Castle Map
The Keep is surrounded on all sides by a flat plain stretching to the horizon. No tree grows upon it. The red earth is covered in a thatch of thorny bushes as far as the eye can see. From the main gate, a dirt road flies straight as an arrow into the distance.
The sky is blue and clear most days, and speckled with stars most nights, though there is no sun to be seen. Anyone who can fly high enough will discover that it is, in fact, a roof that only mimics the sky.
Most of the Keep is wheelchair-accessible. Small wooden closets secreted throughout the towers and holds hide wooden elevator platforms. Far from being electrically powered, any one who can climb high or see far enough will notice that these platforms are raised and lowered by golem-like gargoyles perched upon the rooftops.
Level 1.1, 1.2 | Level 2.1, 2.2 | Level 3.1, 3.2 | Level 4.1, 4.2 | Level 5
1. The Great Keep
2. The Chapel
3. The Bower
4. The Hives
5. The Bonfire
6. The Green
7. Inaccessible
8. The Mews
9. The Stables
10. The Pottery House
11. The Carpentry House
12. The Stable Tower
13. The Kennels
14. The Inner Gates
15. The Barracks
16. The Glass Works
17. The Smithy
18. The Armoury
19. The Clothier's Tower
20. Thermal Pools
21. Marigold's Tower
22. The Library
23. Inaccessible
24. The Lake
25. The Ivory Tower
26. Inaccessible
27. Inaccessible
28. The Boathouse
29. Inaccessible
30. Inaccessible
31. Inaccessible
32. Inaccessible
33. Inaccessible
34. Inaccessible
35. The Rose Tower
36. Inaccessible
37. The Forest
1. The Great Keep
Surrounded to the north and west by a small orchard, herb and vegetable gardens and a chicken coop, and to the east, a covered and bolted well, the Keep stands worn and white. It is the centre of castle life.
Food can be prepared in the main kitchen, or pilfered raw from the pantry or meat store. There are enough supplies here to feed an army for a very long time, though the door to the meat store is prone to locking without warning. Wine and other alcohols can be found in the buttery. The infirmary is the place to go for all of your medical needs; the castle physician will stop at nothing to return her patients to the height of health.
Feasts and audiences are held in the Great Hall. The room boasts four fireplaces and is connected to the library by way of a short bridge. The one regularly-provided meal - dinner - is served every night at seven sharp.
A minstrel’s gallery hangs above the great hall. It serves as a lofty vantage point where musicians might assault dinner guests with soaring crescendos or else a volley of arrows if they are so inclined. It is backed by a small store of musical scores and instruments, and the balustrade is often hung with silks or tapestry.
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2. The Chapel
Two storeys high for most of its length, the chapel interior is a radiant confection. Two rows of columns support an arched ceiling while alcoves house small, unmarked altars. The windows are all stained in pale mosaics. The Greek symbols alpha and omega intertwine across one pane. Across the rest, similar signs spill in aurek-besh, in Quenya, in Esperanto and Aklo. The main altar stands on a dais at the head of the room, flanked by small preparation chambers.
A balcony runs about the inside wall of the second level and here there are private confessionals where one might admit to their guilt, or private prayer rooms where they might plea of reprieve.
The third and fourth tower levels lead onto old stone tombs and altars, each beautifully carved, once upon a time. Now they are so worn that oftentimes it appears as though they’re unmarked.
The fifth is inaccessible, but the sixth floors serves as a bell tower. The Keep's bells can be heard ringing in the hours every day.
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3. The Bower
A retreat for the pursuit of the arts. Light and sunny, this place always seems so very peaceful. The tea-rooms contain rather more tea than room, in greater variety than you can possibly imagine. Who knew aliens made tea? The art and sewing parlours are also cramped with needles, thread, oils and canvas. An easel in the art room contains a half-finished portrait. The sewing room is furnished with plenty of cushions and a plush tapestry decorate the walls.
The dance hall and main music room are hung with thick velvet curtains which seem to swallow any sound. An out-of-tune harpsichord stands to one side of the room while other instruments and scores lie in total disarray. Instruments must be taken from the music room if dancers would like something to practise to, as the dance hall is spacious, but bare. It has a ballet barre, some books on dance, and half a dozen right dance shoes.
