Crossings
Streams and rivers
Section titled “Streams and rivers”A river under 12 m wide is a stream, waded anywhere. A wider river can be crossed only where a road or track meets it, or at a ford away from the roads.
| River | On a track | On a road |
|---|---|---|
| Under 60 m | Ford | Timber bridge |
| 60 to 150 m | Ford | Stone bridge |
| 150 m and wider | Ford | Ford |
Within 2 km of a town, every road bridge is stone. One stone bridge in four has a gatehouse. There are no ferries; a world made before they were taken out keeps the ferries it has.
Bridges
Section titled “Bridges”You stand and fight on a bridge’s deck and ramps. Every deck stands clear of the river’s yearly flood and at least as high as the higher bank, so a road never steps up onto it. Over a steep valley the bridge reaches on up the sides to the road’s height, up to 20 m higher, on tall trestles or piers. Its ramps run down at one in six to meet the ground. A bridge crosses square to the river’s flow, the road led straight onto it and off again.
A ford is waded, at most 0.8 m deep, and keeps to the road’s line. Fords are slow for an army; a bridge is not. A ford can close when the river floods (see Weather).
Drawbridges
Section titled “Drawbridges”A moated castle or town is crossed by a drawbridge at each gate, raised when the gates are shut. See Castles.