Serebryn Castle
Northernmost Seat of the Argent Company
Serebryn Castle (Imperial Wythian: Schloss Sehlbar) is a large fortified complex in central Sevnónicha. Situated along the Great Eastern Road some 50-odd miles northeast of Novaček, the castle has served as the Sevnóni headquarters of the Argent Company since late 429 AU.
Despite its initial prominence, the castle would gradually decline in its strategic importance over the course of the Pre-Imperial Era, and by the 8th-century AU it had been reduced to the seat of a minor Sevnóni Boyar (Wythian: Knight) and his family. Following the Imperial Conquest of Sevnónicha in 72 AU, the Boyar (ancestor of future queen Viara Mikalovna) would negotiate with the Imperial conquerors to maintain his family's nominal ownership of the land and castle in exchange for hosting a Wythian garrison for the extent of the First Sevnóni Rebellion. During this period, the Imperial garrison would enlist the services of Wythian engineers brought up from Dalhurst in conjunction with Aparnovosi artisans from the Pavöto Dalghenna to expand and refortify the castle, greatly enhancing the compound's defensive capabilities at the cost of much of the original Sevnóni architecture. The castle, while legally remaining in Sevnóni ownership, would remain one of the most prominent Imperial fortresses in the Crownlands for over two centuries, only falling out of favour after being intentionally slighted by King Weinrich II in 341 during the 2nd Serspolyn Uprising. The ancestors of Queen Viara would abandon the castle the following year, and it subsequently fell into disrepair.
On the 2nd of September 428, following the successful invasion and subsequent razing of Wanamekwa, Queen Viara Mikalovna bestowed her family's abandoned holdings (the castle included) to the leading members of the Argent Company as thanks for the Company's assistance in planning and carrying out the invasion. Some weeks later, the Company stopped on their return trip to Novaček to survey their new holdings, only to discover the dilapidated castle half-buried in the snow. Following the departure of The Santana from Pavöto the next week, Kastus Iharovich immediately set to work (alongside Syarhei Tregaskis) on recruiting Sevnóni and Aparnovosi craftsmen to fully restore the castle the following spring.
Work commenced on the 21st of March 429, with nearly 2,000 carpenters, masons, quarrymen, and blacksmiths employed to complete the project by year's end. Many of the workers were placed under the direction of Chestimir Elenovich, who had apprenticed under Kastus's father Ihar and now served as the Master of the Sevnóni Mason's Guild.
The funding for the castle's restoration, while partially drawn from the Argent Company's own coffers, was largely provided by the Cadougan Sundry Shipping Co., whose patriarch George Cadougan viewed the investment as a small price to pay in exchange for securing lucrative trade agreements with many of Sevnónicha's premier artisan guilds.
The final repairs were concluded on the 5th of November 429, and following the birth of his children later that same month Kastus invited the core members of the Argent Company north to examine their new compound. The castle was dubbed Serebryn (Sevnóni: lit. "Silver" or "Silvery") in an extravagant ceremony outside the southern gate, and ever since has served as the northernmost seat of the Argent Company.
History
The land upon which the castle now resides was originally the site of an ancient Old Sevnóni hill fort, built by the petty Kings of Novaček to defend against raids and other hostile incursions from belligerents in nearby Roventrov.Following the Unification of Sevnónicha, King Radomir I the Seer had the original fortifications torn down and replaced with broad stone towers and walls, as well as ordering the construction of a small Myrnovi chapel within the compound's Lower Ward. For countless centuries, the castle would serve as the summer palace of the Sevnóni royal family, as well as a formidable last bastion should the recently-defeated Sinopans ever surge forth across the Dnisjec and seize Novaček.
The site's original fortifications,
as they may once have looked.
as they may once have looked.
Serebryn Castle, following the completion of its repairs in November of 429
The funding for the castle's restoration, while partially drawn from the Argent Company's own coffers, was largely provided by the Cadougan Sundry Shipping Co., whose patriarch George Cadougan viewed the investment as a small price to pay in exchange for securing lucrative trade agreements with many of Sevnónicha's premier artisan guilds.
Geography, Description, & Layout
Serebryn Castle stands upon a large protrusion of hard stone known to the Wythians as Behrgen Rock, near the junction of the Great Eastern and Pomyrlas Roads. The summit of the Rock stretches dozens of feet into the air, with sheer cliffs rising from the east and west and a steep rocky ascent to the north. The sole approach is from a gentle slope to the south, and the castle's defenses are situated accordingly. While the colour of the castle's stone was originally a deep grey, it has since been white-washed using a lime render. The castle has a roughly circular plan and is divided into an Upper and Lower Ward, which are separated by a broad cross-wall complete with a drawbridge reaching over a deep ditch carved into the rock. The main entrance to the castle is through the southern gate, which is protected by a pair of portcullises designed by Aparnovosi smiths brought in from Torelledir. Three short rectangular towers line the outermost wall: one for the north, east, and west.Starosta of the Castle
In the days immediately following the castle's naming and dedication, it was collectively decided by the visiting members of the Company that the
Founding Date
429 AU
Alternative Names
The Argent Keep
Type
Castle
Parent Location
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Osti Seppa