Castle Never
Castle Never, also known as the Keep of Lord Never, was the stronghold and home of the rulers of Neverwinter prior to the destruction of the city in the 15th century DR.
Castle Never is located in the western quadrant of the city inside a sharp southward bend of the Neverwinter River just before it empties into the harbor.
Before the Luskan invasion, Castle Never was considered to be part of the City Core, and after the war it was known as part of the Blacklake District. During the rebuilding efforts of the late years of the 15th century DR, the Castle has been considered part of the Protector's Enclave.
Architecture
The tall, gleaming towers of Castle Never are the first thing spotted by visitors arriving by sea at Neverwinter. It is a stone building of imposing stature, and serves as a testament to the city's architectural achievements. The castle is ringed by a circular street, and the city's three landmark bridges—the Dolphin, the Winged Wyvern, and the Sleeping Dragon Bridges—radiate out from it to connect with the southwestern district of the city.
The Castle was heavily damaged by the eruption of Mount Hotenow in the Ruining. Half of its towers crumbled, the western wall collapsed, and the courtyards were littered with toppled statues and chunks of fallen stone. Being built on a strong foundation, however, the rest of the castle whas been left mostly intact. As of 1489 DR, Castle Never was still in ruins, however it is to be be cleared and largely rebuilt over the following years.
History
Castle Never was built following the Year of Burning Glades, −10 DR, by Lord Halueth Never, an elven hero from Iliyanbruen, who erected the keep on the site of a victory against Illusk. When he died, he was buried in the Neverneath section of the Castle alongside statues of his faithful servants, the Neverwinter Nine. The city of Neverwinter—at first known as Eigersstor—was founded at the same site in the Year of the Hoar Frost, 87 DR, by humans from Ruathym.
The castle came to be the seat of whichever lord ruled in Neverwinter, and in the early 14th century DR, it became the property of Lord Nasher Alagondar. The castle was frequented by nobles, civil staff members, guild leaders, and the Neverwinter Nine of the time, as they carried out the day-to-day affairs of the city.
In the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, the castle was attacked by agents of the King of Shadows in an apparent attempt to assassinate Lord Nasher, who was saved thanks to the intervention of the Kalach-Cha.
The Castle was subsequently inherited by Lord Nasher's descendants, the Alagondar royal family.
Destruction
Castle Never was heavily damaged by the eruption of Mount Hotenow in the Year of Knowledge Unearthed, 1451 DR, with much of the structure collapsing or burning. All members of the Alagondar family were believed to have died during in the cataclysm, alongside almost anyone else who was inside the castle at the time. The ghosts of these many dead souls dwelt within the castle from then on, and although these spirits were not always hostile to intruders, they reacted violently to any perceived thief or pretender to the throne. The castle remained abandoned, haunted, and half-coated in volcanic ash for over three decades, and the seat of the city's leadership would move first to an inn and then to the Hall of Justice with the arrival of Dagult Neverember in 1469 DR.
In the absence of any human inhabitants, Castle Never was home to only ghosts until fungal spores in the atrium evolved into territorial myconids and ettercaps from the dungeons moved in to claim the ruins, led by a self-described "prophet" called Ryxfith. Then, Valindra Shadowmantle and her undead Thayan forces arrived, driving the ettercaps into the upper floors and remaining towers. Subsequently, a beholder known as Talgath arrived, which attempted to subjugate the ettercaps and drive out the Thayans, who were unable to kill it no matter what they threw at it. Talgath even managed to trap several of Valindra's ghouls when it collapsed a stateroom on them, and these isolated ghouls soon adopted a macabre existence of dressing and acting like the nobility of old, including holding crude and ugly parties, dances, and games in the rooms of the Alagondar court. While eliminating Talgath became a high priority, Valindra's main goal in the castle was to gain access to the Vault of the Nine, hoping to animate the Neverwinter Nine themselves as undead shapechangers capable of piercing Castle Never's wards and infiltrating Neverwinter's government. Her forces established a sanctum in the outer chamber of the Vault of the Nine while she sought a way to bypass the wards on the Inner Vault. In the meantime, Valindra began using the depths of the Neverneath as a lair for her dracolich, Azharzel, starting in the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR.
Finally, that same year, adventurers in service to Neverwinter launched a raid on Castle Never intending to oust Valindra once and for all. They successfully fought their way through her undead forces and a giant spider pet, defeated the beholder Talgath, and slew the dracolich Azharzel. This broke Valindra's hold on the castle, but it still remained a haunted and undead-infested ruin. Years later—circa the Year of the Nether Mountain Scrolls, 1486 DR—efforts to begin clearing the castle began, but were immediately stymied by demons and the apparent appearance of Orcus within its depths, along with a reanimated Talgath and an illithilich known as Cthylarr. Orcus was subsequently defeated and returned to the Abyss.
By the Year of the Warrior Princess, 1489 DR, despite Castle Never still being a dangerous ruin, Lord Protector Dagult Neverember had publicly announced plans to restore it in hopes of bringing prosperity to Neverwinter, and within a few years, he was already holding court inside the castle. Steep taxes have been imposed on wealthy merchants, aristocrats, and adventurers to fund the large number of stonemasons, bricklayers, laborers, and guards needed for the restoration of the castle.
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