Castle of the Damned

Castle of the Harrowing

Mindless. A collective, a species, a mortal soul trapped in an abyss?

On the Eve of Harrowing, a mass of black stalagmites bubble from the cavern floor brought forth from a ring of ancient runes carved into the stone. The tolling of a bell signals that the castle, a structure of jagged stone, has come to life, the round eye-like windows light up, and the castle is ready to claim its first victim.
In a lair of Káto, anything is possible. The Castle of the Damned is said to be mindless, a word that does not fit an inanimate castle. No one knows what the castle is, whether it be a collection of monster souls serving the castle for eternity, a new species of Káto creature that only appears in specific circumstances, or a mortal soul, most likely that of a Wizard, trapped in the abyss of a morphing spell, required to spend his days as a tormented castle. All are possible in the castle, all as mindless as the legends say.
Hoards of undead led by a puppet master's strings, creatures of Káto trodding through an existence as if under the spell of some creature, monsters with bodies and minds mutilated by Wizards and Warlocks for trial and fun. These damned creatures roam the interior of the castle, led by the spells and strings of something, someone greater than the whole of their strength. Whether it be a sentient castle or a man behind a curtain, something leads the mindless creatures against all who dare enter.
Entering the castle comes at a price, your life or your sanity. Very few escape with either, and lesser still escape with both. Those that escape with their life but not their sanity can only describe the resulting changes as floating on the astral plane, with no direction or thought in mind. They are left as if under the spell of some creature from Káto, with no brain or master to serve. Ambition and thought are stolen from those who find their sanity lost in the Castle of the Damned. It is a mindless existence that causes most to wish they had lost their lives in the castle, instead of their sanity.

Alterations

Every Harrowing is gifted a different castle, changing formations of stalagmites that are often influenced by those who may wish to attempt the Castle of the Damned. Those that have studied the castle have noticed that the alterations every year are somewhat fluid, following a spectrum of difficulty from one end to the other.

Alternative Names

Castle of the Harrowing

Type

Castle

Included Locations

• Demise
• Maker's Mark
• Serpent's Swing
• Skeletal Staircase
• Tilting Treads
• World's Anvil

Purpose

This building formed from jagged stalagmites only appears beginning at midnight on the 30th of Winter's Morning. It is the Castle of the Harrowing, housing horrific events dealing with mindless Káto creatures and often the destruction of their sanity for the ones that enter. When the bell tolls again on the last minute of the 1st of Winter's Noon, the castle once again sinks into the bubbling floor of the cavern.