some from other places. Their chief purpose is to keep the area safe, whether it be from other armies or criminals.

The barracks can be found in different parts of the city. Some are located near the center where the local commander can be in close contact with the city’s leaders whereas others are on the outskirts. Regardless of its location, the barracks must be able to respond to emergencies quickly.

In the barracks, the commander issues assignments to his squadron. Some soldiers are ordered to guard the gate(s) and to inspect each cargo shipment that arrives while they’re on duty to ensure that they’re legitimate. Other soldiers are stationed to stand outside places essential to the town like the castle or mayor’s office and so on.

This is a fantasy barracks. It has grey stone walls, a brown door, blue windows and a watchtower in the middle. It's in front of a mountain and blue sky and white clouds. Barracks appear in many fantasy cities.

When it comes to patrolling the town/city, soldiers walk around throughout their shifts, conversing with the townsfolk about the latest going-ons or asking them questions about wanted criminals. Those that refuse to cooperate are threatened with spending the night in the brig and the threat alone is sufficient enough for them to comply.

The soldiers at the barracks have a number of activities that they must continually do in order to remain in tip-top shape. Of all the fantasy military buildings, the townsfolk are likely to see soldiers training in and around it. They see them practicing their sword fighting style, archery, riding on their horses, and so on. Some children even sit and watch them, looking forward to being a soldier when they’re older.

Besides the other fantasy military buildings, the barracks is the one that has the most contact with the public. Before the development and creation of the police, soldiers acted as the de facto law enforcement of the town/city where they were responsible for upholding the kingdom’s laws as well as keeping the peace. This made them popular with some people and not so with certain others. Criminals and other people were hauled in for questioning at the barracks and some were forced to spend the night in the brig.

The Command Center: The Most Powerful of All Fantasy Military Buildings

While not being everywhere like the barracks, the command center only appears in places so important to the well-being of the realm that the king commissioned the creation of such a place in order to ensure that it remains under his control. The capital city is one such place though you can see it in others like a major port-side city or a castle located near an invaluable resource like iron.

Unlike the other fantasy military buildings, the command center is where the top leaders of the realm’s armed forces congregate from all over. In their meetings, they discuss all pertinent matters both inside and outside the kingdom, paying especially close attention to issues that may escalate into full-blown warfare. They brief the king and await his instructions on how to deal with such nettlesome matters.

This brown room is where a fantasy royal council meets. The wall is a light brown and the floor a darker brown. A large white table with gray striations is in the center, going all the way down to the bottom. On each side are gray chairs. Above the chair at the end is a blue window with light shining through. Gray columns support the ceiling.

While their chief focus is on matters within the kingdom, the military leaders and the king often keep an eye on the international scene, especially in times of turmoil. In the command center, they discuss the latest going-ons such as a war breaking out between two other nations that has the potential to reach their borders or the growing tensions around the world. They’re usually split on how to deal with them since each one has his own opinion on how they ought to approach them and some aren’t afraid to voice their opposition to the king’s decision.

In some places, the king has officially designated a building or authorized the construction of one in order to house the command center. The one in the capital is located not too far away from his castle so that he and the senior military leadership can be in close contact at a moment’s notice. The command center is led by the man who the king appointed to manage the military.

There is a constant stream of busy people working at all hours of the day in the command center, which is a stark contrast to those found in other fantasy military buildings. The people in the command center are the elite of the elite and they take the responsibility of protecting their country seriously. Maps of both the realm and various cities are sprawled out, workers reading and writing messages, and some formulating strategy on how to guard an area are just some of the activities within the command center.

Other Types of Fantasy Military Buildings

There are more fantasy military buildings than the barracks and command center. They’re located in specific areas, each one serving a particular purpose. Regardless of what said purpose is, they still have the same objectives as all others: maintain the law of the land and keep the realm safe from attack.

One such building is the coastal fortress. Found in cities and towns right next to a large body of water, the fortress protects them from being attacked from the water. Several ships patrol the waters and the soldiers monitor both the water and land. Like their brethren in the barracks, the soldiers have the power to detain people and hold them for questioning or have them spend the night in the brig.

Fantasy forests fit right in the genre. This image depicts a forest with a castle-like building rising above the trees. Several large hills also stick out of the forest. The orange sky has four oval clouds and birds flying.

Another one is the outpost. Unlike other fantasy military buildings, the outpost sits in isolated areas, far from urban centers. Its goal is to establish and maintain the realm’s control of an area that it’s in the process of incorporating or is interested in acquiring. Common locations where you can come across one would be a mine just outside the country’s borders or alongside the border of a rival kingdom that is likely to change at some point.

In some places, the military has a structure that holds a variety of things like weapons and uniforms that aren’t being used as well as storing priceless artifacts. The storehouse, as it’s called, is found in places that have a sizable military presence so that new recruits can quickly get what they need or if veteran soldiers need a new set of clothes or a new weapon.

The largest of the fantasy military buildings, the base contains a bevy of structures such as sleeping quarters, the commander’s residence, and a mess hall. It also houses the greatest number of soldiers in one place and due to its size, it tends to be outside cities and towns. A base is most likely to be located in or near an area essential to the realm like the capital to ensure it has more than adequate protection in the event of an attack.

Tying it all Together

The military plays a large role in the context of worldbuilding. The king needs people to enforce and maintain the kingdom’s laws and that’s where the military comes in. Soldiers, commanders, and leaders work in various fantasy military buildings in order to safeguard the peace in the realm.

The barracks is the one that gets the most use. Appearing in many locales like cities, the barracks acts the local law enforcement of the area. Soldiers have the power to apprehend runaway criminals, collaborate with the public on the whereabouts of wanted persons, and work assiduously to keep the peace.

A whirlwind of activity envelops the command center, far more than many other fantasy military buildings. It is the nerve center of a kingdom’s military, the site where its leaders meet to discuss a wide variety of topics, all of which affect the stability and well-being of the realm. The king is a frequent guest and attends numerous meetings where the decisions he makes must be followed by the senior military leadership.

Besides those two, there are many other types of buildings. Structures such as the base and outpost have their own function, all of which help maintain the peace in the land. Troublemakers and criminals are captured and placed in the brig until they can be transported to the place they’re wanted for.

Including different types of fantasy military buildings in your world adds a splash of realism since soldiers are the main means a king uses to enforce the laws of the realm. If you haven’t given much thought to bringing them into your world, there’s no better time to start than today!

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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,

Sunfire

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