A functional but miserable fortress on Midton Island, watching the eastern approaches to the Tarkhon Passage.
Position
Midton Island sits south of Enymu, in the eastern portion of the passage where the strait begins to widen toward the Middle Sea. Ekfusy fortress guards this approach—any ship entering the passage from the east passes within sight of its walls.
Strategic Value
Ekfusy is the eastern counterpart to Fort Tenze in the west—a secondary checkpoint to catch anything that might slip past the Needle. In theory, it's vital to the empire's defense.
In practice, nothing ever happens at Ekfusy. The Needle catches everything. Ships that make it past Tarkhetan are already taxed and documented. The eastern fortress exists mostly as insurance against scenarios that never occur.
The Worst Posting in Tarkhon
Ekfusy is where careers go to die.
The island has nothing. No city, no town, barely any villages—just the fortress, its garrison, and miles of rocky coastline. The nearest entertainment is a fishing hamlet where the locals resent the soldiers. Supply ships come once a month if the weather cooperates.
Soldiers assigned to Ekfusy are either being punished, have offended someone powerful, or drew the shortest straw in their regiment. Officers posted here have usually done something to deserve it—though sometimes it's just bad luck.
Conditions
The fortress itself is adequate—maintained, defensible, properly supplied. The crown hasn't neglected its physical structure.
Everything else is miserable:
- No women (the fishing hamlet's daughters learned long ago to stay away from the garrison)
- No entertainment beyond gambling and drinking
- No advancement opportunities (nothing happens, so there's nothing to distinguish oneself)
- Months of boredom punctuated by inspections from officers who clearly don't want to be there either
Discipline has... relaxed. The garrison does its job—watches the strait, maintains the fortress, reports to Tarkhetan—but initiative died years ago. Officers look the other way at minor infractions. Smugglers have been known to pay Ekfusy's commanders to report "nothing unusual" about certain ships.
The Garrison
Roughly 200 soldiers, mostly conscripts and punishment postings. A handful of career soldiers who've resigned themselves to mediocrity. One or two officers hoping to serve their time and escape.
The current commander, Captain Theras Vold, is a competent man who made enemies in Tarkhetan. He does his job, keeps the fortress functional, and drinks more than is healthy. He'll serve his term and retire, assuming he doesn't drink himself to death first.
The One Advantage
Ekfusy is far from politics. No one watches, no one cares, no one interferes. For soldiers who just want to be left alone—for whatever reason—it's oddly peaceful.
Some say there are men at Ekfusy with pasts they're running from. The fortress asks no questions. Do your job, keep your head down, and no one from the mainland will bother you.