The site of the Redoubt Village fortification was originally an oasis near the edge of the desert.
This oasis featured a rock with a permanent spring, surfacing in a rock formation. In this shot a herd of wild quadrupeds has gathered for a drink. Note that the quadrupeds of the past were very similar to those of the present. These appear to have changed not at all compared to the ones on Techfall. At some far distant time in the past one of the ancient advanced rock-working tribes cut three openings into the mountains near the oasis. Whether this was for the express purpose of reaching the lush meadows of the highlands, or just the result of a drunken bet by bored rock-workers staying at the oasis is not known. Regardless, a naturally defensible refuge with good grazing and ample water was created by this rock-working.
In time tribes of nomadic herders settled the areas behind the mountain wall. The location of the three tunnels and the oasis became the trading point both for the tribes and between the tribes and the outside world. At this time it still was not a truly settled village in that it had no permanent population nor any name other than "the oasis". Even after the rise of the Technics the highland tribes continued life largely undisturbed by high-tech civilization. Only when the Technics began their program of capturing Wild Minifigs did the outside world intrude upon them. The first of the refugees to arrive with intent to stay were a group of Ninja bandits, led by a veteran Pirate captain. Ninja bandits had weaker refuges than the other Wild Minifig tribes, and the Technic pneumatic submarines were a terror to the Pirate ships.
This meeting was conducted with full pomp and ceremony, with the council fire crackling and the feathers on the highland spears fluttering gaily in the wind. Despite appearances the meeting was very peaceful. The carrying of weapons was a matter of honor among both of these peoples, as it is amongst all Wild Minifigs. Weapons were even allowed at meetings as long as they were not directed at the opponent. Weapons could be freely directed at ones own side, of course, but this tended to reduce credibility in further negotiations with the opponent.
All eyes were on the sea captain as he described firearms, and how he and his men could supply protection against what was sure to become a flood of armed refugees. He further described cannons, and intimated that he knew the locations of one or two that he could supply for the defense of the valley. It was thought by the highland shamans that allowing such noisy devices as the firearms within the valley would disrupt the natural harmony of the place. In the end he and his men were granted the rights to use the land directly outside one of the tunnels for a fortification. At worst this left the tribes with two tunnels which could be used freely, and this seemed a small enough band of men to support in the name of peace. At best those two open tunnels could be shut with rock and the captain and his men would become the first-line defenders of the highlands in a war against the Technics.
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