citadeller

Citadeller is a term used primarily in speculative fiction, tabletop role-playing, and strategy games to describe a fortified urban settlement built around a central citadel. The designation refers to both the fortified core and the surrounding urban area, which together function as a political and economic unit within a fictional or hypothetical setting. The word is a neologism; its exact connotations and origins vary by work.

Typical citadeller designs feature a defensible core—often a hilltop fortress, casemate, or keep—linked to peripheral districts by controlled gates and limited access points. Fortifications such as ramparts, towers, and defensive moats reinforce security, while infrastructure inside the outer walls supports governance, trade, and daily life. Authority commonly centers on a warden, citadel council, or other sovereign authority whose decisions affect both defense and resource allocation.

In narrative contexts, citadellers are symbols of resilience and sovereignty, but they can also become focal points for conflict, rebellion, or siege. The social order inside a citadeller often includes a hierarchy that blends military and civilian roles, with security forces playing a central function in maintaining order.

Real-world usage of the term remains limited to fiction and game design; historians and architects may study fortress cities as archetypes, but citadeller as a contemporary label has no widespread, real-world equivalent. See also: citadel, fortress city, walled city.