In one of my upcoming chapters, my 3 main characters have to bust out of a fully-equipped fortress building with a lot of resources (it is not a castle, but for the sake of this discussion you can think of it as such). The building is situated on top of a Plateau covered with forest, and they have to make it to the edge and climb down some cliffs into a deeper forest below. They are not supposed to leave the "castle" area, and the authorities from inside will soon be hunting them down. Likewise, the woods is full of tribal people who are hostile towards them, because they associate the 3 escapees with the tyrannical abuses that have come from those in charge of the "castle." However, there is one member of the tribal society who has been oppressed by the tribe and wants out, so aligns with the protags and they become a group of 4. 2 of the 3 original characters had connected with him before, so he could help them coordinate their escape. What kind of logistics could I have play out in terms of their obstacles while escaping, and their methods of how they get through? In other words, how could the "castle" people come after them, and how could the tribal people attack them, in ways that the MC's would be able to escape? (It's not like the team in LOTR where they can just unrealistically mow everyone down) Lol, battle planning (if that's what you can call this) is not my area of expertise. Thanks!
This is an intriguing scenario, but it's difficult to offer constructive advice without knowing your characters and their abilities. Is this a medieval time period you're writing in? Does anyone have supernatural powers? If you've written your characters well, you already know their defensive capabilities. You may have eluded to their skills at other points in the story. Is this a moment when those skills are put to the the test? Also, what is their ultimate purpose besides just escaping the fortress? What sacrifices are they willing to make if it means getting away? Will one of them die to save the others? Lots of questions need answering here. I'm not a battle expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like to read about them! A good resource for you may be Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles series. The books are heavy with battle descriptions, fortresses, alliances, war tactics, etc. They are historically accurate (if that appeals to you in your writing) and fascinating to read. Might be worth your time to read through one for inspiration.
Assuming the fortress does NOT know who is breaking out... As soon as they are 'hot' the general alarm will sound. Posted sentinals move to alert status and start observing their respective posts and avenues, and the guard commander will begin plussing up likely points of attack. During this time the heavier armed quick reaction force will be moving to combat status, preparing to patrol and respond to conflicts. The threat will be located and subdued. Evasion: The key during this time is to know what all the non-posted personelle are supposed to do, IE hide, stay put, or move to a designated location. Simply follow these procedures until there is a blind spot in observation and move fast. Fight: Avoid the heavy team if possible. They are trained and drilled in the subduction of infiltrators and attackers. Furthermore, they are a local defensive force, NOT a projected force. They will have heavy armor and heavy weapons, but NOT be slow due to not having to carry any survival gear. Focus all power on an isolated sentinal, moving quick to subdue, kill, or bypass. If the fortress knows who is breaking out... The heavy team is moving to you NOW. You have to know the weakest spot in the Sentinal layout and any quick avenues to get there. Avoid being seen, and hit the sentinal hard