The fourth and fifth floors are taken up by a private apartment. Intended for the lady of the castle, it is lavishly outfitted and currently vacant.
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4. The Hives and Candlestick-Makers
Bee hives are kept in a small yard to the north, while inside the building, honey is collected and candles can be rolled from cleaned wax. If you need a light, here is where you can find it.
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5. The Bonfire
When lit of nights, it is a cheerful addition, excellent for warming cold hands or roasting a haunch of meat, even for melting candy, if you're lucky. However, heresy will not be tolerated in this castle. Heretics shall be burnt.
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6. The Green
A well-tended lawn bordered by cobblestone paths with topiary sculptures in every corner but one. It seems someone has taken an axe to the shrub that stood in the south-west corner, for only a stump remains. Still, this is a good place for relaxing on a summer’s day. It is marred only by the spectre of the executioner’s block looming toward the northern end. There are times when this is a place of punishment.
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8. The Mews
Fancy a little hunting? Take one of the hawks out into the forest for some falconry. But be careful; these hawks have quite the taste for pigeon, and they bite.
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9. The Stables
Though forever full, they are never constant. On the outside, this old sandstone building is no more than medieval stables should be. On the inside, it houses an ever-changing assortment of mounts and vehicles. Anything smaller then an X-wing could potentially be found here, ready to be either mounted or meddled with as the guest so fancies. To the west is an enormous portcullis built into the curtain wall, allowing creatures, vehicles or creations to be taken into the outer bailey. But be warned! Stable occupants and machinery will last no more than six hours outside the building. After this time, they or any part of them will vanish without a trace. Any ongoing projects must therefore be returned to the stables, and the stable-master notified, lest he claim them himself.
The loft on the third floor is packed with chests of tools and bales of hay in a state of disarray so complete that finding a secluded corner is never difficult.
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10. The Pottery House
Cluttered with clay and glaze, pottery wheels and an enormous firing oven, the pottery house is where all manner of earthenware can be created.
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11. The Carpentry House
The tools for cutting, turning and shaping wood can all be found here. Though many have been secured so that they cannot be removed, one can make off with the occasional axe. There are also stains, paints and varnishes. Anything might be fashioned here, if there were only some wood to be had.
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12. The Stable Tower
Slants every so slightly outward and houses the Keep's brewery. Ales, wines and cordials can all be fermented here. The common room above the brewery serves as an unofficial tavern, festooned with rough-hewn wooden tables and stools. Though it is sadly want for a barkeep. The third floor houses four small residential rooms, small but comfortable.
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13. The Kennels
Some day it might be home to the castle’s team of fierce hunting dogs. Right now it is home to a dozen or so half-trained pups.
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14. The Inner Gates
Flanked by East and West guards’ towers, the gates themselves are two iron portcullises at either end of an arched underpass which is actually on the second floor. To the south, it opens onto a mound of packed earth which descends steeply on either side into the outer-bailey proper. To the north, it opens onto the bailey bridge. The roof of this passage is riddled with murder holes and oil traps. The towers are an essential fortification, and made up for the occupation of sentries.
The kitchen and store are designed to serve only plain fare. The sentries' chambers are sparsely furnishing with only a writing table and some old messenger scrolls. The east common room is always well-stocked by the brewery, and serves as a secondary bar. The west common room contains dicing and card tables as well as a variety of other games, even a chess board. The sentries' apartment is utilitarian and sleeps three.
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15. The Barracks
A vast building where the guests are housed. Rooms are small, containing only a bed, a closet, and a tiled alcove barely larger than an outhouse, where toilet, basin, and an aqueduct which serves as a shower can be found. There is a larger bathing space on the first floor, but still no hot water. However by far the most interesting tower room is the hall of mirrors on the fifth floor. This room alternates between a full length window or glass door, and a full length mirror, and is lusciously decorated with stone carving and gold trim. Light is thrown every which-way, even at night, as the room features a delicate-looking chandelier. This can only be a ballroom.
