Castle La Mere
Castle La Mere is a old and sombre castle which resides upon the edge of a peninsula. The cliffs are tall and steep and the water beneath is filled with jagged rocks and swirling water. Surrounding the peninsula is a stone wall, which isn´t very high and occationally patrolled by the guards. On the very edge of the peninsula are the ruins from parts of the castle which have fallen into the sea.
Before reaching the keep there are two sets of gates which have to be passed, the outer gate which is the primary defence of the castle, and the inner gate which is smaller and the newest part of the castle. Mainly it is made up of official rooms and extra bedrooms for visitors. Between the two gates is the old cemetary were the rulers of the castle and their families have been buried for a long long long time. Between the inner gate and keep are all the service buildings and also were all the servants sleep.
The keep is quite empty as only a few guards and servants are allowed inside, and they mostly stay at the ground floor. Many rooms and floors are closed off and out of use. There is a large multifloor basement said to lead into the natural caves.
The two eastern towers which are for living have magical Firesalamanders bound in the cellar. The warmth and light goes through the central pillar and it does not generate any smoke. Quite an eeire experence for people who do not know the truth.
Outside of the keep there is an flat old stone called the oathstone. It is a traditional place to swear an oath by holding one hand on the stone and swearing the oath and seal it by dropping one drop of blood on the stone. By doing so the tradition says that both Etin and the castle will hold the swearer to their oath. This tradition is based on ancient Raxorian culture of swearing blood oaths.
Corridors: Most corridors are dark and the walls are filled with tapestries of old rulers, wars or religious icons.
Throneroom: On the wall next to the throne hangs the counts armour and weapons waiting for the new count to grow old enough to use them.
Armory: The Armory within the keep is unattended. Apart from the mundane weapons there are a few magical weapons the Counts of old have amassed. No one have any real clue what is in here anymore and the dust lays thick within the old armory. Next to the armory is an old smithy which haven´t been used in decades.
Stable: The stabler, Jean XXXXX, is almost 55 years old and have a wooden leg. He also have a white belt indicating that he is a knight, but he wears no sword in his belt. He lives in a small hut next to the stable. He seems to be a human who is pleased with his life.
Najads cave: From the tower where the countess family lives goes a long stair down to the sealevel where a group of Najads lives. The owner of the castle trades fruit for protection.The Najads makes sure no one comes through the cave. There is a hidden boat if the owner ever have to flee this way.
Cellars: The cellars are bsed on Jorpagnian ruins and built around a centre room to which there doesn´t seem to be an entrance. Only the storage rooms close to the NE tower seems to be in regulary use. There are wine and food stored.
Purpose / Function
Castle La Mere is the administrative and military centre of the County. It contains large storage facilities filled with goods necessary to govern the county, or to wage war for a long time.
Alterations
The Castle is ancient and have had many alterations as time have moved a long. The deepest part of the cellars are from the Imperium Jorpagnia.
Architecture
The castle is built of dark granite giving it a sinister feel. There have been almost no incline of making it feel homely.
Defenses
The peninsula is walled off from edge to edge with a thick and high wall with several towers complementing it. The outer gate is more or less a keep in it self, and were the barrack and armory is located.
It is surrounded by steep cliffs leadning down into the sea. They would be hard to climb for a invading force. The landbridge is thin and walled off. The castle walls leading out to the water are low but still thick. There are only two towers armed with catapults and ballistas aimed towards the sea, but more towers along the land bridge.
With the storage and the fact the castle have access to fresh water it can withstand sieges lasting years.
History
The full history of the castle is unknown and no one know when the location were first fortified. The most common knowledge is that the old Kings of Raxoria owned it and when the kingdom of Raxoria fell and became a part o Zorakin, it was given to the count of Alliathiore.
Founding Date
72 A.O.
Type
Castle
Parent Location
Owner
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location