The Eagle's Nest
Built on top of a tall, exposed rock formation in the Highlands of Meador, the castle of Meador is one of the most impressive buildings in all of Leanor. It is located on the northern edge of the Highlands, about an hour's ride south of the city of Meador. It has been home and seat of power for House Meados, the ruling family of the kingdom of Aguilear, for seveal centuries.
It has been nicknamed the Eagle's Nest, though it is not entirely certain why. Some say it is called that because of it's location, perched high above a valley, while others think that it was named for the occupant's crest, a golden eagle on a black background. Either way, the nickname became so popular that the castle is now officially known by it.
The first simple keep was built on a rock known as the Guardian of the Valley by the first King of Aguilear more than five hundred years ago. The natural vertical cliffs have since been used as natural fortifications, making the keep highly defensible without the need to build any walls. From the first small keep, the castle has been expanded with time and now encompasses the entire plateau at the top of the Guardian of the Valley.
The first keep was built entirely from sandstone and timber found in the Highlands of Meador, and to this day, the castle mostly consists of these materials. The roofs, originally tiled with wooden shingles, are now made of slate tiles, coming from the nearby South Mountains, which are a little more weather resistant. The outer defenses are in some places reinforced with other stones that are less porous and breakable than sandstone. Whenever iron is used, it comes from the Wall.
From the outside, it looks as though the castle is surrounded by high manmade fortifications, but the walls merely fill in the cracks in the cliff faces. From the inside, the castle feels like it is surrounded by little more than a simple wall with crenellations, the battlements barely even raised from the ground. Since besieging the castle is virtually impossible, there is no need for more advanced defensive structures.
There are only two ways to reach the main gate. One is a set of stairs that can only be used on foot. For access with horses and wagons, there is a road that wraps around the foot of the hill and ends at the main gate. Attackers have attempted to take the castle by scaling the cliff faces in the past, but have never been successful. All other attempts of taking the Eagle's Nest have also failed.
The castle is highly defensible, but that is not it's only advantage. Due to it's location, the inhabitants of the castle can enjoy spectacular views in all directions. During the centuries, cellars have been dug into the rock. These are used as dungeons and storage for weapons, treasures and food. Since the surrounding rock acts as protection from weather, the temperature in these cellars stays the same all year round, which helps to keep food fresh for longer periods of time.
To solve the problem of limited access to fresh water that comes with living on a hilltop, several deep wells have been drilled into the rock. These wells are certainly necessary and very practical, but visitors of the King of Aguilear often describe them as somewhat terrifying, because they are so deep that it is hard to even see the water level.
Over all, the Eagle's Nest is an impressive structure, which uses the surrounding landscape to its advantage. From the natural fortifications provided by the vertical sandstone cliffs to the refrigerating capabilities of the storage cellars, House Meados have used every advantage the Highlands of Meador provide and have found solutions for its less advantageous sides, such as accessibility and limited availability of fresh water.
It has been nicknamed the Eagle's Nest, though it is not entirely certain why. Some say it is called that because of it's location, perched high above a valley, while others think that it was named for the occupant's crest, a golden eagle on a black background. Either way, the nickname became so popular that the castle is now officially known by it.
The first simple keep was built on a rock known as the Guardian of the Valley by the first King of Aguilear more than five hundred years ago. The natural vertical cliffs have since been used as natural fortifications, making the keep highly defensible without the need to build any walls. From the first small keep, the castle has been expanded with time and now encompasses the entire plateau at the top of the Guardian of the Valley.
The first keep was built entirely from sandstone and timber found in the Highlands of Meador, and to this day, the castle mostly consists of these materials. The roofs, originally tiled with wooden shingles, are now made of slate tiles, coming from the nearby South Mountains, which are a little more weather resistant. The outer defenses are in some places reinforced with other stones that are less porous and breakable than sandstone. Whenever iron is used, it comes from the Wall.
From the outside, it looks as though the castle is surrounded by high manmade fortifications, but the walls merely fill in the cracks in the cliff faces. From the inside, the castle feels like it is surrounded by little more than a simple wall with crenellations, the battlements barely even raised from the ground. Since besieging the castle is virtually impossible, there is no need for more advanced defensive structures.
There are only two ways to reach the main gate. One is a set of stairs that can only be used on foot. For access with horses and wagons, there is a road that wraps around the foot of the hill and ends at the main gate. Attackers have attempted to take the castle by scaling the cliff faces in the past, but have never been successful. All other attempts of taking the Eagle's Nest have also failed.
The castle is highly defensible, but that is not it's only advantage. Due to it's location, the inhabitants of the castle can enjoy spectacular views in all directions. During the centuries, cellars have been dug into the rock. These are used as dungeons and storage for weapons, treasures and food. Since the surrounding rock acts as protection from weather, the temperature in these cellars stays the same all year round, which helps to keep food fresh for longer periods of time.
To solve the problem of limited access to fresh water that comes with living on a hilltop, several deep wells have been drilled into the rock. These wells are certainly necessary and very practical, but visitors of the King of Aguilear often describe them as somewhat terrifying, because they are so deep that it is hard to even see the water level.
Over all, the Eagle's Nest is an impressive structure, which uses the surrounding landscape to its advantage. From the natural fortifications provided by the vertical sandstone cliffs to the refrigerating capabilities of the storage cellars, House Meados have used every advantage the Highlands of Meador provide and have found solutions for its less advantageous sides, such as accessibility and limited availability of fresh water.
Alternative Names
Castle of Meador
Type
Castle
Parent Location
Owner
Owning Organization
This is coooooooooool! It feels so perfectly situated on those highlands, really making use of the geography there :D I love it! I'm so curious, in the highlands article you mention sandstone a lot, did they use that same sandstone as the material to build the castle out of as well? Or did they bring in a different stone from somewhere else? Great work :D
Thanks for the like and comment! I haven't really thought about the building materials yet, so thank you for reminding me. It would make sense to use the surrounding sandstone, it's readily available and easy to mine. I think it would be used for the most part, but not exclusively. I'll give it some thought and add that to the article.