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16. The Glass Works
With sand, furnace, annealing oven and other instruments, everything from window panes to drinking glasses is made here.
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17. The Smithy
Fronting onto the training and sports field, weaponry and other metal tools are forged here.
Sadly, however, there is no steel to be found within the forge, and it is hard to come by in the rest of the castle. Aspiring smiths will need to make do with what they can scrounge, or else make a deal with the Master at Arms.
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18. The Armoury
Where the castle’s own supply of weaponry and other outdoor equipment is stored. However most of the ready-to-use weaponry is limited. There are, however, lead-weighted wooden training swords and a quintain available for any aspiring knights, as well as some anachronistic sports equipments stashed in a side store-room.
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19. The Clothier’s Tower
Clothes are made, mended and laundered here. The first-floor scullery deals more with hardware such as dirty pots and dishes, while the dyer's and upper scullery is equipped for linen, clothing and napery - though there is only one lone washing machine and no dryer to speak of.
The castle's wardrobe is where spare or second-hand clothing is stored, all of it styled after Elizabethan fashion. On this floor, there are a number of privacy screens behind which guests may struggle into their new attire. The floor above hosts the clothier's. Here too, privacy screens are interspersed with shelves of fabric and thread. There is, however, only a single modern sewing machine. More threads and fabric can be found on the floor above. This tower is one of the few to have hot, running water.
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20. The Thermal Pools
A humid courtyard paved in smooth river stones, this place features three pools of natural spring water. Hot enough to make you giddy in the summer-time, it is a wonderful place to relax in the evening. Late at night, forest-green frogs can be heard calling by the water’s edge.
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21. Marigold's Tower
One of the few towers to have hot water piped through it. The cold pool and change rooms are ideal for waking up after a hot soak. The washrooms on the second floor boast hot showers and attached steam-room. The barber's on the third floor is fully stocked with everything from scissors to lead-based face-paint, berry juice for darkening lips and kohl for eyes. There is also a healthy supply of leeches, for those who want that healthy aristocratic pallor without poisoning themselves, and of course a barber's ghoulish dentistry tools. The Perfumery stocks copious amounts of essential oil and supplies for enflourage, while the old apothecary's rooms contain ample stock of fresh flowers and a variety of very interesting herbs, including tobacco.
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22. The Library
The library is a chapel of a different sort. Still and silent, shelves loom from floor to ceiling on the first and second floors. There are desks, as well as private studies, and the fourth floor boasts a variety of video games and gaming consoles, discretely disguised. However, for all of that, there seems to be a peculiar lack of recognizeable fictions to be found here. But when one could read about the variety of uses for asparagus, who would notice?
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24. The Lake
Unkempt grasses give way to weedy shores. The weeds carpet the lake-bed, hiding sharp stones and waiting to ensnare ankles. But they sink to the bottom a little way out. The Water Tower stands to the north east, accessible only by boat. To the east there is the Water Gate, leading to a moat beyond the curtain wall. It might be reached by the more daring. On the north-western bank, near the stream, stands an apparatus for water torture. But fear not! If you're a witch, you won't drown.
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25. The Ivory Tower
No empress reigns here. This tower consists entirely of a sweeping marble staircase, spiraling up the full three stories to the roof. There, a trap door allows the adventurer to enter the Labyrinth.
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28. The Boat House
A couple of row boats and a lonely canoe are housed here along with a few nets, some fishing tackle and the odd beach ball.
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35. The Rose Tower
This tower houses a Shakespearean Theatre. Open to the air and beautifully carved, it is free to be enjoyed by anyone who can make it through the forest alive. On the stage floor is a large, heavy trapdoor. It's half-covered by a heavy trunk and bolted shut, but the lock is rusted and worn and looks as though it might break at any time.
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37. The Forest
The forest is a lush, wet place. The flora is tropical (strangler figs and wait-a-while vines are common) and the fauna is unusual. Pigeons can be seen flying among the trees and if you're careful, the occasional deer may be spotted. Animal trails wind through the foliage for anyone who cares to hunt, but do be careful that you don't leave your own trail. The forest is large, and larger things may live within it.
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